The Peanut Gallery

The situation reached a stalemate, and the Northern Expeditionary Army was the first to suffer. Perhaps in order to put pressure on the Alpha Kingdom, the Beastfolk intensified their attacks.

Countless cannon fodder races were continuously sent to the battlefield, as if to wear down the Northern Expeditionary Army.

"Don't worry, everyone. The Beastfolk have run out of tricks. Speed is of the essence on the battlefield. Our reinforcements are on their way. The longer we delay, the better it will be for us."

In the past, they would have sent their main force to fight us decisively long ago; they would never have dragged it out like this!

Marshal Campbell rallied the troops.

If reinforcements are indeed on their way, this slow-paced war of attrition is clearly not a strategically viable option.

Unfortunately, the nobles present were all shrewd people and could not be fooled at all.

Although everyone was trapped here with the army, it did not mean that they had completely lost contact with their homeland.

The alliance's reinforcements were slow to arrive, and the kingdom's organized reinforcements were of limited strength and unable to relieve their siege.

In this critical moment, the most panicked were not the Northern Nobles, but rather the nobles of the south and central parts of the kingdom.

Because of their location on the frontier, and the need to worry about the Beastfolk returning to raid their homeland, the Northern Nobles left some of their elite troops at home.

It was mostly the nobles from the central and southern regions who truly went all out to take advantage of the situation. After all, the initial battle seemed like an easy victory, and no one expected the unexpected turn of events.

If everyone suffers heavy losses, the Northern Nobles, who were already badly injured in the war, might be able to turn the tide and gain an advantage in the subsequent domestic competition.

The only exception was Duke Pias. Ever since receiving news of Hudson's arrival in the North, he had not felt any relief.

The two families are sworn enemies, and based on the intelligence he gathered, he knew that Hudson was not the type to repay evil with kindness. If given the chance, he certainly wouldn't hold back against the Locknerd Family.

Fortunately, the Beastfolk army is currently too preoccupied to invade the Alpha Kingdom; otherwise, with their own enemy as the supreme commander of the Northern Frontier, the Locknerd Family would surely be in trouble.

"Marshal, waiting like this isn't a solution. The Human Alliance's reinforcements won't arrive for some time. Why don't we urge the Kingdom's reinforcements to arrive first?"

We don't expect them to be able to relieve our siege; just their presence near the Beastfolk army will disperse their forces and reduce the military pressure on our side!

Duke Pias reluctantly suggested.

This was a terrible idea, but for his own benefit, he had no choice but to do it.

Only by luring Hudson away can the safety of their own base be guaranteed, saving them from the constant worry of being ambushed.

"Duke Pias, the situation regarding the kingdom's reinforcements is very complicated. Apart from a few legions under Count Hudson's command that have some fighting power, the rest are all newly formed legions."

You all have your own information channels, so you've probably heard about it. During the march, these newly formed legions caused quite a bit of trouble.

It was a disgrace to the Kingdom Army; hoping they would come to their rescue...

Marshal Campbell decisively rejected the idea.

The Northern Expeditionary Army is in grave danger. If it is unfortunately wiped out, the military strength of the Alpha Kingdom will plummet to rock bottom.

Given this situation, if the last reinforcements are sent in, how will we survive in the future?

As a member of the royal family, his primary concern was the interests of the kingdom. He couldn't care less about the feuds between nobles.

The five dukes of the Northern Frontier are of one mind, and in theory, everyone should be offering their support at this moment. However, the reality is that they all have their eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Everything is about interests. The family with a blood feud with the Coslo Family is the Locknerd Family. People can do favors for each other, but if they are directly involved in the conflict, then they have to negotiate terms.

No secrets stay hidden forever, and no one can guarantee that today's conversation won't reach Hudson's ears.

If you provoke them and they deliberately plant mines during military deployments, it would be a tragedy.

There was no other way; the Five Great Families had done similar things countless times in the past, and they simply dared not test Hudson's integrity.

This is the deterrent effect of the "halo of a famous general." If it were a military failure, people wouldn't have this concern.

