Chapter 283 - 221: Intimidating the Silver Dragon Maiden

The Wilderness was devoid of life, a vast expanse of white snow stretching as far as the eye could see. For dozens of miles in every direction, there was no sign of civilization—only desolate remoteness.

But at this very moment, High Cliff Castle brought a spark of life to the landscape.

Inside the great hall of High Cliff Castle, a long table, more than ten meters in length, was laden with an appetizing feast. The rest of the space was crammed with chairs, most of which were already taken. A single glance revealed a gathering of all sorts of different Races.

All the leaders of High Cliff Castle, big and small, were present—with the sole exception of Orak, who was away in Bailiu City.

The Lord gripped a roasted leg of lamb, coated in spices and chili, and devoured it in just a few bites. The satisfaction spreading from his taste buds to his stomach made him let out a long, contented sigh.

The food in Bailiu City was expensive, exquisite, and delicious, but it couldn’t compare to the dishes prepared by the Rabbit People chefs he had personally trained. Nothing suited his palate quite like their cooking.

The cuisine throughout Debei leaned toward the sweet side. No matter the dish, a bit of syrup was always added, making it cloyingly sweet after just a few bites.

High Cliff Castle was the only place one could find spicy food.

"Lord, has something major happened?"

Leiden’s keen intuition told him that the Lord of High Cliff Castle’s trip to Bailiu City must have been for a very important reason.

Levi looked at the Giant Goblin in the Wolf Skin Hat and nodded. "You’ve only recently joined High Cliff Castle, so you aren’t aware of this. Now is a good time to tell everyone at once."

"In a few months, we will launch an attack on the Debei Southern Territory."

Since the southern campaign was still months away and a pile of other matters had cropped up one after another, he had never proactively mentioned it. As a result, only the original old guard of High Cliff Castle knew the full story. Most of the newcomers only knew fragments and were unaware of the specific details.

"What?!" A Giant Dragon’s hearing is far superior to a human’s. Sophia, who had been ferociously gnawing on meat in the corner, looked up, dumbfounded. She didn’t even notice the piece of meat that fell from her mouth onto the table.

"We’re going to war again?"

Levi glanced at her before launching into a full explanation of the situation from beginning to end. He clearly recounted how he had brought a Duke’s heir from the Southern Territory to the Northern Territory, the role he played in the whole affair, and why this war was absolutely necessary.

The Lord’s voice was clear and resonant, ensuring everyone present understood his words. But the shock of his announcement was like a Giant Dragon’s breath weapon exploding in their midst, sending massive shockwaves through the hall.

Sophia’s jaw hung open, unable to close. Her mind was reeling from the bombshell, leaving her completely disoriented.

She might be a bit dense, but she wasn’t stupid.

She may have been lucky enough to sit out the last war, but she knew just by thinking about it that there was no way she could avoid the next one.

Faced with a large-scale military campaign, no one with a Giant Dragon at their disposal would let it go unused. Suddenly, the food before her, which would normally make her drool, tasted like wax.

Levi slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "Are you scared?"

"Scared!" came the unified reply from the crowd. A moment later, they erupted into boisterous laughter.

"We’re scared there won’t be enough of them to fight!"

"I’m scared," Sophia said weakly, raising a small hand.

Surrounded by a pack of burly, bloodthirsty warriors, she was like a helpless little lamb.

The Lord pointedly ignored her. He pressed his hands on the table, his gaze fixed on the rowdy crowd before him. "Our opponent is a legitimate Duke’s Domain! Debei has only four Dukes in total. They’ll have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, at the very least! And we, at full strength, have only a thousand!"

"If they are a lion, then we are a hamster willingly walking into its mouth!"

"No, we’re not even as good as hamsters!"

"Lionel never asks how many enemies there are, only where!" Centaur Gus declared, his voice like rolling thunder.

Due to his Centaur physique, he didn’t have a chair and was instead half-kneeling on the floor. Even so, his towering frame nearly brushed the ceiling.

When Levi had just returned from Bailiu City, Gus had also come back from the depths of the Wilderness, bringing his entire tribe with him. The Centaur women and children were settled at the foot of the nearby hills.

’The number of burly warriors in High Cliff Castle is only going to grow,’ the Lord thought. ’Looks like it’s time to schedule the construction of a much larger hall.’

"Lord, we are your followers. We are the blade in your hand." Hog was slowly cutting a piece of roasted beef with a knife and fork. He looked up, revealing sharp fangs. "Tell us who to fight, and we will fight them. Even a lion will have its leg torn off by us."

He and Mier were on good terms, and he was an eager student, so he had learned a great deal about human customs.

The only thing that gave him trouble was the common written language; he still hadn’t learned much of it.

Compared to the Giant Goblin who had mastered writing long ago, he felt as stupid as a common Goblin.

"HIC!" Zat chugged a large mug of ale and belched. His large, green hand hooked around Hog’s shoulder as he took the opportunity to wipe his greasy fingers on Hog’s clothes.

"Anyway... I think Hog’s right!"

The leaders’ speeches drew a round of cheers from the crowd. The Three-headed Dog, lying at the Lord’s feet like a common pug, yapped excitedly. The little creature Buji even waved its tiny fists menacingly in the air, but the gesture looked so feeble it was more cute than intimidating.

"Damn, you guys are making me emotional!" Levi felt goosebumps break out across his skin. He was deeply moved, and a heroic ambition swelled in his chest.