Ser Wilderness, Creekwood Town.
After going through an initially frightening and life-long lockdown period, the merchants, adventurers and ordinary residents who were confined to the small town were surprised to find that their tense nerves had gradually relaxed.
They were shocked to realize that the behavior of the monsters stationed here was completely different from the chaotic and bloodthirsty image in the rumors.
Their appearance may still be ferocious and terrifying, and their claws and claws still flash with a cold light.
However, they also adhere to an invisible but extremely strict order, and actively restrain their fangs and claws.
As long as you strictly abide by the decrees promulgated by the Molten Iron Tribe and do not take the initiative to conflict, these guards will be like silent sculptures and will not cause unwarranted harm.
Of course, this is not weakness.
The townspeople have also witnessed the ferocious and violent side of the monster in the square or beside the gallows.
Anyone who dares to break the iron law - steal, fight to death, attack guards - will be punished with thunderous consequences.
Depending on the severity of the crime, its forms include but are not limited to: being brutally flogged with a salt-soaked whip in public; cutting off arms and limbs; ruthlessly hanging in public; or directly beheading those who frequently violate the rules...
What surprises people even more is.
Instead of destroying or destroying Creekwood Town, Molten Iron Tribe began to carry out large-scale expansion and renovation of the town while implementing strict control.
They even used industrial-grade Alchemy Golem! These huge structures worked tirelessly to consolidate the land, lay roads, and build and strengthen walls.
What's even more shocking is that the monsters actually posted recruitment notices, openly recruiting adventurers and laborers to participate in territory construction at fairly fair remuneration, and there are also a variety of special tasks.
For example:
[Maintenance of dragon scales, polishing and trimming of paws for Lord Green Dragon Ludwig]
--Completers will receive the paralysis fruit induced by Green Dragon.
At first, the aftertaste of panic still lingered, but being trapped was not a long-term solution.
A few bold or cash-strapped adventurers applied for construction tasks.
They worked with determination to the death, and as a result... after completing their hard work, they actually got the remuneration promised in the contract quickly and exactly!
The person responsible for counting working hours, verifying quality and disbursing wages is Goblin, who has shrewd eyes and quick movements.
These little creatures are known for their cunning and greed, but this time they did not show any of the usual pretense, delay and deduction, but were astonishingly neat.
The adventurers checked repeatedly afterwards and found no fraud.
The power of word of mouth is huge. Seeing that the first batch of crab eaters were not only safe but also making a lot of money, more and more people's inner doubts and fears were overwhelmed by the desire for wealth, and they devoted themselves to the reconstruction of this wilderness town with complicated emotions.
Time flows by quietly like a stream.
Creekwood Town looks the same almost every day. After one month, the scale of this place has expanded several times.
Rows of new houses have replaced dilapidated stilts, and spacious and clean stone streets extend in all directions.
More importantly, thanks to the strict but effective governance of the Molten Iron Tribe, public security has undergone earth-shaking changes. Vicious conflicts that once saw people drawing swords on each other in the streets and bleeding to death have been firmly suppressed to the level of physical friction and petty fights.
Order, this luxury-like existence on the edge of the wilderness, actually comes with the arrival of monsters Creekwood Town.
Just when the development of the town was in full swing, Green Dragon Ludwig officially announced: the blockade on Creekwood Town has been lifted!
As people gathered at the originally heavily guarded and impregnable exit.
The Ogre guards, who were strong and exuding a sense of oppression, were still standing on both sides of the door, but their postures were loose and relaxed, no longer as tense and tense as before, and they seemed to have a "leave or not, it's up to you" attitude.
When the first bold person tried to walk out of the town tremblingly, and was surprised to find that there was no pursuit, more and more people began to try to leave.
However, their departures are mostly temporary.
Often after taking a walk outside and taking a few breaths of free air, they would return to the town by chance.
Only a very small number of people actually choose to escape from Creekwood Town.
After spending this month together day and night, the townspeople have already seen clearly that although these monsters are fierce in appearance, they are lawful and will not kill innocent people indiscriminately, and the fear in their hearts has disappeared.
Moreover, with these powerful monsters maintaining order and resisting the ferocious beasts and monsters wandering in the surrounding wilderness, the safety of Creekwood Town has been guaranteed as never before!
Those who dare to make a living in such a lawless place are simply daring or desperate.
