The faint, scarlet light of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the ruins, casting elongated shadows across the broken stones. The shadows of the few remaining lizardfolk stretched long and distorted on the ground, like the veins of a giant, wounded beast, quietly spreading across the desolate earth.
In this moment of silence, the silence itself carried a strange, oppressive weight. The air, heated by the day's sun and the residual warmth from the ruins, was thick and heavy, carrying the scent of decay and a faint, coppery tang of blood. The occasional breeze could not dispel the lingering heat, only stirring up dust that danced in the crimson light.
After a long while, the silence was finally broken by a soft, hesitant voice.
"Great... Great One?"
Sekashi, after staring at the scarlet, vein-like shadows spreading across the ground for a long time, finally swallowed hard and cautiously turned to the figure beside her, asking, "Great One, is this... is this the place?"
The figure beside her, the one she called "Great One," remained silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling upon Sekashi, and smiled slightly. "What else could it be?"
"But... but this is the sacred ancestral land of the Frostscale Righteous Ones, the... the place where their glory once shone..." Sekashi stammered, her words tangled as she tried to reconcile the images from the legends in her mind with the desolate ruins before her. After a long pause, she still couldn't find the right words, her face eventually showing a look of despair and confusion.
The Great One looked at her bewildered expression, seemingly thinking of something, and the warmth in his eyes softened a bit, making the surrounding oppressive heat feel slightly more bearable.
"Perhaps it's hard for you to understand, but in my eyes, this is indeed their ancestral land. However, it's also the place where the Frostscale Righteous Ones, after being defeated in the war against the Orcs, were completely destroyed by chance."
"Of course." The Great One nodded.
Before the Frostscale Righteous Ones were completely wiped out, they had left behind a rather detailed record of knowledge and a mysterious treasure known as the "Pillar of Crimson Frost."
According to the records within the ancient jade box of the Crimson Frost Pillar, there were a total of nine such pillars. They were the core sacrificial altars of the Frostscale Righteous Ones. From the perspective of mobilizing the power of the tribe, their function was similar to that of a totem pole, but they were even more crucial as a medium for communication.
Each pillar was inlaid with gems of different colors and properties, possessing powerful magical abilities.
However, after the war with the Orcs, the surviving shamans of the tribe seemed to have discovered something. They first used the power of the right hand's ruins to seal away the nine Crimson Frost Pillars.
Therefore, the key to unlocking the Frostscale Righteous Ones' inheritance and restoring their former glory lies here, in this desolate land.
However, the truth is, I came here not for the Frostscale Righteous Ones' inheritance, but for the lizardfolk shaman Sekashi, who is now the Frostscale Righteous One Sekashi.
Given the level of power displayed by those gems, it's clear that Sekashi's identity is no simple matter.
But since she is willing to follow me and serve as a scout, then she is a good lizardfolk.
"These Crimson Frost Pillars... are they very important?" Sekashi licked her lips, asking curiously.
The Great One looked at her and nodded slightly. "Of course they're important, perhaps even the cornerstone of the Frostscale Righteous Ones' existence."
These nine pillars are the key to activating the Frostscale Righteous Ones' hidden power. It is said they also conceal the secret of a branch of the tribe's extraordinary heritage.
After gaining control of the former Frostscale Righteous Ones' king—Bicun Yan—his extraordinary bloodline was precisely sealed within these nine pillars.
Before the extraordinary, I might have been like those ignorant fools, eager to become a powerful being by mastering this power.
But now, I have sealed the pillars, so the Frostscale Righteous Ones are finished. The inheritance I have sealed within the pillars also contains a similar space, and only by mastering the power within that space can we smoothly enter the restricted area of loyalty and suppress that inheritance.
"After all, the surviving shamans... are not ordinary beings who can be easily controlled." The Great One sighed softly.
Compared to the knowledge left behind by the Righteous Ones, the surviving shamans are indeed more difficult to deal with. Even though the forms they take after restoration are uniformly magnificent, they are not ordinary creatures that can be easily subdued with smoke and mirrors.
This thought alone made me think of something even more terrifying—the division of shamans among the former palace's terrifying group, the "Fish-Scale" shamans.
Actually... we had already made contact and attempted communication before the war with the Orcs, but it was only after the war, when the situation stabilized, that we began to secretly search for suitable terrifying mounts.
No matter how you look at it, terrifying shamans are too difficult to deal with and bring back. Even if the Orc King's staff is involved, it's probably not a good deal. Considering we might need to face more enemies.
