I Became the Progenitor Vampire-Chapter 258 - 259: Full of Twists and Turns, A New Tactic is About to Launch (9400-word Mega - )

Chapter 258 -259: Full of Twists and Turns, A New Tactic is About to Launch (9400-word Mega Chapter)

“Miss Andabella, where are those elites of Risier City now…”

Under the circumstances, this question seemed a bit odd.

Andabella paused slightly, her silver eyes showing a hint of strangeness, but it was quickly concealed by the girl.

“They are in a hidden valley in the Dwarf Hills,”

Although she didn’t know why Lide was so concerned about the staunch forces of Risier City, the girl’s trust in him had reached a high level at this moment, and she didn’t hide anything from Lide.

Lide nodded slightly and didn’t rush to ask further questions.

After all, the meat was already at his lips; he only needed to consider how to eat it, so there was no need to be so overt.

As for the strangeness in the girl’s eyes, Lide seriously looked at the girl who had not yet left his embrace.

Her silver eyes seemed to twinkle like stars, irresistibly captivating,

Her chin slightly raised, exuding pride no matter where she was, which might be a habit or imprinted in her bloodline, but this haughty air made the girl even more eye-catching, always carrying a sort of temptation that made one want to desecrate a goddess.

Her nose was small and exquisite, her lips slightly pale, her snow-white skin was as tender as a baby’s, that frailty made this intrinsically proud girl seem all the more pitifully charming.

A pair of silver long hair fell loosely behind her head, fluttering with the wind, emanating the unique cultivation and temperament of a noble lady.

Especially notable was the scholarly aura that even her black armor could not conceal, a temperament only achievable after extensive reading.

A great polymath, that was the title this 26-year-old girl held.

Enough to make those seventy or eighty-year-old scholars feel ashamed.

All things considered, even with Lide’s exceedingly critical eye, he had to admit that this girl was truly exceptional.

Family background, context, substance, figure, appearance, temperament, cultivation — there were few faults one could find.

However, being on the battlefield, he wasn’t in the mood to flirt here, and as the lord of the Dawn, the owner of the Crimson Mage Tower, he wasn’t about to lose his way at the sight of a remarkable girl; that would severely underestimate him as the king of tricks.

What’s there to flirt about, anyhow? If he liked her, why not just take her directly? After all, he was a dark big boss, it wouldn’t be right if he didn’t act a bit domineering, doing what villains are supposed to do.

Thinking this, Lide’s lips curved into an intrigued smile, examining Andabella from head to toe.

Except for being a bit flat, no issues…

Of course, he wasn’t really in the mood to think about these needless things now, considering that countless Beastmen killed by Castro just moments ago still left a scent of blood in his nose.

Though his expression didn’t change much, the scattered limbs and fragments on the ground bothered him somewhat.

After pondering for a moment, Lide finally asked the most pressing question at the time.

“How are your wounds?”

The blood of Golden Life was powerful, but it was somewhat insufficient for a completely depleted life.

Lide knew this well; even if he gave Andabella the other two crystal bottles filled with blood, it wouldn’t help.

He needed another way to replenish Andabella’s severely depleted life.

“Lord Izreal, thank you…” The girl’s expression was deeply touched, her silver eyes gleaming, “With this, I can linger in this world for another month.”

Having expected to die, Andabella was already satisfied with gaining an additional month of life.

She had no regrets.

Thinking this, she gazed deeply once more at that handsome face, as if to imprint every detail into her soul.

Lide nodded slightly, seemingly contemplating something.

He had saved Andabella – aside from the cloak, cough cough, her awe-inspiring beauty – most importantly because she was the City Lord of Risier City and naturally held sovereign rights over the citizens of Risier City.

This advantage could help him achieve his second goal — population plundering.

Of course, in this process, he would first have to persuade this proud girl.

Although Andabella had let down some of her guard before him at the moment, becoming the lord of a city capable of leading Risier City to prosperity meant really underestimating her if he thought it was that simple; that would be far too foolish.

As he was about to speak, the cloak behind Andabella suddenly fluttered, as if it had come to life.

The girl seemed to sense something; her complexion slightly changed, and moments later, the Blood Cloak calmed down again.

