novelraw Chapter 307: The Flame of the Prairie, the White Dragon
Chapter 307: The Flame of the Prairie, the White Dragon
"The Albert family, that dark cloud hanging over our heads, has finally dispersed."
When the news of Count Mills' assassination finally traveled across the vast distance to reach the Ser Wilderness and entered the ears of the red iron dragon, he revealed a satisfied smile.
This wasn't just the downfall of an enemy, but the elimination of a potential hidden danger that could have caused long-term trouble, making him feel much more at ease and giving him some peace of mind.
To be frank.
Even if Count Mills had subsequently sent only his family's private troops to seek revenge in the wilderness, Garoth was completely confident he could annihilate them entirely, inflicting devastating losses on the Albert family.
However.
When it came to the count himself, located deep within the southern Raymond Duchy and enjoying noble privileges and legal protection, even Garoth's power felt somewhat inadequate to reach that far.
He couldn't actually fly all the way to the Albert family territory and simply crush the count with one slap.
There were indeed precedents of such simple, brutal, and direct evil dragons, but they mostly didn't survive leaving the core regions of the human Federation.
Garoth never believed he could fight his way out in such circumstances.Instead, the unexpected arrival of the Flower Knight Shire had opened up another line of thinking for Garoth, providing a different possibility.
Clearly.
Count Mills had overestimated his own methods of controlling people and severely underestimated the independent will and capability for action of the tool that was Flower Knight Shire Hynes.
He firmly believed that this famous young hero, like most adventurers blinded by fame and gratitude, would only need a little persuasion from him, the count, painting a picture of the great prestige and glory to be gained from slaying the evil dragon, and the young man would become hot-headed, charging into the wilderness without a second thought to become a sharp but mindless blade in his hands.
Unfortunately.
Although the Flower Knight was young and inexperienced, and had indeed been deceived by the count's hypocrisy and manipulated by carefully crafted lies.
He was by no means foolish or inflexible, and didn't completely follow the script Count Mills had anticipated.
"However, I truly didn't expect that the Albert family's underhanded methods would be even darker than mine."
"They probably wanted to screen for children with talent, making them see the family as their only belonging and faith from their very bones, dedicating everything without reservation. So after selecting suitable targets, they personally orchestrated accidents, artificially creating orphans, then appearing as saviors to adopt and brainwash them."
"In comparison—"
The red iron dragon grinned, revealing his sharp teeth: "—this evil dragon in the eyes of the world seems almost too upright and honest, one might even call me kind."
Some nobles indeed hide unimaginable evil beneath their elegant and dignified robes.
No wonder the first lesson many paladins learn after entering society is often being strictly forbidden from casually using spells like Detect Evil, under the beautiful pretext that such actions seriously violate personal privacy and contradict the paladin's basic principles.
Thinking about it now, the deeper meaning is quite thought-provoking.
But regardless, the Albert family disturbance can largely be considered concluded at this point.
Those like Runic Knight Rod and alchemist Sienna, who once viewed the family as above all else and were willing to sacrifice their lives for it—after learning the cruel truth of their tragic origins—the more fanatically they had supported the Albert family in the past, the more deeply they would now desire to completely tear it apart and burn it to ashes.
It can be foreseen.
Having lost their central pillar and facing internal collapse, the Albert family will soon find themselves overwhelmed with their own problems, no longer able to spare any attention for affairs in the Ser Wilderness.
"Shire, return."
"There's a new task for you to complete."
Garoth contacted the Flower Knight who was outside through the message stone.
At this moment, Shire Hynes was in the midst of an escape.
Although during the assassination of Count Mills, he had used his Boundary Walker skills to seal off the space at the scene, acting cleanly and leaving no traces of himself behind.
However.
In a supernatural world where magical power exists everywhere, as long as those with power and influence are determined to investigate at any cost, even without any physical clues left at the scene, there are still ways to identify the target.
After all, the Albert family was quite an influential count family within the Raymond Duchy.
The attack and death of their family head within his manor caused significant unrest among the noble circles, creating widespread anxiety.
The higher authorities ordered a strict investigation to find the killer, sparing no expense to hire powerful divination spellcasters for tracking, eventually identifying the target as—the famous Flower Knight.
During the subsequent investigation process, the Albert family's shady dealings also gradually came to light.
However.
To maintain the dignity and reputation of the entire noble class, other authorities chose to cover up and suppress the information, simply categorizing the incident as a revenge killing and fabricating a reason to issue a nationwide bounty on the Flower Knight.
Fortunately, Shire had trained in both the Arcane Knight and Boundary Walker career paths, giving him considerable expertise in spatial movement and anti-tracking.
Although he encountered several dangerous blockades during his escape journey, he ultimately managed to resolve them all without major incident, getting closer and closer to the wilderness.
The flow of time felt both prolonged and rapid during the escape.
Finally, one morning, the travel-worn but more determined Flower Knight crossed the final boundary, his figure reappearing on the desolate yet familiar horizon of the Ser Wilderness.
Finally, he stopped at Ximu Town.
