Chapter 386: The King of the Tides' Conch

Mid-conversation, the White Dragon Lord and the King of the Thunder Prison looked toward the Teleportation Platform. Vimina and a massive crimson figure appeared on the platform. The crimson figure was a copper dragon, one of the Metallic Dragons.

Upon seeing the copper dragon, the King of the Thunder Prison stared in sheer terror, as if he had just seen a ghost, and immediately turned to leave.

"Whoa! Isn't this Quinnas? Why are you leaving in such a hurry!"

A somewhat frivolous voice rang out from behind him. The King of the Thunder Prison, Quinnas, froze mid-step. Turning his head mechanically, he saw the smiling copper dragon and forced a stiff smile.

"If it isn't His Excellency Crimson Flame Streamer!"

Hearing the name Crimson Flame Streamer, the White Dragon Lord's heart skipped a beat.

"I just remembered something I have to do. Heloise, arrange rooms for these two."

Before either dragon could react, the White Dragon Lord teleported away, leaving the King of the Thunder Prison alone to face the legendary Crimson Flame Streamer.

In his heart, the King of the Thunder Prison furiously cursed both the White Dragon Lord and Crimson Flame Streamer, but he forced himself to maintain his smile.

"Quinnas, why is your smile so strained? Come, I'll tell you a joke to cheer you up."

With that, the copper dragon, Crimson Flame Streamer, strode over to the King of the Thunder Prison. Acting as if they were old friends, he draped a wing over the blue dragon and followed the moon elf banshee toward their quarters.

"Once upon a time, there was a temple. The high priest in the temple was telling a story to a little cleric. And what were they saying? Once upon a time, there was a temple. In the temple..."

The White Dragon Lord teleported to the control room of the White Tower and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Why did this guy end up here too?"

The copper dragon, Crimson Flame Streamer, was an absolute anomaly among the Metallic Dragons. He did not live in the Platinum Dragon God's sanctuary on the Seven-Layered Celestial Mountain, nor did he reside in the Star Realm with the Gem Dragon King. Instead, he lived in Tiamat's Evil Scale Fortress.

Like all copper dragons, Crimson Flame Streamer's favorite pastimes were pulling pranks and telling jokes. However, his sense of humor was abysmally terrible. The dragons within the Evil Scale Fortress suffered deeply for it; the fact that Crimson Flame Streamer hadn't been beaten to death was a testament to his immense strength.

The White Dragon Lord calculated mentally. The Ancient Gold Dragon, himself, the Flame of the Molten Mountain, the Black King, the Matron of Venom, the King of the Thunder Prison, and Crimson Flame Streamer—so far, seven great High-Tier Legendary Dragons had gathered in the Muxinge Plane, alongside one hundred and fifty-four Legendary Dragons.

This force completely overpowered the Titans. It was time to formulate an attack plan. The plan had to account not only for the Titans but also for the interests of the dragons.

Among the seven High-Tier Legendary Dragons, the Flame of the Molten Mountain's main goal was the Lord of Red Lotus's head. The Black King aimed to slaughter as many Titans as possible to earn Tiamat's rewards after death. The King of the Thunder Prison's target was highly likely the Mother of Lightning, who shared the same elemental affinity. Only the Matron of Venom and Crimson Flame Streamer had unclear intentions.

Although the solitary Crimson Flame Streamer's motives were unknown, it was unlikely he had any conflicting interests with White Castle. The Matron of Venom, on the other hand, might have come to curry favor with Tiamat, or she might have her sights set on the Muxinge Plane itself—or perhaps both, given that she was not just a priestess of the Dragon Queen but also a territorial lord.

Having figured this out, the White Dragon Lord called all the dragons together for a meeting.

The Dragon Race respected strength above all else. The seven High-Tier Legendary Dragons sat in a circle while the numerous Legendary Dragons listened from the periphery. As the initiator of this operation, the White Dragon Lord spoke first.

"Everyone! The lessons of ancient times teach us that when facing Titans fighting in formation, fighting alone will only bring defeat. We need a systematic attack plan."

Even the most arrogant Flame of the Molten Mountain could not refute this point. After all, those bitter ancient lessons were deeply etched into the Dragon Inheritance. Seeing no dragons object, the White Dragon Lord continued his speech.

"I have analyzed the current situation. Our strength completely exceeds that of the Titans. We have two choices. The first is to declare war directly and crush the Titans with absolute power. The second is to continue hiding our strength and use the information gap to lure the Titans into taking the initiative, further expanding our advantage."

The dragons fell into thought. Only the Flame of the Molten Mountain seemed a bit impatient.

"Hide what? We have so many dragons! Let's just smash the bastards!"

The Black King spoke up. "Amos, tell us about the second plan first."