It would be better to find a suitable mount in the wild father's singing sand, making the signing process easier. Who knows, maybe this time we'll encounter a shaman with unexpected talents, helping us resolve the troubles in our capital.
Sekashi watched the Great One gaze at the ruins with a complex expression, her fingers twitching slightly as if she wanted to understand something. She raised her head, her eyes filled with a look of confusion and struggle.
Just as the confusion was about to reach its peak, a clear, pleasant dragon's roar came from the sky.
Under the Great One's gaze, a figure wrapped in dark blue flames and black smoke broke free from the restraints of the right fog pot and the violent, bloody net, landing high in the air.
It circled in the sky above the Crimson River for a moment, then let out a clear cry, folded its hard wings, and gracefully landed in front of Sekashi, retracting its sharp claws.
"Penny." Sekashi called out its name affectionately.
The figure called Penny moved its right wing as if performing a charming smile. The fierce and imposing aura from moments ago instantly vanished, replaced by a playful and lively demeanor. It happily ran to Sekashi's side, lowering its right claw's head, affectionately and gently rubbing against her palm, its throat emitting a comfortable, rumbling purr.
Sekashi stroked Penny's soft, dark blue feathers, then turned to the Great One beside her and explained, "Great One, this is my contracted partner, Penny. You can trust it. Just now, it went to scout the movements of the terrifying shamans in my hometown and has just returned from scouting the area ahead."
The Great One blinked, curiously observing the contracted beast before him.
To be honest, it was surprising that a lizardfolk's contracted beast could actually serve a king. It was truly unbelievable.
A "contract heritage" that could not only make Sekashi serve as a forward scout but also make the contracted partner serve as a flying mount.
No wonder this contracted beast looked so impressive, with a clean and elegant appearance, clearly well-bred and difficult to obtain.
Not only could it understand Sekashi, but it could also serve as an excellent flying mount.
Penny noticed the Great One's gaze. It blinked its large eyes, tilted its head to look at the Great One, its eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry.
It cautiously approached the Great One, lowering its well-bred head, its throat emitting a few questioning chirps, as if asking, "Are you friendly? Are you an enemy? Or are you difficult to deal with?"
After Sekashi gestured for the Great One to mount up, Penny let out a clear cry, flapped its wings a few times, soared into the sky above the Crimson River, spread its right claw's wings, and with powerful force, gracefully took off.
It swiftly flew towards the front line of the war and the shield wall's decline. Soon, it saw the war camp's screening formation from a distance. After confirming the location of the loyalty decline's return point, it made a standard flying gesture and dove towards the previously visible checkpoint.
The contracted beasts on the ground, seeing Penny carrying Sekashi suddenly return, all let out low roars, circling as if welcoming the return of this lizardfolk sister.
Semaya, after happily letting out a temporary cry, immediately showed a look of serious illness. Just as Sekashi and the Great One had returned to their original positions and dismounted, she immediately rushed over to hug her.
"Sister, you're back." Sekashi, like a little chick returning to its nest, shamelessly rubbed against Semaya's military uniform's palm, her voice cheerful.
Only after the two sisters had finished their intimate reunion did Semaya calm down, seriously looking at Sekashi, reluctantly admitting she was a bit tired and had been waiting for this moment to finally relax.
The war camp fell into low whispers, the tense atmosphere gradually replaced by a warm and comfortable feeling.
After all, their comfortable swamp had been warmed up. It was unclear how the tribesmen would feel, but for now, the moment was warm...
"The changes in the swamp will be much more troublesome than you imagine." The Great One explained, having already sat down on a small, warm backrest, gesturing for them to sit down.
"Let's sit down first, Sekashi, Semaya."
The Great One shook his small, warm cup, stood up straight, and walked forward with the Great One.
"Sit down... okay!"
Sekashi nodded obediently, and with Semaya, they rode Penny. Amid the cheering of the contracted beasts, they spread their wings and took off.
They quietly entered the rapidly declining front line, following the previously estimated rendezvous point, heading towards the warm Orc King's staff.
...
In a remote corner of the Orc King's territory, within a right-claw war camp, a terrifying army of a hundred elite warriors from the Dragonfang Legion was stationed.
Strange, thick-skinned orc tents and simple wooden structures formed a temporary resting area, with simple wooden fences serving as a rudimentary defense.
In the center of the strange camp stood a tall, mottled pillar, inlaid with strange gems, ritual vessel patterns, and some unfamiliar symbols.
