Garon temporarily suppressed his thoughts about the Red Flame Staff and continued to focus on the human army.
The vast northern ice plains made the two-thousand-strong force seem insignificant, but Garon, hidden in the mist, observed their movements closely.
He turned his head, surveying the terrain from above, guessing the possible route the human army might take.
Time passed slowly, and Garon's expression grew increasingly grave.
If nothing unexpected occurred, they would pass through the Ogre Basin.
But this was not what worried Garon.
He saw a spellcaster in the army close his eyes to use a type of divination spell, and upon opening them, he pointed directly towards the Ogre Basin.
"Divinatory magic."
They followed the faint traces left by Morton, and it seemed only a matter of time before they would discover the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair.
Yamos and Lilith had been taken to the Ice Cliff territory by ogres, whose simple minds did not think to cover their tracks. Anyone using magic to trace them could easily follow.
The two thousand fully armed elite troops included many extraordinary warriors and spellcasters.
Garon wasn't confident in victory.
Forget two thousand; such an elite force, even numbering in the hundreds, had the power to slay dragons. The soldiers were not ordinary humans; most were extraordinary warriors capable of tearing apart wild beasts with their bare hands.
If the White Dragon Mother saw such an army, she would flee at first sight.
Dragons can fly, but spellcasters with spells that block the sky could drag a dragon to the ground. The army's spellcasters were prepared to handle aerial foes.
However, with Garon's speed, even if flight were restricted, he could escape unless the area was already filled with magical traps and barriers.
But still, the ease with which his flight could be suppressed was a major dissatisfaction for him.
"The spell to block the sky, I have no means to counter it."
"I need to find a type of flight that this spell can't affect, to avoid being constantly restricted and hesitant."
Garon harbored such thoughts.
He didn't risk attacking the army alone. After observing their movement for another half-hour, hidden in the mist, he started to retreat.
Traveling in large numbers had many advantages; they were less likely to be attacked and could support each other...
But there were clear disadvantages too.
Their movement speed depended on the slowest among them, making their progress across the vast ice plains slow. It would take them a considerable time to reach the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair.
Before they reached the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair, Garon had enough time to gather his kin and plan an attack.
He wasn't willing to give up his newly settled territory easily. If he confronted this human army and they discovered Morton's relics with him, a major battle would be inevitable.
Garon disliked waiting passively for trouble.
Rather than waiting for them to find him, he preferred to strike first.
Northern Ice Spirits, Dread Lizards, White Hounds, Ogres—his kin were gathered, forming a formidable force that could be useful now.
While passing through the Ogre Basin, Garon stopped.
Ugga Skullbreaker had just returned with a group of ogres. Seeing Garon, they looked puzzled, not understanding why he was there.
Garon descended to a lower altitude, looking at Ugga Skullbreaker with a serious expression: "Bring all the warriors of the Skullbreaker tribe that can fight to the Ice Cliff territory and wait for my orders to meet the human army in battle."
Ugga Skullbreaker, sensing the gravity in Garon's tone, stiffened and replied, "Understood! The warriors of the Skullbreaker tribe will fight for you!"
The event was sudden, and Ugga Skullbreaker didn't know the reason, but he knew to follow Garon's orders.
Roar! Roar! Hearing about the impending battle with humans, the ogres raised their fearsome weapons and roared excitedly.
Named ogres, but having seen few humans in their lifetime, they were thrilled, their eyes gleaming with intense battle fervor.
Soon after, Garon returned to the Ice Cliff territory and gathered the Northern Ice Spirits, informing them of the impending war.
"Recent hunting parties should not venture out. Consolidate your strength and remain vigilant."
The fighting-capable Northern Ice Spirits numbered about one hundred and fifty, with over three hundred young still not combat-ready.
Each Northern Ice Spirit was equivalent to a low-tier spellcaster of around two rings, though their abilities were limited, making them weaker than regular two-ring spellcasters.
