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I Became the Progenitor Vampire-Chapter 259 - 260: Shocking, This Human Actually Wants to... (7600-word Mega Chapter)
Chapter 259 -260: Shocking, This Human Actually Wants to… (7600-word Mega Chapter)
What is called divine justice? This is divine justice.
When a Level 18 Bone Dragon with a wingspan of 20 blades exuding terrifying Dragon Power, flapping its damaged Dragon Wings, and the azure Soul Fire burning fiercely within its skull appeared above the valley.
The Centaurs occupying the small city were thrown into a panic.
The oppression of Dragon Power on non-Upper Races is extremely exaggerated; it is the Dignity in the bloodline and the soul that cannot be escaped.
Although Centaurs are a Strong Battle Race with off-the-charts combat strength, they still cannot be immune to Dragon Power.
Even Bloodline, an Upper Race, would feel discomfort in the face of a giant dragon. As the apex of all creatures, giant dragons are too powerful.
Even a dead giant dragon’s might is still overbearing.
“Lowly Centaurs, I, the great Immortal—Lord Withered Bones, will show you what true power is.”
An eerie screech echoed through the skies above the valley.
Lord Withered Bones, with a hint of excitement, flapped its Dragon Wings and dove at breakneck speed toward the tallest structure in the city, colliding with it.
In the valley, the small city was mostly comprised of three-story buildings, and the only towering structure was the 20 blades high, grey Mage Tower in the city center.
That Mage Tower was clearly conquered by the Centaurs as well; not a hint of Magic Energy fluctuated.
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But even if there were Mages within the Mage Tower at this moment, it would be in vain.
The behemoth launched its attack. The body of the Level 18 Bone Dragon, no weaker than Extraordinary Armor, collided with the central Mage Tower in an utterly domineering manner at full speed.
Crash~
Boom~
Stones scattered across the sky as the Mage Tower’s intricately carved spire was knocked dozens of blades away by Lord Withered Bones and then crashed onto a three-story building.
Thud~ Half of the building collapsed outright, and the spire buried deep into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Just this one move directly intimidated the Centaurs below, and the warriors ready to charge instantly halted in their tracks.
That was a Mage Tower with the diameter of thirty blades, and it couldn’t withstand even a single strike? How powerful was this damned Bone Dragon??
Lord Withered Bones, following Lide’s command, paid no attention to the surrounding Centaurs but instead exerted the Dignity of a Legendary Life as described by wandering Bards in fear and admiration within this small city—a Level 18 Bone Dragon, absolutely unstoppable.
Although the Warrior Centaurs were deterred by Dragon Power and dared not charge within the continuously crumbling city, the strong fighting will allowed the Centaur Archers to regain their senses and immediately pick up their massive long bows, two blades long.
Nock the arrows, draw the bow to the full.
Bang~ Bang~ Bang~
The bowstring twanged as sharp arrows made from bird’s pristine white feathers whistled through the air with a whooshing sound.
Thousands of Centaur Archers formed a dense, deadly rain of arrows.
The light in the sky seemed to be overshadowed by these arrows at this moment.
Even the most potent human Shield Warriors would change color upon seeing this scene.
The Centaur Archers rank within the top ten on the Glory Main Plane; they are the worst nightmare for all warriors.
Lord Withered Bones spread its wings. Seeing the deadly arrow rain incoming, it not only did not evade but instead charged straight up toward the arrows.
The eerie laughter rang out once again.
“Gaga, lowly Centaurs, let the great Lord Withered Bones show you what true strength is!”
Under the morning sun, the Bone Dragon, unafraid of the sunlight, faced the sky filled with thousands of arrows, their tips glistening with a cold, sharp edge.
Whoosh~
The dense rain of arrows, to the astonished delight of the Centaurs below, struck the Withered Bones who did not try to evade; it seemed they had already envisioned the scene of the damned Bone Dragon being shot down by them.
But in a blink, the surprise turned to despair.
The sharp arrows made a clear tinkling sound as they hit the Bone Dragon, easily bouncing off its dragon bones, deflecting as if these arrows were not lethal weapons but rather rubber toys.