The White Dragon Lord nodded and continued, "My idea is this: over the past few days, the Titans have remained on the defensive. The Lord of Red Lotus has been asking the Sincaro Titan World for reinforcements. As their forces grow, the Titans will inevitably launch an attack. Once they leave the protection of their magic towers, we can swarm them and wipe them out, expanding our advantage once again."

"Easier said than done!"

The King of the Thunder Prison sounded somewhat unconvinced.

"Titans aren't idiots..."

"That is why we need bait," the White Dragon Lord interjected. "If this is approved by a vote, I will immediately begin preparing it."

The dragons perked up their ears to listen. The White Dragon Lord elaborated, "I plan to use Murlocs to feign an occupation of the ocean, luring the Titans out to take the bait."

The dragons considered the feasibility of the White Dragon Lord's plan and realized it was actually a brilliant idea. Neither the molten titans nor the Mother of Lightning's race were adept at naval combat. The White Dragon Lord's plan to conquer the ocean was highly practical in itself, making it a logical move that wouldn't arouse the Titans' suspicions.

Seeing the gleam in the dragons' eyes, the White Dragon Lord knew his plan had succeeded.

"Following the principle of majority rule, let's vote now. Those in favor of the second plan, raise your claws."

The White Dragon Lord, the Ancient Gold Dragon, the Matron of Venom, the Black King, and Crimson Flame Streamer raised their claws in agreement. The result was without suspense. The Flame of the Molten Mountain and the King of the Thunder Prison had no choice but to accept the outcome.

"I will start preparations right away. To avoid being discovered by the Titans, everyone should stay inside the White Tower until they come knocking."

The White Dragon Lord had the dragons enter the White Tower, settling them on the second floor where the dragon beasts had previously lived. He then steered the White Tower deeper into the ocean.

Moving into the deep sea was partly to fully commit to the act and make it look authentic, and partly to lure the enemy further in. If they were too close to the continent, the Titans might just flee straight back to land.

After several hours of searching, the White Dragon Lord found a small island suitable for setting up a Portal. He erected the gateway and activated it.

"Willy, return to Yafiavi. Conscript Murlocs from the surrounding areas and bring them into the Muxinge Plane. Any strength level will do."

"Understood!"

Even though the White Dragon Lord implemented population control over the Murlocs, their numbers in the Afiaiv Kingdom had kept growing and had now reached eight hundred million.

Returning to Nordhill, Willy easily located several large Murloc tribes and conscripted them. A dense swarm of Murlocs flooded through the Portal, plunging into the ocean of the Muxinge Plane.

With the White Dragon Lord's help, the Murlocs cleared out the dangerous creatures in the water and quickly established a firm foothold in the ocean. They began construction, putting on the appearance of intending to settle there permanently.

Three days later, the White Dragon Lord shut down the open Teleportation Platform. By this time, the number of dragons inside the White Tower had reached three hundred, but there were still only seven High-Tier Legendary Dragons.

The time was ripe. Under the White Dragon Lord's orders, some of the Murlocs began to approach the continent, drawing near to human settlements.

...

On the other side, the Lord of Red Lotus had long since discovered the abandoned camp in the Grey Wolf Mountain Range Red Leaf Valley and the deserted Sea-Calling City. Realizing the enemy had retreated in the face of difficulties, he immediately decided to host a victory banquet.

While the Titans were holding their triumphant revelry, the Puppet Dynasty suddenly sent news that strange creatures had been spotted by the sea. They captured two specimens and delivered them directly to the Lord of Red Lotus.

Looking at the Murlocs tossed onto the floor, the Lord of Red Lotus's expression instantly darkened.

The white dragon hadn't left!

The Lord of Red Lotus cast a mind-link spell on himself and the Murloc, extracting its memories. His expression grew grimmer by the second, while the Mother of Lightning interrogated the other Murloc.

"Hahaha! Madahak! It looks like this white dragon wants to be your neighbor."

The Mother of Lightning's eyes held a complex look. The White Dragon Lord's move had struck the Achilles' heel of both Titans.

Because water conducted electricity, the Mother of Lightning could not use her lightning magic in the ocean—it was equivalent to pulling a tiger's fangs. As for the molten titan, the crippling suppression he would face in the sea went without saying.

He would never tolerate an enemy encroaching on his domain. The Lord of Red Lotus gnashed his teeth in fury.

"Hmph! That damned dragon! Does he think I have no options just because he's hiding in the sea?"

"What options do you have? Charging into the ocean to challenge an aquatic True Dragon? Give me a break. You can go if you want, but I'm certainly not going."

"Sindona, you are exactly the same as before. You only believe in yourself and only try to solve problems on your own. Sometimes, we must properly rely on the power of others."