The more formidable Dread Lizards numbered ninety, and the relatively average White Hounds had grown to over four hundred.
Compared to the strictly trained and disciplined elite human army, they could not coordinate as effectively, but they were still a force to be reckoned with, capable of causing significant trouble for the enemy.
After a while, the Skullbreaker tribe's ogres, carrying their fears
ome weapons, entered the Ice Cliff territory, gathering with the other kin.
At the same time, sensing the tense atmosphere, a fierce Frost Tiger slowly emerged from its den, roared towards the sky, and then moved to Garon's side, its tiger eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty, violent light.
Seeing this, Garon stroked the fierce Frost Tiger's head and spoke softly, "No rush, you'll be needed."
The fierce Frost Tiger had a high desire for slaughter, often venturing out to hunt, returning with wounds and trophies. Its temperament was much more ferocious compared to Garon's other kin.
It only showed affection towards Garon; the rest of his kin dared not come close to the fierce Frost Tiger.
Once all the kin were assembled, Garon did not immediately lead them away from the Ice Cliff territory. Instead, he returned to the dragon lair, envisioning the terrain of the Northern Ice Plains in his mind, and deducing the army's route to select potential ambush sites.
Due to the human army's slow progress, he had plenty of time.
The human army was unaware that they were being watched by a dragon.
Dragons, especially white dragons, prefer the element of surprise in their attacks.
White dragons are master hunters, skilled at finding the most suitable ambush sites in complex terrains, and Garon was no exception.
He stretched out his dragon claw, unconsciously sketching a simple map on the icy ground as he pondered.
Ice valleys, snow mountains, lakes—minutes later, Garon's gaze shifted, and his claw drew a circle on a particular spot on the map.
It was a steep snow mountain nearly a thousand meters high.
At the same time, a familiar draconic presence surged towards him, causing the fierce Frost Tiger to growl discontentedly again.
"Luna. It's time for her to arrive; I wonder if she'll lend a hand."
Garon turned his head, looking outside the dragon lair.
Garon temporarily suppressed his thoughts about the Red Flame Staff and continued to focus on the human army.
The vast northern ice plains made the two-thousand-strong force seem insignificant, but Garon, hidden in the mist, observed their movements closely.
He turned his head, surveying the terrain from above, guessing the possible route the human army might take.
Time passed slowly, and Garon's expression grew increasingly grave.
If nothing unexpected occurred, they would pass through the Ogre Basin.
But this was not what worried Garon.
He saw a spellcaster in the army close his eyes to use a type of divination spell, and upon opening them, he pointed directly towards the Ogre Basin.
"Divinatory magic."
They followed the faint traces left by Morton, and it seemed only a matter of time before they would discover the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair.
Yamos and Lilith had been taken to the Ice Cliff territory by ogres, whose simple minds did not think to cover their tracks. Anyone using magic to trace them could easily follow.
The two thousand fully armed elite troops included many extraordinary warriors and spellcasters.
Garon wasn't confident in victory.
Forget two thousand; such an elite force, even numbering in the hundreds, had the power to slay dragons. The soldiers were not ordinary humans; most were extraordinary warriors capable of tearing apart wild beasts with their bare hands.
If the White Dragon Mother saw such an army, she would flee at first sight.
Dragons can fly, but spellcasters with spells that block the sky could drag a dragon to the ground. The army's spellcasters were prepared to handle aerial foes.
However, with Garon's speed, even if flight were restricted, he could escape unless the area was already filled with magical traps and barriers.
But still, the ease with which his flight could be suppressed was a major dissatisfaction for him.
"The spell to block the sky, I have no means to counter it."
"I need to find a type of flight that this spell can't affect, to avoid being constantly restricted and hesitant."
Garon harbored such thoughts.
He didn't risk attacking the army alone. After observing their movement for another half-hour, hidden in the mist, he started to retreat.
Traveling in large numbers had many advantages; they were less likely to be attacked and could support each other...
But there were clear disadvantages too.
