100th chapter finally.
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"First, rule out the Queen of Darkness.
The scent is wrong. Moreover, the growth trajectory of the Queen of Darkness is relatively clear, and it is impossible for her to suddenly create such a powerful army.
However, there is also an army of monsters with the same aura over there in the Dark Nest, serving under the Queen of Darkness.
"The consort of the Dark Queen?" Grand Duke Bauhinia could only guess in this direction.
This is why, after the crushing defeat of his army, Duke Bauhinia didn't dare personally lead a counterattack. Instead, he swallowed his pride and chose to endure the loss, even considering ceding part of his land voluntarily.
His hesitation stemmed from a far greater fear: the possibility that the Dark Queen's consort was a Legend-tier dragon. A legendary dragon is a force far beyond anything mere humans can contend with. It would take at least seven, possibly ten, human Legends to bring down such a beast—and that's assuming it hadn't mastered a profession. Yet, the idea of a legendary dragon without a profession is laughable. Dragons are naturally gifted, and if a dragon possessed the power of a 20th-order beast and the skills of a 10th-level profession, even the weakest white dragon could reshape entire continents.
Furthermore, the pride of dragonesses—especially Black Dragonesses—dictates that they only choose lifelong mates who are more powerful than they are. The Dark Queen herself was said to be at the 16th order, with a terrifyingly powerful and mysterious profession. If rumors are true, her consort could easily be 18th or 19th order, possibly equipped with the same unknown profession, gifted by him to her or possibly created by him alone. Possibly a reason he remained unknown is because he was busy creating this profession.
Worst case scenario, they were facing two monstrous Black Dragons, each wielding professions that could shake the lands. Even the mere thought of this terrified the king himself.
The Duke knew better than to provoke a sleeping dragon. Even in the most favorable situation, they would be confronting two nightmarish adversaries, both cloaked in mystery. And the unknown… the unknown is the most terrifying of all. He had no idea how powerful the consort of the Dark Queen truly is or the strength of the army he had raised. For all he knew, this dragon could be as great a threat as the infamous Red Wizards of Thay.
The unknown is a fear that lingers in the hearts of even the mightiest rulers...
In the midst of the current chaos, the southern wasteland is under the control of a formidable Black Dragon, rumored to be the consort of the Queen of Darkness. The central region has fallen to the Dark Nest, ruled directly by the Queen herself, while the northern territories are held by the Centaur King and his relentless centaur legions. What's more alarming is the subtle yet unmistakable signs of collaboration between these three powers—each maintaining their borders with a calculated precision, never crossing into one another's lands. Despite the tension, they engage in a cooperative network of supply chain management, trading and dealing as if preparing for something far greater. This alliance, even if unofficial, suggests a looming threat, as if they are biding their time before launching a united assault to carve up the surrounding regions. Their restraint, combined with their strategic cooperation, signals that the true storm is yet to come.
Under this situation, if the Principality of Kass chooses to continue to intervene, actively fall into the quagmire of war, and be consumed by the monster army, the country's power will only decline more and more, and eventually it will be destroyed.
On the contrary, at this time, ceding the northern territory of the principality to the Sieglinde family for management and rule will increase the other party's sphere of influence, but it will also drag down the other party's strength.
The nobles in the northern territory of the principality were far away from the capital all year round, so they had long been not so loyal to the Duke of Bauhinia. Especially under the current situation of the principality's successive defeats, they must have had dissatisfaction.
The Duke of Bauhinia this time is equivalent to 'giving up' a group of disloyal nobles and their territories, allowing these conspiracy-minded nobles and the Sieglinde family to torment each other and consume both sides.
After Grand Duke Bauhinia issued this order, a delegation of envoys rushed to the northern frontline overnight and met with Roy, the leader of the Sieglinde family.
"Give up Visalia, along with dozens of towns and hundreds of villages?" Roy's chuckle was laced with amusement, a thin smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Ah, the Duke of Bauhinia... always so careful. But I understand. After all, my 'Master' has no interest in indulging in 'pointless violence and bloodshed' unless truly warranted." His deliberate emphasis on 'Master' and 'pointless violence and bloodshed' left no need for further explanation. The message was clear: their master was no ordinary force, but a being far beyond mortal power, a dragon consort to the Dark Queen herself—an unspoken threat that Roy knew the Duke was sharp enough to decipher without further clarification.
