"As I said, dragons are useful creatures." "Every part of them has a use. ”

"Yes." Saar agreed.

"But you're still not going to do that."

"Yes." Sal said mildly.

Albert, who was in attendance, raised his head and looked at the behemoth on the side.

They were standing next to the black dragon's body, blood flowing down the valley as it had not yet cooled. When the dragon's aftermath dissipated, carnivores would swarm in a radius of ten miles, stimulated by the smell of blood.

But the real hunters happily gave up the right to enjoy first. The Frostwolf Clan did not intend to split their prey into pieces and carry them back to camp. They simply took turns taking some of the loot that could prove the identity of their prey, such as scales, claws, horns, and bones, and then cleaned up the battlefield and returned to the camp in an orderly manner with their weapons and the dead and wounded. No one took meat or anything more, although many expressed reluctance to do so.

Dineen didn't understand this. He had seen many dragon hunts, and there was not a single time when the victor had been ecstatic to divide his prey. Scales and leather are used to make armor, bones are used to craft weapons, blood is used to craft magical items, and meat is edible. Almost nothing is left, and even offal that is considered waste can be sold at a high price as pet feed, which hunters believe will make their beast companions more intimidating than their wild counterparts, although there is no tangible evidence of this.

There's a theory that has never been brought to the fore, but almost everyone tacitly assumes that killing a dragon is almost the same as finding a treasure - once you succeed, you'll get a thousand-fold profit, and the upfront investment is basically not worth it.

And now the frostwolf orcs just let their prey go. Despite the fact that there is no market for speculation and trading, these materials are only left with their own value. But to put it mildly, aren't they tempted by the meat that lasts enough for a year?

"Then we'll be animals that can't run." Sal said half-jokingly, but then he became serious, "If we enjoy the fruits and give up hunting, we will get into the habit." When we need to hunt again, we think, 'Why don't we kill a dragon again?' Then we can go back to hunting for a whole year. 'That's not going to work, guys. ”

"Then you can take at least some of it?" Albert said puzzled.

"Then that's another reason I'm going to talk about, my friend." Thrall smiled at him, then turned to the black dragon, "It'...... He, this creature, has the same intelligence as we do. He is not a beast, but a being capable of thinking like us. It's like an orc, or a human. And we don't eat orcs, and we don't eat humans. ”

"Oh? Do you not call wild beasts brothers? Now you're going to draw a line with them again? ”

If it weren't Thrall, who was familiar with him, but any orc, the other party would have smashed Dinin's head with an axe for this. Fortunately, Sal knew he had no ill intentions, so he just smiled softly.

"We see the beast as brothers because we live under the same sky. In the same way, we drink water from the rivers, take refuge in the earth, take refuge from disasters, hunt each other, live and grow old, sickness and die. We are part of the natural cycle, just as important as it is insignificant. ”

"Life itself is non-discriminatory. But there are still ethnic differences. Just as wild animals don't eat the corpses of their own kind, we respect creatures that can communicate and have intelligence. No matter what race you are, you are all part of the group of intelligent beings. We will fight them to protect ourselves and our families, and we will praise our victories, but we will not eat them as beasts. ”

"This is how the Frostwolf Clan survives."

Albert pondered for a moment before accepting this novel argument.

"It's special." He commented.

When Dineen told them stories, he used the phrase "gentle and pure" to describe the clan, which seemed a little strange even to the other orcs, and Albert only now understood why.

"You've changed a lot since you became a shaman," Dinen looked at Thrall with a strange expression, "but your input and income are obviously not very balanced, and your people won't be dissatisfied with it?" ”

"They know what's right. And we're not in a hurry. "A glorious victory is not only something to celebrate, but an epic to live on." And those loot are also part of our saga. ”

"However, it's just our own rules, Dining, and if you want anything, just take it." Thrall made a gesture of please, "Half of our victory is due to your weapons and experience, and you are more than qualified to claim your fair share." ”

Dinen turned his head and looked at the almost intact black dragon before shrugging his shoulders with disinterest.

"I know twenty-one ways to use dragon blood, and bones and tendons are enough to make hundreds of good weapons, but so what? I don't have the necessary ingredients and tools to take it all in, and I can't take it all with me. Besides, why would I do this? I'm a warrior, not a blacksmith! ”

For him, forging is about calmness. It's his own meditative method, a way of spice up his life, and it's a side bonus to mending his weapons and armor in case of emergency. But blindly pursuing the result will deprive him of what little pleasure he has. So Dinein rarely pretends to be a craftsman. He delves into techniques and recipes for the sole pleasure of watching and listening. He was fascinated by the color of metals of different proportions and materials as they were transformed in flames, and the sound they made during forging. The finished product is not so important. As a result, he has never been known for a single piece, and few even know that he also has the skills to do so.

