Chapter 264: The Beginning of a New Era

Sunlight filtered through the glass dome, casting shafts of light across the hall of White Castle. The White Dragon Lord, Amos, lay upon his throne at the far end of the long hall, reviewing the summary manifest from the founding ceremony.

Three days had passed since the conclusion of Yafiavi's founding ceremony.

The foreign dignitaries had not rushed to leave after the festivities. With so many powerful figures gathered in one place, it was the perfect opportunity to communicate, exchange views, and trade for what they lacked.

After a round of thoroughly pleasant and shrewd transactions, the guests had departed fully satisfied. By this morning, all of them had left, finally leaving their host, the White Dragon Lord, with some free time.

The White Dragon Lord casually skimmed the catalog of state gifts before losing interest and setting the lengthy manifest aside.

These state-to-state gifts were meticulously selected and incredibly valuable. It was no exaggeration to say that this eight-meter-long list represented a mountain of gold and silver.

However, the vast majority of these gifts were cultural artworks. While highly valuable, artworks were practically useless to him. The stack of trade agreements brought the White Dragon Lord far more comfort.

As the host, the White Dragon Lord naturally intended to squeeze every drop of value from this grand event he had orchestrated.

Over the three days following the ceremony, White Castle had engaged in friendly negotiations with the representatives of various factions, signing numerous trade agreements.

The essence of trade was simply exchanging surplus goods for what was needed.

Therefore, the concept of taking a loss generally didn't exist; it was merely a question of how much profit was made. That margin was determined by each nation's leverage and overall strength. A powerful nation typically held the upper hand at the negotiating table.

This was one of the main reasons the White Dragon Lord had held a military parade.

Thanks to that display of martial might, White Castle's trade negotiations yielded brilliant results, resolving many trade disputes and strengthening cooperation with other nations.

In the White Dragon Lord's eyes, this stack of trade agreements was far more than mere paper—it was an inexhaustible gold mine.

Just as the White Dragon Lord was thoroughly engrossed, the Kingdom's Chancellor, Gurgalu, slowly walked into the hall of White Castle.

Crossing the hall, the Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain—dressed in black Mage robes—approached the White Dragon Lord's desk. Stepping onto the black-and-white marble floor and standing beneath a shaft of sunlight from the dome, he bowed to the massive figure on the throne.

"Master, what are your orders?"

Although the White Dragon Lord had advanced to become a White Dragon King, the Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain still preferred calling him "Master" in private. Partly out of habit, and partly because he felt the title was much more intimate.

The White Dragon Lord looked up from the trade agreements and casually set them on the desk.

"You've been the one receiving most of the guests these past few days. What are your thoughts on dealing with them?"

"To be honest, I felt out of my depth," Gurgalu replied. "Those humans are far too cunning. Dealing with them requires absolute vigilance."

The Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain smiled wryly at first, then puffed out his chest with a proud grin.

"Fortunately, I didn't fail my mission. While we didn't gain a massive advantage in the negotiations, most of the outcomes met our expected goals."

"Most of the envoys sent by the various nations are seasoned veterans who have navigated the treacherous waters of politics for a long time. In contrast, the political environment of the Overseas Archipelago is relatively simple. It is perfectly normal for you to feel out of your depth," the White Dragon Lord said.

"Then, how would you compare the strength of White Castle's negotiating team to the human delegations?"

Gurgalu lowered his heads in thought, mentally comparing the performances of his team with those of the other factions.

"In terms of negotiation skills, White Castle's team is indeed inferior to the others. But we still won."

The number of talents brought back from the Madilan World was limited, and there were many factions attending. Thus, the core of White Castle's negotiating team remained its original personnel. These rough brutes, who only knew how to hack people to pieces, naturally couldn't out-talk seasoned politicians.

The White Dragon Lord gave a noncommittal nod. White Castle's results were indeed brilliant.

"If our negotiating skills are inferior, why is it that White Castle still managed to gain the upper hand at the table?"

Gurgalu froze, his brows furrowing in deep thought. The White Dragon Lord did not rush him, quietly waiting for an answer.

After a long while, Gurgalu spoke tentatively.

"Because... we are stronger than they are?"

"Exactly!"

The White Dragon Lord nodded in satisfaction.

"It's precisely because we are stronger that they actively yielded. Just like how a sheep wouldn't dare anger a lion."

He then asked another question.

"Then where do you think White Castle's greatest deterrent lies?"