A subtle expression appeared in Lide’s eyes, thinking, “What a marvelous cloak…”

He had spent materials worth 500,000 Gold Pucks to forge a Transcendent armor, guessing that to forge a Legendary one, he would need at least ten times that price, if not more.

500,000 Gold Pucks…

Thinking of this figure made him feel like swearing.

The 2,000,000 Gold Pucks needed to establish the Ancient Alchemy Magic Array at the Crimson Mage Tower hadn’t even been collected yet, earning 500,000 Gold Pucks was completely out of reach.

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Moreover, some materials couldn’t be bought with money, like dragon skin, dragon blood…

Unbeknownst to Andabella, he had harbored ill intentions towards her, shockingly aimed not at her but at her cloak.

No girl could tolerate such a thing; if the proud girl found out, the consequences…

To overlook such a great beauty and desire a mere tattered cloak instead? She might show him what the taste of a justice-driven fist was like.

“Lord Izreal, something has happened in the Dwarf Hills…” Andabella’s statement snapped Lide out of his scattered thoughts, instantly energizing him.

He had already sent the goblins out of the city, ensuring that the little creatures would no longer face external threats.

Stanley, still controlling the situation in Dwarf Valley, would take good care of the goblins.

What now drew his attention was something even more important—a destroyed city signified not just a disaster but the redistribution of wealth.

The fall of Risier City was unbearable pain for those living there; however, for Lide, a member of the Bloodline, it was an excellent opportunity to partake in dividing the cake.

He wasn’t human, and the fall of Risier City, orchestrated by the Beastman Empire more than half a year in advance, was unstoppable and irrelevant to him; what he wanted was a share of the spoils post-war.

The population, especially high-end talents, had always preoccupied his thoughts.

Dawn City could pillage plenty of civilians from the borders but struggled to acquire highly qualified individuals.

Currently, likely less than 20% of Dawn City’s residents could read.

This was after Lide continuously organized literacy classes in Dawn Square.

A child raised in a knowledgeable family of spellcasters is more likely to become a remarkable talent in any scenario than one from an illiterate civilian family.

That was always Lide’s goal, but the scarcity of talent meant he found himself scratching his head in frustration; he still hadn’t managed to gather enough teachers to establish a school.

That’s why he was incessantly preoccupied with the fate of the nobles of Risier City.

“What happened?”

“The centaurs attacked in the Dwarf Hills, and the hidden city of Risier has been captured. My people sent me the news through the Blood Cloak…”

Andabella’s face, which had just warmed up a bit, once again turned quite ugly; the proud young woman faced repeated blows tonight, shaking her usually resolute heart.

Centaurs?

Lide was slightly taken aback, a flood of memories coming to his mind.

Centaurs were a very special race, not part of the Beastman.

True, centaurs were not part of the Beastman; although unbelievable, that was the reality in Glory.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the powerful Centaurs had broken away from the Beastman Empire to establish their own Centaur Empire.

Although the Centaur Empire was later destroyed, from that point on, the Centaurs completely severed ties with the Beastman Empire.

Essentially, centaurs were no different from Beastmen, but they never heeded the commands of the Beastman Empire.

Moreover, centaurs did not live in barren wastelands.

Traces of centaurs could be found everywhere on the main plane of Glory, including within the boundaries of the Nolan Empire.

The arid wastelands lay to the east of the southern province, the Far Mountain Range to the direct north, the Thorns Province bordered the Radiant Empire to the northeast, and the Blue Sea Province was southeast of the southern province.

And at the border between the southern province and the Blue Sea Province, which is directly north of the southern province, there lay a range of low hills—the Dwarf Hills.

The Dwarf Hills covered half the area of the southern province and directly led to the vast open sea.

And controlling these hills was the Centaur Tribe, a faction independent of the Beastman Empire.

Even at the heart of the Dwarf Hills was a city inhabited by two hundred thousand centaurs—Gale City.

Centaurs were a Strong Battle Race, all members ready for war, with only a few races among the beastmen like the Lion-men, Minotaurs, and Werewolves that could compare.

Centaur archers and their tyrannical heavy cavalry were the subjects of minstrels’ songs throughout the main plane of Glory.