They were able to stay when Creekwood Town was dilapidated and backward, and conditions were difficult. Now that the town has become increasingly prosperous, safe and comfortable with their personal participation, they want to leave? What a big joke.
Moreover, it's not just Creekwood Town that has changed.
Stretching to both sides along Scale-Earth Rift Road, whether it is the deep dense forest or the steep rift valley, there are patrol posts set up by the Molten Iron Tribe.
Those ferocious beasts and monsters that were accustomed to destroying and attacking were expelled or hunted one by one, and the safety factor of the entire business road was greatly improved.
In addition, the reputation Molten Iron Tribe accumulated here more than 20 years ago has spread again.
I heard that after this place returned to the control of the Molten Iron Tribe, the number of business groups that came and went increased instead of decreasing, making it more lively and prosperous than during the reign of the Albert Family.
More and more people are passing through this place to rest and recuperate, or even plan to stay and look for business opportunities.
Therefore.
When the weather clears up and the bright sunshine shines unreservedly on the earth.
When Flower Knight Xia'er·Hines arrived at Creekwood Town alone and dusty, and set foot on the spacious road paved with smooth bricks and stones.
The scene that greeted his eyes was completely different from the tragic picture in his mind of being ravaged and enslaved by monsters.
What he saw was that the streets were clean, the houses were new, the flow of people was orderly, and the shops were flourishing.
The roar of people, the clanging sound of iron in the blacksmith shop, and the cries of vendors are intertwined, full of vitality.
In a daze, the young and handsome knight almost thought that he was in a prosperous and stable civilized town in Federation, rather than the hinterland of Ser Wilderness, where the jungle was full of dangers and predators of the weak.
There was a huge gap between the expected cruel reality and the exuberant vitality in front of him, leaving him stunned for a moment.
"Human, hiss... don't just stand in the middle of the road blocking the way."
A Snake-man guard with a scimitar on his waist and erect pupils warned in a cold tone, and the forked snake letter breathed out slightly.
"Sorry, very sorry." Xia'er came to his senses and quickly stepped aside to get out of the way.
When he noticed that the Snake-man guard was a female with a strong figure and an exotic face, the grace and enthusiasm in the knight's instinct were instantly ignited.
"Beautiful Ms. Snake-man, thank you for your kind reminder."
He gracefully performed a common courtesy for adventurers, and then a look of appropriate distress appeared on his face.
"I have just arrived here. I am completely unfamiliar with this place. I seem to have lost my way. I wonder if I would be honored to ask you to guide me the way forward?"
Snake Woman The guard asked, "Where are you going?"
"Ms." Xia'er showed his signature sunny smile that could make many girls blush. He flipped his right hand gracefully like a magic trick, and a delicate red rose appeared on his fingertips.
"The destination I long to go to is in your heart."
Although he was only dressed as an ordinary adventurer at the moment, his handsome face could not be completely concealed.
Snake Woman The guard looked him up and down carefully and without hesitation, then the tip of his flexible tail suddenly poked out and swept away the rose.
Then, without warning, she suddenly twisted her waist and leaned forward, her cold and delicate cheek almost touching Xia'er's face.
"Hiss--"
She spit out her long forked tongue, gently licked the knight's cheek in a very provocative and wild manner, and then said to Xia'er, who was instantly stiff and stunned. "Human, do you want to mate with me?"
"No problem, I also want to have a taste of what it's like to be human."
"Misunderstanding! Huge misunderstanding!"
Flower Knight never expected that the other party's response would be so direct and wild. Before the wet and cold touch on his cheek dissipated, he was already blushing and almost fled on his hands and knees, causing low laughter from several surrounding townspeople.
"Strange humans."
Snake Woman shook his head in confusion, played with the rose, looked at the embarrassed back of the knight and muttered to himself.
"Don't you like me? Why do you want to run away? It's really hard to understand."
She felt that she would never be able to understand these tortuous and complex human thoughts.
On the other side, Xia'er walked around Creekwood Town, and after calming down, he finally walked into the busiest tavern in town.
The doubts in his heart became more and more serious.
How could Creekwood Town present such an orderly and even prosperous scene under the rule of monsters? This was completely different from what he heard from Count Mills - that monsters were brutal and bloodthirsty, killing humans and occupying land.
True.