Gurgalu lowered his heads to think once more. Was it the powerful Ogre legion? The terrifyingly massive Murloc army? Or the two unmatched Sub-Dragon Legions?!

Unable to figure it out, Gurgalu looked up in frustration at the White Dragon Lord on the throne—and suddenly realized the truth.

"It's you! You are White Castle's core deterrent, Master!"

Though the flattery felt good, the White Dragon Lord shook his head.

"Wrong."

"It is the Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie. It is White Castle's greatest deterrent. Even though it only briefly showed its face, the impact of its presence outweighed the combined total of all the legions in the military parade."

Gurgalu paused. Thinking back carefully, he found it to be completely true. The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, had only made a brief appearance at the banquet on the eve of the founding ceremony.

Afterward, that arrogant High-Tier Legend envoy from the Bolton Dynasty had noticeably softened his attitude toward White Castle.

The White Dragon Lord spoke calmly.

"A faction's strength isn't measured by how many soldiers it has, but by how many top-tier powerhouses it commands. Gurgalu, you should start delegating some of the power in your hands."

A while ago, the White Dragon Lord had assigned an assistant to Gurgalu. However, after observing him for a time, he noticed that Gurgalu hadn't taken the assistant seriously, still insisting on handling everything personally.

Power was intoxicating.

The White Dragon Lord felt it was necessary to give his capable subordinate a gentle warning, keeping him from straying down the wrong path. After all, personal strength was the most important thing.

If a White Dragon Lord with High-Tier Legend combat power lost White Castle, he could simply go to another world and build a new one. It would just cost him a little time. But if White Castle lost the White Dragon Lord, it would crumble into loose sand and likely never recover.

This was the benefit of possessing power that transcended the mundane.

The Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain also understood this logic. He bowed deeply to the figure on the throne. It had taken him over twenty years to grow into a dual-class High Tier professional, and seventy years later, he was only just touching the threshold of the Legendary Rank.

Seeing Gurgalu's realization, the White Dragon Lord felt satisfied.

In truth, Gurgalu's progress wasn't considered slow. Even for humans with the best possible environment for growth, the average age to break through to the Legendary Rank was over a hundred and fifty years old.

Meanwhile, Gurgalu had touched the threshold of the Legendary Rank before even reaching a hundred, all while maintaining two combat classes.

This matched his innate talent as a two-headed ogre and justified the massive amount of resources the White Dragon Lord had invested in him. However, if Gurgalu could focus his mind entirely on his cultivation, his progress would be even faster.

The stick-and-carrot approach was old-fashioned, but it worked exceedingly well. The White Dragon Lord took out the Skull of the Caucasus, an item he hadn't used in a long time.

"For decades, you have rendered countless merits for White Castle. I bestow this Legendary equipment upon you. Consider it returning an item to its rightful owner."

This Legendary equipment, obtained from the Skull-Crusher Ogres, had helped the White Dragon Lord through several crises. But now that his combat power had reached High-Tier Legend, the item's effects were no longer as significant for him. Thus, he was rewarding Gurgalu with it.

Gurgalu looked up in disbelief, watching the blood-red skull slowly float toward him. He was overcome with excitement.

"Thank you, Master! I will definitely focus on my cultivation and strive to step into the Legendary Rank as soon as possible, so as not to disappoint your expectations!"

With trembling hands, Gurgalu received the Skull of the Caucasus, feeling the mysterious, blood-red energy pulsing within the Legendary equipment.

Back then, when the Skull-Crusher Ogre Clan had been defeated, the Skull of the Caucasus had become the White Dragon Lord's spoils of war, a term formally written into their treaty.

Gurgalu had once believed that this Legendary equipment would never again belong to the Skull-Crusher Ogres. He never expected the White Dragon Lord to bestow it upon him today.

Watching the thrilled Ogre Chieftain, the White Dragon Lord gave a slight nod.

"Mm. You are dismissed."

Gurgalu bowed and took his leave.

The White Dragon Lord had sensed the aura within Gurgalu's body. His accumulation in the Half-Step Legendary Rank Realm was incredibly profound; he only needed to pierce the final veil to step into the Legendary Rank Realm.

Gurgalu's breakthrough would mark a beginning. It signified that the core forces of White Castle, cultivated personally by the White Dragon Lord, were about to enter a period of explosive growth and become the absolute mainstays under his command.