"Selling out teammates" is also a skill, especially selling out teammates in a reasonable way that leaves no room for criticism, which tests one's micro-management ability.

Out of fear of the Hudson Locknerd Family, everyone preferred to help them secretly rather than directly get involved.

The Duke Cavadia felt this most acutely; his own capable illegitimate son had been thoroughly tormented by Hudson in the Southeast Province.

Even though Ciss obtained the position of prefect and gained the support of the Northern Aristocrats, and initially had the upper hand militarily, he still had to retreat in disgrace in the end.

What the Duke Cavadia feared was not only Hudson's military command ability, but also his strategic planning ability and his ability to undermine others.

Without making a sound, they tricked the Ciss into submission, leaving them with no ability to resist or struggle, and they could only cut their losses in time.

Even the preparation of his son's team ultimately benefited Hudson. If it weren't for his behind-the-scenes influence, how could so many talented young people have gone to the Southeast Province?

Having suffered such a great loss, Duke Cavadia naturally wouldn't swallow his anger. It was only out of fear of Hudson that he had hesitated to take action.

He supported the Dalton Family's earlier actions against the Hudson family; now that the Locknerd Family is taking the lead, he is again expressing his support.

However, this support was only given covertly, while in public they pretended nothing had happened, as if nothing had occurred.

Nadersonburg is located in the northeastern part of the Kredler province, on the summit of the Herrenladan mountain.

The castle is surrounded by rolling hills and the terrain is very treacherous, with only a three-meter-wide walkway on the front for passage.

At the foot of the mountain on the south side is the Aobugai River, which flows under the hundred-meter-high cliff on the south wall of the ancient city. Standing on the city wall and looking down is enough to make you dizzy.

As the headquarters of the Locknerd Family, it has been passed down from the era of the Empire of Light to the present day.

Having withstood dozens of sieges by Beastfolk armies, it has always stood firm, truly an "immortal monument" in the North.

The fact that they were able to stubbornly establish themselves here is not only due to the strategic location of Nadersonburg and its avoidance of key strategic areas, but also to the strength of the Locknerd Family.

At this moment, however, the atmosphere in Nadersonburg was unusually tense. Even when the city was besieged by the Beastfolk army, everyone had never been this tense.

Unlike previous enemies, this one was exempt from terrain restrictions. No matter how magnificent the cliffside city was, it was nothing but a free kill for the Giant Dragon.

"Thorsten, we just fought a bloody battle with the Beastfolk, and now half of the family's forces are in the Northern Expeditionary Army. Nobody knows how many can be withdrawn."

"Now is really not the time to make enemies. Otherwise, we should discuss it with the elders and negotiate with that dragon outside, paying money to buy peace."

After listening to his mother's words, Thorsten fell silent. As the family heir, he had many things to consider.

With the strength of the Locknerd Family, driving away a Giant Dragon is no problem at all, but it's a different story when it comes to the Dragon King.

Admitting defeat seems like a good option, but the price to pay is the reputation of the Locknerd Family.

They already had a bad reputation among the nobility, and their survival depended on their strength. If their power to intimidate others disappeared, their future in the kingdom would be bleak.

After much hesitation, Thorsten slowly said, "I understand, Mother. I'll go and test the waters with this dragon first. If we can reach an agreement, I'll consider it a loss to avoid further trouble."

It must be admitted that Maxim's appearance is that of someone born to make money without any investment. With his enormous size of over seventy meters, he can certainly intimidate many people.

From this perspective, the special education that Dragon Mother gave him was not without reason.

Before Thorsten could even step out of the door, the dragon flames that descended from the sky threw the city into chaos.

There was nothing they could do; their reaction time wasn't fast enough, and Maxim wasn't exactly a patient dragon.

If no one responds for a long time, then you have to solve the problem in your own way.

The flames spewed by the Giant Dragon ignited instantly, and a fire broke out in Nadersonburg in a flash.

Unfortunately, Maxim overlooked one thing: warnings can not only frighten people, but also provoke a counterattack from the enemy.

The defending troops, accustomed to long-term warfare against the Beastfolk, possessed exceptional reaction speed. Upon discovering the Giant Dragon's attack, the officers spontaneously organized a counterattack.

