Chapter 59: East China Sea Port |
"Munch, munch, munch..."
Big dragon, big dragon, munching away, enjoying the food offered by her attendants. Xia'er lay sprawled in the center of the forest, savoring the fragrance of the trees, feeling utterly content.
My heavens, this is the life a Green Dragon should lead!
The scent of this great nature, so sweet!
At this very moment, Xia'er could only say the air itself tasted sweet.
Hey, you know what? Us Green Dragon folks should live in the forest, it's just so comfortable.
"Burp."
Xia'er let out a long, drawn-out belch, her massive body lounging comfortably on the forest clearing, thick fish oil still clinging to the corners of her mouth.
The gnawing hunger in her belly had been replaced by the satisfying fullness of fresh sea fish. In her cold, emerald dragon eyes, the cunning and calculation inherent to a Green Dragon once again took the dominant position.
This book was, of course, the one offered by the human merchant Nolan, a compilation of intelligence on the Dwarven Kingdom.
Now, it was time to digest another kind of "food."
The intelligence on the Dwarven Kingdom, especially that detailed, full-territory map.
The Mage Hand gently brushed over the spread-open pages.
Xia'er's eyes scanned the lines, symbols, and annotations marked in the human Common Tongue.
Her vertical dragon pupils contracted slightly, imprinting every detail into her mind.
"Jandres..."
Xia'er silently recited this name in her heart. This High King of the Dwarven Kingdom was indeed not to be underestimated, and this barren Dwarven Kingdom had been managed by him in an orderly and well-organized manner.
First, the Dwarven Kingdom appeared vast in territory, but most of it was mountainous, used for mining. There were only nine proper cities.
Four of these were underground. These four cities were traditional Dwarven cities, housing the largest population of Dwarves and located in the heart of the Dwarven Kingdom.
Apart from these four, there were three fortresses.
One was established in the north, a nail hammered into the northernmost tip of the Dwarven Kingdom, garrisoned by only one Dwarven legion. Recently, due to the war with Valentina, another legion had been added.
One was established in the northwest, garrisoned by two Dwarven legions, primarily to guard against attacks from the Centaur Tribes.
The last one was in the southeast corner, positioned at a strategic choke point, the most elite, garrisoned by ten Dwarven legions. On one hand, it was to guard against the Goblins who had surrendered and then rebelled, and on the other hand, it was also to guard against humans.
Of course, the southeastern fortress now likely garrisoned even more legions, as King Jandres was leading the campaign personally and had naturally brought more troops.
Besides these four underground cities and three fortresses, that left only two cities, surface cities.
One was in the south, adjacent to the Duchy of Shao Yi, serving as a trade point with humans. The city was not large.
The other was located on the eastern coastline, a trade city primarily responsible for commerce with merchant guilds from various continents. It was a mixed-residence city, not only inhabited by Dwarves but also by other merchants who came from all over the world to trade, as well as other races who chose to settle there.
In the Dwarven language, this city was called 'Isolag', which translated into Draconic meant 'Eastern Sea Port'.
Its garrison was not large, consisting of only one Dwarven legion and one mercenary legion.
The military force was roughly three thousand.
"Quite well-designed. It seems there's a reason humans fear this Jandres."
Xia'er thought to herself.
The northern neighbor was recruiting soldiers, forging weapons, and engaging in trade.
That was truly terrifying.
Especially this 'Eastern Sea Port'. Xia'er felt it had probably already made it onto the human hit list.
After all, once the Dwarves established this city, they could even break their dependence on the Duchy of Shao Yi and do business directly with other duchies in the Northern Frontier. That alone was enough to fill the Duchy of Shao Yi with murderous intent towards Jandres.
"The records about the 'Eastern Sea Port' are quite extensive here."
Xia'er couldn't help but smile slightly, tapping her dragon claw lightly, revealing a playful grin.
Xia'er wasn't stupid; she naturally saw the human's purpose.
The humans hoped she would attack this 'Eastern Sea Port'.
