"You want to follow me?" Russell was slightly surprised. "I thought you would seek refuge in the Scorching Torrent Kingdom."
For those whose nations had been destroyed, they would naturally hope to go to a powerful country, one that could prevent their nation from being destroyed again.
Compared to the Scorching Torrent Kingdom, the Shadowflame Grand Duchy was indeed much weaker.
Moreover, two successive generations of grand dukes had died on the snowfield. Its reputation was undeniably rather poor. If Russell had not risen to prominence, it might have long since ended up like the Molten Fire Grand Duchy, with its oasis breached by Frost Trolls and its Shadowflame Dragon slaughtered.
"King Ares is one of the strongest in the world, and the Scorching Torrent Kingdom is one of the only three kingdoms on the Ancient Thorn Continent," Fred said solemnly. "But I firmly believe that only Your Highness the Grand Duke can usher in a new era."
His tone was resolute.
Russell could feel that he was not flattering him. He truly believed in him and longed to follow him.
This trust invigorated Russell. "Why do you think so?"
"Over the five thousand years of the Warm Era, humanity has produced many Dragon Knights and many Dragon Domain Lords. Yet no one has been able to create a new order. Humanity is still surrounded by the snowfield, struggling to survive in constant fear."
Fred spoke slowly. "But Your Highness the Grand Duke, you have forged an entirely different Knight's Path. High Dragon Domain Lord, Phantom Dragon Knight—these are all paving the way for humanity's future... Most importantly, I have seen the prospects of industrialization."
Cars and trains that could race along by simply heating water, thunder that could carry messages across tens of thousands of miles, and one new-style