After Gurgalu left, the White Dragon Lord returned to reviewing the stack of intelligence reports on his desk. These reports detailed not only White Castle's agreements with other nations but also the treaties between those other nations, gathered by his spies.

Although the White Dragon Lord planned to be a hands-off ruler, understanding the global landscape and the attitudes of other nations toward White Castle was an absolute necessity for him as the King of Yafiavi.

From noon until dusk, the White Dragon Lord read through all the intelligence. He closed his eyes and lay on his throne, organizing the information in his mind.

Suddenly, an uninvited guest appeared at the entrance of White Castle's hall and walked straight in.

Sensing a familiar aura, the White Dragon Lord opened his eyes and lifted his head, quietly watching the visitor's shadow, stretched long by the setting sun.

Old Blind walked calmly to the center of the hall. He lowered his head and took a knee, exactly as he had done when swearing fealty during his first meeting with the White Dragon Lord.

"Master."

His voice carried neither joy nor sorrow, sounding like a wise man who had completely seen through life and death.

The White Dragon Lord looked at the ancient Murloc with a complex gaze. The once bright white scales on Old Blind's body had lost all their luster, growing as dim as the fading life force within him.

"Why have you come?"

"Old Blind, the City Lord of White Scale City, requests permission to return to the army."

The White Dragon Lord frowned slightly.

"You know the state of your own body perfectly well. If you rest properly, you might live to see winter. If you exhaust yourself, you'll struggle to even survive the spring."

Old Blind kept his head bowed, listening calmly to the White Dragon Lord's voice, as if the dying person being spoken of wasn't him at all.

"Master, I do not want to die in a bed."

Old Blind raised his head and puffed out his chest, his single eye staring at the White Dragon Lord with burning intensity.

"I am a Warrior!"

The evening clouds were exceptionally brilliant, painting half the sky a deep crimson. The red light washed over Old Blind's ancient yet unyielding posture. It was dazzling, but it was merely the final glory of the setting sun—just like the spear-carrying Old Blind standing before him.

The White Dragon Lord fell silent.

Has it finally come to this!

The White Dragon Lord was utterly powerless regarding Old Blind's condition. For a Murloc, he had lived far too long. His body was old, and his soul was old.

The White Dragon Lord rapidly chanted an incantation. A moment later, a beam of white light shot from his hand into Old Blind's forehead. A pale blue dragon-head insignia appeared between the Murloc's brows before slowly fading away.

Legendary magic—Dragon's Blessing.

Dragon's Blessing was a Legendary Rank Level single-target buff magic that lasted for a very long time. Normally, it would comprehensively enhance all of the target's physical attributes. Upon encountering a formidable enemy, the mark could be fully activated to drastically increase the target's combat power for a short period—though this full activation could only be used once.

Since Old Blind wished to die a glorious death in battle, the White Dragon Lord would naturally grant his old companion's final request.

"Go find Hogger."

Old Blind looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Staring at the massive figure on the throne, he murmured softly.

"I live for you, and I shall die for you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firmer than adamantine. This was the oath Old Blind had practiced his entire life.

Watching Old Blind walk out of the hall of White Castle, the White Dragon Lord let out a silent sigh. In the end, Old Blind had no hope of breaking through to the Legendary Rank.

And Old Jimmy's condition was barely any better. Old Jimmy was a spellcaster and had far more life-extending methods than a hunter like Old Blind, but he still only had a few years left.

After Old Blind stepped out of White Castle's main gates, the White Dragon felt the shadow behind one of the hall's pillars vanish.

Bucky Darkscale stood in a corner untouched by the sunlight, his eyes complex as he watched Old Blind's retreating back.

Back when the Darkscale Clan was tied up by Old Blind and Old Jimmy and dragged before the White Dragon Lord, Bucky Darkscale had just been a half-grown Murloc. He used to resent Old Blind, cursing him through countless days and nights.

Even later, when he worked alongside Old Blind and Old Jimmy, and the three of them were collectively hailed by the White Dragon Lord as the Murloc Big Three, he had always harbored a grudge, reluctant to interact with them.

It wasn't until a series of later events that he finally accepted the two of them as true comrades.

At this moment, Bucky Darkscale's respect for Old Blind reached its absolute peak. He bowed deeply toward the ancient, fading silhouette.

"Farewell, elder."

Perhaps sensing something, or perhaps feeling a final trace of nostalgia, Old Blind looked back at the White Fort behind him, a gratified smile blooming on his face.