Magic Crystal Cannon, Magic Crossbow, catapults... regardless of their effectiveness, they were all unleashed upon Maxim.

Maxim's massive size boosts his efficiency when fighting minions; similarly, it inevitably increases the enemy's hit rate when he's being attacked.

Before he knew it, he was hit by the enemy's Magic Crystal Cannon. This attack wouldn't kill the dragon, but the pain made Maxim howl in agony.

"Damn crawlers, how dare you attack the great Maxim! You will all die!"

No, death is not enough, I will burn your souls for a thousand years...

Enraged, the Red Dragon had forgotten its original purpose for coming out and launched its most ferocious revenge amidst its angry curses.

A bloody battle ensued, and Thorsten, who had originally wanted to negotiate, completely abandoned any thought of "pacifying Ninglong."

Death is not enough; they must also have their souls burned. What is there to talk about then?

"What are you standing there for? Go and ask the elders for help!"

While reprimanding his subordinates, powerful members of the Locknerd Family had already appeared on the battlefield. Such a commotion was bound to attract their attention.

Upon seeing Maxim's enormous size, the white-haired elder at the head of the group was startled and hurriedly called out, "Mr. Giant Dragon, let's talk this over..."

Unfortunately, before they could finish speaking, they were met with a tail, which startled them so much that they quickly dodged.

With no room for negotiation, they had no choice but to fight. They quickly realized something was wrong; the Giant Dragon before them was far too powerful.

Normally, the Dragon King's attack would be enough to kill any of them, but this guy only injured them.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. This Giant Dragon is probably injured and can't unleash its full power!"

Continue the attacks with Magic Crystal Cannon and Magic Crossbow; all normal attacks cease. Knights of Silver rank and above may remain to participate in the battle!

The white-haired old man hurriedly gave instructions.

The thick-skinned Giant Dragon is a professional at slaughtering ordinary soldiers. If the defending Red Dragon is allowed to run rampant, it will suffer heavy losses.

Even after they realized what had happened, the damage was already done. Not many people died directly from Maxim's dragon claws, but the city-wide fireworks left no place to hide.

The eerie dragonfire couldn't be extinguished by simply pouring water on it. There weren't enough Water Mage in the city, so they could only bury it with earth.

However, with such a large fire, a little dust was completely ineffective. Many people inside the houses perished in the Bear before they could even react.

"Thick skin and armor, it's practically a natural weapon of war. If used properly on the battlefield, it could be more effective than tens of thousands of elite soldiers!"

Especially his talent for arson; he's practically the best at setting fire to enemy camps...

"Tch, this dragon is such a waste! It just stupidly charged in without even thinking of a sneak attack. It deserves to get beaten up!"

If it were me, these old guys would all be dead by now. I wouldn't have given them a chance to gang up on me...

Hidden within a peculiar cloud of mist, a human and a bear freely offered their opinions. Beldens, in particular, looked utterly adorable with his disdain for the dragon's incompetence.

Despite his complaints, Hudson showed no intention of taking any action.

Even infighting among nobles has its principles. It's one thing to use someone else to do the dirty work, but if you get involved directly, the nature of the conflict changes.

As for helping the Locknerd Family against Maxim, that's even more impossible. His principles aren't so high that he'd even save his enemy.

"Let's go, Beldens. This show is almost over. Once that stupid dragon down there wakes up, he'll be running away."

If we don't leave here soon, we'll be discovered.

Hudson stroked the bear's head and said.

I have to admit, this gravity magic is really useful. It's supposed to be earth magic, but it can actually make people fly.

Unfortunately, the threshold is too high. A strong person who can use gravity magic to this extent doesn't need something useless.

At the very least, Hudson's earth magic didn't reach that level; on the contrary, his wind magic allowed this novice Magus to gain the ability to fly briefly.

The only problem was the significant aftereffects; while practicing flying, Hudson crashed into trees more than once.

Fortunately, he had the foresight to shield the Beldens each time. Even if a collision occurred, the tree would be gone.