Not to mention hurting the Bone Dragon, they didn’t even have the privilege to leave a scratch on its bones.
The scene was extremely shocking.
Amidst the sky full of arrows, the spread wings of the Withered Bones became a synonym for invincibility at this moment.
Although the Centaur Archers below suffered a great mental blow, they did not give up, pulling their bows even more frantically in their despair, and the twang of bowstrings was the only melody in the valley at that time.
The thousands of Centaurs created an unceasing rain of arrows, which at this moment, could have peppered even a wall full of holes.
Yet, the damned Bone Dragon didn’t care at all; after bathing in several waves of arrow rain, as if tired of such itch-scratching attacks, it continued to cackle eerily and invade the city to wreak havoc.
If they had not already confined the humans of the city to the caves, it was feared that this Bone Dragon could kill all the humans.
Although the Centaurs kept pulling their bows, everyone felt increasingly desperate.
This damn Bone Dragon was too strong, so strong that their proud longbows were completely ineffective.
Facing such a terrifying beast, the pressure in their hearts soared uncontrollably.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, until half a Sunshine Hour passed.
All Centaurs stopped their attacks, the quivers on their backs now empty and devoid of a single arrow.
They stared blankly at the Bone Dragon that continued ravaging the city, ignoring them completely.
All the Centaurs were disheveled; had this damned Bone Dragon’s brain been eaten by a pig?
What on Earth did it want to do?
If it was an enemy, why did it not launch an attack; if it wasn’t, why destroy their spoils of war?
They had fired all their arrows during this half-day, but even so, they still had not managed to hurt the Bone Dragon.
Now, the Centaurs realized that the Bone Dragon seemed to bear them no ill will, fixated on the city and showing no intention to attack them.
This discovery allowed the extremely tense Centaur army to relax slightly.
Everyone’s eyes were wide-open, eager to see just what the damn Bone Dragon wanted to do.
A small city barely big enough for tens of thousands was not large in scale, and within half a Sunshine Hour under the unrestrained attacks of Withered Bones, it had been almost utterly destroyed.
Only ruins remained in the valley.
The Mage Tower, devoid of spellcasters, had collapsed, the clock tower at Cross Street Corner had collapsed, and even the short apartment buildings were hard to find intact.
After the entire city had been destroyed, the Withered Bone stood atop the mage tower, broken in the middle, with its gigantic shattered dragon wings touching the ground.
Dust filled the sky, collapsed houses lie randomly scattered around, beams jutted out from the midst of walls, and stones were strewn all over the ground.
This bone dragon seemed like an ancient being that has survived from the time when the Ancient Plane shattered, with all the ruins serving as its backdrop.
“Cack cack cack, petty centaurs, the great Lord Withered Bones is an immortal existence, cack cack cack~”
Hearing the deranged bone dragon cackle wildly, the centaurs immediately tensed up, fearing that this clearly soul-disturbed creature might do something that would provoke the fury of the heavens and the resentment of people.
The Centaur Archers and Centaur Heavy Cavalry are the two strongest units among the centaurs.
At this moment, dressed in armor made from demon beast bones, the tall and burly heavy cavalry were neatly lined up, their bone spears and sharpened stone spears looking menacingly at the Withered Bone amidst the ruins.
It seemed like they were ready to charge at any moment towards the majestic bone dragon.
And standing alone against more than three thousand centaurs, the Withered Bone showed no sign of weakness.
The ghastly blue Soul Fire flickered uncertainly.
On one side were the numerous and robust Centaur Warriors, and on the other, a legendary creature, the bone dragon that could incite panic in countless lives.
But oddly, no one made a move, and all that was left to hear were the sounds of flowing water and the howling wind.
The standoff continued as such.
Under the sunshine, this scene made for an epically beautiful, magical tableau…
Lide, observing from the sky, couldn’t help but find the situation somewhat amusing. This damned undead, why did it have to act like a silly dog? Why show its power by destroying its own home?
Watching the utterly bewildered centaurs on the ground, he couldn’t help but be tickled by the absurdity.
