A night of reflection left Colin's state of mind as clear and vast as the sky swept by an autumn breeze.
His desire for "magic" had transformed from an obsession born of failure into a more macroscopic and calm strategic plan. He knew that it would be another important cornerstone on the road to an empire.
But for now, he had more important things to do.
For instance, welcoming an "old friend" who had traveled from afar, carrying immense wealth and infinite possibilities.
On the afternoon of the following day, as the sun passed its zenith and began to tilt westward, the werewolf sentry on guard duty atop the watchtower south of Blackwood Fortress suddenly widened his eyes, his heart filled with pleasant surprise.
He saw it.
At the boundary where the horizon met the forest, a familiar streak of white, rolling like an avalanche, was the first thing to catch his eye.
It was Lady Anna! It was her Snow Giant Wolf, "Moonlight"!
And behind that pure white, there were three hundred uniform, moving black dots. They formed a grim, disciplined phalanx, maintaining a heart-stopping sense of pressure—as if ready to enter battle at any moment—even while on the march.
That was the Wolf Fang Legion! It was the sharpest fang of Blackwood Fortress, capable of tearing apart any enemy!
But that was not all.
It was a dragon.
A long, black-and-yellow dragon, composed of countless wagons, warriors, and livestock, stretching endlessly!
Three hundred Brown Bear People warriors, massive as small hills, guarded the sides of the procession in a loose formation. Most of them wore only rough leather armor or ill-fitting iron armor; some warriors even left their furry, muscular torsos bare. The weapons in their hands were a motley assortment: heavy battle-axes, broken spears, and long sabers that did not fit their stature.
They looked powerful, yet... backward.
Compared to the Wolf Fang Legion in front, fully clad in shining iron armor and wielding standard-issue long sabers, it formed a stark and ironic contrast.
And in the middle of this somewhat "shabby" escort, was the part that truly surprised the sentry.
Drawn by over one hundred and fifty Mountain Bison with imposing horns and bulging muscles, over a hundred large wagons formed a slowly moving dragon that seemed to make the earth groan under its weight.
Every wagon was packed full, bulging high and covered with huge animal hides. From the gaps in the hides, one could smell the unique, grain-like aroma of barley carried on the wind, glimpse dark, smoked dried meat, touch mountains of rough animal hides, and even see white, slightly salty crystals seeping from some of the sacks.
Barley, dried meat, animal hides, coarse salt...
All of this meant wealth, life, and the capital to survive the coming harsh winter for any tribe struggling to survive in the North.
And now, this wealth, enough to drive any medium-sized tribe to madness, was slowly heading toward Blackwood Fortress like a pilgrimage.
He saw, at the very front of the Brown Bear People troop, riding side-by-side with Lady Anna, a familiar, aged figure mounted on a massive war bear.
That was Elder Shield-Bearer of the Brown Bear Tribe!
Soon, the entire Blackwood Fortress was slightly stirred by this news.
Colin had long since received the message sent back by the messenger.
When that black-and-yellow dragon appeared in his field of vision, he had already changed into a proper everyday outfit made of black linen trimmed with wolf fur and was standing personally outside the fortress's massive, unfinished gate.
Behind him, Goff, Priest Sul, Lena, and all the core administrators of Blackwood Fortress stood waiting solemnly.
Elder Shield-Bearer, this high-ranking elder from the Brown Bear Tribal Alliance, rode his giant bear mount, squinting his eyes—which appeared somewhat cloudy with age—as he gazed from afar at the massive city rising from the ground.
His heart was beating uncontrollably and violently.
When was the last time he had come here?
It seemed not that long ago.
But that time, what he saw was a large camp enclosed by wooden fences that, while possessing a basic structure, still appeared somewhat crude.
And this time...
His gaze landed blankly on the majestic city wall that towered into the clouds, constructed from massive blocks of blue-gray stone.
The wall was so thick, so solid, and filled with a cold, desperate sense of oppression. Sunlight shining upon it couldn't even reflect much light; it was as if even the light had been swallowed by the mass of the giant stones.
He saw countless Boar-folk and werewolves busy in an orderly fashion, like worker ants, on the massive scaffolding built from countless pieces of lumber.
The earth-shaking chants, the crisp sounds of hammering, the scene of giant stones being slowly hoisted, full of a sense of power...
Elder Shield-Bearer felt his throat go a little dry.
In his understanding, only those human kings could possibly drive tens of thousands of slavhe 'God-given Potion' that Boulder spoke of, which was bestowed personally by the Wolf God! "