The mountains in the early morning were always shrouded in thick mist, making the Dragon Kings Fortress, built on a leveled mountaintop, seem to be hidden within the clouds.
Only the melodious and deep bells ringing from the Kings Capital far below the mountain and the Dragons Temple of Heroes adjacent to the two peaks made everyone deep within the thick fog feel that they were still in the mortal realm.
The military staff and relevant officials summoned by the Dragon Lord, as well as the military heads of various warbands, stood silently awaiting in front of the towering Fortress, which stood majestically deep within the mist.
Although some talented lucky ones had been summoned to the Fortress by the Red Dragon ,the Great Lord of the Golden Land before, seeing this massive castle again still filled them with genuine awe and wonder.
Especially Bartoli, the commander of the Wyvern Legion, who, despite having patrolled the skies countless times on her Wyvern, had never set foot inside this Fortress.
The Fortress, though only three stories high, had each floor taller and wider than the meticulously built palaces of great nobles in secular kingdoms.
The protruding observation decks on each floor, specifically designed for Dragons to land and take off, appeared to everyone like a dome covering the sky.
The closed main gate, crafted from a single piece of hard, white marble carved with countless exquisite Dragons reliefs, made everyone feel as if they were standing before a giant god's palace.
As the lingering echoes of the melodious bell faded, the grand gate slowly opened, revealing the true appearance of the castle, like a palace where deities resided within the mortal realm.
Rows of white, massive marble pillars, carved and painted with countless patterns, were regularly arrayed, supporting the high dome, where colorful murals of Dragons clawed and bared their fangs, as if they could break through the surface at any moment and pounce from the sky.
Some Scholars, whose eyes were overstrained, couldn't even clearly see the enormous murals on the dome.
And the throne, located deep in the center of the first-floor hall of the Fortress, even for an Elf archer skilled in archery, an arrow shot from the castle entrance would lose its flying power and fall from the air before reaching that majestic, coiled throne.
On the two rows of black stone thrones flanking and guarding the central throne, four majestic Dragons were already coiled, now surveying the many summoned subjects and retainers with their scrutinizing gaze.
"Good day, noble four Dragon Lords,"
"With highest regards, four Dragons sirs, the loyal warriors of Dragons have answered the summons!"
The staff and officials of the Military Affairs Department bowed to the two Dragon Lords with aristocratic etiquette, while Yug the Gnoll, Gibb the Barbarian, and Chiron the Centaur showed more respect, even in their daily armor, they still pounded their chests and bowed in salute.
The few Dragon Lords nodded, returning the courtesy to their subjects, but Alina closed her mouth after responding, ceding control of the meeting to the Blue Dragon Akzi.
The ocean Dragons Nakson and Alfred did the same; although they might possess some military talent, when it came to military affairs, Akzi was the ultimate decision-maker.
The Blue Dragon Akzi did not rush to speak, though he felt a bit anxious, he still exercised a rare patience, allowing these subjects, who had rushed to the Fortress early in the morning, to have fine patterned cloths laid out on the long tables prepared by the maidens.
Then, cups of steaming red tea, plates of raspberry shortbread, almond pieces, sturgeon strips, and soft white bread were served to those who were seated.
However, most of these individuals had already heard some news, especially the head of the intelligence department, so they didn't have much of an appetite for a big meal, only eating a little food and drinking the refreshing red tea, then waiting for the Dragon Lord to speak.
"Tell us the situation," the Blue Dragon Akzi's barely contained patience ran out at this moment, and he addressed the intelligence officer in charge of intelligence.
"According to the investigations from merchant groups and the information compiled by our spies stationed in the Orc Kingdom, the Orc Kingdom has almost exhausted all its naval power in this war, mobilizing all available warships and vessels, and conscripting no less than eighty thousand warriors,"
"The Fishmen allied with the Orc Kingdom are completely untraceable; our spies do not yet include aquatic intelligent races."
The head of intelligence stood up from his chair; he did not take out any written documents but had all this information memorized.
"And the Orc Kingdom's naval force is primarily composed of ten main ships and a hundred sailing battleships, with a number of mast-sail gunboats as escorts; based on troop estimates, there are at least two hundred and fifty ships or more,"
"Among them, the ten main ships, purchased and modified from the human Principality of Greif, are powered by a technology similar to magic furnaces, built from oak trees grown for one hundred and fifty years, their hulls are protected by magical runes, and they are equipped with thirty heavy cannons and twenty enchanted Dragons-hunting ballistas,"
The intelligence officer's expression was serious; he deeply understood the terrifying nature of this fleet. If these ships were to anchor on the sea and open fire together, they would be enough to destroy a wall built entirely of solid stone, and the walls of the Golden City were largely constructed of wood.
The atmosphere in the hall fell silent for a moment, the expressions of every official became solemn, and even those powerful warband leaders looked serious.
Even though they had anticipated numerous dangers when establishing civilization in this wilderness, they hadn't expected that as the territory gradually grew stronger, what they would face would not be the Shock of surrounding monsters and tribes, but the covetousness from the distant Orc Kingdom.
Especially during the period when most of the Dragons were in slumber, the throne of the Red Monarch, who was like a stabilizing force, was vacant, making it difficult for these officials to believe that the remaining evil Dragons would cooperate sincerely with each other and unite all the power within the territory.
Alina saw the silent atmosphere and the somewhat quiet Blue Dragon, and she chuckled softly, her voice clear but with the overlapping echo characteristic of Dragons.
"The Great Lord said before entering slumber that even though Dragons are inherently intelligent, sometimes mortals can possess wisdom no less than that of Dragons, and you all are talents admired by the Great Lord. Are you speechless when faced with such a situation?"
The Bronze Dragon's mockery had an effect, and several warband leaders quickly spoke up.
Chiron the Centaur pounded the armor on his chest and said in a deep voice, "Let those Orc bastards come; the Dragons's warriors will bring them fear and death."
Barbarian leader Gibb also shouted, "Just tens of thousands of Orc cubs, I... my great axe is already thirsty for blood. I'll chop one for each one that comes; it's just a matter of chopping a few more times."
Bartoli, the commander of the Wyvern Legion, pursed her moist lips and did not speak, but her gaze swept over the two warlike warband leaders and the officials who were about to speak.