In the following days, Geli didn’t bother them anymore.
With the addition of the previously set-up Teleportation Array, Gernasa discovered some interesting new ways to pass the time.
“Work hard on farming. If you can’t do it well, I’ll bury you in the fields.”
On the vast Plains at the foot of the mountain, the Lizardfolk, having received permission, had moved their entire tribe here. They had already reclaimed some farmland and were busily working away with great enthusiasm.
“Leave it to us! We will absolutely not let you down, my lord. If we don’t do it well, you won’t even need to lift a finger—we’ll bury ourselves.”
“……”
The Lizardfolk’s flattery had reached such an extreme that even when Gernasa pretended to be fierce and unreasonable, it had no effect at all.
The value of following a dragon was already worth more to them than any shred of dignity.
Gernasa simply stopped caring. Let them be—so long as they could manage the farming.
Originally, he thought these burly men wouldn’t be able to handle farm work, but in reality…
They really couldn’t. It was the more meticulous females who were doing the labor.
The males basically only knew how to hunt. At first, Gernasa thought they might have some other useful skills besides hunting, but in fact…
They really had no use besides hunting.
“Tsk… sigh…”
Gernasa clicked his tongue and sighed, pressing his forehead in resignation.
Don’t get mad, don’t get mad—everyone has their strengths; you can’t blame them for what they’re not good at.
Stealth and ambush were ingrained as racial talents for them; changing that would not be easy.
Still, the Lizardfolk’s farming skills were only basic—they could manage, but it fell short of Gernasa’s expectations.
“Forget it, let it be.”
Everything would come with time. There was no rush, and Gernasa didn’t blame them.
But when this was relayed to the Lizardman Priest, it was a different story.
“M-m-my lord, please don’t abandon us! We can learn! Give us a month—no, half a month! I’ll supervise them myself, I guarantee everyone will master it! You must…”
Gernasa was left with a bewildered expression.
“I don’t recall saying I didn’t want you here. If you’re not good at it, then so be it—it’s no loss to me.”
After all, keeping you here doesn’t cost me anything, and you can help me tend the gardens. What’s there to be dissatisfied about?
“As long as you can sustain yourselves here, that’s fine. Once the crops mature, I’ll occasionally come down to take a portion. As long as you can deliver, you can eat as much of the rest as you like.”
After saying this to the Lizardman Priest, Gernasa paid no mind to his reaction and walked over to inspect the newly-tilled, still-damp fields.
“Hm… Should I learn to transform? It’s awkward to farm with dragon claws, though they’re good for digging…”
He stared at the fields, deep in thought. Behind him, the Lizardman Priest was frozen in terror by Gernasa’s earlier words.
“So if we can’t grow food that satisfies him, he will… What do we do? He already doesn’t approve of our farming techniques—he certainly won’t approve of our crops!”
The Priest was in a panic. Though he had learned some techniques from outsiders, after generations of natural selection, Lizardfolk were no longer suited to farming or herding.
He himself could at most use some water magic for irrigation—other than that, their skills were nothing out of the ordinary.
Filling their stomachs wasn’t a problem.
But it was obvious that such ordinary methods couldn’t possibly produce crops that would please Gernasa’s palate!
Even if Gernasa himself wouldn’t blame them since he didn’t lose much, the Lizardfolk didn’t see it that way.
He was a wicked dragon! If he wasn’t satisfied, he’d kill them all without a second thought!
“No, I must do something! Not only must the food we grow satisfy him, but I have to prove the worth of the Lizardfolk!”
Pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, an idea quickly sprang to mind.
He rushed straight to Gernasa, fawning, rubbing his hands together, nodding and bowing.
“My lord, there’s something your humble servant wishes to say, though I don’t know if it’s appropriate.”
“Out with it, or let it out as a fart.” Gernasa didn’t even turn his head, replying casually.
Upon receiving permission, the Priest raised his claw and pointed off into the distance.
“Here’s the thing—west of the Forest, there’s a group of Centaurs who happen to be skilled in farming and herding. My lord could recruit them into your service.”
“Centaurs? Oh, that’s not bad.”
[Centaurs: Possess a human upper body and the body of a horse. They are large and strong, have high running speed and stamina, prefer group activities, and are skilled in farming and animal husbandry.]
Incidentally, while Centaurs are omnivorous, they rarely slaughter their livestock—most are kept for milk and eggs.
But there are exceptions. Different Centaur tribes can be vastly different: the good ones are honest farmers who work the land and herd cattle.
The bad ones are nothing but horse bandits.
“That really is a good idea. Take some people and negotiate with them. If you can bring them here peacefully, all the better. If not, just leave it.”
Seeing that Gernasa accepted his suggestion, the Priest was overjoyed, his voice several pitches higher:
“Yes, my lord! I guarantee the task will be completed!”
“Why are you yelling so loud! You nearly scared me to death!”
Thus, the Priest gathered a few able-bodied, fully armed tribesmen and set off, spirits high. “Brothers, now’s our chance to prove our worth!”
“Roar!”
But to Gernasa, they didn’t look like they were going for peaceful negotiations at all.
“Are these guys planning to raid them?”
It was normal to bring weapons in case of danger on the road, but their demeanor was way off.
“I’m a bit uneasy. I remember that Centaurs value freedom highly—they might not agree so easily. These Lizardfolk are stubborn, too. They’ll probably cause trouble.”
After some thought, Gernasa decided to send someone to follow them.
It’s decided—it’s your turn. Come on out.
Gernasa took out the Dragon Emperor’s Pearl and released the lich.
“Go and protect those Lizardfolk from the shadows. If they get into a fight with the Centaurs, try not to let anyone get hurt—the Centaurs as well. They’re the ones I want to recruit for farming.”
He also handed over the Halberd that had once belonged to the lich, one of the few he hadn’t destroyed.
The lich accepted the Halberd and the task, dazedly agreeing before turning to leave.
“Oh… wait! Why should I have to obey your orders?”
Suddenly realizing something was off, the lich turned back and protested loudly:
“You left me tied to that cursed cross I hate most for two whole days! Then you all ran off to play! And now you have the nerve to order me around?!”
Having been hung on a makeshift cross for two days before anyone noticed, the lich was fuming.
Gernasa scratched his head awkwardly at that.
“I thought my master would let you down, so… ahem, sorry! Go take care of this, and when you get back I’ll make it up to you.”
“Who wants your stuff! I want an explanation! Do you understand? You promised to let me die! You…”
Before the lich could finish ranting, Gernasa’s expression changed instantly and he shouted:
“I already apologized, what more do you want?! Do you want another taste of my enhanced Dragon’s Delight?!”
Beep——
“Ahem, you know how I am—I always convince people with virtue. So after hearing my words of wisdom, are you enlightened now?”
The lich covered its face, nodded silently, and Gernasa nodded in satisfaction as well:
“Good. Now hurry up and follow them!”