Flower Knight was extremely grateful to Count Mills for the many favors and support he had given him in the early stages of his adventurous career. Therefore, after receiving help, he put down the task at hand without hesitation and rushed to the wilderness as soon as possible.
But although he is young, he is no longer a rookie adventurer who is easily swayed by one-sided words.
His rich experience taught him careful observation and independent thinking.
Creekwood Town The harmonious and prosperous scene at this moment was like a huge question mark hitting his heart, making him feel strong confusion and doubt.
So, he decided to postpone his actions.
The first task is to investigate deeply, find out the truth behind this situation, and then carefully consider the next step.
In the tavern, Xia'er quickly became friends with several tables of adventurers due to his naturally humorous and enthusiastic personality, his well-informed conversation, and his willingness to spend money on drinks.
While changing cups and cups, he guided the conversation and gradually pieced together the cause and effect of the incident, and also learned about the grudges and grudges between the Molten Iron Tribe and Albert Family that spanned more than twenty years.
Based on known information.
He determined that Dragonkin, who attacked and killed the nobles back then, was only Adolescent Dragon, and now he should have entered the stage of Young Adult Dragon.
If his subordinates can show such strong organizational and combat effectiveness, their leader must be extremely outstanding, and his strength may be comparable to that of ordinary Young Dragon, and may even touch the threshold of Adult Dragon.
But Xia'er is not afraid of this, he has full confidence in himself.
His original plan was to first assassinate the young Green Dragon leader who was entrenched here and liberate Creekwood Town.
Then they engage in guerrilla warfare, destroying and harassing Molten Iron Tribe's strongholds around Scale-Earth Rift Road, constantly weakening their power and creating panic.
During this process, we will wait for an opportunity to explore the traces, strength and habits of the Molten Iron Tribe's true leader, Hybrid Dragon, and look for the best opportunity to attack him, striving to kill him with one strike and completely complete the count's revenge commission.
But now.
The prosperous order he saw with his own eyes was completely different from the brutal rule he had expected, making his originally clear plan instantly blurry and full of variables, and his action plan also needed to be adjusted accordingly.
"Although the leader of the Molten Iron Tribe is Chromatic Evil Dragons, his current behavior does not seem to be evil."
Xia'er was walking alone on the streets of a small town shrouded in darkness, with thoughts swirling in his heart.
He is respected as Flower Knight by the world, not only because of his appearance and charm, but also because he always demands himself according to the noble principles of knights: punish evil and promote good, support justice, and protect the weak.
He is not a racist.
He did kill a giant dragon, but it was Evil Dragon who burned villages, slaughtered fishermen, and plundered wealth in coastal areas. The standard for his crusade was behavior, not the color of the dragon's skin.
Even if Metal Dragon commits atrocities, he will still draw his sword against him.
On the contrary, even Chromatic Dragon, as long as his rule is not based on trampling on life and order, he will not have natural prejudice and hostility towards him.
Years of adventure have already taught him a profound truth.
--To determine whether an intelligent creature is good, evil, or neutral should not be based on the prejudice brought about by its race or bloodline, but should be based on its specific actions.
However, Earl Mills's favor is equally real and as heavy as a thousand pieces.
The helping hand extended in difficult situations and the shelter at critical moments were the indispensable cornerstones of his adventure.
If you receive a drop of kindness from someone, you should repay it with a spring of water. This is the foundation of a knight's life.
If he completely ignored the count's entrustment and stood aside because what he saw before him did not match the count's description, this would undoubtedly seriously violate his principle of repaying kindness.
After much thought and weighing.
Flower Knight decided to stay at Creekwood Town for a while and not take action immediately.
Perhaps, this brief peaceful and auspicious scene in front of us is just an illusion carefully created by the Molten Iron Tribe?
A trap specially set to confuse potential crusaders and righteous people?
He doesn't mind taking down roots in this strange monster-governed town, living like a real resident, patiently and carefully observing every move, word and deed here.
Go deep into its texture and gain insight into its essence.
Once in the days to come, he discovers any evidence that Molten Iron Tribe is hiding any evil plans, oppressive practices, or posing a substantial threat to the surrounding areas, he will not hesitate to fulfill his duty as a knight and strike out with thunderous blows.
"The private army sent by Mr. Mills is probably arriving in this area soon."
"Just in time, we can take this opportunity to see with our own eyes how powerful the dragon that rules Molten Iron Tribe is."
