【Domination Mission: 1229/1000.】
【Mission completed. Reward obtained: Spell - Plant Growth.】
On White Pearl Island, Xia'er, who had already returned to her lair, stared at the panel that appeared before her with a strange expression. "Plant Growth, huh?"
Plant Growth was a fairly decent spell.
While not exactly high-grade, it wasn't low-tier either.
A Green Dragon would naturally master this spell upon reaching the young dragon stage.
Right now, it was just a case of getting it ahead of schedule.
For a Green Dragon, Plant Growth was indeed a useful spell. It could cause plants within an area to grow rapidly, creating obstructive terrain. Under sustained casting by certain Druids, it could also boost crop yields within a region.
It had to be said, this spell was a standout piece of magic for Xia'er to improve her living environment.
It's just that the plant species on White Pearl Island were rather ordinary, consisting mainly of low shrubs. Making these shrubs grow would look rather unsightly, and a Green Dragon's innate nature wouldn't favor it either.
A Green Dragon's nature was to prefer environments akin to great forests, not tall shrubs.
【Domination Mission Part One: Obtain one vassal race with a population no less than ten thousand / Obtain three vassal races each with a population no less than five thousand.】
【Domination Mission Part Two: Possess a vassal with a level of 10 or higher.】
Soon, two more lines of game panels appeared before Xia'er.
"One race of ten thousand, or three races of five thousand each, huh?"
Xia'er's dragon eyes gleamed.
If she were to support these Bullywugs like pampered lords, completing this domination mission wouldn't be too difficult. The Bullywugs just needed to eat, sleep, and breed. Within a few years, the frog population would explode.
But,
Why bother?
Xia'er brought them here to be servants, not to be masters!
Reproduction was necessary. A unified Bullywug tribe, with no lack of food, would inevitably see population growth. Xia'er also needed a steady stream of new servants.
"Judging by the current rewards, it seems Slaughter Missions grant rewards that enhance basic attributes, like Vitality, Strength, and such, while Domination Missions grant rewards in the form of spell gifts, like this 'Plant Growth'..."
Xia'er pondered silently to herself. "If that's the case, then what would the reward for an Evolution Mission be?"
Thinking of this, Xia'er felt a tingling numbness in her throat and refocused her thoughts on everything related to dragon breath.
Unlike the Winged Breath, this breath attack was the genuine article—a true Green Dragon's breath.
Xia'er had expelled all the poison mist she had accumulated since birth. While she could still breathe fire in the future, if she wanted to unleash another breath attack as formidable as the previous one, it would require time to accumulate again.
After all, potent poison gas wasn't something that could form in just a few days.
Her formidable recovery ability had already mostly restored her throat, freeing her from that previous feeling of weakness, yet Xia'er still felt a vague sense of crisis.
"Perhaps I could swallow something to temporarily enhance my breath ability..."
Xia'er thought to herself, though she hadn't yet figured out what exactly to swallow for that effect. After pondering it for a while, she decided to start studying Plant Growth.
The entire White Pearl Island only had a handful of plants.
Xia'er gazed at an inconspicuous, low shrub on White Pearl Island, focused her will, and stirred the newly acquired magical power within her body.
A stream of vibrant, emerald-green magical radiance flowed from her dragon claw, gently enveloping the plant.
Under the spell's influence, the shrub seemed injected with a violent surge of vitality. Its stem visibly swelled, tiny branches rapidly extended and spread, and leaves swiftly unfurled and enlarged.
Within a few short breaths, the originally half-person-tall shrub had wildly grown into a small, leafy 'tree' with twisted branches like outstretched arms, casting a small patch of shade.
"It works indeed."
A flicker of thought crossed Xia'er's mind as she ceased the flow of magic.
However, the moment the magical radiance dissipated, a startling change occurred.
The newly grown small tree seemed to deflate like a punctured sack. Its tall form rapidly withered, the extended branches swiftly retracted, and the swollen leaves curled up and shrank.
Within a few breaths, it had completely reverted to its original short stature before the spell, as if the astonishing growth moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.
"Tsk."
Xia'er narrowed her dragon pupils, revealing a trace of understanding and a hint of disappointment. "It's not true acceleration of growth. It's more like temporary morphological shaping and a temporary infusion of life energy. Once the energy stops, the plant's original form immediately returns."
With this realization, Xia'er carefully observed the unchanged shrub and, combining the perception granted by the spell model, quickly estimated, "To permanently fix it in its grown state, I'd probably need to continuously channel this magic, maintaining the spell uninterrupted for at least... several hours."
Xia'er realized that thoroughly transforming the barren, desolate vegetation of White Pearl Island by herself would be a massive undertaking requiring significant time and magical investment.
This spell was the one Green Dragons mastered the most and were most proficient in.
However, ordinary Green Dragons nested within forests, surrounded by natural flora. In a true home-ground battle, they would simply incite the surrounding plants to grow as before, establishing terrain more favorable for their own combat, and then employ other plant-based spells for attack.
Among the Chromatic Dragons, Green Dragons were also the species most fond of casting magic, not known for their physical Strength.
Green Dragons like Xia'er, who built their lairs in desolate, barren places like White Pearl Island, were quite rare.
Doing so was equivalent to voluntarily giving up geographical advantage.
Xia'er felt quite helpless about this too.
There were no forests nearby.
The nearest forest was located southwest of the Karugu Highlands, bordering a human duchy—a small patch of woods said to be inhabited by some elves, a 'marquisate' under the human duchy.
Under this world's feudal system, the human noble ranks of Duke, Count, and Baron were truly subordinate relationships. That is, under a King were Dukes, under Dukes were Counts, and 'the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal.'
The Marquis was the first exception.
A Marquis was typically a noble stationed at the nation's frontier, guarding the borders, possessing a high degree of autonomy. In simpler terms, it was more like an enhanced version of the military governor Xia'er remembered from her impressions.
It was said that when the southern human kingdom was first established, it received aid from an elven companion. The kingdom's founding king later designated that forest for the elven companion, bestowing the title of Duke. However, over a century, the new kings gradually distanced themselves from these elves. Slowly, the elves no longer considered themselves human vassals, maintaining only a tenuous, lingering connection, tacitly recognized as a Marquis.
Even so, it was not something a Young Dragon like Xia'er could covet.
"Sigh."
Thinking of this, Xia'er could only let out a deep sigh.
Well, an island in the Sea of Frost is just an island in the Sea of Frost.
For now, the goal is to develop peacefully.
Once I grow into a veteran among dragonkind, forget a mere forest—even the capital of a human kingdom will be within my grasp!