A small squadron of ten Centaur heavy cavalry could charge head-on and scatter five times their number in human heavy cavalry.

The absolute definition of a Strong Battle Race.

As for why the centaurs could occupy the vast area of the Dwarf Hills, first was due to their strength, and second was that the Nolan Empire had no interest in this land.

Not only because the centaurs were powerful, but also because like the barren wastelands, the hills were incredibly impoverished.

No benefits to be gained, and a touchy subject; thus, the Nolan Empire could not be bothered with the untroublesome centaurs.

“Can you confirm it?” Lide’s mood grew less beautiful.

The centaurs were a dominating presence in the Dwarf Hills, numbering in the millions.

If the people from Risier City were targeted by the centaurs, then the price Lide would have to pay to acquire these quality individuals would likely differ.

Miss Andabella nodded gravely, a hint of gloom in her silver eyes.

“Only those with the bloodline of the Risier family running through their veins can send messages through the Blood Cloak,

and the cost of such a message transfer is, life…”

Life?

Lide shook his head. Sending a message once meant the death of a clan member—such methods were not used frivolously except at critical moments.

Thinking so, he glanced once more at the girl’s crimson cloak behind her, realizing that utilizing the power of high-level equipment indeed came with a hefty price.

But I don’t care…

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lide’s expression turned odd.

“Miss Andabella, there are several hundred kilometers from the Dwarf Hills to Risier City. How could your people have arrived within a few hours?”

Risier City had been breached only a few Sunshine Hours ago? Without flying mounts, even fast horses might not have reached the Dwarf Hills by now.

Miss Andabella shook her head, her tone suddenly turning cold.

“Risier City has a secret passage that leads out of the city. After the city fell, only a small part was escorted out by the army.

Five days ago, various nobles joined together claiming they wanted to send a group of clan members out of the city to preserve the core strength of Risier City.

This way, even if Risier City fell, they would still have the power to restart.

And my people participated too…”

Though she said little and the details were ambiguous, Lide vaguely envisioned the scene where those fearful nobles united and pressured Miss Andabella to open the secret passage allowing them to leave Risier City.

And among them were her clan members.

This would have surely dealt a severe blow to the girl who had always been ready to sacrifice her life for Risier City at the forefront of battle.

Lide shook his head. Human nature has a bright side, but also has a profoundly dark side.

How many among the nobility, accustomed to a life of luxury, would choose to die with the city and its lowly refugees?

“How many of them were there?”

Originally, Lide thought there were just a thousand or two, but Miss Andabella’s response left him speechless.

“About ten thousand…”

Damn, tens of thousands had slipped out of the city?

Beastmen, what are they made of, how could such vast numbers go unnoticed?

Seeming to notice Lide’s confusion, Andabella took the initiative to explain.

“Risier City has a deeply hidden underground river that was dug thousands of years ago, which leads directly to the Dwarf Hills, transporting about two to three thousand people every day…”

An underground river in the city? Capable of transporting two or three thousand people a day?

Lide’s face was a picture, wondering just how large the underground river had to be.

Indeed, a heritage left by a former empire, possessing foundations that perhaps even Green City might not have.

After a moment of thought, Lide’s expression turned serious.

“Miss Andabella, do you need my help?”

Andabella, feeling the warmth from behind and smelling the unique scent of a man, found her cheeks inexplicably blushing.

“But… the Centaurs are too powerful…”

Lide shook his head with determination, reluctant to miss out on this sweet opportunity after all the effort he had put in.

“Then you do need help.

Andabella, we are friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course, Lord Izreal, you are always my friend, always.” The girl’s tone was unwaveringly firm, as if taking an oath before the Divine.

Lide smiled slightly, assertive and undeniable, “Then, there is no problem.

I think we can set out now.”

After finishing his statement, he coldly addressed Castro sitting beneath him.

“Castro, head immediately to the Dwarf Hills,” no one can snatch food from my mouth.

Whether you are a Beastman or a Centaur.

Watching Lide’s decisive actions, Andabella’s feelings grew complicated again.

From the very beginning, Lide had been nothing but perfect in Andabella’s eyes.

