White Dragon Tereshi returned to Dragon Valley after Samantha.
She hadn't encountered any unexpected incidents, but while attacking a Bloodhoof Clan outpost, she noticed something different from before.
"The Bloodhoof Clan's defense of the Obsidian Mine has weakened."
Folding her wings as she landed, the White Dragon reported to Garros by the lake, "This time, not only did they not send reinforcements, but they even withdrew the outpost's leaders and elites, leaving only some useless guards."
The movement of sharpening his tail paused slightly.
Garros stopped and plunged his scorching dragon tail into the lake water.
Sizzle, sizzle—with a sound like quenching metal, steam billowed out, and dense bubbles rose from the water.
The Red-Iron Dragon slightly bent his hind legs and crouched on the ground, his tail swaying gently in the water, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Among the several Bloodhoof Clan outposts, especially the Obsidian Mine and the Heavy-armored Rhino Ranch, there were strong leaders present, such as Shamans, Warlocks, and high-Rank warriors.
The several attacks by the White Dragon and Red Dragon had caused much chaos in these two outposts and killed many guards.
However, those powerful leaders suffered very few casualties.
A few days ago, the attacked outposts would receive reinforcements from other guards to defend against Dragonkin attacks with the coordination of the leaders, but now, according to what the White Dragon said, the situation had changed.
Guards were no longer reinforcing.
Leaders were being reassigned.
"The Bloodhoof Clan is going to abandon the outposts."
"They're scared and want to retreat."
The Red Dragon, who was eating, raised her head and asked excitedly, "Can we take over their outposts then? These are all wealth and resources."
Garros glanced at her.
After the chance encounter with the Hybrid Dragon Deborah and solving the puzzle through wisdom, Samantha's IQ had once again dropped back into the gutter.
The siblings Sorog and Samantha each had their own characteristics.
The Iron Dragon usually had a higher IQ, but when he had the advantage, he risked becoming irrational due to his nature; the Red Dragon appeared foolish most of the time, but when she encountered trouble, she would actually use her brain and show a flash of wit.
"Samantha, if it were you, when you chose to retreat, would you leave behind things you couldn't take with you?"
Garros asked.
"I would burn it all down; I wouldn't leave anything for the enemy even if I had to destroy it."
Samantha bared her fangs and answered subconsciously, then after a slight daze, she showed a look of realization.
"The Bloodhoof Clan is not preparing to retreat."
Garros said, "They are gathering their forces scattered across different outposts, clenching them into a fist, preparing to strike a heavy blow."
Pausing for a moment, the Red-Iron Dragon's gaze turned cold, and he said in a low voice, "The decisive battle is imminent; the Bloodhoof Clan can no longer hold back."
The Minotaur thought they were being clever by choosing to show weakness.
But the irrational, arrogant, and reckless attack they expected from the Dragonkin never came; instead, it was a steady and pressing advance that left them exhausted from running between several outposts.
The attacks from the Dragonkin these past few days had truly weakened them.
The White Dragon suggested, "In that case, we should stop attacking the outposts and gather our subordinates in Dragon Valley to wage a direct war against the Bloodhoof Clan."
Garros shook his head and then looked at the Red Dragon Samantha.
He grinned and said, "Samantha's idea is very good; we should continue to attack and occupy the Bloodhoof Clan's outposts."
The Red Dragon raised her head, a bone with unfinished meat still dangling from her mouth, and tilted her head.
"I really am an unprecedented Red Dragon sage."
Having received Garros's approval, Red Dragon Samantha was very excited, feeling her scalp itch as if her brain was finally starting to grow.
"Why? This contradicts your previous thought."
White Dragon Tereshi asked in confusion.
The Red-Iron Dragon pulled his tail out of the lake water and shook off the droplets.
"Over the years, through the various creatures I have come into contact with, I have realized a profound truth—"
He said with a chuckle, "—intelligent beings are often trapped by their own perceptions."
Dragonkin are naturally arrogant and conceited.
But aren't humans and other creatures the same?
It's just that their ways of expression are different.
