Late at night, all was silent.
The monsters moved quickly, having already set up the basic tents.
Moonlight like water spilled over the low mountain, coating the gradually forming mine pit below with a layer of silver frost. Iron Dragon Sorog pressed his dragon claws against the rock wall, eyes slightly closed, carefully sensing the tremors deep within the mineral vein.
Suddenly.
The Kora Giant Eagle circling in the sky let out a shrill screech; this was the alarm signaling that intruders were approaching.
A group of Centaurs made no attempt to hide their tracks, walking slowly from the edge of the pine forest in an open and aboveboard manner.
The Iron Dragon straightened his body, his gaze sweeping over those Centaurs, then flapped his wings to take to the air. The kin guards who had just stationed here picked up their weapons and followed closely behind.
"Centaurs, halt!"
"The area ahead belongs to the territory of the Molten Iron Clan."
The Iron Dragon circled in the sky, looking down at the Centaurs with lowered eyes, emitting a low, deterrent growl that sounded like thunder.
This group of Centaurs was numerous, armored and wielding spears. Their quantity and quality surpassed the vanguard brought by the Iron Dragon. Furthermore, the two leading Centaurs were tall and burly with steady strides, their bodies overflowing with rich life energy.
Even without investigation, it could be determined that both were warriors with a Life Level exceeding 10.
Centaurs are brave and skilled in battle, fierce and powerful. Among the many humanoid intelligent races, they are top-tier powerful creatures.
The young Iron Dragon was not confident he could take them down.
At this moment, Silvermane looked up at the Iron Dragon and said with a respectful attitude, "Noble Dragonkin, might we have the honor of knowing your name?"
The Centaurs' reaction caught the Iron Dragon somewhat by surprise.
After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Iron King, Sorog!"
Silvermane said, "Respected Iron King, the Grey Magnetite Mine is the property of our clan, though we had not begun mining it previously."
The Iron Dragon narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you mean to say that I have encroached upon your property and you wish to evict me?"
The other party's submissive attitude could be a case of courtesy before force.
Sorog did not relax his guard.
In fact, when he first discovered the mineral vein, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was unclaimed land.
However, after a very careful investigation today, he found some fresh hoofprints and prospecting marks. This proved that what the Centaurs said was true; they had indeed discovered the Grey Magnetite Mine first.
But.
There was no such thing as 'first come, first served' here.
Resources belonged to the stronger party.
The Iron Dragon continued to issue a warning: "Humble Centaurs, I give you ten seconds to retreat. Otherwise, you shall taste the flavor of Dragonkin wrath."
However, something unexpected happened.
"Noble Iron King, you misunderstand."
Under the Iron Dragon's gaze, Silvermane knelt his front hooves deep into the ground, unbothered by the dust staining his body, assuming a posture of submission. The other Centaurs also knelt their front hooves one after another, bowing their heads to show the Iron Dragon the highest etiquette of Centaur society.
"The White Mane Clan is willing to offer up the mining rights of the Grey Magnetite Mine."
After a pause, Silvermane said humbly and longingly, "Our Centaur tribe yearns for strength and craves glory. And you, powerful Dragonkin, noble Iron King, you are the Incarnation of strength and glory. We wish to offer you our loyalty and follow beneath your wings."
Iron Hoof's movements were slightly stiff.
This boorish warrior now held his head low, the beast-bone necklace between his mane clinking.
"We have brought the finest elites of our tribe; please inspect them."
The Iron Dragon's gaze swept over those silent Centaur Warriors, noting their strong physiques and the resilient aura honed by long battles. He couldn't help but feel a bit tempted.
The Molten Iron Clan had just taken root in the Borderlands and was exactly at the stage where it needed power.
Every Centaur was a born warrior and a born cavalryman. The allegiance of a Centaur clan was a very good thing right now.
Because of the innate pride of the Dragonkin,
The Iron Dragon believed he was worth following, so it seemed normal for Centaurs to appear here wanting to pledge loyalty. However, he still held a trace of vigilance in his heart.
Centaurs were valiant creatures. Instances of them coming to submit to Dragonkin without first being beaten in battle were rare.