When she was surrounded by despair in the abyss, like the hero from every knightly novel, Lide had appeared when she needed him most, gracefully holding her close—a true princess embrace.

“No one can hurt you…” That firm sentence still echoed in the girl’s mind.

—

—

—

In Dwarf Valley, after the goblins had been sent out of the city, Stanley was immediately informed.

Hundreds of Bloodline members riding on Magic Language Bats took off from Dwarf Valley, flying towards Risier City under the cover of night.

Since Risier City had been breached, the once formidable blockade had already broken, Beastmen poured into Risier City, rampaging through what was now their spoils of war.

A few Sunshine Hours later, just before dawn arrived, Stanley, riding on a Magic Language Bat, saw the Lion Tribe’s convoy in the sky.

Without hiding, Stanley directly maneuvered the Magic Language Bat to descend.

In fact, due to the Secret Silver Vein, the Beastmen who had joined the Lion Tribe were already aware of the Lion Tribe collaborating with the Legendary Vampires.

However, these Beastmen did not react much.

Although Vampires were Dark Life, they held no enmity for Beastmen, as Vampires rarely hunted Beastmen and held no interest in the foul-smelling creatures.

The Bloodline and Beastmen maintained a neutral stance towards each other, not viewing Vampires as inherent mortal enemies as humans did.

Most critically, the Bloodline was now regularly sending substantial logistic supplies to Dwarf Valley.

Food, clothing, shelter—you could say Dwarf Valley relied entirely on the Bloodline for support.

This also improved the Beastmen’s impression of the Bloodline somewhat.

Craig treated the promotion of the Bloodline in the Lion Tribe with great solemnity, seriously informing them that the Bloodline were their partners and forbidding anyone from clashing with them.

Being well-fed was the greatest happiness for the Beastmen; they didn’t care whether they were dealing with Vampires or Demons.

Only well-fed Humans would ponder such a pointless question.

“Lord Stanley.”

A Werewolf Warrior stepped forward and saluted Stanley. This powerful level 15 Bloodline was now the second in command of the Lion Tribe. In Craig’s absence, Stanley managed the entire Lion Tribe.

The clever Stanley was highly skilled and strong enough; he knew how to handle these simple-minded Beastmen. Particularly after he had personally entered the arena and exchanged blows with the strongest Beastmen of the Lion Tribe a few times, he immediately won the entire tribe’s respect.

Worshipping the strong was the nature of Beastmen, and level 15 Stanley was certainly worthy of adoration.

“Aiden, where are the Goblins?” Stanley’s gaze was piercing as he scanned the convoy and asked with a frown.

“Lord Stanley, the Goblins are all hiding inside the wagons.”

“Gather the Goblins; I will move them to a safe location. You all continue transporting these spoils back to Dwarf Valley.”

The Beastmen escorting the Goblins all had soul contracts signed with Craig, were loyal warriors, and their families and friends resided in Dwarf Valley. Their fates were already tied to the Lion Tribe, so Stanley didn’t worry about any significant issues arising.

Additionally, after this group of Beastmen who knew the whereabouts of the Goblins returned, he wouldn’t allow them to leave Dwarf Valley for a short time.

This planning effectively sealed off any possibility of news leaking.

“As you wish.”

Upon receiving Stanley’s orders, the Beastmen immediately began clearing the wagons.

And the Goblins, who had been waiting anxiously, all emerged from their hiding places in the wagons.

Under the moonlight, on the low plains, a large group of short, green-skinned figures appeared before everyone’s eyes, creating a somewhat bizarre scene.

Goblin Chief Moer Grey Mountain, an old Goblin with a green staff and scars covering his face, looked solemnly at the similarly scarred face and tall figure of Stanley.

“Esteemed Bloodline, sir, I am Moer Grey Mountain, Clan Chief of the Grey Mountain.”

Although Stanley’s expression didn’t change, he felt a bit astonished inside.

A lord is always a lord, really obtaining the Goblins that the Beastmen most desired from the tens of thousands surrounding them.

This skill is truly boundless.

Lide had briefly explained the plan to him when he sent the message.

