Chapter 325: Chapter 218: Garbage Disposal
New Continent, Central Earth, Luwalden Duchy.
As the ship docked, especially with that familiar dragon-head flag in view, Rhodes, a Dragonkin, quickly wrapped his scaly body—so different from ordinary humans—tightly in a linen robe. He left only his eyes exposed, which still held a look distinct from common folk, and began his usual work of hauling cargo on the docks.
Ever since the great rebellion forty-five years ago, the Luwalden Duchy had shattered into a fragmented state, with various factions vying for control. For ordinary people, merely surviving required immense effort and a stroke of luck.
Dock work was pure manual labor, paid by the piece. The job market was even more fiercely competitive than the food delivery industry on Blue Star; an ordinary person toiling all day would barely scrape by.
But as a Dragonkin, strength was something Rhodes never lacked. He had turned a job that ordinary people did just to survive into a profitable venture, his daily income often equaling that of seven or eight strong men combined.
However, in any world, being different often led to ostracism.
If Rhodes, as a Dragonkin, hadn’t possessed a physique far beyond that of ordinary men, making him more than a match for several strong individuals, his peers would have likely ganged up on him and extorted protection money long ago.
Such fighting prowess naturally attracted the attention of many portside gangs. They tried multiple times to recruit him as an enforcer, but Rhodes always found ways to refuse.
The childhood trauma of being imprisoned with his friends on a farm, where they were treated like livestock and repeatedly bled for magical materials, remained vivid in his memory. This left him with a deep aversion to such gangs, and he wanted nothing more than to keep his distance.
Perhaps he himself had never imagined that, aside from Redscale and his other Dragonkin companions, the first beings he would ever truly trust and feel a fondness for would be a half-Drow and a crew of Barbarian sailors.
The regular work offered by their ship provided him with his most stable income. This income had allowed him to live relatively securely in the port’s Lower City District for many years, with enough left over to aid other Dragonkin in the city.
As a Luwalden silver coin and seven copper coins landed in his hand with a crisp, pleasant jingle, Rhodes’s spirits lifted. He mustered his courage once more to ask the half-Drow, who was lounging against the mast with her long legs crossed as she personally handed out their wages, "Sister Alianna, could you take a look for me? Is the money I’ve saved up enough to settle down on the Skanis Continent?"
Alianna glanced at the tightly bundled Dragonkin, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"You haven’t given up yet?"
She then recalled how this Dragonkin, along with a few companions, had initially requested passage on their ship to the Old Continent to seek a new life.
Considering this could touch upon matters of immigration and even control concerning the entire Dragonkin race, she hadn’t been sure of her master, Dragon Lord David Uthos’s stance. So, she had told these young Dragonkin, "No place is a utopia. If you want to move somewhere new and live a decent life, you must first save money. Only by offering sufficient tribute might the Dragon Lord view you ’burdens’ differently, perhaps even take you under his wing."
Indeed, in Alianna’s view, even draconic beasts were considered unwelcome, non-draconic anomalies by true Dragons, let alone these humanoid Dragonkin with their even more diluted and inferior bloodlines.
Their physical attributes might far surpass those of ordinary humans, but to Dragons, they were still mere burdens, not even qualifying as ’currency.’
She had never imagined that her casual remark, uttered in jest back then, would be taken to heart by him, and that he would pursue it so steadfastly for decades.
Rhodes replied, a touch of blunt honesty in his voice, "Give up? As long as I can remember, this place has been filled with injustice, discrimination, and oppression. For us Dragonkin, it’s hell. If there’s a chance to escape, I have to try with all my might."
At this, Rhodes seemed to recall something. His head suddenly drooped, a wave of sadness washing over him as he continued, "Besides, I suspect a companion of mine from long ago, Redscale, might have stowed away to Skanis. I want to try and find her."
That year, he’d had a nightmare. He dreamt he was possessed by a Demon named Gutemund, and then Redscale, who also seemed somehow different, had turned him to ashes. Just when he thought he was dead, he had awakened, naked, on a battlefield, where his companions found him.
Redscale saved him! It must have been her.
Seeing the young Dragonkin’s unwavering determination, Alianna felt a headache coming on. She couldn’t bring herself to tease him any longer and reluctantly decided to reveal some of the harsh truth. "Then you are likely doomed to disappointment. Fifteen years ago, the High Elves began a massive invasion and occupation of the Skanis Continent. Even my master’s domain, Katjana, has fallen. If you were to go now, assuming you were lucky enough not to be sunk by the Elven navy and fed to the fishes en route, you’d only be dragged to the front lines by those long-ears to serve as a slave and cannon fodder. Even knowing all this, do you still wish to settle on Skanis?"
Upon hearing this, Rhodes felt an overwhelming wave of disappointment and darkness engulf him.
It was as if decades of unwavering effort had suddenly lost all meaning.
"...I understand. Thank you, Sister Alianna."
"Little Rhodes," Alianna said, "I have a feeling it won’t be long before my Dragon Lord returns from Barto Hell to the Prime Material Plane. How about becoming a sailor on my ship for now? When that time comes, you’ll have another chance to realize your long-held wish."