Flower Knight thought to himself.
Regardless of whether the follow-up is a war or a peace, a crusade or another plan, finding out the true strength level of the dragons here in advance, especially the leader of the dragon group known as Death Omen and Sky-Rending Wing, is crucial to his next actions.
What's more, Count Mills sent his private army here with the intention of covering him up and creating chaos.
He had already known the planned attack route and approximate time of this private army through the count's channels.
Soon, the time came to three days later.
This is a critical period for the Molten Iron Tribe to take root here. Just in case, Garos is still sitting in Conifer Valley and has not returned to Borderlands.
At his current terrifying speed.
Scale-Earth Rift Road If anything happens in the surrounding area, he can rush to support as soon as possible.
At this moment, Garos's whole body was dancing with bright Golden Lightning, and Exhilarated State was suddenly turned on. But his breathing was long and steady, as if he was bearing an insignificant burden.
"After I officially enter Young Adult Stage, if I maintain this Exhilarated State, it should be as easy and natural as breathing."
Garos silently estimated in his heart.
At this stage, Exhilarated State's energy consumption on him is not serious, and it can be maintained for a long period of time, but it is still a little short of a state where it does not need to be deliberately maintained and is as permanent as instinct.
Phew--!
He took a deep breath of the cool air in the valley, and the violently leaping golden electric snakes around him converged like the tide, and disappeared under the thick dragon scales.
Almost at the same time, the calm and calm spiritual voice of Iron Dragon Sorog rang in my heart.
"About fifty kilometers away from the Scale-Earth Rift Road outer defense line, traces of a human army were detected."
"They are not small in size, their marching direction is clearly pointing to Scale-Earth Rift Road, and they are well-equipped. The emblem of the Albert Family is clearly imprinted on their armor and flags."
What was supposed to come finally came.
As expected, Albert Family couldn't sit back and watch his territory being occupied by the Molten Iron Tribe, and had already dispatched a private family army to attack.
Red Iron Dragon thought for a moment and then responded calmly.
"Control the battlefield outside Scale-Earth Rift Road. I don't want Molten Iron Tribe's territory to be affected, so lead your family and prepare to face the enemy."
In order to firmly lay the first wedge on the edge of the wilderness and pave the way for the subsequent large-scale march, the vanguard troops sent by the Molten Iron Tribe this time are not weak.
In addition to those powerful monster bosses, the three-headed Monster Lord that were conquered earlier in Borderlands are now also inhabiting Crescent Moon Valley where the original Werewolf group is, sharpening their minions and waiting for the call of war at any time.
Molten Iron Tribe has so many ferocious relatives under his command, so naturally they are not just consuming food in vain.
Now is the time for them to show their worth and exchange their military exploits for glory and rewards.
"Understood! Those humans who don't know whether to live or die are destined to never come back. This wilderness is their final burial ground."
The spiritual connection was immediately interrupted, and Iron Dragon had obviously begun to mobilize the army.
Bathed in the cool and bright moonlight, Red Iron Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the mountains in the distance, his pupils shining with light of contemplation.
The count's private army was discovered too quickly, as if they were carrying a torch through the wilderness, with no concealment at all.
Logically speaking, regardless of whether it will be discovered by secret sentry scouts along the way, the effect of a concealed and unexpected surprise attack will always be better than a head-on attack.
Garos never believes that a human count has any so-called good chivalry and must have an honest duel.
Except for this force on the surface.
There may be another more dangerous and deadly sword hidden in the darkness.
This may be because Garos is paranoid, but he has always been cautious and will not ignore possible dangers. This is a key factor that has allowed him to grow up to this day, in addition to his talent.
However.
Based on the earl's knowledge, it is hard to imagine that he could transform from Adolescent Dragon, who did not have much edge, to King of the Borderlands today in just twenty years. Whether his methods are overt or covert, they will not be too dangerous to him.
If it doesn't happen to you.
Garos wouldn't believe it himself.
"My periods of slumber are always far beyond normal... Before then, it never hurts to move my body more."
Gradually a decision came to mind, Red Iron Dragon no longer hesitated.
He stretched his wings and soared into the sky, his strong body disappearing into the darkness.
ps: There is a [Eternal Dragon] title event in the book club that you can participate in. In addition, I will try my best to finish the battle in one go tomorrow.