Although using the Lion Tribe to transport the Goblins seemed simple, quickly organizing his thoughts and resolutely executing the plan in an environment surrounded by tens of thousands of Beastmen with seemingly no hope required courage far beyond that of ordinary people.

And this result was naturally satisfying.

Stanley was always marveling at his master’s endless brilliant maneuvers; he never considered himself unintelligent, but in front of Lide’s skill, he felt somewhat inferior in scale.

“Stanley Kachar, welcome to you, Chief Er. His Lordship has already prepared accommodations and food for you…”

Stanley’s smile was warm, but coupled with the scars on his face, it appeared somewhat fearsome.

Moer’s expression tightened slightly when he heard this; he was reminded again of that terrifying existence that owned a giant dragon, the formidable Dragon Power still lingering in his mind to this moment.

He spoke cautiously,

“Thank you, Lord Stanley, for the Bloodline’s help. I am willing to bring my people to follow you, but I still have some clan members outside. Could you allow me to send some people to look for them?”

Stanley, upon hearing this, looked deeply at the old Goblin barely 1.2 blades high and directly dismissed this naive idea without mercy.

“Chief Moer, let the Holy Light Bloodline help you with this. You just need to tell me in which direction your clan members left.”

Ah… Dare I say it?

Seeing his idea harshly extinguished, Moer’s eyes flickered with helplessness.

The weak never have the right to choose.

“I will use Magic Language Bats to transport you to Dawn City.

Chief Moer, you and your people will start a new life in the city of the Holy Light Bloodline. Trust me, this city will give the Goblins a new vitality.”

Moer’s expression was rather unsightly, starting a new life in a vampire city??

Such talk sounded highly unreliable, and besides, what was the Holy Light Bloodline? Why would vampires prefix their own title with such a sacred designation?

“I . . .”

Moer hadn’t even begun to speak when Stanley interrupted him forcefully.

“Chief Moer, no need for further words, follow the steps of the Magic Language Bat. Lord Rock holds a special regard for goblins, and I hope the Grey Mountain Tribe won’t disappoint His Highness. The consequences of His Highness’s disappointment might be more than you can bear.”

A blatant threat, but this show of force was a thousand times more effective than any explanation in front of the goblin.

At that moment, Moer didn’t dare say more. In the heart of this old goblin, Lide was far more terrifying than the thousands of beastmen and hundreds of frightfully large giant bats present.

He was, after all, an Extraordinary Existence who had enslaved the giant dragon.

“As you wish, I believe the great Holy Light Bloodline won’t harm my people,” the old goblin said with conviction, as if he truly believed it.

Spark didn’t bother wasting words with this fellow and simply got started with his task.

The already weak resistance of the goblins crumbled completely under Lide’s threat, especially with the sudden appearance of so many giant bats.

Seeing no hope of resistance, the feeble-willed little dwarfs obediently followed the Bloodline’s instructions and boarded the Magic Language Bats, ready to head toward an unknown destination.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. There was neither resistance nor even the slightest hint of disobedience.

This left Stanley, who had made extensive preparations, utterly speechless.

Compared to dwarfs, these fellows indeed lacked any appealing traits, unbeknownst to themselves how these spineless creatures had managed to survive from ancient times without being exterminated.

Thus, the goblins who had been constantly on Lide’s mind were smoothly taken by Stanley back to Dawn City.

The first step of Lide’s envisioned aerial bombers and bombing campaigns completed.

After the goblins left, the warriors of the Lion Tribe continued to transport the plundered spoils back to Dwarf Valley, as if nothing had ever happened.

Four Sunshine Hours later.

Stanley returned to Dawn City at dawn, and just as he had tossed the goblins inside the city and hadn’t yet had time to deal with these short fellows, Harrison approached Dawn Square with a stern expression.

“Marquis Stanley, the Chief has issued orders, all of the Bloodline and Magic Language Bats must assemble and immediately head to the Dwarf Hills.”

“Risier City’s large number of elite have been surrounded and besieged by the centaurs. . .”

In just two sentences, Harrison made Stanley understand Lide’s plan. His Highness was truly His Highness, never content with the gains at hand.

“I will depart immediately, for the sake of Dawn.”

