Chapter 107: Chapter 106: Military Meeting

After the false alarm, the Jackal Wolfman Cavalry fanned out from the hill to patrol a radius of nearly ten miles, ensuring they would spot any sign of the enemy immediately.

On the hill, the Feder Archers of the Second Corps tripled the number of sentries, their bows held at the ready. Not even a mouse could hope to escape their sharp eyes.

The people of High Cliff Castle didn’t know what was happening, but they keenly sensed that something was amiss. They hurried back to their wooden cabins, holding their children close. Through the windows, pairs of nervous eyes could be seen peering out.

The River Claw Tribe, the Feder Tribe, and the Evil Fang Tribe were all stationed on the hill.

As for the Trolls and Giants, as well as the Goblin and Kobold slaves, they were all placed downwind at the foot of the hill.

In contrast to the nervous tension on the hill, these High Cliff Castle slaves, who had not received any news, continued with their usual work.

The Giants hauled cart after cart of clay from a nearby deposit to the blacksmith shop by the Bengyong River, to be used for building earthen blast furnaces.

From within the blacksmith shop came the ceaseless, crisp ringing of metal striking metal.

The blacksmith shop, with its roof specially built to be four and a half blades high, was exceptionally spacious—more than enough room for the group of Trolls, each three blades tall, to work freely.

Their arms, as thick as old tree trunks, sent sparks flying with every swing of an Iron Hammer. Their efficiency was countless times greater than that of the Feder Apprentices.

It could be said that these hammer-wielding Trolls were the primary reason High Cliff Castle could mass-produce weapons.

It had been over half a month since their entire tribe arrived at High Cliff Castle, and these Trolls had completely adapted to life here.

All they had to do was put in a little effort smithing each day to receive abundant food.

Now, no one had to force them; they came to smith willingly, afraid that High Cliff Castle would drive them away. Every Troll felt a secret delight, as if they had stumbled upon a huge bargain.

The castrated Goblin slaves who had survived were still clearing as much land as possible before the winter planting season.

As for the Kobolds, aside from the several dozen under Old Neil who were guarding the Goblins, all the others had been sent to the Feder Tribe’s territory to mine, contributing to High Cliff Castle’s war industry.

At this moment, a pre-war military council was underway in the Lord’s great hall. All the leaders of High Cliff Castle, major and minor, were present, with Miriel and Orak participating as special guests.

Jos recounted everything that had happened in the Wind Surge Tribe’s territory.

He had been leading his Warriors, escorting a supply convoy back to High Cliff Castle, when they had unexpectedly encountered several Jackal Wolfman Scouts just after setting out.

After the Feder Warriors shot them down and were about to capture them for questioning, an Alliance Army, estimated to be at least two thousand strong, suddenly appeared behind them.

Jos, his face pale with fright, didn’t hesitate for a moment. He and his Warriors abandoned the supplies and began to flee.

This Alliance Army, which had appeared out of nowhere, clearly had no intention of letting them go, sending a twenty-man team of Jackal Wolfman Cavalry in pursuit.

Then, by a strange twist of fate, they ran into a southward-bound Beastman Tribe. With the Beastmen’s help, they eliminated the pursuing cavalry and tortured them for a great deal of information.

This prevented High Cliff Castle from being completely in the dark about the enemy.

When the Lord first heard that this force was the Giant Dragon Corps, he was greatly startled.

He, of course, remembered when a Giant Dragon had arrived in the Wilderness and become High Cliff Castle’s neighbor.

From ancient times to the present, Giant Dragons, as powerful Magical Creatures, have always warranted serious treatment whenever mentioned.

Although they no longer possessed their formidable Magic, their Dragon Breath, hot enough to melt steel, their iron-hard Scales, and their wings that allowed them to soar through the sky still kept these creatures at the top of the food chain.

It was no exaggeration to say one dragon was worth a thousand troops.

Moreover, Giant Dragons had terrifying rallying power. Even if they did nothing, a large number of Goblins, Kobolds, or Lizardmen would flock to become their subordinates.

And in the Wilderness, a land teeming with Alien Races, they were even more in their element.

In Levi’s memory, a Giant Dragon could easily raise a ragtag Subordinate Corps of ten thousand just by its name alone.

For example, in the Dark Swamp to the west, a Black Dragon known as the "Thorn Queen" dominated the area, with nearly fifty to sixty thousand subordinates under her command.

Even the great nation of San Jose found her a major headache and could only let her dominate the border of their territory.

All the people of High Cliff Castle combined wouldn’t even amount to a fraction of that number. If the enemy were truly on that scale, he could absolutely request aid from Debei.

After all, his location wasn’t too far from Debei. The Debei Kingdom would surely not sit by and watch a Giant Dragon grow powerful here, only to become the next "Thorn Queen."

Nipping it in the bud was undoubtedly the most cost-effective solution.

Fortunately, Jos had extracted this information beforehand, allowing the Lord, who had almost been bluffed, to breathe a sigh of relief.

Compared to the Thorn Queen’s Giant Dragon Corps, this army was like a fledgling, numbering just over four thousand, half of whom were Goblins and Kobolds—total cannon fodder.

"Just over four thousand troops, and they dare call themselves the Giant Dragon Corps?"

The Lord, who had been so frightened he had almost written to Fulina for help, was suddenly filled with confidence again. "Very well. I paid it no mind, and now it has come knocking on my door."

"Then we fight! We’ll let them know that what belongs to High Cliff Castle isn’t so easily taken." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

When Levi first learned that this Giant Dragon had migrated and become High Cliff Castle’s neighbor, he had deliberately avoided its territory in all his activities to prevent conflict.

He never expected that it would now take the initiative to come to him.

Whether it was to remove this thorn in his side or for some other reason, this war was now unavoidable.

However, "despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically" was the Lord’s motto.

"Furthermore, we must consider the possibility of their Giant Dragon joining the battle!" Levi rapped on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

As far as the Lord was concerned, the opposing force just had a more impressive name; in essence, they were no different from the Wilderness Bandits who had tried to seize the iron mine some time ago—just another poorly equipped, ragtag army.

He had led High Cliff Castle to victory against a stronger foe back then, let alone now, when High Cliff Castle’s strength had ascended several levels.

The only thing that truly made the Lord wary was that Giant Dragon. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if he could withstand a single blast of Dragon Breath.

"I don’t think we need to worry too much about that problem," Miriel offered her opinion.

"Oh?"

Her confident demeanor brought a look of delight to Levi’s face. ’Could it be that Miriel has a way to deal with this Giant Dragon?’

"Because I don’t think High Cliff Castle has the ability to deal with a Giant Dragon," Miriel said earnestly, finishing her thought. "Lord Li, we should just retreat to Bailiu City! It’s no disgrace. As long as we save what we have, we can always come back later."

High Cliff Castle’s entire population was only about four thousand people. Miriel couldn’t understand why this Lord would use an arrogant word like "just" to describe the Giant Dragon Corps.