Chapter 101: Perspectives

"How do you think the people of Xia view this matter of the Black Dragon seeking naturalization?" Lady Red asked her messenger.

It was quite inconvenient to be unable to access the internet while outside the country. It meant that to keep up with domestic situations and policy changes in Xia, they had to constantly sneak people back across the border just to get online. It was not only troublesome but also risked capture by Xia's border defense forces, often resulting in detentions of ten days to a fortnight—a massive waste of human and material resources.

Fortunately, this situation improved after Lady Red took the initiative to sell a batch of dragon scales to Xia. While Xia did not allow her to establish an embassy or any official offices within its borders, they did open formal communication channels for her envoys, allowing them to visit designated locations to access news and information.

"The mainstream opinion among the public is currently supportive. After all, a powerful Black Dragon choosing to become a citizen of Xia significantly boosts national pride. Over eighty percent of netizens hold a welcoming and positive attitude," the messenger replied. "However, the official stance of the Xia government remains ambiguous; they haven't provided a definitive answer yet."

"Considering how difficult it has always been to apply for Xia citizenship, especially when the applicant is a Black Dragon... I suspect the relevant authorities will likely impose certain requirements and restrictions, setting a probationary and assessment period before they even consider granting citizenship."

"...Is it really that troublesome?" Lady Red muttered. She had a strange intuition that with the Black Dragon as a precedent, Xia would only make the naturalization process for supernatural beings more formal and stringent. The longer it dragged on, the harder it would become.

Fortunately, Lady Red had no intention of becoming a citizen of Xia herself. She simply wanted to leverage Xia's resources and market to establish her own city-state, collect rent, and levy taxes—a comfortable life indeed. Dragons really needed to improve their economic acumen; relying on looting and protection money was no way to make a fortune. It was far inferior to controlling a city and extracting wealth from citizens through monopolies like real estate, banking, and taxation—lower risk, higher returns, and far more sustainable.

***

"...Is there any way to contact that damned Black Dragon? I want to have a serious talk with it," Lady Red couldn't help but say. She figured that if the Black Dragon was truly determined to become a citizen of Xia, the government would be even less likely to tolerate her—a Red Dragon—establishing a city within the safe zone. She hoped to reach the Black Dragon and persuade it to change its mind so it wouldn't stand in the way of her financial prospects.

"That is difficult... Lady Red. Xia's protection of that Black Dragon is extremely tight; ordinary people have no way of getting close to it," the messenger replied. "However, if we use official channels, there might be a slim chance."

"Official channels?" Lady Red was surprised. She asked, puzzled, "The Xia government must treasure that dragon dearly right now. Why would they let me near it? Aren't they afraid I'll turn it against them?"

"That is exactly why you should use your influence, Lady Red!" her messenger and strategist replied with a smile. "Since the Black Dragon wants to join Xia, you could propose a suggestion to their officials: treat your attempt to sway the Black Dragon as a trial—a test to see if it is truly sincere about its desire to join Xia."

"That actually makes sense..." Lady Red pondered for a moment before continuing, "But given how precious the Black Dragon is and the current state of my relations with Xia, they likely won't easily allow me to test its loyalty."

"Unless I bleed a little and offer them some substantial benefits as compensation..." Having reached this conclusion, she already had a plan in mind. She wondered whether it would be more sincere to sneak out a few dragon eggs or perhaps capture a young dragon or two to gift to the people of Xia.

***

The Black Dragon was naturally unaware that its existence was already blocking a certain Red Dragon's path to wealth. At this moment, it was waiting at a secret military base to witness a magical experiment—the detonation of a small-to-medium yield mushroom cloud.

Truth be told, the Black Dragon had never seen a nuclear explosion with its own eyes and had always felt a strong curiosity about it. Moreover, the Xia Academy of Sciences had long been trying to use the "Nuclear-Powered Manhole Cover" concept to crudely assist dragons in achieving space flight. This nuclear test was underground, primarily aimed at creating a nuclear-powered lid to show the Black Dragon the principles and power involved, helping it overcome its psychological and cognitive barriers to eventually achieve dragon-borne space travel.

The "Nuclear-Powered Manhole Cover," also known as the Thunder Well Project, originated in the 1950s and 60s. The principle involved digging a deep well hundreds of meters down, placing a hydrogen bomb at the bottom, injecting tens of thousands of liters of water, leaving a certain volume of air, and finally covering the wellhead with a metal "lid" weighing dozens or hundreds of tons.

When the hydrogen bomb at the bottom exploded, the energy released was equivalent to tens of thousands of tons of explosives. The liquid water would absorb the gamma rays from the explosion, and the immense heat would instantly vaporize the water in the well. The water would turn into steam, expanding significantly, and after accelerating through a narrow shaft, the metal "lid" would gain unimaginable kinetic energy, escaping the Earth and entering space at speeds of fifty to sixty kilometers per second.

When the Black Dragon first heard this theory, it almost thought the management of the Xia Academy of Sciences had lost its mind and accidentally let a fringe scientist into the ranks. It wasn't until later that it discovered that scientists in the United States had actually conducted such experiments, using nuclear bombs to blast metal lids into the sky for fun.

"Fifty to sixty kilometers per second... if that hit someone, even a god would probably howl in pain..." The Black Dragon felt a strange sense of anticipation. It felt this thing could be dubbed the "Great Cannon of the Mortal World." As long as the barrel was thick and sturdy enough, and the propellant was powerful enough... achieving high initial velocities—if not the speed of light, then certainly a hundred or so kilometers per second—should be no problem.

"Mr. Huang, the mushroom bomb is about to detonate. We hope you can utilize your superior vision to help us determine the velocity of this nuclear-powered lid and track its trajectory and position..."