Harrison was slightly startled, then he clasped his chest and bowed to Stanley, his expression solemn.

“For the sake of Dawn.”

Slogans are a powerful tool for uniting people, and the first slogan of Dawn City was—For the sake of Dawn.

Profoundly meaningful, dawn signifies hope, and it also represents Dawn City and the Dawn Sect.

The Dwarf Hills in Nolan Province were far less prominent than the Far Mountain Range, due to being extremely barren and dominated by the powerful centaurs, so in Green City, one rarely heard mention of the Dwarf Hills.

Even mercenaries and adventurers, those who risk their lives on a daily basis, seldom took interest in this land.

Under Andabella’s guidance, Castro went at full speed and reached the Dwarf Hills from Risier City in less than a Sunshine Hour.

True to its name ‘hills,’ the land here was covered with dozens to hundreds of barren dwarf hills, like buns studded across the earth.

All that met the eye was parched yellow ground, seldom touched by green vegetation.

Shattered stones, yellow hard-packed soil, and the dry, scorching winds painted a picture reminiscent of a Western cowboy movie’s desert scene.

Lide could feel the desolation of the land below at a glance, finding it hard to believe that millions of centaurs lived in such a place.

No wonder the Nolan Empire had no interest in this land.

He would have felt the same lack of interest.

“The legend says that centaurs live close to the sea, so they never lack food, but this place is too barren, barren to the extent that even the greediest of nobles would feel nothing here.

Thus, for thousands of years, this land has always been reserved for the centaurs.”

Andabella looked down from the sky at the barren hills below and explained to Lide. As a renowned polymath, she knew much more than Lide did.

“Centaurs are powerful warriors, loyal, fearless, valiant, and also united and good at cooperating—almost the perfect type of soldiers.

Unfortunately, the powerful centaurs seldom serve other races…”

Lide nodded slightly, having no particular thoughts about centaurs; what he wanted was only the elite from Risier City.

But speaking of soldiers, it seemed to remind him of something, and he curiously asked Andabella,

“Why haven’t I seen any traces of magic cast by your mage tower when I was in Risier City?”

Risier City’s Mage Association is renowned in the south, not much less so than Green City’s Mage Association, because their predecessor was the Risier Imperial Royal Mage Association thousands of years ago.

Moreover, top combat power was seldom seen in the wars involving Risier City.

A large city with a population of five hundred thousand couldn’t possibly rely solely on ordinary soldiers; this was highly unusual.

The Beastmen had long been plotting, but the power displayed by Risier City did not resemble that of a large city; even until the end, Lide only noticed the presence of three to five human top professionals.

This was highly irregular.

It was only after Lide had left Risier City that he realized the inconsistency.

This did not seem like the power a great city with thousands of years of heritage should possess.

Andabella shook her head with a complex look in her eyes.

“The mage group of Risier City was conscripted by Green City, even Lord Rock conscripted most of the top professionals…”

“Conscripted?” Lide’s eyes widened in surprise.

His own city was under attack, and Green City’s transcendent forces had drawn away the backbone strength of Risier City…

His brow furrowed slightly as if he remembered something.

“Is it the northern undead??”

There was no other matter could have moved the forces from Risier City at such a critical moment, other than the undead.

Andabella nodded slightly, her silver eyes filled with some gravity.

“Before the Beastmen encircled Risier City, Lord Rock had already withdrawn the city’s upper-level forces.

The undead invasion from the north progressed too quickly; Thorns Province already lost one-fifth of its land, and after Sorins City fell to the undead, more than ten cities along the southern provincial borders also fell one after another.

If the undead were not stopped, not just the northern borders, but the entire southern part of the Nolan Empire would become a Dead Silence Land.”

Upon hearing this, Lide suddenly understood why Andabella, as a city lord, didn’t even have high-level forces to protect her.

It was inconceivable.

He had previously thought they were casualties of the war, but now it clearly appeared they had been drawn away.

“So, it seems because of the loss of high-end forces, Risier City fell so quickly…”

The girl looked into Lide’s dark eyes, nodding and then shaking her head.

“The Beastmen had evidently prepared thoroughly for this battle; whether or not there were high-end forces, Risier City couldn’t have held out.