Perhaps these fellows were also befuddled by the bone dragon that popped up out of nowhere, not fighting but only wrecking homes. What difference was there from a silly dog?
“I think we have earned the centaurs’ respect,” Lide said, slightly turning his head to look at Andabella, who still sat very close in front of him. “Now, it’s time to show our sincerity.”
Andabella nodded, the clever girl guessed Lide’s intentions after seeing the bone dragon’s actions, but she was curious about how this mysterious handsome fellow would deal with the centaurs?
Threats? Temptations? Cooperation? It seemed anything was possible, but none seemed a particularly good approach.
A flicker of thought crossed her silver eyes.
To the girl at this moment, all of Lide’s actions were shrouded in mist.
Whether it was his ability to enslave giant dragons or having the power to easily tear through the encirclement of Steel Behemoths by double-legged flying dragons, or his extreme concern for the elite population of Risier City, all his actions were inscrutable to Andabella.
But, no matter what, the girl had absolute trust in the figure who faced tens of thousands of beastmen and rescued her.
She had never trusted someone so quickly before, and she firmly believed her feelings were not mistaken.
Girls are always emotional and willing to trust, although it seemed somewhat incredible for someone in control of a city. But life is the master of drama, and no one can predict what will happen in the next second.
Illogical was just right – the logical would be too fake.
Lide was unaware of the many thoughts running through the girl before him, as he mulled over the whimsical idea he had.
He waved his hand, signaling for Castro to descend.
As they slowly approached the ground, Lide collected his thoughts. Regardless, action had to be taken to yield results.
He was always a man of action.
Then, under the tense gaze of the Centaurs, they witnessed a steel beast clad in hard armor descend into the valley. The silver curves on the armor were like a Divine masterpiece, full of mystery and majesty.
Feeling Castro’s formidable presence, many Centaur hooves subconsciously pawed the ground, gripping their bone spears even tighter.
Just moments ago, a Bone Dragon had left them feeling powerless, and now another even more mysterious steel beast arrived, plunging the scene into immediate tension.
The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.
What followed left all the Centaurs astounded.
From atop the steel beast of unknown race appeared two human figures, yes, humans.
But what shocked them even more came thereafter.
The mighty Bone Dragon that had ignored their attacks, effortlessly destroyed the city, and stood imposingly.
Now, like a submissive dog, devoid of any dignity of the Golden Race, it took small steps toward the side of the steel beast, lowered its head to the ground, allowing one of the humans to step down upon its skull.
This exaggerated moment left the more than three thousand Centaurs speechless.
Every Centaur widened their eyes in disbelief at the scene before them.
That was the Bone Dragon that had easily destroyed a city, a horrifying being that could ignore the shots from their longbows!
Who was that human?
Why could he make such a powerful giant dragon submit?
The scene sank into an eerie silence, all the Centaurs watching as Lide, with his shield, took graceful and indifferent steps from the ruins and slowly approached them.
Andabella sat on Castro’s back, her gaze firmly fixed on Lide’s figure, reluctant to look away for even a moment.
Unexplained mist rose in her eyes, and her cheeks flushed red, like a little girl sneaking glances at her secret crush…
Strong, that was Lide’s first impression upon facing the Centaurs directly.
These fellows, with an average height of three blades and bulging muscles, could certainly make the strongest human warriors blush with shame.
Lide took a few steps forward, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with the vast number of Centaur Warriors. The two behemoths standing like stone towers behind him added countless amounts of dignity to his presence.
The valley extended a thousand blades wide, with thousands of Centaurs gathered in the middle area, forming a massive formation.
Looking straight ahead, one couldn’t see the edge, just a dense sea of tall, strong bodies clad in beast skins or bone armor.
The half-horse bodies of the Centaurs, black or white, had their hooves fitted with horseshoes, and most of them wielded long-handled stone axes or bone spears.
The specially crafted bone armor made these Centaurs appear incredibly primitive and savage.
Compared to Lide, who exuded a noble aura in his splendid attire, these Centaurs seemed like wild men from ancient times.
