The four city gates of Goldsea City now had two for entry and two for exit, bustling with traffic and crowds.
Entering were rows of carriages transporting military supplies and armies, while leaving were residents with their families and merchants and adventurers who were stranded here due to the port blockade.
After the declaration of external war was announced, news of the impending war began to spread throughout the territory's taverns, inns, and guilds, and the shadow of war loomed over all cities.
However, many incoming fleets and visitors from afar were still unaware of the news and continued to head towards Golden Harbor, which caused extreme congestion.
Therefore, under the command of the Ocean Dragon Nakson, War Treants, resurrected from various places, slowly marched to Goldsea City and dismantled the city walls facing the hinterland, alleviating the pressure on the city, which still had a large population despite the continuous outflow.
After the residents were evacuated, these War Treants, along with Elf Druids, used spells and their innate abilities to guide forests to the city's outskirts, then transported the felled logs into the city, where they began to construct a circular barbican according to the artisans' plans.
However, most of the buildings in the city were not demolished; their main structures could also serve as part of the barbican's defensive walls, which saved a lot of effort and allowed the massive barbican to be built quickly.
Cylindrical cannons were mounted and secured on the barbican's walls, and giant ballistas on the barbican's corner platforms gleamed with a chilling, man-eating light.
Meanwhile, on the coast, a massive Red Dragon with its four limbs clung to the castle built on the island reef, looking at the newly docked large ships at the pier, from which many ragged people were disembarking to undergo routine registration and inspection by the coastal guards.
Although Golden Land still engaged in population trade, purchasing large numbers of serfs and slaves from noble territories, each long-distance trade voyage brought many people to the territory.
However, with the propaganda from the territory's publicity department and recruited bards, the number of spontaneously migrating displaced people had begun to surpass that of purchased serfs.
The changes and actual conditions within the territory, spread by word of mouth, had gradually made these displaced people believe the news about Golden Land, and they were spontaneously and continuously migrating into the territory.
In addition, many merchant ships, carrying goods such as tea, silk fabrics, and various porcelain collectibles, arrived at the harbor mouth, carefully navigating into the only remaining passage in the crowded harbor.
Now, Dragon Clans Territory was no longer as desperate as it once was, purely serving as a dumping ground for products from various merchant groups and nobles; in the past, ships would arrive laden with slaves, salt, grain, and weapons, but now the Dragon clan had begun to re-export its own territory's products.
The once huge trade deficit was gradually being eliminated; now, Dragon Clan Territory's ships were laden with gold, furs, salt, and various processed ores and ironware, selling them to overseas nations.
The Young Red Dragon Kadilos climbed on the castle, looking down at the ships that continued to arrive even after the port was closed, and couldn't help but be moved by the endless influx of wealth into Dragon clan.
"Damn Orc inferior species, a share of this future wealth will also be mine, Kadilos. How dare you delay me from earning wealth; you truly deserve to be crushed."
The Young Red Dragon's steel teeth gnashed, and the greed in his eyes was about to burst forth; if not for the enslavement contract on him that allowed him to remain clear-headed, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist flying down and plundering all the treasures from the ships.
"Your ships have been requisitioned. You may take all your belongings with you. The requisitioned ships will be compensated by the territory at their appraised value. This is your requisition slip," the Kobold captain on shore said to the captain, accompanied by guards, as they boarded the newly arrived ship.
"This is Earl Kyle's merchant fleet; you cannot do this," the fleet's escorts around the captain picked up their weapons and surrounded them.
"You evil True Dragon's kin, have you finally revealed your true colors? Set sail, set sail! Let's leave this place!" the captain shouted loudly.
But the harbor was full of scuttled ships, countless vessels submerged beneath the harbor's water, and many more ships were being tied together with thick ropes, floating on the surface, blocking the once wide harbor. Ships wishing to turn back needed to be extra careful.
"Hmph, our Wyvern Knight patrol the sea lanes, specifically to dissuade approaching merchant ships. You are also blinded by greed, ignoring our warnings; you deserve to have your ships requisitioned."
The Kobold captain was not afraid of the swords and knives of the tall, well-armored escorts. He didn't even draw his own weapon but instead raised a small command flag.
Whoosh!
The Young Red Dragon Kadilos, clinging to the castle, flapped his wings and landed on the ship's deck. The True Dragon's heavy body caused the entire merchant ship to tremble slightly.
"You damned, cowardly scum, get out of here! Take your things and get off my ship! This ship is mine now!"
The Young Red Dragon snorted Spark from his nostrils, lowered his head, and bared his fangs, intimidating the merchants and guards.
Before these intimidated people could recover, Wyvern Knights from the distant ocean sky blew their clear and rousing horns.
Whoo, whoo...
Everyone and the True Dragon looked back. On the distant sea horizon, a black dot leaped out from beneath the sea, then a multitude of black dots, forming a line.
The next moment, these black dots leaped above the sea surface—they were sails, countless sails, an endless expanse of sails like a forest wall on the sea, forming a line where sea met sky, occupying the entire sea's view.
Hundreds of massive ships formed a resolute wall on the sea, pressing towards the coast. And the Young Red Dragon Kadilos's vision allowed him to see that beside this wall, in the surging tide, countless Fishmen riding sharks were being carried along.
Dense Fishmen, forming an underwater shadow, wider than the wall of ships on the surface, were driving increasingly high waves to crash into the harbor.
The Young Red Dragon spread his massive wings, soared from the ship, and let out a clear roar in mid-air.
"Roar..."
The sentry on the watchtower also blew the alarm horn at this moment, and the bells of Golden City were rung. For a moment, the entire sky was shaken by the sound of horns and bells.
A thick, long iron chain, spanning the entire harbor, slowly rose from the sea and then became taut.
Gahn, a high-ranking noble of the Orc Kingdom, clad in armor, stood on his flagship, gazing at the increasingly close coast.
The surrounding Orc warriors also gathered, their desire for battle and excitement for plunder making these armored Orcs beat their chests and roar.
"Instead of wasting these warriors in the impending civil war, let them become the blade of the Orc Kingdom against outsiders," Gahn straightened his chest. He whispered, "Let's see if we are pawns or heroes!"