Liquidation: From Big Boss to Bloody Demon Sauce Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Don’t Provoke It

Read chapter 21 of Liquidation: From Big Boss to Bloody Demon Sauce by Magic on NovelPedia.

"I want to learn more," I confessed. Suddenly, my future in this world didn't seem too bleak. It felt like stepping onto an alien trading floor, but the fundamental rules of the game were exactly the same. It was a game I had played and aced back on Earth. "Will you help me decode these, Grimora?" I asked, hopeful. Grimora took a moment to process my request, her eyes drifting from the wall down into the pitch-black depths of the cavern. "While I like your determination, Visthal, I think we should focus on whatever is currently living inside this cave. From the ambient smell, it is an old lizard. Most likely a dragon, if I had to guess," Grimora said, not trying to hide the sudden anxiety tightening her voice. "I really hope that you have some sort of contingency plan on how to deal with something that literally cannot be killed." "Well, to start off, killing it is not in my business plan," I explained, shifting my weight on Grimjaw's back. "But the fact that it's a dragon is interesting. I know very little about the creatures since they only exist in human legends. What can you tell me about their behavior?" Grimora chuckled, though it sounded strained. "I wish I could scare you. Tell you about their razor-sharp teeth, mighty claws, and flames spewing from their mouths. But the dragons you're thinking about—the ones from Earth—exist only in your wildest dreams here. Dragons in Xeenar are mostly harmless if you leave them alone. They are massive, but mostly gentle. Unless provoked." "Then, I guess the prime directive is that we don't provoke it, right?" I inquired, trying to grasp the reality of this world's hierarchy. My human mind was strained enough with understanding succubi, demons, and the fact that I was a sentient blob of demonic semen. Adding ancient dragons to the operational equation seemed like cognitive overload. "That's the best strategy," Grimora agreed, floating closer to Grimjaw. "Dragons don't go looking for a fight unless their borders are threatened. They hoard treasure, they are fiercely protective of their isolated territory, and they can be very, very dangerous if they feel their assets are at risk." "Sounds perfectly reasonable," I mused, viewing the dragon less as a monster and more as an eccentric billionaire recluse. "Maybe we can negotiate some sort of understanding? I mean, they should know we aren't here to steal their treasure or disturb their peace. We just need a temporary lease on their airspace." "Noble thought. Dragons in Xeenar are not exactly known for sitting down at the negotiation table, but we can try." She gave me a sideways, assessing glance. "I must admit, your determination and sheer optimism... it's quite refreshing." It was a start, and a good one at that. Sure, negotiating a territory lease with a dragon sounded crazy, but then again, being a conscious product of a demon's frustrated ejaculation certainly wasn't normal either. Grimora seemed to carefully consider my plan, her pink eyes thoughtful. We had no other secure locations. We had nothing to lose. "Okay... Let's go meet a dragon,” I said, steadying myself on my mount. It had been a strange day, to say the least, and here we were, about to attempt high-stakes diplomacy with an apex predator. Somehow, strangely, the chaotic mechanics were starting to make sense in this weird, twisted world. I just hoped my negotiation skills were fireproof. After about an hour more of walking deep into the cavern's descending throat, I could finally smell what Grimora had been talking about. The heavy, suffocating scent of sulfur, ancient dust, and raw, unrefined Ether hung thick in the air. While I lacked a physical nose, I was still able to process sensory data, and my environmental awareness was even better than before. The hardest part of the descent was getting used to my sight. Even after just over a month in this body, my vision was still dizzying, to say the least. But the most difficult aspect to manage was the constant, dynamic gr