Chapter 538: 57. Surround the city

Chapter 538: 57. Surround the city

Husband?

Emre and Aix clearly were not as informed about Lord Raphael’s private matters as her mother was, and of course, they didn’t know that Lord Raphael already had her own tail-matching partner. So, hearing the other’s words, they seemed quite surprised.

Because, according to the information Lord Raphael had disclosed, it was very likely that her tail-matching partner was not a Dragon-man from the Dragon-man Tribe, but from another race.

But as competent subjects, they knew better than to ask about things they shouldn’t inquire into. They simply returned the sound waves used to discern items back onto the map in their hands,

“Lord Raphael, the palace’s location is very likely near the center of the continent, but that’s a human settlement area. It’s also unclear whether humans have discovered the entrance first…”

Lord Raphael shook her head, stepping past the two Bat Species Subhumans in front of her, and headed deep into Sunset Valley,

“Don’t rush, let me think, and also consider our next plan… We can’t stay in Sunset Valley forever. Now that the four branches of the Dragon-man Species are in my hands, it’s time to proceed with the next step.”

“Yes.”

Lord Raphael’s pace was not fast, her tail, wrapped in red Dragon Scales, swaying slightly behind her, making her armored skirt flutter.

They continued downward and, after passing through the residential area constructed for the demi-humans, the landscape within the depths of the cave was fully revealed to Lord Raphael; firelight spread along the tunnels and stretched downward, the sounds of hammering iron and forging tools evaporating water vapor echoed, and further below, faint glimmers of Magic twinkled.

Here lay the heart of the New Dragon Court. After seizing human weapons and technology, Lord Raphael had imitated their techniques here, but she also knew that mere imitation of technology could not defeat humans. The gap between demi-humans and humans was not in sturdy ships and powerful cannons but lay in the ideologies held within their hearts.

“Lord Raphael, human technology is complex. Even though we have successfully replicated similar weapons before, in terms of quality and quantity, both are far from meeting the demands of combat. We are still mainly using traditional melee weapons, and…”

“I am aware, but that would take too long. We don’t have the time to completely catch up with human technology. The gap can’t be bridged in just a short period.”

Lord Raphael looked at the scene in the cave, shook her head, and cut off the words of the Bat Species Chief, Emre, behind her. However, Emre misunderstood her, furrowing his brows in doubt,

“Do you plan to start a war with the humans now?”

“Yes, but also no… Humans will sooner or later discover our actions. Our conflict is inevitable before we drive them out of the South Continent. The question is, how do we fight to ultimately win.”

Lord Raphael’s red Dragon Horns blazed, and her emerald green eyes deep as a secluded pool. Within that depth, a model of the South Continent slowly emerged, as if the ravines and living creatures of the continent were already in her sight.

“The strength of humans is formidable, but not without weaknesses. They come from different nations, with generally similar yet distinct interests. Our strength may be slight, but our advantage lies in numbers and fighting on home ground.”

“It is in the weaker wilderness areas where humans dwell that we have the upper hand. The key to defeating humans is not about uprooting their built cities, but about seizing the initiative and solidifying our hold on land they have not yet claimed. Just like surrounding and capturing their pieces slowly in a game of chess, encircling their cities, isolating their forces… that’s what is most important…”

After finishing these words, Lord Raphael turned her head to look at Emre and Aix, who were thoughtful and somewhat perplexed behind her. She didn’t intend to explain further. Stretched out wearily, the armor she wore, previously light, now seemed to weigh her down, making her suddenly tired,

“Human eyes, dazzled by gold, are far from being sharp. Seizing the enemy’s negligence… that’s what is crucial… To them, this place is nothing more than an unattended mine, without the slightest notion that it is also a battlefield.”

“After this, I will first manage the internal affairs of the Dragon-man Species, cultivate a group of trustworthy confidants, and let them ignite the other demi-humans in the wastelands. When the conflagration gathers, humans will be helpless in the South Continent.”

Lord Raphael moved towards her resting place, as the master of the New Dragon Court, she had no luxurious residence, but a modest cave was sufficient to house her beloved “Dragon Palace Carriage,”

“And now, you only need to continue with the previous preparations. Sunset Valley is our final trump card; it might also become a main target for the humans later. I need it to become impenetrable… Emre Clan Leader, can I rely on you for this?”

Lord Raphael’s step paused briefly, turning to glance at the Bat Species Chief behind her. Her Dragon Horns shone even brighter, as if to incinerate the rot at the bottom of the graves, making even the Bat Species, with their weak vision like Emre and Aix, feel the intensity of that heat.