More often than not, the true game of politics is waged with words, not swords. After all, even beasts know how to fight, but only the truly powerful can conquer with a single whisper.
The messenger, visibly relieved and wide-eyed with understanding, bowed deeply before hurrying off. He knew what this meant, and now, with this weighty knowledge, he raced to deliver the message to the Duke, hopeful for the rewards this vital information might bring.
After the envoy from the principality left, Roy rubbed the smooth armrest of the seat and fell into deep thought.
"Grand Duke Bauhinia is really tolerant. But this is just what I want."
If Grand Duke Bauhinia chooses to fight to the death, Roy will have an even greater headache because he is not sure whether the master will also take action after Grand Duke Bauhinia takes action. If he does not take action, then the Siglinde family will be in misery.
But there is no need to worry now; Grand Duke Bauhinia has taken the initiative to give in.
This result cannot be said to be the best, but it is definitely the safest for the Siglinde family.
"Now let's deal with this group of nobles from the northern part of the principality first. We can't let them cause trouble, otherwise the territory they take over will only turn into a huge mess." Roy made a decision.
He recruited some of his relatively outstanding heirs.
"You guys take my souvenir and go to Visalia to meet him."
---
"Master, the battle situation on the wasteland frontline."
Castle Black.
Skye reported the outcome of the war to me.
"Good, I get it."
The black dragon lay on the throne and said lazily.
Now that Duke Bauhinia bowed his head and chose to retreat, that's good.
I will be able to grow steadily for a while again.
I don't want to take action now. Once I take action, no matter whether I win or lose, I will put myself in the light, which erases the unknown. Before I have absolute strength, doing so is obviously very dangerous.
As for when is the right time to take action?
I thought about it and felt that I must at least have a barely legendary strength and learn the magic to travel to other planes. With these two prerequisites, my own safety and retreat can be basically guaranteed.
I deeply understand that as long as I develop steadily, I will be able to sweep away everything at hand sooner or later, so why bother to find so many hidden daggers and dangers for myself?
"By the way, Master, Brian is seriously injured." Skye also mentioned something about Brian.
"Is this guy disabled?" I felt a little pity. I felt that Brian had good potential. He had led the clan in the wasteland and was able to survive for decades under the oppression of centaurs. Moreover, there were not many. With limited resources, he also possesses a level 13 strength.
Brian is definitely a genius, a genius among the jackals.
This has also been reflected in this war.
With the strength of level 14, he killed a master-level professional. Although the opponent was only a very ordinary warrior with a professional level of only level 15, he had the help of Roy and others. But this cannot be concealed. Brian's combat power is powerful.
"Ensure Brian is always accompanied by a few Dragon Vein Warlocks skilled in advanced healing. Provide him with a steady supply of mid-to-high-tier monster flesh and blood to aid his recovery. If necessary, allow him to take as much of my blood as required—so long as it doesn't interfere with the growth and progress of the new army."
I thought for a moment and said.
If such a brave monster subordinate can recover, he will probably advance to the master level soon.
As for the Dragon Nest forces, although they have master-level combat power, they really don't have any real master-level monsters (top-level monsters).
Without top-level combat power, you will often be a little helpless.
"Of course, I will carry out your command." Skye bowed deeply, his expression filled with reverence. He and his fellow leaders understood all too well the depth of their Lord's care for them, and it strengthened their unwavering loyalty.
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The next day.
A group of harpies flew outside Castle Black, led by Ava Blackfeather.
"What a beautiful lair."
A group of harpies jumped up and down, looking at the majestic castle glowing with black and gold under the scorching sun.
Ava couldn't help but smile.
"Let's go see the master."
"The leader gave the order, and a group of chattering banshees also fell silent and followed Ava as she flew to Castle Black.
However, what they didn't expect was that the dragonborn warrior guarding Castle Black stopped them.
Ava waved her hand to silence the angry banshees behind her. She looked coldly at the dragonborn warrior blocking the road in front of her.
Unlike ordinary human dragon warriors, the two dragonborn warriors who came to stop Ava and the others had a pair of dark, bat-like wings on their backs, and they looked identical; they were twins.
"Do you know who I am?" Ava looked away from their black wings and spoke indifferently.
The twin dragonborn warriors flapped the jet-black wings on their backs and frowned slightly. One of them sneered, "This is Castle Black. No one can enter unless they are summoned."