The Green Dragon Ludwig, following instructions from above, formally transferred the authority and responsibility for managing this increasingly prosperous wilderness town to Shire Hynes.
In the overall planning of the Molten Iron Tribe, this small frontier town in the wilderness would be further expanded and developed in the future.
Since its main target population was intelligent beings like humans, and there exists a natural gap and distance between humans and dragons.
Therefore, having a powerful, upright, and trusted human lord serve as the spokesperson for the dragon's will, responsible for maintaining the town's daily order and conveying and implementing policies, was undoubtedly the ideal choice.
Whether considering strength, reputation, or his current situation, the Flower Knight was the most suitable candidate.
After this.
As news spread that the Molten Iron Tribe had legally obtained passage rights for the Serpentine Earth Rift rather than seizing it by force.
Coupled with the Molten Iron Tribe's continuous efforts to clear out violent beasts and dangerous magical creatures in the surrounding areas, and strictly prohibiting any form of robbery or extortion, the safety and order of this place became widely known, attracting more and more people.
The number of caravans traveling through the rift significantly increased.
The number of adventurers, mercenary groups, and traveling merchants choosing to rest, resupply, or even stay long-term in Ximu Town saw sustained growth.
Even more notably, it even attracted metal dragons known for their goodness and order.
A young Gold Dragon visited Ximu Town, praising the well-maintained order there and publicly stating that the Molten Iron Tribe did not belong to the evil alignment as rumored outside.
The Gold Dragon, leader of the metal dragons, powerful, noble, and symbolizing order and goodness.
For the vast majority of humans, this was almost a creature that existed only in legends.
His visit and endorsement brought immense positive reputation to Ximu Town and the Molten Iron Tribe, with many adventurers traveling thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of the Gold Dragon's true form.
And the Gold Dragon seemed to quite enjoy this attention.
He would often act on impulse, elegantly landing in Ximu Town's central square, or strolling leisurely along the newly paved streets, satisfying people's curiosity while bringing immeasurable positive reputation to the town.
Where there are people, disputes are inevitable, but with them also comes the circulation and accumulation of wealth.
Days flowed by amidst the interweaving of bustle and tranquility.
The traffic along the Serpentine Earth Rift became increasingly busy, Ximu Town's scale quietly expanded, facilities continuously improved, presenting a unique prosperity that was both wild growth and orderly.
Additionally, the Molten Iron Tribe did not take advantage of the situation to massively expand their territory.
Instead, the tribe chose a more stable strategy, consolidating their forces, deeply cultivating their core areas, and concentrating substantial resources and power into the management and defense strengthening of the Serpentine Earth Rift and Ximu Town, making this place as secure as a fortified city.
Within the Ser Wilderness, known for chaos, danger, and survival of the fittest.
The territory under the Molten Iron Tribe's rule actually displayed a rare and precious peace, as if in tranquil times.
However, many insightful individuals understood that this peace was likely just a brief interlude before the storm.
As time passed, the situation within the human Federation was accelerating in turmoil and deterioration.
Following the initial ignition of war by the Duchy of Abbe and Duchy of Harthale, several more duchies successively broke off relations and boldly declared war on each other.
Even more dangerously.
This chaotic warfare didn't remain at the level of each acting independently, but quickly evolved into confrontation between two major camps centered around the Duchy of Abbe and Duchy of Harthale.
The flames of war began to spread and burn wildly along the long borders between the duchies, showing a prairie fire momentum.
And while other duchies were busy attacking each other, plundering rear areas, and destroying each other's war potential, the Molten Iron Tribe situated in the wilderness was also quietly participating in their own way.
Including but not limited to:
Striking the Duchy of Abbe's supply lines, attacking and harassing their resource outposts at the edge of the Ser Wilderness, and so on.
Although these actions weren't fatal, they continuously drained the war potential of the Abbe camp, increasing pressure on their front lines.
And as time passed, the clouds of war continued to gather, roll, and brew greater destruction over the southern lands.
Finally, time's relentless footsteps stepped into the new calendar year 258.
By now, the Molten Iron Tribe's rule over the Serpentine Earth Rift was as solid as bedrock, their territory orderly, and their strength steadily increasing.
Garoth briefly left the bustling wilderness and returned to the convergence lands.
At this moment.
He stood quietly at the edge of the Scorchsteel Fortress balcony, his eyes reflecting the scene in the valley below.
The White Dragon Trixie was there training a newly joined white little dragon.
The little one had been accidentally discovered by the tribe's kobold scouts in the northern ice fields several months earlier.
When found, it was baring its fangs, fighting with an equally hungry old dire wolf over half a frozen animal carcass, looking utterly wretched.
After being brought to the convergence lands.
The other dragons showed consistent indifference and disdain toward this ignorant, beast-like, noisy, and weak little dragon hatchling.
Only the White Dragon Trixie showed great enthusiasm.
Her attention toward the other few gradually growing little dragons with steadily rising ecological niches had decreased considerably, instead focusing more energy on this pitiful white young dragon.