If it were Gnolls or Kobolds, the types of creatures that most loved to cling to the legs of Dragonkin, the Iron Dragon would have accepted them with a clear conscience.
But for Centaurs, he did not have complete trust.
"Offer loyalty?" The Iron Dragon's voice was raspy and magnetic, with a texture like metal rubbing together. He said unhurriedly, "I have heard that Centaurs are valiant and fearless warriors who will not bow their heads to anyone."
Silvermane's heart skipped a beat as he felt the suspicion coming from the Iron Dragon.
This surprised him somewhat.
In his impression, Dragonkin were all extremely arrogant and conceited beings. When they dealt with the White Dragon back then, the White Mane Clan had also feigned submission first, then took advantage of the moment the White Dragon landed to suddenly revolt and wound it, driving it away.
The Iron Dragon before him was more cautious than he had thought.
Silvermane maintained his humble posture and said, "Times have changed, Iron King. The chaos of the tundra is gradually spreading to the Borderlands, and we..." He paused perfectly, "...crave stronger protection."
His words were half-true.
The war between Giants and Barbarians deep in the ice fields had brought chaos, to the point that many ice field creatures were migrating outward. This had a serious impact on the natives living in the Borderlands, and the Centaurs also sensed danger.
However, compared to seeking the protection of a Dragonkin,
These two Centaurs were more inclined to use the body Materials of the young Iron Dragon to manufacture weapons and armor to equip their clan.
Iron Hoof lifted his head and said in an indignant tone, "Young Centaurs crave battle and glory, but the old fogies in the clan want to migrate, want to escape. We have a disagreement."
"Now, we have brought our most elite warriors. As long as you are willing to accept us, we shall all fight for you. The only reward we seek is the hope of obtaining the merit and glory we deserve under your protection."
After hearing the words of the two Centaurs,
The Iron Dragon's eyes flickered as he stared intently at them, the suspicion in his heart gradually dissipating.
"You have made the right choice."
He said, "To serve the great Iron King, to serve the Molten Iron Clan, is your honor."
Folding his wings, the Iron Dragon slowly descended and stood in the center. Behind him, his not-so-numerous monster kin and the Centaur Warriors looked at each other.
"Pine Resin Mead, this is a specialty of our clan. Please enjoy it."
Silvermane presented a wineskin and opened the stopper. A sweet yet fiery scent of wine permeated the air. Iron Hoof also leaned in, grinning as he said, "There is no better wine in all of the Borderlands."
The Iron Dragon liked sweets and was also interested in wine, so his eyes couldn't help but light up.
But now was not the time for enjoyment.
Sorog shook his head and said, "The business at hand is to mine the mineral vein. More kin will be arriving shortly. Before that, the station here must be completed as much as possible."
He directly commanded the Centaurs, "If you want protection, you must also show your value."
"There is no need for battle right now. You will be responsible for transporting stone and timber to help build the station."
Hearing this, Silvermane and Iron Hoof's gazes sharpened, and they subtly exchanged a look.
The Pine Resin Mead contained poisonous juice that could weaken a Dragonkin's attributes, but the other party didn't seem to intend to drink it now. Furthermore, according to the Iron Dragon, other monsters were coming later.
This meant that if they wanted to take him down, they could no longer delay.
Although they hadn't managed to trick him into drinking the poisoned wine and things weren't perfect, the preparations were mostly complete.
"What are you standing there for? Go do what you should be doing."
The Iron Dragon urged.
"Apologies, we have just arrived, so we are a bit..."
Silvermane said in a low voice.
Before he could finish his sentence, Iron Hoof suddenly erupted in an attack.
His thick front hooves violently shattered the ground. Simultaneously, he drew a battle spear from beneath his saddlebag and gripped it in his hand. The spear tip was wrapped in surging Demonic Energy, and like a bolt of lightning, it stabbed straight toward the Iron Dragon's throat.
Silvermane's movements were even more insidious.
His silver-white mane suddenly flared out, and Paralytic Powder hidden within the mane drifted toward the Iron Dragon's face with the wind. A heavy sword forged from refined steel swung out from his waist, the blade slashing directly at the junction of the Iron Dragon's right wing and torso.