Chapter Thirty-Five: Taking Up Work

"Ah? That's really a pity..." The Black Dragon blurted out, then, seeing Liu Weihan's expression change, he quickly corrected himself, "No... Brother Liu, what I meant was, since the Phoenix is an endangered protected creature, to simply silence it would indeed be too much of a loss..."

"Mr. Huang, there's no need to explain," Liu Weihan said, his tone serious. "I believe you must have sensed it yourself: your psychology is already undergoing changes. The nature of the dragon is beginning to influence your humanity..."

"This is a very dangerous sign, one we must take seriously. Therefore, I suggest... it would be best for you to receive some psychological counseling later."

"Psychological counseling... Is that really necessary?" Huang Ze instinctively resisted. Imagine—a dignified dragon, having to undergo human psychological counseling. How strange, how humiliating! If word got out, it would be a disgrace for all dragons.

"It is absolutely necessary!" Liu Weihan declared solemnly. "Mr. Huang, dragons are vastly different from humans. As the power in your blood awakens, your humanity will inevitably be eroded by the overwhelming nature of the dragon. Changes in attitude and perspective are almost unavoidable, and imbalance or loss of control are not out of the question."

"Mr. Huang, you are the only dragon in our nation, the only extraordinary being we can trust. Your importance goes without saying. Ensuring your mental health and psychological stability is a matter of utmost concern, one we must address with every possible caution. We cannot be too careful."

"In fact, from the day you returned to the country, we should have arranged counseling for you. But everyone was too excited then, and you seemed so upbeat and positive that we neglected it. However, it’s not too late to make up for it now."

"...Alright, hearing you say that, it does make some sense." Huang Ze thought seriously and accepted Liu Weihan's reasoning.

As he gradually calmed down, the Black Dragon could indeed sense subtle changes in his psyche. He was becoming bloodthirsty and combative, craving violence, blood, and fire from deep within.

If it weren’t so late and if someone could guide him, he would’ve rushed off to take down that Flame Demon tonight, seeking thrill and transcendence in a fierce battle.

Even more alarming, Huang Ze found his mindset changing—accepting psychological counseling for healthy development was perfectly normal for any citizen. Yet, his first reaction was concern for the dignity of dragons, causing him to resist—

What kind of thinking was that?

Clearly, his thoughts had gone astray, betraying his class and stance. His cognition no longer identified as human, but leaned towards being a dragon, prompting him to consider things from a dragon’s perspective.

This was indeed a dangerous signal!

The Black Dragon reflected deeply, feeling ashamed—he couldn’t even recite the elementary school code of conduct anymore! How disgraceful!

"Brother Liu, you're right. I really should accept some psychological counseling." The Black Dragon quickly adjusted his thoughts and willingly agreed.

...

The Phoenix, after losing a handful of feathers and several liters of blood, was eventually released.

"We really ought to build a zoo," the Black Dragon muttered, watching the Phoenix fly away, half regretful.

"In the future, I’ll surely capture more extraordinary creatures. Why not create a zoo to keep them all? It would be fascinating and attractive, drawing countless tourists every year. Just the ticket sales would be a gold mine."

"...Mr. Huang, you must be joking." Ding Xuewen, busy with Summer Academy experts tending to the Black Dragon’s injuries, couldn’t help but chuckle. "Extraordinary creatures are generally level six and above. The energy they contain is at least equivalent to a ton of TNT. How could any ordinary zoo contain such terrifying beings?"

"That’s true..." The Black Dragon pondered for a moment, then said, "Even if there were such an extraordinary zoo, probably no one would dare visit. The danger is simply too great, too much for any tourist to handle."

"But to let them go so easily, it still feels like a waste," he added, unwilling to accept it. Suddenly, inspiration struck: "Even if we can't profit by keeping them in a zoo, there are still ways to make money from them. Since they possess such tremendous power, why not take a different approach—let them work for us!"

"Work for us?"

"Exactly, work for us!" The Black Dragon's eyes shone, unable to hide his excitement. "Take the Phoenix, for example... Our country plans to mine iron abroad, right? We could have it work at our steel plant!"

"Because of the influence of the laws, mechanization is ineffective. Mining abroad will definitely be difficult for us—not just extraction, but also transportation, management, and security... There's no guarantee, and it's easy for criminals to sabotage the operation."

"But if we have a powerful Phoenix working for us, everything changes."

"We could build a smelting plant right at the ore site, and we wouldn’t need coal. The Phoenix could simply breathe fire for us—I’ve tested it; its fireballs reach temperatures of at least two or three thousand degrees, and it has incredible endurance, able to breathe fire for two straight hours without pause. Not using it for smelting would be a waste!"

"Plus, it’s a formidable fighter. While working, it could also serve as security, earning a salary for two jobs—a perfect arrangement!"

...

Ding Xuewen and his colleagues exchanged bewildered glances, at a loss for words. Sending the Phoenix to smelt iron—only the Black Dragon could think of such a thing!

Yet, they had to admit, the Black Dragon's proposal was very compelling.

As he said, mining abroad is no easy task.

Operating a mine involves countless challenges—security, labor, transportation, costs...

But if they had a Phoenix as a worker, all those problems would vanish.

No need to worry about security—a level six Phoenix as guard would intimidate anyone.

Labor issues? The Phoenix could handle the most demanding tasks in the smelting plant, no need for coal or coal handling, drastically reducing workload and labor needs.

Transportation? Finished iron billets are far easier to ship than raw ore, and the Phoenix is a flying creature—fast and capable. If it spent some time each day delivering several hundred tons of iron billets, it would be no problem.

Costs? With a Phoenix as the perfect worker, handling all the dirty and heavy tasks, how could there be any cost concerns?