Under the scrutiny of thousands of soldiers, Lide’s face remained as tranquil as ever, unchanged in the slightest.
“Centaurs Chief, I am the ruler of Dawn City, I have come with good intentions.”
After Lide finished speaking, the scene fell back into an unsettling silence.
No one spoke.
A full three minutes passed, and Lide, dressed in a black Mage robe patterned with subtle dark motifs, still made no move, his gaze resolute as if the thousands of Centaurs before him didn’t exist.
Lide’s formidable confidence also put pressure on the centaurs behind him, especially when he was flanked by two terrifyingly powerful beasts.
The centaur were an extremely powerful military force on land, but they had one fatal flaw.
No air units.
The Beastmen still had double-legged flying dragons to rely on, but the centaurs could only rely on their longbows.
Once they found themselves in a situation where their longbow attacks were ineffective, their threat to airborne units would be pitifully small.
So, whether it was Lord Withered Bones or Castro, both placed a significant pressure on the centaurs because they had no way to deal with these two formidable creatures.
“Centaurs chieftain,” Lide repeated, his expression slowly turning serious, “I’ve come in peace,
and if the centaurs are too cowardly to respond, then I will take you as enemies of Dawn City.
Castro, Withered Bones…”
With a wave of his hand, whoosh whoosh~
The two giant beasts swiftly ascended under the centaurs’ watchful eyes, the terrifying stance dramatically increasing the pressure on the centaurs below.
Without siege machinery and mechanisms specifically designed to restrict the flight of airborne units, should a fight break out, they’d find no way to deal with these two creatures.
“Wait!”
Just as Lide was about to give the order to attack with a grim frown, a deep voice echoed from the crowd of centaurs.
Immediately after, a pathway opened up within the dense mass of centaurs.
Thump thump~ Thump thump~
The sound of hooves hitting the ground resonated, as if hammers were pounding the earth.
Under the blinding sunshine, the centaur chieftain, wearing black full-body armor and wielding a double-edged axe nearly the length of three blades, who stood a head taller than the other centaurs, appeared before Lide.
Dignity, strength.
That was Lide’s first impression of the centaur chieftain. The black armor bore a distinct Dwarf style, the only difference being that it seemed to be modified and didn’t fit perfectly.
But paired with the chieftain’s tall and sturdy body, it still looked remarkably majestic.
“Human, I am the chieftain of the Iron Hoof tribe. State your purpose.”
A heavy voice came from under the helmet protecting his head, the amber eyes beneath looking straight at Lide, seemingly trying to perceive his intentions from his expressions.
Lide was fearless, his dark, profound eyes meeting those of the centaur chieftain.
“I am the ruler of Dawn City in the barren wastelands, Centaur Chief. I wish to make a trade with you, no, perhaps more than one. Dawn City can establish trade relations with the centaurs…”
Lide had no desire for pleasantries, getting straight to the point.
Hearing this, Sam Ironhoof’s expression beneath his helmet seemed surprised.
A human wanted to establish trade relations with the centaur tribe??
Was he hallucinating?
Under normal circumstances, he would let such a naïve human taste the stomp of the Iron Hoof tribe’s hooves.
They had tried trading with humans before, but the things they wanted—weapons and armor—humans would never trade with them.
And even if they could trade, those greedy human merchants would offer a price he could hardly afford.
The barren low hills held little wealth to purchase such luxuries.
He loathed these human merchants, especially after being swindled several times despite spending a lot of money; he could no longer stand it.
Any human merchant who came by would be robbed, and many of them never left the low hills alive.
He was not the only one doing this; all centaur tribes did the same.
So, over time, human merchants no longer dared to do business with them.
Hence, Sam Ironhoof naturally felt surprised to hear such a proposition.
He wouldn’t bother with any other human merchant.
But a mysterious human who commanded a mighty bone dragon and enslaved another steel beast spoke with a different weight.
Strong beings deserved due respect.
“Trade?” Sam gazed intently at Lide, his expression relaxing slightly after confirming he wasn’t lying.
But his eyes flicked to the bone dragon and Castro in the sky, some apprehension in his look.