They stubbornly believe that Dragons are arrogant and barbaric, and those who lump Dragonkin together with ordinary monsters are not a minority.
Stereotypes, inherent cognitions, and biased perspectives.
They are everywhere.
"The Bloodhoof Clan's reaction proves that they think we are arrogant and foolish."
"In that case, let it be as they wish."
Garros said, "They will show weakness to confuse us, and we can similarly use arrogance and stupidity as a disguise to mislead them."
Possessing the dual Bloodline of the Red Dragon and Iron Dragon, while Garros was extremely skilled in combat, he was also naturally sensitive to strategy; it was just that he focused more on improving his strength and, like a Red Dragon, usually didn't like to think too much.
But when Garros concentrated and thought seriously.
His ideas were often more comprehensive than those of Iron Dragon Sorog.
Harnessing power with reason.
—This was the enlightenment Garros gained during his battle with the Snake Dragon, and it was also what he demanded of himself.
Even though he was step by step becoming stronger than before and his draconic desires were gradually growing, he would never lose his composure and rationality.
After the Red-Iron Dragon finished speaking, Samantha nodded in deep agreement.
"Yes, I thought so too. Garros, you've said exactly what was on my mind."
She chimed in as if it were really the case.
Garros was speechless and then began to sharpen his dragon wings.
The edges of his wing bones were inherently hard and sharp and could be used for slashing, but it wasn't enough; Garros was mainly sharpening the wingtips, wanting the dragon wings to be used for spear-like thrusts in addition to hacking.
He wanted to forge this pair of wings into his strongest weapon.
The next day, the Red Dragon and White Dragon launched attacks on the Bloodhoof Clan's two largest outposts; moreover, they didn't just attack, they killed all the remaining guards, stationed themselves there, and officially occupied them.
This news quickly reached the Bloodhoof Clan's headquarters.
Inside the council hall, the atmosphere that had been suppressed for many days relaxed quite a bit, and the Minotaur's breathing became easier.
"Their caution exceeded our expectations, but in the end, they could no longer hold back; they think we've recoiled."
"They want our outposts? Then let them have them."
"We will soon take back everything we lost! With interest, plus the flesh and Soul of the Dragons."
The Minotaur in the hall looked excited, and each one was fully armed, ready to fight at any moment.
They were certain that the strongest Red-Iron Dragon was in Dragon Valley, and they planned to take advantage of the weaker White Dragon and Red Dragon being spread out to launch a full-scale attack on Dragon Valley, first strangling the strongest Red-Iron Dragon, and then turning back to deal with the White Dragon and Red Dragon.
The distance between the Obsidian Mine, the Heavy-armored Rhino Ranch, and Dragon Valley was not short.
Not counting those subordinates, even at the flying speed of a Dragon, by the time they received the news for help, it would take a while for them to arrive as reinforcements.
During this period, the Bloodhoof Clan would capture Dragon Valley.
At this time, an old Minotaur with rare white manes growing on his body looked at Baal and said in a low voice, "The Sacrificial Ritual has been properly arranged; now we just wait for the sacrifices to be in place."
In the Minotaur race, those born with white manes are considered symbols of wisdom.
And it was true; White-maned Tauren often took on the roles of Shamans or Warlocks. This old Minotaur speaking was the highest-ranking Shaman of the Bloodhoof Clan, with prestige second only to Baal.
Under the gaze of many Minotaur.
Baal stood up, his deep, thick voice exploding like muffled thunder, "All leaders of the Bloodhoof Clan, march with me!"
"As always, we will crush all obstacles! Let the blood of our enemies soak our hoofprints, and use their bones to pave the road to glory!"
He was answered by deafening roars; the Minotaur beat their chests, and their battle cries swept through the territory like a tide.
Leaving a portion of the garrison at the base.
Under the leadership of Chief Baal, the many leaders of the Bloodhoof Clan gathered the tribe's combat units, such as elite Heavy Armored Rhino Riders and Mammoth Knights, and began to march toward Dragon Valley in a grand fashion.
With the concealment and enhancement methods of the Shamans and Warlocks.
They were extremely fast and did not cause much commotion as they gradually approached Dragon Valley.