It even mentioned that the mercenary legion at the Eastern Sea Port originated from the Duchy of Shao Yi and were the private soldiers of the Grand Duke of Shao Yi.
Although it didn't say anything else, the fact that this point was specifically highlighted in this book made Xia'er think it wasn't just a casual mention.
"Watchtowers at sea, but no fleet. Destroy the sea watchtowers, and one can drive straight in along the port. The Dwarven legion is stationed in the city's west, the human mercenary legion in the east..."
Xia'er silently recited this information, already forming a plan in her heart.
Go or not?
Go, my foot!
What if the humans and Dwarves had conspired to set up an ambush at the Eastern Sea Port?
Do they think I'm a dragon with unsound intellect like a White Dragon?
There's only one thing to do: investigate clearly whether the Goblins are truly fighting the Dwarves, and the specific situation at the Eastern Sea Port!
Xia'er wasn't in a hurry.
If she couldn't defeat the Dwarven Kingdom, she could just run away. Find a place to hunker down and start eating dirt for a few hundred years. Wait until she weathered into an old dragon and became Legendary, then come back and obliterate the entire Dwarf race!
However, Xia'er still had designs on the Eastern Sea Port.
The Eastern Sea Port had an excellent geographical location, situated in a bay. It was indeed the area in the entire Karugu Highlands most suitable to become a maritime trade center.
But even if Xia'er captured the Eastern Sea Port, she wouldn't occupy it long-term.
There was only one goal.
To plunder the Eastern Sea Port clean.
The wealth of the Eastern Sea Port was definitely not small!
Moreover, the Eastern Sea Port was newly built. Those frequenting it were mostly minor noble groups from within the Northern Frontier. Even if the Eastern Sea Port fell, it wouldn't cause any major public outcry. At most, it would become some post-dinner odd tale confined to the Northern Frontier's Kingdom of Drentland, which also aligned with Xia'er's thinking.
However, she still couldn't act rashly.
"Saga."
Thinking of this, Xia'er suddenly opened her mouth, her voice calm and melodious.
After Xia'er spoke, the kobolds prostrated on the ground around her immediately began relaying her voice.
"Saga!"
"..."
In a mere moment, the entire island was filled with calls.
The next instant, Saga, with his eight-meter-long body, spread his black dragon wings and descended from the sky, landing respectfully before Xia'er. "My lady, what are your orders?"
"Dispatch the most elite Bullywug warriors to explore southward."
Xia'er stretched her wings slightly, issuing commands to Saga. "Find a few merchant caravans along the shipping lanes to verify the situation at the Eastern Sea Port. Target small caravans, don't mess up. How to handle them is up to you, but don't let them return to the Eastern Sea Port and expose our whereabouts."
"At the same time, find a group of Frogmen who are sufficiently loyal, unafraid of death, and proficient in the Common Tongue. Have them disguise themselves as merchants and go to the 'Eastern Sea Port' to sell pearls, sea treasures, and frozen fish, secretly gathering information. I need to know everything about the 'Eastern Sea Port'."
Before Saga could even acknowledge the order, Xia'er continued, "You personally oversee this matter. If there's any danger, you can abandon all the Bullywugs. Just ensure your own safety."
Upon hearing this, Saga folded his wings. "Understood. I shall execute your will!"
With that, Saga respectfully withdrew, then spread his wings. The Black Dragon, with a wingspan of a full fifteen meters, instantly shot into the sky, bringing with him a powerful gust of wind.
As for Xia'er, she continued to lounge comfortably in this forest.
The Plant Growth spell needed to be sustained for over ten days to completely solidify the plants into this state. If she left or canceled the spell, everything would instantly revert to its original state, returning to that barren island.
During this period, Xia'er couldn't leave casually, or all previous efforts would be wasted.
Moreover, lying within the forest now also made Xia'er feel comfortable, giving her a sense of receiving feedback from the forest itself.
"The Eastern Sea Port, huh..."