“Your idea of no evil intent starts with the destruction of my city?”
“Your city?” Lide shook his head, “This place was established as a base by Risier City, and does not belong to the centaurs.”
“But now, this is my trophy,” Sam stated firmly.
“I, too, can turn it into my trophy,” Lide unyieldingly confronted the 3.5 blade-tall centaur chieftain.
He was alone, while Sam had three thousand clansmen behind him, yet Sam found himself overpowered by Lide’s presence.
This was the confidence borne of strength.
Because this chieftain of the Iron Hoof tribe was only level 15…
The average level of centaurs ranged from 6 to 9, with the elite reaching level 10.
In a valley devoid of heavy siege equipment, he would be invincible.
Although Lide couldn’t guarantee killing all the centaurs here, Castro wearing extraordinary armor and the level 18 bone dragon were completely capable of routing these thousands of centaurs.
Their numbers had not reached a point where Lide needed to be wary. In fact, if the Bloodline from Dawn City could arrive in time,
he could bury all the centaurs here, regardless of their so-called status as a Strong Battle Race.
What right did a minor centaur tribe have to bluster in front of him?
Sam’s heart skipped a beat; he heard the certainty and confidence in the human Mage’s tone.
He wanted to laugh out loud and refute the absurdity, but…
The bone dragon in the sky, which had withstood a half day’s worth of bow fire that could penetrate the heavy shields of human warriors without a scratch, was now blatantly exuding dragon power.
And the other creature, sheathed in heavy armor, with wings flashing sharpness that made Sam shudder from just one glance, was evidently a weapon forged for slaughter; he couldn’t imagine the consequences should such a beast swoop down upon his people.
The most crucial point was that they lacked heavy weapons to limit their opponent.
If the Iron Hoof Tribe were to engage, they would be entirely at the mercy of their enemy’s attacks.
Sam could already foresee the aftermath, the Iron Hoof Tribe losing countless warriors and eventually fleeing in panic.
If it were a fearless warrior, they might choose head-on confrontation, for Centaurs never feared enemies or battle.
However, as a Clan Leader, he couldn’t consider this, ensuring the tribe’s survival was the paramount concern.
“Human, what exactly do you want to do?”
Lide looked at the seemingly still defiant Centaur Chieftain with a playful curve to his lips, he had detected the other’s relenting.
This was good, he liked dealing with smart people.
“I said it before, Dawn City wants to establish trade with the Centaurs. I have everything you desire.”
After speaking, he directly took out several sets of Dwarf-forged armor from his System Space and casually tossed them to Sam.
Sam was slightly stunned before instinctively catching them.
After touching the cold armor, the Centaur Chieftain couldn’t bear to let go.
This armor was fantastic!! He recognized at a glance that it was of Dwarf craftsmanship, the same as the armor he had obtained from humans.
The barren Dwarf hills were desperately lacking in armor and weapons, and humans had imposed a blockade on them, causing the Centaurs’ weapons and armor to all be made from stone and bone.
Seeing the armor in his hands clearly of Dwarf style, it immediately aroused the interest of this Level 15 Centaur Chief.
Equipment Levels were divided into Common, Rare, Very Rare, Perfect, Transcendent, alongside Legendary and Divine Artifact, each level further divided into one, two, or three stars.
The three sets of armor Sam held were all Very Rare single-star level, a quality product of Dwarf forging.
Perfect Level armor was equivalent to a Level 15 top-tier human Profession holder, and it was still quite scarce. Lide previously spent a full hundred thousand Gold Pucks to forge two sets of Perfect Level armor.
Of course, that was also because Kosso and Castro’s bodies were too large, but regardless, Very Rare Level armor was definitely a top-notch item.
The cost of Perfect Level armor was too exorbitant, and it was not practical to be widely distributed within an army.
Therefore, the equipment Lide had brought out was enough to entice the Centaur Chief. Obviously, it wasn’t just the few sets of armor that intrigued the Chief, but the prospect of future trades.
If Lide could produce one set, couldn’t he produce one hundred, or even a thousand sets?
