Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 676 - 627: Chief Operating Officer of Burn Operations

"The effect seems pretty good," Lyle murmured from his corner in the gladiator arena stands, watching the fledgling Red Dragon fan club’s collective brawl take shape. They were really going at each other with a vengeance, to the extent that the Life Warlord had to intervene. Said intervention involved the Life Warlord joining their melee to deliver a hammer blow to any youth on the brink of death, much to the delight of all the spectators; the roars from the Baron of the Garden and the Fire Elemental incited a minor riot by the Lava Pool.

"Is this really okay, Lyle?" Imelt, who had reverted back to her elven form, stood behind Lyle. It turned out that Dwarves’ sense of aesthetics was indeed outrageous—the equation of brawny with beautiful had turned Red Dragon’s Dwarf form into their dream lover, and the inherently kind-hearted Imelt was somewhat worried about the dwarves caught in the midst of the arena’s central melee.

Imelt’s earlier behavior and words in the Mending Area had been meticulously packaged by Lyle, which gave Red Dragon a sense of guilt over the deceit.

"They adore you, dear, and even if you didn’t do as I suggested, your passion would eventually win them over. I just sped up the process... in the most efficient way possible," Lyle understood Imelt’s reaction, but both he and Ominous were quite enjoying the moment, "Don’t you like this? Imelt, they worship you, isn’t that what you wanted?"

"But this seems... to turn emotional investment into a commercial transaction, my father told me that love is priceless."

"Your father is not wrong, but some people just can’t tell the difference between priceless and worthless. To help them differentiate, I’ve made it all visible. There’s no harm, Imelt, you can put your emotions into this interaction and be the heartthrob you envision, while I have someone manage these relationships for you to ensure your efforts are appropriately rewarded. Even if you fall in love with a Dwarf... I will, um, delay for twelve hours before snitching to your dear dad."

"What nonsense are you spouting, you idiot Lyle!!!" Imelt, still an innocent young girl at heart, blushed and swung the Hammer of the Red Dragon against Lyle’s waist.

"Cough cough..." Lyle knelt on the ground like a curled-up shrimp, his face flushed as he responded, "Good girl, I’ve found you an intern agent who has been through my systematic education—it’s certain to help your idol career. Once he arranges a few events for you, I’ll see how things go and then report back to your dragon father."

"Thank you, Lyle. But who did you find as my agent?"

Lyle stretched out his arm, pointing to the brightest spot in the entire arena.

The body of fire nearly covered the entire sky above the arena; the Elemental Giant’s form turned into a fiery cloud, laughing down at the gladiator arena it managed.

The Baron of the Garden pulled out a slate from inside his body and read the words on it closely.

"Monitor the idol’s exposure rate... stir public opinion to create buzz... set suitable fan benefits..."

"I’ve got it!!!"

The Baron of the Garden lifted a crystal and loudly proclaimed.

"The Red Dragon Imelt greatly appreciates you warriors. The victor of this battle will receive healing services personally provided by the Red Dragon!!!"

The Gladiators erupted in cheers, whether they were smashed into the ground, pinned against the walls, or being held in the hands of the Life Warlord, they all burst forth with unparalleled fervor. And some Flame Elementals, acting as plants in the stands, danced joyfully, clapping and shouting in their crackling voices.

"Praise Imelt, the merciful lady of the Red Dragons!"

Lyle nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, he had considered the Red Dragon Priest Fleisheimer for the role, but after much deliberation, he chose the somewhat less savvy Elemental Lord. Being of Dwarf descent was a flaw, meaning that the Red Dragon Priest would naturally empathize with the Dwarves, the main clientele of the idol business. This was not ideal; while empathy could drive motivation, idol cultivation was not a charity.

After all, Dwarves need to eat too.

Fire Elementals, who revel in chaos and conflict, were clearly more suited to this profession, as long as they didn’t overdo it and become a menace. Well, the most fitting race would actually be the Liches, but Liches weren’t interested in cheers and crowds, and Lyle was also worried that putting them in charge would lead to a difficult end. At this time, the elemental creatures’ vague understanding of the material world became a safety valve; no matter how excessive their actions were, they wouldn’t have too much impact on reality.

Probably.

The Baron of the Garden acted swiftly, halting the Craftsmen’s Council’s decree of a daily Red Dragon parade, reducing the instances of Imelt being seen in public places. That day, Lyle walked down the street, watching the throng of Dwarves armed with weapons lining both sides of the avenue, gazing towards the palace gates. They had grown accustomed to brawling with each other under the scrutiny of the Red Dragon and the Life Warlord, and the sudden change left these simple-minded Dwarves feeling out of sorts. Although eventually, all the Dwarves still ended up in a mass brawl over some dispute, the expressions on their faces as they were pummeled by the Life Warlord were telling; something was missing.

Hunger marketing. Lyle was surprised at how adeptly the Baron of the Garden operated this tactic; perhaps he could surprise everyone. Then, in all of the Dwarves’ forging workshops, the Fire Elementals within the furnaces were making a racket. They were critiquing the Dwarves’ hammering amidst the clanging sounds.

"You’re hammering the Silverstone all wrong! I’ve seen Imelt do it; you should do it this way... and like this... hahahaha! Yes! That’s right!" This cacophony didn’t always have a beneficial effect, as some irritable Dwarves would lose patience and shut off the furnace completely, even snuffing it out, before storming into the Gladiator arenas filled with Fire Elementals.

"You can’t extinguish the flame! You idiot Dwarf! Mehhahaha!"

Can there be any outcome when two species that cannot kill each other fight? Other than reconciliation, there is no other. Especially since Dwarves are a warrior race that doesn’t truly grow close without a fight.

The relationship between the Flame Elementals and the Dwarves grew closer, and during the transition from hostility to harmony, the Dwarves’ curiosity and anticipation for the Red Dragon Imelt also increased.

Until a few days later, every Dwarf heard the cheers of the flames.

"Lady Imelt has finished her forging training, my dear friends, and she will be replacing the Life Warlord’s new Red Dragon Armament at the Great Lava Pool. You are all welcome to watch, by invitation of Dwarf King Visergg and Elemental Lord, the Baron of the Garden!"

What was driving their short legs? Was it curiosity? Was it the constant murmur of conditioned reflexes?

The Dwarves believed it was the ever-improving Mackenbert, the gradually lively and fulfilling life.

Lyle was anxious about the Baron of the Garden’s first large-scale event he had prepared, but as he looked at the streets packed with fur, beards, and iron, he knew he could not arrive ahead of the crowd. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He not only lacked the Life Warlord’s physicality to push through the crowd, but he also wasn’t clever enough to design an employee-only passage.

And the only useful Dwarf King Visergg was, at the moment, guzzling from a barrel like a drunkard.

"I’m preparing for my king’s speech entrance, wetting my throat."

"Are you sure the alcohol won’t drown your brain?"

"I’m certain my subjects prefer a belch to empty promises."

"Burp!"