Free Web NovelChapter 450: Chapter 339: Rise of the Warlords, Regional King 2
The clamor and cheers on the highlands slowly subsided with his departure.
Afterwards, as planned, the Red Dragon Samantha flapped her wings and returned to the Broken Ridge Hills, which she was responsible for and was gradually transforming into an Alchemy Industrial District.
The young Blue Dragon Heryam and Red Dragon Kahill went back to Ximu Territory together.
On one hand, they rested, and on the other, they strengthened the defenses of the main stronghold.
The Iron Dragon Solrog chose to temporarily station himself at the newly captured Quenching Highlands.
He orderly instructed the servant leaders who took over the area to immediately begin clearing the battlefield remains, carefully organize and collect all intact alchemy machines, armor, weapons, and other valuable spoils, and properly handle the mountainous piles of corpses and some useless debris.
Soon after.
Sel Wilderness, Needleleaf Valley.
The Red Iron Dragon folded his wings and landed on a familiar open space beside the lair.
The slimes that had been waiting for a long time instinctively swarmed up, only to be forced back by his low growl.
It wasn’t until he completed a round of high-intensity training with satisfaction.
Galos, slightly panting, finally relaxed and ordered, "Come."
Upon receiving permission, the slimes swarmed like the most dedicated attendants, using their soft and sticky bodies to carefully and meticulously wipe and clean Galos’s Dragon Scales inch by inch.
The cool, sticky sensation came, carrying away the filth and bringing refreshing cleanliness.
"Quenching Highlands is just the beginning."
"The short-term goal now is to take the entire Northwest Wilderness Region."
Galos closed his eyes, feigning sleep, as he enjoyed the slimes’ cool and soft touch weaving between his scales, savoring this moment of peace and cleaning service, all while silently pondering the next strategy.
The vast and boundless Sel Wilderness was enough to make powerful kingdoms blush.
Within this land, many duchies, kingdoms, and even some powerful organizations’ secret strongholds were scattered like stars. Merely the Northwest Region far exceeded the Border Area in scale and range.
However.
Now, the elite forces and top experts of those human realms were almost all entangled in the unprecedented civil war on the southern front, fighting within their nation’s borders or the main battlefield.
And not in the remote wilderness strongholds.
As long as they’re not afraid of the post-war retribution or settlement from the Federation, these wilderness strongholds set up by the Federation countries are not a big problem for the Molten Iron Tribe.
For now, the strategy of the Molten Iron Tribe is quite clear.
As long as they do not actively provoke those strongholds belonging to the Lotheren Kingdom camp, they will not incur extra troubles.
On the contrary, if they actively attack those strongholds belonging to the Ripos Kingdom camp, they may even receive tangible funds and material support from Crystal Princess Alina.
At least, until the dust settles on the Federation’s civil war, this unspoken mutual understanding will remain.
The real need for caution and attention.
Is actually to watch out for those akin to the previous Necromancer Phillips, or like the Red Dragon Father Gorsas... beings similar to the Molten Iron Tribe, who choose to reveal their claws and fangs amidst the Federation’s civil war and collapsing order, emerging one by one.
"The wilderness is vast and primitive, containing many resources, inherently the best soil for breeding power."
"In the past, when the Federation was at its peak with strict order, who knew how many powerful creatures chose to lay dormant, hiding in secret caves, ancient ruins, or unreachable places, silently licking their claws, waiting for their chance."
"And now, the time has come."
"Those hidden beasts and serpents will only gradually reveal their fangs and claws more and more."
Galos silently analyzed the situation in his mind.
He knew very well that these beings with ambitions akin to his, longing for power and resources, are the most threatening enemies that the Molten Iron Tribe needs to genuinely pay attention to next.
Whenever they choose to emerge at this moment, their purpose must be to seize some resources, expand their territory, or fulfill a long-hidden ambition.
They, unlike the fixed stronghold legions of those duchies or kingdoms that focus mainly on defense, can coexist peacefully as long as they’re not provoked.
These competitors of the Molten Iron Tribe themselves are sources of chaos and expansion.
However, Galos did not find this troublesome or tricky.
On the contrary, he believed that such chaotic times of rising heroes were exactly what he needed.
For one like him, a natural target for crusades and persecution, this era of turmoil allowed for exceptional growth and expansion.
He reined in his somewhat drifting thoughts and refocused his spirit on the specific intelligence regarding the Northwest Region.
Long before the Molten Iron Tribe unified the Border Area and before the Federation’s civil war fully broke out, he had already planned ahead, sending a large number of elite scouts to Sel Wilderness to infiltrate and investigate information from various sides.
Now, these preliminary investments have yielded quite impressive returns.
According to the compiled intelligence report.
With the Federation’s control over the wilderness rapidly weakening, the Northwest Region is like a beast freed from shackles, with the power structure undergoing drastic reshuffling.
Among them, five entities have risen to fame with powerful strength and rapid expansion.
[Deer King]
[Four-Headed Python King]
[Hundred-Eyed King]
[Lion King]
And he, the [King of Molten Iron].
Some well-informed and knowledgeable intelligent creatures collectively refer to these five powerful entities in the Northwest Region as the [Map King], or the [Five Kings of the Northwest].
Not talking about himself, the King of Molten Iron.
Among the other four Map Kings, the Deer King is a high-level magical creature with high intelligence that can command powerful elements, appearing as a graceful and elegant white doe.
Under its command are numerous powerful magical creatures of different intelligence levels, entrenched in the Mist Forest in the northwest.
The Python King and the Lion King, on the other hand, are two notorious ferocious beasts.
Unlike other beasts that act purely on instinct, they possess intelligence no less than humans, each with their unique skills and special abilities, and cannot be treated as ordinary beasts, commanding and ruling mighty beast hordes, occupying the Mysterious Marsh and the Echo Rift, respectively.
As for the Hundred-Eyed King, it is a rare and immensely spiritually powerful Eye Demon.
The Hundred-Eyed King uses terrifying mind control skills to enslave numerous races, including humans, humanoid creatures, fierce beasts, and magical creatures, constructing a distorted and strong territory, with its nest located in the Dark Jungle.
"That Necromancer Lich... if not for the bad luck of running into me first, in time, this Northwest Region might have a new Witch Demon King."
Galos mused.
Any creature that earns the title of king at the beginning of chaotic times is absolutely impossible to be weak in any case.
The Molten Iron Tribe seeking smooth expansion in the Northwest Wilderness Region is fated to face inevitable conflicts with these neighbors.
Meanwhile.
The slimes completed the cleaning, withdrew silently, and the refreshed Red Iron Dragon opened his eyes, gazing toward the vast sky, looking in the other directions of the wilderness.
The victory at the Quenching Highlands was just the prelude.
Not just in the Northwest, in other areas of the Sel Wilderness—east, south, central... there are similarly strong Map Kings.
It is foreseeable that.
With the passage of time, these Map Kings who rose to power will inevitably break out in more intense conflicts and annexations, ultimately vying for a singular entity capable of truly ruling the entire area—the Regional King.
On this grand stage of the wilderness.
Only by first becoming a genuine Regional King can one have the qualification and power to contend for the ultimate title of King of the Wilderness.
It’s worth mentioning.
Red Dragon Gorsas is mainly active in the central region of the wilderness and also has a corresponding title.
—[Mad King]
Because of his inherently chaotic behavior, he hasn’t deliberately eradicated other central lords in the central region, but due to his arrogant and unrestrained mad conduct, he is already subtly trending toward becoming a regional king. It is only a matter of time, as long as nothing unforeseen happens.