Imagining his tribe charging into battle clad in Dwarf armor, Sam could barely contain his excitement.
Maybe, at last, they had a chance to shed the cursed bone scaffold they wore.
The Shaman Chief was greatly tempted by the bait Lide had thrown. Most importantly, this human, Lide, was a being who possessed a giant dragon.
Such a powerful individual was much more credible than those greedy human traders.
“I am the Chieftain of the Iron Hoof Tribe—Sam Ironhoof, revered powerful one, may I ask how much more of this armor you possess? And what price must we pay to acquire it?”
Sam asked bluntly; he didn’t believe this mysterious human had come to give away armor to them for nothing.
A smile formed on Lide’s face, a few inscrutable depths flashing in his eyes.
In chess, it was never just about the immediate gains and losses. To play the game, one needed not only the qualification to be a chess player but also a broad vision and skill.
After hearing the details about the Centaurs from Andabella, he decided to place a certain bet on this race.
It was a kind of venture investment, and the cost was not high.
As for the purpose…
“Chieftain Sam, Dawn City has hundreds of Dwarves at my command, and I can provide as many as you need.
As for the price, we can trade at the normal armor rate.
The trade items can be gemstones, precious ores, Demon Beast furs, or even various veins…”
Lide spoke with profound implication.
The impoverished Centaurs have no wealth? No, no, no, impoverished Africa still has gold everywhere; it is just that the Centaurs don’t mine it.
Lide had a stroke of inspiration regarding this trade plan.
With the war looming, the supply of raw materials for Magic Scrolls needed by the Crimson Mage Tower faced massive constraints; currently, the inventory was precariously low, almost at the brink of production halt.
It wasn’t just the frenzied invasion of the Northern Undead; the Beastman’s battles at the border also restricted the mercenaries from going out to hunt Demon Beasts.
The Centaurs living in the low hills, however, miraculously became a land of peace. Though barren, it was only so in comparison to human territories.
While there were not many Demon Beasts living in the low hills, there certainly weren’t fewer than in the barren wastelands. It was just that few mercenaries dared to enter because of the Centaurs’ dominance.
His plan was very simple, to directly exchange armor and weapons produced in Dawn City for a large amount of Magic Materials or mineral resources.
As for whether the Centaurs having weapons might pose a danger to the surrounding forces, Lide was utterly indifferent; no matter how dangerous, they couldn’t threaten Green City and Dawn City deep within the Far Mountain Range.
The current state of the low hills was very similar to the America of Earth’s Medieval period; he could fully treat it as a colony of Dawn City, a place to dump goods and scour for raw materials.
Of course, this crude idea was very rough; even Lide wasn’t sure it would work.
But that didn’t prevent him from giving it a try. If successful, the productive capacity of Dawn City would be unleashed, and the goods they produced could bring more wealth to Dawn City.
If it failed, it didn’t matter; he wouldn’t invest much in the early stage of the cooperation, no harm done.
This was an attempt that was all gain and no loss.
This plan occurred to him after Andabella finished introducing the Centaur background. Watching a Centaur dressed primitively, he had this sudden stroke of inspiration.
The essence of trade is the exchange of commodity values, and how much commodity value is different in the eyes of the trading parties.
“Shaman Chief, at what price would you buy armor like this?” Instead of responding hastily to the Shaman’s price inquiry, Lide turned the question to the Centaur.
“If it’s suitable, we can trade; if not, we cancel our deal.”
Lide gazed intensely at this Level 15 Centaur Chief; today’s purpose shifted from raiding the elite population of Risier City to negotiating trade with the Centaurs.
This wasn’t what he had initially anticipated, but he sensed a vast number of humans in the cave behind the Centaur.
The Bloodline was particularly sensitive to the presence of humans; it was a racial instinct.
Since the main target was safe for now, he was in no hurry to deal with it. First, he’d get closer to the Centaurs, seal the deal, then it wouldn’t be too late to deal with those Nobles of Risier City.
After all, the Centaurs were the rulers here.
Compared to those lambs awaiting slaughter, the Centaurs were the right opponents for the upcoming strategic game.