Following the trace of the Time Mark, Garon left the Ice Cliff territory and swiftly sped towards the northeast, leaving behind a white streak and a whistling cold wind in the sky.
Before departing, he had instructed Roy Glacier and Ugga Skullbreaker on the details of the ambush, asking them to lead their kin towards the designated location.
Compared to the heavily armored humans who had just entered the Northern Ice Plains, these native creatures moved quickly and were adept at concealing themselves, especially the ferocious Frost Tiger.
This ten-meter-long tiger, imposing and heavy, moved silently, its stealth skills superb.
In the kilometer-high sky, the cold wind slashed at Garon's scales, invigorating his spirit without causing any other effect.
He looked down at the landscape below, his gaze sweeping over it like radar, gradually filling in a three-dimensional map of the Northern Ice Plains in his mind and noting some areas where powerful creatures congregated, such as a pack of winter wolves.
These wolves looked similar to the typical snow-white wolves of the tundra, albeit larger, barely three meters in length and appearing from afar as a nondescript group of magical creatures.
But underestimating them would come at a terrible cost, often life itself. Winter wolves were highly intelligent magical beasts, capable of speaking Common and Giant, and were cunning, smart, and strong. They even earned the title of "Masters of the Ice Plains" because their threat level often surpassed that of white dragons or frost giants.
They were among the most dangerous wolf species on the Northern Ice Plains, capable of using a frost breath similar to that of frost dragons, along with various spell-like abilities.
"If I had this pack of winter wolves as kin, the human army would be walking into their own demise," Garon thought as he eyed the wolves.
But these intelligent creatures, proud and not considering dragons superior, were difficult to subjugate.
He decided to attempt it later when the opportunity was right, as now was not the time.
Continuing northeast, Garon observed many intelligent groups, magical beasts, demi-human races, and humanoid tribes.
Besides winter wolves, there were minotaurs not weaker than ogres, trolls, and a tribe of a thousand ice barbarians.
The creatures in this direction seemed generally stronger than those Garon had encountered before. If he could unite them all, they could form an unmatched stronghold for the plains' creatures.
Soon, Garon arrived at the White Dragon Mother's new territory, sensing a familiar faint true dragon aura at its edge.
This area was a rugged, treacherous range of snowy mountains. Looking out, the landscape was dominated by towering, snow-capped peaks, with the dens of various plains creatures visible. The White Dragon Mother's new lair was situated in one of these medium-sized mountains.
The Time Mark remained stationary, suggesting the White Dragon Mother was likely deep in sleep.
"Lost her little hoard and still has the heart to sleep." Garon smiled to himself as he directed his draconic gaze toward the sensed location of the lair.
In the next instant, Garon's dragon presence swept out like a tide, rapidly reaching its destination.
In a rudimentary cave atop a snowy peak, the White Dragon Mother was deep in sleep, her expression changing occasionally, showing signs of grinding her teeth as if trapped in a nightmare.
Garon's younger dragon siblings were nearby, caught up in some squabble, snapping and clawing at each other without reserve.
As Garon's imposing aura swept over them, their movements halted abruptly, their bodies stiffening as the fear of their elder brother's dominance flooded their minds.
"Garon's here again," Tom murmured, his eyelids drooping.
After moving with the White Dragon Mother, their mood had worsened, even showing signs of despair. She had stopped expelling powerful creatures from her territory or trying to gather her kin, aside from occasionally providing for the young dragons to prevent starvation. She had mostly been sleeping.
Due to frost giants roaming nearby, the young dragons dared not hunt often, making their lives increasingly difficult and often hungry.
In the next moment, Garon's presence swept over the White Dragon Mother's body.
She twitched but did not wake up.
However, a few seconds later, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes snapped open, and she sat up with an angry and slightly frightened expression, looking outside the cave.
"You just robbed my territory, and now you want to rob me again?"
"Garon, don't think I'm afraid of you!" she shouted in crisp Draconic.
On the other side, Garon, hearing the White Dragon Mother's words and sensing her fear, couldn't help but smile slightly.
Flapping his wings, he landed, locating the White Dragon Mother's new lair precisely through the Time Mark.
Compared to the comfortable lair on the 500-meter ice cliff, her new home was much more primitive, with a ragged edge
and obstructed views by taller mountains. The ground and walls inside were unpolished, rough, and uneven.
"Seems like you're living quite pitifully."
Garon walked unceremoniously into the lair, looking around curiously.
He also saw the White Dragon Mother and her younger siblings, whom he hadn't seen in a while.
The usually slender and graceful White Dragon Mother now looked irritated, breathing heavily and glaring at Garon non-stop, her eyes full of hostility yet somewhat defensive.
"Don't worry, I really liked the Ice Cliff lair; I have no interest in this little cave," Garon said nonchalantly, ignoring the hostility in the White Dragon Mother's eyes.
Hearing Garon's words, the White Dragon Mother became even more agitated, thinking Garon had come specifically to mock her.
"If you're not interested, then leave quickly, Garon. You're not welcome here," she snapped, shifting subtly as if to block Garon's view.
This was not actually a new lair; she had lived here briefly during her young dragon stage before moving to the Ice Cliff lair.
The White Dragon Mother had prudently hidden a small portion of her treasures here, not much, but now they were her only comfort.
However, her unusual movement caught Garon's attention even more.
He looked closely, his gaze slipping through gaps in her body, spotting a few glinting gems and some rough gold nuggets.
Seeing Garon notice her remaining treasures, the White Dragon Mother immediately assumed a combat stance, showing her sharp claws and teeth, and said furiously, "If you think about my treasures again, I'll fight you to the death! These are all I have left!"
Garon chuckled, not looking at her treasures, and said, "Salya, I don't even care about such trinkets."
The White Dragon Mother huffed, exhaling a puff of frosty breath, still wary, "What are you here for?"