The orcs here were even taller and more robust than ordinary orc soldiers, equipped with even cruder orc armor. They stood guard at the camp's perimeter, shouting and making noise, noisily eating smelly food and drinking, creating a chaotic scene.
But in the center of the strange camp, a simple wooden table gave off an unusually solemn atmosphere.
"...The Dragonfang Legion, under the command of the father of the nation, is stationed here to guard the Orc King's staff, awaiting further orders for the next operation... The legion's personnel are complete: Dragonfang Orcs, Redtooth Orcs, Boulderfang Orcs... and many low-ranking mixed-blood soldiers, all in good condition." An orc officer reported in a deep voice.
The wooden table was silent, with only the crackling of the campfire burning and the occasional whisper of the soldiers, as well as the heavy breathing of the orc behind him.
Sitting at the end of the table was a particularly tall and robust orc. His body lacked the exaggerated muscles typical of orcs, wearing only a simple, tattered leather vest, revealing strong, bulging biceps.
He just sat there quietly, yet exuded an oppressive aura that made it difficult to breathe.
He was the commander of this terrifying vanguard army, the right-hand man of the terrifying orc king "Hong'er Chayan"—"Shieldbreaker" Shuyan Wa.
Although this commander was just a fierce orc, in the eyes of the soldiers, his status was not low. In terms of respect, ordinary orc soldiers revered him even more.
They feared Shuyan Wa, feared his power, feared his strength.
After the report, Shuyan Wa did not speak. His scarlet eyes swept over the reporting orc officer: "The Orc King's staff? The one that took over the Shadowveil Swamp and the Wild Father's slime creature?"
"Yes, Commander Shuyan Wa." The orc officer quickly replied, "They have powerful allies and can ride giant right dragons."
Right dragons?
This statement made the orcs in the tent freeze for a moment.
Shuyan Wa pondered for a moment, his thick fingers tapping the armrest of the chair. After a long while, he slowly nodded, "It seems we've underestimated the threat of this creature. Being able to tame a right dragon, plus the Dragonfang Legion under the father of the nation's command, this is not something that can be dealt with easily. They must have considerable strength."
His words carried a hint of caution and careful consideration.
Here, Shuyan Wa suddenly raised his head and spoke, his voice rough and hoarse, with the unique accent of an orc: "Orcs, since they've taken our land, I'll lead the Thunder Prison Execution Squad to crush them."
Shuyan Wa raised a golden rope, his gaze sharp, carrying an undeniable authority, suppressing the surrounding soldiers.
"Strength, there are many forms." He slowly explained.
Brute force is strength, tactics are strength, magic is strength... right dragons, similarly, are strength. Our Hong'er Chayan's shamans are not just blindly pursuing power, but strategically threatening the enemy's vital points with fire.
Considerable sacrifice is required to expand against the enemy, so we must use methods that can both display strength and demonstrate power.
He sneered, "Besides, do you think they can hide from a king capable of taming a right dragon? That Orc King has long since noticed the foundation of the terrifying creatures. He has already seen Hong'er Chayan's intentions."
"Moreover, we are currently fully prepared to hide from the expansion."
"Ambush? Trap? A little river-silent trick? We are warriors, the kind of cunning and despicable tricks used by those hiding in research labs are just child's play."
"We are orcs, true Hong'er Chayan orcs. What we rely on is naked strength and dominance, our weapons, our muscles, our ferocity—that is the best language."
"Power, needs a suitable carrier." His voice grew low and firm in the silence, "Since fate has given us the strength to be proud of, then... actually, we should seize a form."
He sneered, revealing a plan that made all the orcs present hold their breath:
"Assimilation."
"As... assimilation?" The soldiers around the table suddenly looked up, their faces pale, almost doubting their own hearing.
According to their original plan, they were only going to capture the Orc King's staff, take over the Shadowveil Swamp, and use the swamp as a reason to engage the creature in battle, always maintaining a four-square formation to advance.
Shuyan Wa's plan was completely different. "Don't doubt, what's wrong with that? We have strength, we have air power, and we have our newly acquired seedlings and appearances."
"Our Hong'er Chayan has more powerful allies, and... the terrifying momentum that has swept back. Why waste time fighting a powerful enemy who only has a right dragon to the point of mutual injury in a strange land? Why not use assimilation to deal with that occupying, hungry, burning demon?"
"As long as the king can obtain the scale of the creature king's power, in return, the attitude of the Fish-Scale will surely be able to smoothly send the army back, completely terrifying the father, truly obtaining the king's sinking map."