Their movement speed depended on the slowest among them, making their progress across the vast ice plains slow. It would take them a considerable time to reach the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair.
Before they reached the Ice Cliff Dragon Lair, Garon had enough time to gather his kin and plan an attack.
He wasn't willing to give up his newly settled territory easily. If he confronted this human army and they discovered Morton's relics with him, a major battle would be inevitable.
Garon disliked waiting passively for trouble.
Rather than waiting for them to find him, he preferred to strike first.
Northern Ice Spirits, Dread Lizards, White Hounds, Ogres—his kin were gathered, forming a formidable force that could be useful now.
While passing through the Ogre Basin, Garon stopped.
Ugga Skullbreaker had just returned with a group of ogres. Seeing Garon, they looked puzzled, not understanding why he was there.
Garon descended to a lower altitude, looking at Ugga Skullbreaker with a serious expression: "Bring all the warriors of the Skullbreaker tribe that can fight to the Ice Cliff territory and wait for my orders to meet the human army in battle."
Ugga Skullbreaker, sensing the gravity in Garon's tone, stiffened and replied, "Understood! The warriors of the Skullbreaker tribe will fight for you!"
The event was sudden, and Ugga Skullbreaker didn't know the reason, but he knew to follow Garon's orders.
Roar! Roar! Hearing about the impending battle with humans, the ogres raised their fearsome weapons and roared excitedly.
Named ogres, but having seen few humans in their lifetime, they were thrilled, their eyes gleaming with intense battle fervor.
Soon after, Garon returned to the Ice Cliff territory and gathered the Northern Ice Spirits, informing them of the impending war.
"Recent hunting parties should not venture out. Consolidate your strength and remain vigilant."
The fighting-capable Northern Ice Spirits numbered about one hundred and fifty, with over three hundred young still not combat-ready.
Each Northern Ice Spirit was equivalent to a low-tier spellcaster of around two rings, though their abilities were limited, making them weaker than regular two-ring spellcasters.
The more formidable Dread Lizards numbered ninety, and the relatively average White Hounds had grown to over four hundred.
Compared to the strictly trained and disciplined elite human army, they could not coordinate as effectively, but they were still a force to be reckoned with, capable of causing significant trouble for the enemy.
After a while, the Skullbreaker tribe's ogres, carrying their fears
ome weapons, entered the Ice Cliff territory, gathering with the other kin.
At the same time, sensing the tense atmosphere, a fierce Frost Tiger slowly emerged from its den, roared towards the sky, and then moved to Garon's side, its tiger eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty, violent light.
Seeing this, Garon stroked the fierce Frost Tiger's head and spoke softly, "No rush, you'll be needed."
The fierce Frost Tiger had a high desire for slaughter, often venturing out to hunt, returning with wounds and trophies. Its temperament was much more ferocious compared to Garon's other kin.
It only showed affection towards Garon; the rest of his kin dared not come close to the fierce Frost Tiger.
Once all the kin were assembled, Garon did not immediately lead them away from the Ice Cliff territory. Instead, he returned to the dragon lair, envisioning the terrain of the Northern Ice Plains in his mind, and deducing the army's route to select potential ambush sites.
Due to the human army's slow progress, he had plenty of time.
The human army was unaware that they were being watched by a dragon.
Dragons, especially white dragons, prefer the element of surprise in their attacks.
White dragons are master hunters, skilled at finding the most suitable ambush sites in complex terrains, and Garon was no exception.
He stretched out his dragon claw, unconsciously sketching a simple map on the icy ground as he pondered.
Ice valleys, snow mountains, lakes—minutes later, Garon's gaze shifted, and his claw drew a circle on a particular spot on the map.
It was a steep snow mountain nearly a thousand meters high.
At the same time, a familiar draconic presence surged towards him, causing the fierce Frost Tiger to growl discontentedly again.
"Luna. It's time for her to arrive; I wonder if she'll lend a hand."
Garon turned his head, looking outside the dragon lair.