"Are you interested in dragon meat?" He asked Albert, "Although the taste is nothing special." ”

The paladin shook his head with a wry smile.

"Thrall has already convinced me with his arguments, so forget it." He thought for a moment, and then said, "Aren't you going to get yourself another weapon?" ”

Dinein's original sword had been melted by his own mistake. They are constantly stretched thin, and there are no spare weapons to replace.

"Use it? No, the keel is too difficult to tame. Dinen wasn't interested. Grinding and cutting is too time-consuming, and if he doesn't, what can he do with a huge skeleton the size of a man, siege or make meat sauce? He would rather pick a spear from an orc, at least the metal that passed through his hand would be easier to use. Sal won't refuse.

"But I have another thought - how do you feel when you're near it, shaman?"

"You mean the perception of the elements?" Thrall shrugged, "Very sluggish, as if no elemental spirits existed. It took me a lot of effort to get a response. ”

"Then this is the repulsion of the black dragon to the elements - or the repulsion of the elements to the black dragon. Forget it, anyway, I just need to know that they don't fit in with each other. ”

Dineen had noticed this from just now. In a large area around the black dragon, the elements were stagnant, no longer easily converging and changing because of his mood swings. Getting closer, the elements become sparse, and the closest position is close to the elemental vacuum. When he stood here, it was as if he had gone back in time when he couldn't perceive the elements. This made him feel more relaxed, as if he was no longer standing on a suspended rope, but back to a down-to-earth state.

This state is temporary, but it is possible that items made from materials on the black dragon's body will have the same effect. Of course, he didn't expect it to be as strong as it is now, but it was a bonus to be able to relieve his mental stress a little.

"So, I finally don't have to worry about you suddenly burning yourself one day." Albert joked.

"I've disappointed you, but this strength doesn't seem to hurt me." Dineen remembered his fingers reaching into the flames, and he could clearly feel every change in temperature and airflow, but he didn't hurt it in the slightest. The human constitution is actually unable to withstand such high temperatures, but his common sense and experience have been completely denied.

"Isn't it worse to burn the clothes?" Sal said with a strange expression.

Dinen glared at him viciously at the paladin's muffled laughter.

"Then again," Thrall quickly changed the subject, "what do you want to do with the materials on the black dragon?" After all, you have to carry it with you all the time to maintain the effect of reducing the element's activity. ”

Dineen pondered for a moment. Due to the constraints, he couldn't ask for something too complicated, and he didn't want to ask the orcs to help him make it.

"How about a dagger out of a claw?"

The production process he planned had nothing to do with forging, there was no process or material addition, and it was all about polishing a shape by hand.

"And one day you threw the dagger out in the middle of a fight, and everyone around you started burning?" Albert said skeptically.

"Are you worried about your clothes?"

"No, I'm worried about my eyes."

"Then I can at least be sure that Ash needs neither clothes nor eyes."

"I still choose to take it a grain of salt."

"The need for ashes?"

"A promise to you."

"I've always done what I said."

"But at least you can't turn to ashes yourself."

"Let's look at this in a flexible way - don't you just turn to ashes?"

"Ahem." Thrall interrupted the two men's bickering, "What about the necklace when it comes to jewelry?" ”

He suggested this because he thought of the silver crescent pendant that Teresa had given him as a souvenir. He cherished this gift.

Dineen looked at him with a subtle expression of "Oh my God, I never found your aesthetic so compatible with women." But before Sal could react, Albert, who understood more quickly, gave him an elbow and said, "Nice offer." ”

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Dinen frowned and raised a hand, "This thing is only suitable for quiet ladies." I don't want to put a collar around my neck that will hit me. ”

Albert looked like he was seriously considering whether or not to give him another one.

"It's a bit of a normal aesthetic once in a while, mate." He sighed, "And necklaces are made of more materials than bracelets and rings, and the effect is better, isn't it?" Or do you want a piece of dragon skin armor? ”

Dinen was tempted to say I'd rather have armor. But considering he doesn't know anything about handling leather, and the frostwolf orcs won't help with it, it's completely impossible.

“…… All right. ”

Thrall laughed and proposed, "Take a dragon's tooth, my people love the teeth of their prey, and they are good at polishing this." ”

Necklaces made of prey minions are a very common ornament among orcs, and someone must have made them. Thrall could ask those people to make a string for Dinen by the way—of course, it was better not to tell them in advance who it was for.

"You know what?" As they worked together to break open the black dragon's mouth and pry a full tooth from the gums, Dineen muttered, "I think in the future, if a guy cuts the rope on this necklace, he will be able to go back and brag about beating me all over the place." ”

Albert spread his hands helplessly. Sal laughed.