Our mage group is indeed down to a few scattered mages, but the Beastmen never deployed their shamans either.

The power disparity between Risier City and the Beastmen was too great, a gap that couldn’t be closed by a few top combatants alone.”

Lide understood; war was a mutual contest between two forces, and individual power, unless transcendent or legendary, could hardly dictate the direction of a war—the effect of top-level combat power was not as invincible as imagined.

Even though he possessed great weapons like Castro and Withered Bone, it was impossible for him to win a large-scale war solely relying on two top-level combat strengths.

Just like in Dwarf Valley, where Koso and Castro had been strong enough, in the end, the victory was still established by the casting group of the Bloodline.

Lide did not participate directly in the war of Risier City, but he had been collecting all kinds of intelligence throughout the war and had controlled the progress of the war, so he was very well aware of the intricacies involved.

The war at Risier City also gave him a lot of inspiration, allowing him to think anew about future wars and the planning for Dawn City.

This was an additional gain apart from the goblins.

“Lord Izreal, we have arrived…”

Andabella’s sudden voice interrupted Lide’s thoughts.

Following the girl’s indication, Lide slightly turned his head to look at the ground beneath the Wingspan of 20 Blades.

Deep in a series of hills, a medium-sized valley appeared before his eyes, which was obviously the secret base of Risier City Andabella had mentioned.

To the west of this valley, a river was slowly flowing.

The river flowed out from beneath a small mountain, revealing less than a Wingspan before flowing into another valley. No other traces of the river could be seen around it, clearly marking it as an underground river.

His gaze shifted slightly. The valley was about a Thousand Blades wide, one thousand five hundred Blades long, surrounded by hills of two to three hundred Blades in height.

Surrounded by densely packed small mountains, these undulating hills encompassed an area of several tens of miles, and the surroundings were extremely desolate—clearly, the Centaurs rarely visited such places, making it an exceedingly safe choice for a secret base.

However, at that moment, this desolate valley was filled with densely packed Centaurs.

Centaurs, with the lower body of horses and the upper body of humans, were carrying various weapons in their strong arms— their appearance was not much different from those depicted in Earth’s film and television.

These strong creatures generally stood three Blades tall, their muscles sharply defined as though forged from steel, each muscle bulging, their entire body exuding a captivating power.

Their robust bodies seemed like stone towers that would never collapse.

Centaurs were clad in primitive hides, some wielding longbows that were two Blades tall, while others held bone and stone long spears, appearing primitive and backwards.

Humans not only restricted the export of weapons and other military supplies to barren wastelands but also to small mountainous hills, hence these impoverished Centaurs lived lives as primitive as the Beastmen.

Seeing this scene, Lide’s eyes suddenly sparkled as if he had thought of something. He turned his head to look at the girl who had been sitting close in front of him, his expression somewhat excited.

“Bella, do the Centaurs resist trading with the outside world?”

Andabella, looking at the handsome face beside her, her silver eyes affirmative, nodded slightly, “The intellect of the Centaurs is not inferior to that of humans. In fact, some of their wise men can compare to human polymaths.

As long as their respect is earned, these intelligent beings are actually not difficult to deal with.”

Earn their respect? A playful curve hung on Lide’s lips.

This, I am good at.

Turning to look at the empty space beside him, his tone was cold.

“Withered Bone, let these Centaurs witness your power.

Remember, you may severely injure, but do not kill them.”

“At your command, my master~”

With a crackle, Withered Bone, which had always been keeping its spatial coordinates anchored on Lide, tore through the space and took flight.

Wingspan of 20 Blades, the Bone Dragon made of white bones descended upon the world once more.

A meaningful light flashed in Lide’s eyes.

He had a sudden brilliant idea that he could experiment with on this group of Centaurs.

If successful, Dawn City would gain tremendous benefits.

If it failed…

There would be no talk of failure; if the idea was feasible, he would get the elites of Risier City he desired, and if not, he would still get the elites of Risier City, only the process might not be so pleasant.

A group of Centaurs had no right to stir a sense of mercy in him, the Blood Clan Ancestor, the super dark villain boss.