novelraw Chapter 101: The Prince
Chapter 101: The Prince
“Run away? Abandon the territory here?”
This was Garoth’s first thought.
When faced with enormous, insurmountable risks, Garoth would choose to retreat decisively and avoid the danger for the time being.
But life here had just begun to get on track. He had integrated several monster clans under his command, controlled a branch of a trade route, and had a stable black oil supply channel. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
Garoth was unwilling to simply give it all up.
In the wilderness, weakness was the greatest risk. Abandoning the territory to start anew would consume a lot of time and energy, dragging down his growth speed and leaving him vulnerable for a longer period.
This was something Garoth could not tolerate.
“The giants’ words might not all be true. To intimidate the Bonegnaw Clan, it might have chosen to bluff.”
“Once we confirm their exact situation, then we’ll make the final decision.”
Garoth did not act rashly. Instead, his gaze grew deeper and calmer. He suppressed all emotions within and continued to silently lie in wait.Among the various giant races,
Stone Giants excelled in strength and defense but were somewhat dull in perception. Hidden in the shadows, Garoth was not worried about being detected by the Stone Giants.
“Oh, you mean there are other giants.”
Karu nodded and waved his greasy palm. “Are you the strongest among them? If not, don’t talk to me about loyalty and submission here. The Bonegnaw Clan only follows the strongest.”
“Have your strongest Stone Giant come see me, then I’ll consider loyalty and submission.”
The Stone Giant furrowed its brow again.
It stared at Karu, and dangerous sharpness flickered in its stone-bead-like eyes. Its aura grew heavier, as if it had fused with the earth itself.
Karu was not intimidated. He grinned, revealing a mouth full of shark-like fangs.
The clan’s elite ogre warriors raised their weapons, their bulky bodies encircling the Stone Giant with fierce glares. Several sorcerers clutched bone-made staves behind the warriors, ready to cast spells at any moment.
The Stone Giant remained silent for several seconds, the dangerous gleam in its eyes gradually fading.
Other clan members had different tasks, and it was not wise to engage the Bonegnaw Clan’s ogres in direct conflict alone.
Its physical stamina and magical energy were not unlimited.
It had not yet reached the point where it could ignore numbers through sheer power.
“In three days, an elder stronger than me will personally arrive.”
The Stone Giant looked directly into Karu’s eyes, its voice rough, like stones grinding against each other. “At that time, whether you submit or refuse, I need your final answer.”
After saying this,
It turned and strode away from the Bonegnaw Clan. With each heavy step, the ground trembled slightly, just as when it came.
Karu shouted, “Your elder coming alone is a sign of respect to the Bonegnaw Clan! If other Stone Giants come with him, he won’t gain the clan’s approval!”
After the Stone Giant left, two elite warriors were allowed to put down the exhausted Gluttonous Ogres they had been carrying, panting heavily.
After some time,
Having confirmed the Stone Giant would not launch a surprise counterattack and return suddenly, the Red Iron Dragon flew out from the ridge and landed before Gluttonous Ogre Karu.
“Karu, you did well.”
Garoth did not hesitate to praise him.
Especially for the last demand—the Stone Giant elder arriving alone.
If the other side valued the Bonegnaw Clan highly enough to come alone, this would give Garoth a degree of initiative.
The Gluttonous Ogre chuckled thickly and said, “Then can I have the dead skin you shed as a reward?”
It drooled over Garoth.
It knew it had no chance of tasting fresh flesh, and it dared not make such a request, but it still refused to give up. It wanted to taste dragon skin, even if it was just dead skin shed by the dragon.
“No.”
Garoth refused the Ogre’s request.
After a pause, he added, “Once I perform the dragon vein transformation on you, you will become a dragon vein creature. If you want to know what it tastes like, just bite yourself a few times.”
The Gluttonous Ogre’s eyes lit up.
“When can I get the dragon vein transformation?”
It asked eagerly.
“After you have made enough contributions to me.”
Garoth replied.
“When can I make contributions?”
Karu asked eagerly, excited about the dragon vein transformation.
“Soon. Tell your people to prepare for battle.”
Garoth squinted slightly, gazing toward the direction the Stone Giant had left.
Whether to fight or flee, it was best to prepare first.
The Gluttonous Ogre grew excited and growled lowly, “Karu loves fighting!”
After fierce battles and then filling up with food, this was the best way to stimulate the Gluttonous Ogre’s growth and development.
A few minutes later,
Under Garoth’s orders, the Gluttonous Ogre began mobilizing the clan members of the Bonegnaw Clan, releasing the stored food so that the elite warriors could feast heartily and eat their fill to prepare for the possible upcoming battle.
Well-fed ogres were every bit a battle-hardened soldier.
Here, one must mention Garoth’s generous treatment of the Bonegnaw Clan.
Because there were several sorcerers here and relatively powerful Gluttonous Ogres, the training effect on Garoth was better. He spent more time with the Bonegnaw Clan than other clans.
When honing his combat skills against ferocious beasts, after eating, Garoth would casually catch some high-level ferocious magical beasts and toss them to the Bonegnaw Clan as rewards.
Garoth knew very well that ruling solely through dragon might and fear was unstable.
He needed the clans under his command to understand that following him brought benefits, interests, and prospects. Combining rewards with authority was better than merely applying pressure and demands.
This was one of the teachings in the legacy known as The Prince, passed down from an ancient dragon ancestor who had once founded a kingdom.
For ogres, survival meant eating.
Garoth’s rewards moved them to tears of gratitude, and the Bonegnaw Clan’s loyalty grew day by day.
The empty promises of the Stone Giant were nothing compared to the tangible benefits already gained.
Garoth restrained his aura and made no sound as he took to the sky, his body covered in black-gray, inconspicuous explosive scales that almost blended with the night.
He silently glided among the clouds, his gaze sweeping over the mountains and land below.
Soon, Garoth locked onto a familiar figure.
It was an adult Stone Giant who had left Spinebreaker Hills, now on the ground hurrying in a certain direction.
To avoid alerting the other party,
Garoth did not use any probing technique on the Stone Giant.
But judging by the giant’s size and the descriptions of Stone Giants in the legacy, he roughly estimated this Stone Giant’s life level to be around 9. Level 9 was the most probable, with an error margin no greater than 1 level.
That meant it was about the same level as Garoth currently.
A Stone Giant at the same level did not pose a danger to Garoth.
In the giant ranking sequence, Storm Giants were the strongest at the same level, while Stone Giants were not among the top.
As a Red Iron mixed-blood, even without the adaptation evolution talent, Garoth’s mixed-blood dragon talent was comparable to that of a Gold Dragon. With his evolution and growth, he guessed that even Gold Dragons of his level were probably no match for him now.
Among the commonly seen main dragon types,
Unless possessing special talents or some positive mutations,
None could match Garoth at the same level.
The problem lay with the ‘elder’ the Stone Giant mentioned.
A Stone Giant honored with the title of elder was at least a middle-aged Stone Giant over two hundred years old, with a life level between 10 and 13.
If it was the weakest Stone Giant elder, level 10,
Its life level still exceeded Garoth’s.
Garoth disliked fighting above his level—in other words, he disliked leveling up by fighting stronger enemies unless absolutely necessary.
“The number and strength level of this Stone Giant vanguard.”
“While I’m still in the shadows, with the enemy unaware and me concealed, I’ll scout and gather information first.”
Garoth thought.
If he confirmed a large force was coming and had to abandon the territory, and this vanguard was not very strong, then as he retreated, he would at least make them pay a heavy price.