Northern Glaciers, Hvítreiðr.
Two years had passed since the Holy Dromkez.
With the conquest and assimilation of the nearby clans into the settlement, Hvítreiðr had truly transformed into a city.
The dynamic structure created by Ülgen ensured that the people maintained order and did not fall into complacency during the development process. Schools offering training in various crafts were established, as well as libraries and entertainment facilities accessible to all city residents.
Of course, the gaps in the libraries were filled by dedicated former clan elders translating texts from the central lands. These texts were obtained through trade. The value of magical beast resources was enough to procure tons of raw materials, texts, and local food supplies.
Linda's successful trade expedition provided Hvítreiðr with a steady and continuous flow of income. With Ülgen's necessary interventions in certain situations, Hvítreiðr managed to avoid potential losses and turned challenges into opportunities.
The raw materials brought to the city were transformed into equipment for the soldiers, significantly boosting the strength of Hvítreiðr's warriors. Although the Vinumregnum duchy refused to sell weapons, they were developing their own production. While not yet comparable to the equipment of the central lands, they were sufficient to sweep through many scattered clans in the north and their mostly unarmored members.
Their increasing power surprised their ally, Vinumregnum, and angered their enemy, the Oldthern Kingdom. After the loss of their merchants, the Oldthern Kingdom attempted to take revenge with a raiding force of several thousand.
However, their night attack on Hvítreiðr ended in a decisive defeat. The few soldiers who survived and managed to escape brought back information that chilled their blood. Despite being the attacking side, they were somehow surrounded, and their officers were targeted first during the battle.
The breakdown of the chain of command prevented the army from showing its full strength, leading them to fall into the hands of the disciplined Hvítreiðr soldiers.
Rumors spread that one of the soldiers serving as a guard to the general reported that a werewolf and a knight had infiltrated the center of the army and caught the general off guard, causing the king to fly into a rage and shatter the armrest of his throne.
Because all the soldiers captured by Hvítreiðr were killed, the Oldthern Kingdom couldn't even offer a ransom to get their war prisoners back. Meanwhile, the military equipment of the kingdom was given as rewards to Hvítreiðr's successful soldiers after some minor modifications.
The Oldthern Kingdom became a subject of ridicule among its neighbors, being the first nation in decades to be directly defeated by a northern force. This also drew the attention of other nations in the central lands towards Hvítreiðr.
Their growing relations with Vinumregnum and the indirect alliance with the second Prince Cassius restricted covert intelligence efforts from the duchy, but the same couldn't be said for other nations. However, for two reasons, they couldn't obtain the information they desired.
First, they couldn't escape the detection of the tower Ülgen had built and the perception of the Fatihs Incarnation. Second, the entire populace was in a conditioned state.
Ülgen, who had planned ways to conceal his identity from the time he first had to reveal his dragon form, relied especially on these two methods. After all, even if one of his people were secretly interrogated within the city, they wouldn't obtain any useful information unless mind-reading spells were used.
At most, they could learn that Ülgen was a very powerful northern aura user and the founder of the Whitefang clan. Those who resorted to mind-reading spells couldn't avoid paying the price for being within the scope of a Fatihs perception that could detect various magical attempts.
Of course, there were those who tried to obtain information from the people they captured by attacking northern trade caravans. However, since none of the people who knew about Ülgen's dragon identity or were part of the inner circle had joined the trade caravans after Linda's first expedition as an envoy, the various forces in the central lands could only conclude that Ülgen was an exceptional and powerful northerner.
As had been regularly done over the past two years, a meeting was being held today at the Conquest Tower. The meetings held here involved matters that no one outside of Hvítreiðr's inner circle was privy to.
To counter the possibility of agents from other nations hiding in Hvítreiðr, everyone attending the meeting had entered the tower through newly constructed secret underground passages.
Nine individuals proceeded one after another to the top floor of the tower and entered the room where the Fatihs Incarnation resided.
Of course, these nine were Sven, Willbert, Erik, Linda, Udin, Gray, Aral, Lothi, and Alric.
Due to the difficulty of advancing to the 10th degree, Willbert, who was still stuck at the peak of the 9th degree, and Linda, who was not interested in warrior training, hadn't experienced significant changes in their power. However, the others had seen absurd improvements. The most noticeable change was in Sven, who was now brimming with a crimson aura, having reached the initial stage of the 7th degree.
Being the second person to benefit from the energy of the Conquest Tower and never neglecting his aura training had turned the young northerner into a competent warrior. His prowess in governance, along with his martial skills, even worried Vinumregnum.
