Chapter 46: Exploitation

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Exploitation"How about it? The quality of the pearls I harvested is not bad, right?" Noah looked at the young man in front of him, who was dripping wet from head to toe, with a smug smile on his face, then looked down at the courtyard garden filled with pearls, each of which was perfectly round and could be used to make jewelry. "Just these?" The golden light of the sunrise gilded the young man, making his silhouette appear tall. But the young dragon only felt that this man had a certain naive quality of his youth, which even two years of experience hadn’t shaken off. This guy probably spent the whole night soaking in the water. "You probably don’t even have 300 pounds here, not even a tenth of what I requested." "Huh?!" The man, who had hoped to hear some praise, was instantly dumbfounded. These scattered pearls on the ground, each picked by his own hands, should have been more than enough compensation for a night’s labor. "You can rest for a while now, but once you’re rested, continue back into the water." Noah had now transformed into a wicked overseer, crazily exploiting slaves—no, even the slaves in Elisium City weren’t as miserable. Because they didn’t work at night and could arrange their work hours freely within reasonable limits during the day. Each labor turned into work points, recorded in an account, and once the score was met, they would gain their freedom. It was precisely for this reason that the slaves in Elisium City and the surrounding areas were very motivated to work, requiring no supervision, not to mention overseers wielding whips to flog them, merely someone to confirm their labor results was enough. "By the way, you can bring the pearls over in batches, but each batch must be of at least the same quality as this one. Don’t try to fob me off with any poor-quality pearls." "Noah, why have you become more and more picky? These are the pearls I’ve carefully selected. Couldn’t you even give a wow?" The young man, who had expected the Golden Dragon’s exclamations and praise, found his hopes dashed and sat on the ground with no noble demeanor, muttering complaints. "Haven’t you been promoted? Using the old standards on you is belittling you." "When have you ever valued me? You don’t even call me brother; even just calling me big brother would be okay!" Tidel lay back on the ground, letting the carefully harvested pearls roll around him. At this moment, he was entirely different from the dejected young man who could get drunk on honey wine yesterday. He seemed to have forgotten the sorrow and depression of losing adventurous companions and had reverted to the noble child from the border who could frolic with a Golden Dragon. "You can close your eyes and sleep now, and anything can be achieved in your dreams." To Noah, the drastic change in the young man within just a day was unsurprising. That’s just how men are, even after going through unprecedented setbacks and pains. After venting hysterically, they can act as if nothing happened the next day, welcoming the rising sun once more. It’s not that they’ve put it down or that it doesn’t matter anymore; it’s just buried deep inside, unwilling to show it to others. After all, how can a man reveal such a vulnerable stance? Noah didn’t know how to comfort others and, as a Golden Dragon, didn’t need to ponder how to comfort a short-lived species going through growing pains. However, the young dragon knew that if you tire someone out so much that they can’t even stand but lie on the ground, they won’t have the energy to overthink. "Alright, I’ll just sleep here; if I don’t dream about you, you’ll be responsible." "Once you wake up, head to the river valley to gather pearls." The Golden Dragon, without any sense of burden, commanded this Son of Legend, his nominal brother. And the young man, who’s experienced the separation of life, was willing to spend ample time daily in the river valley. But as Radiant Gold, Tidel, by rights, should have diligently selected pearls from each of his harvests, yet even after half a month, he continued this activity, despite having sent over three thousand pounds of pearls to Noah. An unspoken understanding developed between the man and dragon, with neither calling for an end to it. As the benefactor, Noah was quite content, while Tidel, who was doing the labor, needed it. This activity continued until Elisium City at the mountain’s base became lively again, as Tidel was about to undergo his coming-of-age ceremony as the sole heir to the Duke position. Because of the new legendary Casius, a young noble’s initiation into adulthood slowly evolved into an unprecedented gala in the land. This was the first time since his promotion that a legend extended an invitation to the outside world. Aside from the vassals of the Augustus family, who originally were noblemen from the southeastern frontier of the Kingdom, all prominent noble forces within the Aristoria United Kingdom sent envoys to celebrate. Even forces beyond the Kingdom sent envoys, mainly to meet the new legend because the rise of a legend generally disrupted the existing order in their region, creating a huge impact on their surroundings. "Do you still have time to go to the river valley now?" Noah was somewhat surprised to see Tidel bringing a large number of pearls again. To be honest, he had eaten pearls until he was full during this time, yet he hadn’t gotten tired of them since pearls suited the taste of a Golden Dragon too well. "Why wouldn’t I have time?" The young man lay lazily on a vine bed woven by fairies, lazily gazing at the bustling city below, and asked casually in return. "With so many nobles here, they’re all coming to observe your coming-of-age ceremony. As the protagonist, aren’t you supposed to meet and entertain them?" "Oh, come on, Noah, do you really think those nobles down the mountain came for me?" Tidel’s thoughts had transformed greatly, not only because of his frequent trips to gather pearls but also due to his adventurous friends he once knew. Most of the companions he respected chose to stay and continue following him after learning about his identity. Over time, these people have adjusted to their new identities. This created an unbridgeable hierarchy, where strength gaps could be caught up with effort, but the legendary noble lineage was impossible to surpass despite any attempts. Former brothers in arms had now become submissive subordinates showing flattery, which made it hard for the young man to maintain his old mindset. "At least some came here for you, like those nobles who brought their lovely daughters or nieces." Noah teased with a sly smile. "Not you again." The young man showed a helpless expression. "Hmm?" The Golden Dragon suddenly paused, looked down the mountain, his dark golden dragon eyes narrowing slightly before slowly relaxing as the whole dragon became calm again. Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m