At their first glimpse of Lord Raphael, they felt that the light of the Dragon Court, which existed only in the annals of history, was blooming on her. Now, they still felt the same.

Only Lord Raphael could become the master of the New Dragon Court, only Lord Raphael could become the Dragon Queen of the South Continent.

They bowed their heads slightly and respectfully replied,

“Of course, all this is for the New Dragon Court.”

Lord Raphael smiled faintly, carefully folding up the Dragon Court Ruins map that Fisher had left her and tucked it into his bosom, then he walked back alone to the carriage at the entrance of the cave.

Pushing open the familiar door of the carriage, he noticed many changes to the room’s interior decorations because the space was now exclusively his, no other Dragon-men would enter, so Lord Raphael redecorated the room to his own liking.

Except for Fisher’s study, which he didn’t touch, the items therein still carried Fisher’s scent. Sometimes, Lord Raphael would spend a long time inside, while the rest of the rooms had changed to a greater or lesser extent, especially the second one, which had been turned into a dressing room.

The room now contained many pieces of armor and weapons that Lord Raphael wore. Having returned to the tribe, he seldom had the opportunity to wear the Nali skirts that Fisher made and thus placed them, along with Fisher’s other clothing, deep in the wardrobe. The third room was now filled with the spoils of war he had collected recently.

Lord Raphael returned to his room and began to take off his armor piece by piece. Then he gently threw back his flame-wave-like red hair. After completing these actions, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had finally shed the fatigue from his body.

There were just too many things to handle on the South Continent; races that once coexisted peacefully had now adopted starkly different attitudes over time.

Some were reclusive races that stayed indifferent to the world, some blindly believed in humans and attempted to cooperate with the people of the West Continent to divide the South Continent, and some were radical demi-humans who were excessively hostile towards humans, wishing they could go on a killing spree in the cities immediately…

Amidst this complexity, Lord Raphael needed sufficient strength, needed a strong banner to rally them—like the new Fermat Baha Dragon Court.

Lord Raphael sat on Fisher’s bed, surrounded by many trophies he had gathered in recent times. Many items related to Nali, including various magazines and newspapers, and if one looked closely at the pages where the magazines lingered, some words could be faintly seen,

“Breakthroughs in soul theory: The rebellious innovative theories from the Royal College by Fisher Benavides!”

His gaze shifted toward a different newspaper next to the desk, seemingly another edition from Nali, and not of the same kind as the previous one.

It was no surprise how Lord Raphael obtained human newspapers—the only source was inadvertently during battles. Only after learning that such things contained information about Nali did he specially ask Kree to help purchase some from the city.

She could virtualize, along with Xi Ya and the rescued Armored Species Fama Xi, who became subordinates of Lord Raphael, specifically to gather human movement and intelligence for him, occasionally bringing back information about her husband Fisher’s homeland.

The headline on that other newspaper edition read,

“Schwali Academic Delegation’s Visit to Saint Nali University Successfully Concludes!”

Beneath that bold headline was a black-and-white group photo with Fisher standing at the forefront of a group of scholars, taken when Prince Schwali Luosang left. Also featured was Princess Elizabeth, representing the Gedelin Royal Family.

Princess Elizabeth stood beside Fisher, her gentle smile complementing the dark-haired Nali gentleman beside her. The newspaper also featured the “omnipotent request” story about Fisher and Princess Elizabeth for embellishment…

This newspaper was a huge hit in Nali and made its way to the South Continent after changing hands several times on cargo ships, eventually purchased by Lord Raphael who then saw its contents.

At that moment, the photo lying on the newspaper in Fisher’s room in the carriage had Princess Elizabeth’s figure next to Fisher completely torn out by someone’s sharp claw, a gaping hole in the paper leaving Fisher standing alone in the picture once again.

Many ferocious claw marks were left above the gossipy news section that featured Fisher and Princess Elizabeth, as though to certify Lord Raphael’s anger when he first saw those contents.

Lord Raphael’s emerald eyes looked down at the map of the Dragon Court Ruins in his hands, intending to soon set off on a journey to human territories to explore the Dragon Court Ruins in person; his horns always told him that he was certain to find something there…

Although his body felt tired, Lord Raphael’s eyes remained resolute. He had to make haste,

“Fisher, wait for me…”

He set aside the map and curled up wearily on the soft bed; the faint whisper was heard by no one else, a testament to his determination.

Unbeknownst to him before, by his bedside lay a pristine wanted poster from the Nali officials; the person being hunted was still the largest bounty ever offered by Nali,

“Fisher Benavides”