The other six had reached the 5th degree. Taking advantage of Ülgen's efficient aura training methods allowed them to reach this level without even needing support from the Conquest Tower. Of course, there were differences in stages among them based on talent and effort. For instance, Aral, despite having talent, remained at the initial stage of the 5th degree because he focused his efforts on economic matters. In contrast, Erik had reached the peak stage and was likely to advance to the 6th degree in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Olpar, the Fatihs Incarnation, had seen the greatest increase in power, reaching the initial stage of the 9th degree. The awakening of the soul seed Ülgen had implanted had enhanced his control over the energy drawn from the Conquest Tower. The main reason for this growth, however, lay in Ülgen's research to compensate for the lack of power he experienced in his humanoid form during battles. Additionally, his main body's advancement beyond the 10th degree eliminated any bottleneck issues.
With his formidable mental prowess, the young Fatih conducted various calculations, enhancing both the power output of his polymorph form and, as a beneficial side effect, accelerating the strengthening pace of the Fatihs Incarnation.
Although this development initially surprised Ülgen, he accepted it with joy. After all, a far greater threat was watching him beyond the hidden hostilities of various countries, and reports of some dark silhouettes seen near the region's borders urged him to speed up his efforts.
Meanwhile, everyone in the inner circle sat silently in their ornate wooden chairs, quietly watching the incarnation. On the table between the chairs lay a large map covering Hvítreiðr and its surroundings.
The incarnation, despite not having eyes, had his hands on the table, looking at the map. Everyone in the room was well aware that the incarnation didn't need eyes to "see." No one intended to interrupt their lord's concentration, resulting in a prolonged silence.
Finally, the incarnation spoke in a calm tone. "My loyal followers, I hope the delayed start of this meeting hasn't bored you." Seeing that no one objected, he continued. "My attention was briefly diverted by ominous energy waves appearing near the limit of the tower's perception."
Willbert nodded. "It's surprising they've held out for two years." His eyes gleamed with killing intent. "I thought they would intervene at the worst during our battle with the Oldthern Kingdom."
"That battle was conducted in a manner quite out in the open for them to make an appearance. It's clear our enemy intends to remain hidden from the world's dominant forces," Sven noted. "Besides, it's possible they have sensed the surprises Lord Ülgen has prepared for their arrival."
Erik joined in. "Yes, Lord Ülgen mentioned that the leader of the black knights is a very dangerous dark sorcerer. Sorcerers, like priests avoiding sin, steer clear of being caught unprepared."
Lothi couldn't help but interject. "Nice quote, is it one of the sayings from the Lepidus Empire?" Someone from the central lands would likely be shocked to hear such a sentence from a burly northerner.
"It is," Erik smiled. "I saw it in the book of Sayings of the Central Lands translated by the elders. It fits this situation perfectly."
At Erik's comment, those around the table couldn't help but chuckle. Almost all of them regularly read the translated books at Ülgen's request, and each had read the book Erik mentioned at least once.
"Alright, let's get back to the topic." Willbert raised his hand slightly to draw attention. "Lord Ülgen, could the reason for canceling the mission to investigate the secret location of the werewolves be related to these ominous energy waves that appear from time to time?"
This question made everyone look at the Fatihs Incarnation with full attention.
Ülgen nodded. "Yes, we've already lost a few scouting forces. Moreover, the Oldthern kingdom is sending specially trained soldiers to hunt our scouts. The pressure from both the black knights and the vampire puppets is not something our soldiers can easily withstand yet."
Udin ground his teeth in anger. "They're completely suppressing us with basic and time advantages, my lord. If we had another decade, they wouldn't dare show such audacity!"
Linda concurred. "You're right, Udin, but we have no choice but to focus on the realities we face. We couldn't have known that the Oldthern kingdom was secretly run by vampires. Breaking the knife they drew on us and killing one of their blood bag collectors — that is, slave traders — means our relationship is irreparable."
"If they won't bow to me, I don't need bloodsuckers." Ülgen was clear on this point. "Even if we had known their identities earlier, we would have done the same. Moreover, if we want to bring the northern werewolves under our banner, being enemies with the vampires benefits us more than it harms us."
Ensuring everyone understood his words, the young Fatihs moved on to the main issue with a serious expression. "Vampires alone do not pose a sufficient threat for us to be wary of. However, if they collaborate with the black knights, everything changes."
The people at the table focused with seriousness. The fact that their troublesome enemies, who caused problems even when apart, were coming together was not good news!