The Lord Arrives Riding a Dragon

However, the amount of food that can be obtained through invasion alone is actually quite limited.

More often than not, the Beastfolk relied on private trade with nobles within the kingdom to obtain food.

The Orc Royal Court has abundant mineral resources and animal hides, and even Beastfolk slaves.

These items, once transported into the kingdom, become invaluable treasures, and the nobles are extremely interested in them, willing to exchange large quantities of grain for these precious resources.

Driven by profit, these private transactions became increasingly frequent, even forming a hidden and massive chain of interests.

While this trade alleviated the Beastfolk's food crisis to some extent, it also made the relationship between the Human Kingdom and the Orc Royal Court more complex and delicate.

On the one hand, conflicts and wars between the two sides still occur from time to time; on the other hand, these clandestine transactions keep them intricately connected, as if they are tightly bound by an invisible net, making it difficult to completely break free.

Baron Stan had already joined this chain of interests many years ago.

He used his identity to buy large quantities of grain, then secretly transported it to the Orc Royal Court in exchange for valuables.

It was precisely because of this identity that his territory and Hope Town remained unscathed during each Beastfolk invasion, as if protected by an invisible force.

This kind of thing has actually been noticed by many people long ago, but they just don't want to talk about it openly.

Baron Stan was merely at the downstream end of this chain of interests, while the upstream consisted of numerous high-ranking nobles and powerful court nobles.

They manipulated all of this behind the scenes, using the Beastfolk's need for food and their own desire for wealth to build this vast and secretive network of interests.

In order to protect their vested interests, those nobles naturally did not want this matter to be made public. They would try their best to cover up and suppress any factors that might threaten this chain of interests.

They were well aware that this was too despicable and shameless, and that it would be disastrous if it were made public.

At that time, the entire kingdom may be plunged into turmoil and change.

Time ticked by, and everyone stared into the distance.

Baron Stan was starting to get impatient. Was Doug Forbes really coming today?

He had originally led everyone to the town gate to greet them, but only to maintain a semblance of decorum.

After all, Doug Forbes was nominally the Earl son of Countess Lindsay Monroe.

He thought it would only take ten or twenty minutes to wait, but an hour or two passed and not a single person appeared.

"Could it be that Doug Forbes is trying to use this opportunity to give me a hard time?"

Baron Stan grew increasingly agitated.

As an overweight person, he couldn't stand the heat.

Moreover, they've been standing outside the city gate waiting all this time.

The scorching sun beat down on him, and sweat poured out like a fountain, soaking his clothes.

His face grew increasingly gloomy, and his dissatisfaction and anger continued to build up.

Ramesh Singh was the first to notice his dissatisfaction and quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"It seems our information was incorrect; Lord Doug Forbes will not be coming today."

"Or should we just go back first?"

Baron Stan's face remained grim upon hearing this, but his eyes glanced at the others around him.

He certainly wanted to leave, but as a nobleman, he still had to maintain a basic sense of dignity.

Leaving so abruptly would make one a laughingstock and damage one's noble dignity.

The others were also shrewd, and they all chimed in with their opinions:

"Yes, Your Excellency, there may indeed be some misunderstanding today. Let's go back and discuss it further."

"That's right, that's right. Waiting here isn't going to solve anything, let's go back first."

"That's right, Your Excellency, it's not too late for us to go back and make plans later."

They talked amongst themselves, and these people, too, couldn't stand the heat here.

If we could just go back like this, that would be the best thing ever.

Their faces showed impatience as they spoke, fanning themselves with their hands in an attempt to relieve the unbearable heat.

Some people's foreheads were covered in sweat, which slid down their cheeks and soaked their collars.

Their eyes were fixed on Baron Stan, hoping he would make a decision soon so they could escape the heat and return to their comfort.

Although the next lord is Doug Forbes.

But how could an alchemist without any foundation compare to Baron Stan?

After all, Baron Stan had been operating in this land for many years and had extensive connections and resources. His influence was far beyond that of a newcomer.

In their view, choosing Baron Stan was more powerful and had a more stable foundation, was the wise move. For their own interests and future, they decisively placed their bets on Baron Stan.

They had already decided to take sides from the beginning, so they didn't care whether they offended Doug Forbes.

On the contrary, ignoring Doug Forbes was their best way of showing their loyalty.

They wanted to demonstrate their loyalty and stance to Baron Stan this way, hoping to gain his favor and attention.

"Since everyone has said so, I have no choice but to reluctantly agree..."

Baron Stan deliberately dragged out his words, making a face that showed reluctance but also a sense of having no choice but to compromise.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the people around him out of the corner of his eye, seemingly enjoying the feeling of being requested by everyone.

As the lord of these people, his favorite thing over the years has been to seize every opportunity to discipline his subordinates.

If any of these people had hesitated even slightly, he would have shown this guy what he was capable of.

In future affairs, deliberately make things difficult for him, or directly give him some small punishments, so that he understands that it is not difficult for him to know who the real master of Hope Town is.

If all else fails, we can just let them disappear.

Most of these people were promoted by him; he could make them rise to the top in an instant, and he could also make them fall to the bottom in an instant.

Their fate was entirely in his hands; he could decide their future and their lives with just a flick of his finger.

At this moment, Baron Stan felt a sense of control, enjoying the pleasure and satisfaction that came with this absolute power.

Just then, someone pointed to the sky and shouted:

"Baron... Your Excellency, a dragon! There's a dragon in the sky!"

Baron Stan looked up and, sure enough, saw a colossal mechanical dragon in the sky, its entire body made of metal parts.

The dragon gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, its massive body slowly moving through the air, its wings flapping and creating gusts of wind.

On the back of the metal dragon was a young man completely covered in black monk's robes.

He stood tall and straight, his two feet planted on the dragon's back, as if he were one with the dragon.

His face was partially obscured by the hood of his monk's robes, revealing only a pair of deep and mysterious eyes that silently gazed down at the crowd below.

Doug Forbes appeared in a way they couldn't understand.

Everything Baron Stan had done before became a complete joke in the face of this mechanical dragon.