Ava's face remained unchanged, and she said calmly, "We are maids serving the master."
The twin dragonborn warriors exchanged strange looks, but they still shook their heads firmly.
"There are indeed harpies and dragonborn maids in Castle Black, but we have never seen your group."
"Haha, that's it." Ava nodded with understanding, her expression suddenly enlightened.
She waved her hand gently.
The harpies behind her, who had long since lost their patience, rushed forward and surrounded the two dragonborn warriors.
"How dare you provoke the great Black Dragon King!" The twin dragonborn warriors were a little frightened and angry, obviously not expecting this situation.
The harpies stepped forward with a sneer, and their sharp eagle claws shredded the warriors' bat wings to pieces. Without their wings, the two dragonborn warriors lost their ability to fly and fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard.
The human dragon warriors on the ground, who had sensed something was wrong, quickly stepped forward and helped up the two bat-winged dragonborn warriors who were vomiting blood.
"Why don't you hurry up and capture them!" the bat-winged dragonborn warrior said viciously while coughing up blood.
"Two lords, this…" This group of human dragon warriors was a little embarrassed.
Some of the human dragon warriors recognized Ava and the others and said hesitantly,
"That's Commander Ava, the master's personal maid."
Besides, even if they weren't, they could fly and couldn't be stopped.
"You…" The bat-winged dragonborn warrior's face turned a little blue. They gritted their teeth as they looked at the human dragonborn warriors, who looked innocent and even had a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes.
After muttering a harsh word, the two bat-winged dragonborn warriors staggered away.
Behind them, the mocking looks on the faces of the human dragon warriors could no longer be contained.
"Bah, they're just two bastards. If they didn't rely on Lord Black Dragon King, how could they dare to be so arrogant?"
A brown-haired human dragon warrior sneered, his tone very unhappy, though there was still a hint of envy in his eyes.
As for what to envy? Naturally, he envied the two bat-winged dragon warriors.
The two bat-winged dragon warriors were originally humans like them and were younger than many of them. They were newcomers to Castle Black within the past year.
But their luck was extraordinary. After the two of them accepted the transformation of their master's bloodline, a pair of bat wings gradually grew out of their backs.
After Lady Isha (the leader of a group of wild harpies who took the initiative to seek refuge in Castle Black) found out about this, she took the two newcomers as servants on the spot.
And they also learned from Ms. Isha that the two humans with bat wings had the blood of some kind of bat monster in their bodies, which was activated and mutated under the stimulation of the master's blood, revealing these features.
Among humans, this would definitely be considered heresy, leading to discrimination or even eradication.
But in Castle Black,
having a strong bloodline meant stronger talent and faster growth in the future.
That's why these human dragon warriors felt both envious and jealous.
---
I am studying the secrets of magic.
It wasn't until a spell on the panel successfully crossed from 99% mastery level proficiency to a level of natural proficiency that I slowly opened my eyes.
A trace of joy flashed in my red pupils.
The instant-level 'Any Door' spell is now available. Now my means of survival and escape have been strengthened.
---
In Castle Black,
Ava led thirty-five harpies and faced off against more than a hundred harpies on the other side, creating a tense atmosphere.
Although both sides were from the harpy clan, their physical features were slightly different.
The harpies of the Black Feather Clan led by Ava had long brown hair, dark pupils, and black wings. On the opposite side, the harpies of the Miaofult Clan, headed by Isha, had long black-blue hair, pupils, and wings.
There were also differences in their faces. The faces of the Black Feather Clan tended to have high nose bridges, deep eye sockets, and a more three-dimensional appearance.
As for the Miaofult Clan, their faces were softer.
The reason for this difference is partially due to their living environments and partially due to the male genes their group had plundered.
All harpies are female, and their reproduction depends on obtaining male genes to produce the next generation. Therefore, if the male genes are strong, the physical appearance of the offspring will reflect corresponding features.
"Ava Black Feather, one of the head maids of the Dragon Lord, also the Head Maid of the Guards, where did you come from, wild tribe?" Ava said calmly.
"Wild people?" Isha Miaofult covered her mouth and smiled, not angry, and said lazily,
"Commander Ava, you've been out for too long and don't even pay attention to the news about the Dragon Nest. And as the Master's former Head Maid of the Guard, you've been remiss in your duties. To satisfy your beastly desire to kill, you didn't take good care of the Master but ran away instead."
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