The Mother of Lightning raised a brow. She felt somewhat defiant but had to admit that the Lord of Red Lotus was right.

The Lord of Red Lotus continued, "I have a Tide Titan friend, the King of the Tides—Philip Selton. I will invite him over, and when the time comes, I'll need to borrow your Floating Tower."

"Fine. Let's just hope your friend is reliable."

Seeing the Mother of Lightning agree, the Lord of Red Lotus summoned a subordinate and whispered a series of instructions. The subordinate quickly left.

"Before Philip arrives, we must first lock down the dragons' exact location."

The Lord of Red Lotus called forth his handful of aquatic titans and aquatic giants. Three Tide Titans led about fifty Tide Giants to kneel before the Lord of Red Lotus. This comprised the entirety of his naval forces.

"I have a task for you."

The Lord of Red Lotus pointed at the Murloc corpses in the hall.

"Find the source of these Murlocs! It's highly likely they were brought here by that white dragon! Their master might very well still be in this world. Find him! And I shall grant you supreme glory!"

"Understood!"

The three Tide Titans led the Tide Giants away, traveling all the way to the coast and wading into the frigid seawater.

After entering the sea, the titans and giants scattered to gather intelligence, only to find the ocean utterly crawling with Murlocs.

...

"Brother, news has come from the Black Clam Murloc tribe. Their village on an island near the continent was attacked, and not a single Murloc survived. Massive footprints were found at the scene."

"It seems the Titans have already made their move. But to make the act convincing, we can't let them find the White Tower's location so easily."

The White Dragon Lord pondered for a moment.

"Willy, take the legendary Murlocs and the Murloc army and hunt down the Titans that have entered the ocean."

Willy chuckled.

"Understood!"

Looking at the highly motivated Willy, the White Dragon Lord couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the fate of those Tide Titans and Tide Giants.

"Be careful now. Don't wipe them all out. We still need them to pass along information."

"I know."

Willy was no longer the little hatchling he used to be. As a Level 22 dragon and a Legendary Rank Warrior, taking on two ordinary legendary beings at once was a walk in the park for him—not to mention he was backed by three legendary Murloc powerhouses and an army of tens of thousands of Murlocs.

Over the next two days, Willy led his swarms of Murlocs tearing across the ocean, hunting down any Tide Titans and giants that exposed their tracks. They slaughtered nearly thirty giants, and even a Tide Titan fell. And this was all while Willy was holding back.

...

Through the intelligence gathered over these past few days, the Lord of Red Lotus grew increasingly certain that the White Dragon Lord hadn't left. The latest signs indicated that the Murlocs had begun infiltrating inland along the riverways. Such aggressive expansion tactics proved the entity backing the Murlocs was confident it could match the Titans, and only a powerhouse of the same tier could rival another powerhouse.

The casualties among the Tide Titans and Tide Giants were mounting, and their reluctance to fight was severe. The Lord of Red Lotus recalled them.

Although the Tide Titans had not pinpointed the White Dragon Lord's exact location, they had amassed substantial data on the Murlocs. The Lord of Red Lotus ordered the Tide Titans to compile the Murlocs' presence into a distribution map, which he used to deduce the Portal's general coordinates.

"Madahak, how is it?"

A titan pushed the door open and walked in. This titan had blue-green skin, a thick beard like seaweed, and a bulging beer belly. A conch hung around his neck by a red string. This Tide Titan, who dared address the Lord of Red Lotus by his true name, was none other than the King of the Tides—Philip Selton.

"We've locked down the general area, but we'll need to conduct further reconnaissance once we get there to pinpoint the exact location."

The Lord of Red Lotus handed the Murloc distribution map to the King of the Tides. The King of the Tides took it, saw the large circle the Lord of Red Lotus had marked on the map, and nodded.

"This is enough. When the time comes, we will use magic to flush them all out."

"Good. I'll notify Sindona to depart immediately."

With that, the Lord of Red Lotus sent a message to the Mother of Lightning.

"Sindona, it's time to move."

"The Floating Tower is ready to deploy at any moment. Bring your people over."

Once the Lord of Red Lotus confirmed the Floating Tower was prepared, he ordered his pre-selected forces to board it.

Since the battlefield was out at sea, the Lord of Red Lotus excluded the fire element titans, who were unsuited for naval warfare. Coincidentally, they made up the bulk of his forces, making them perfectly suited to stay behind and guard their territory.

The Mother of Lightning steered the Floating Tower, now carrying eighty titans, into the sky, soaring toward the ocean.

"Sindona, you'd best activate the invisibility array right now. That cunning white dragon sent Murlocs infiltrating the inland rivers. His minions might expose our movements."

"Hmph!"

The Mother of Lightning piloted the cloaked Floating Tower toward the sea. They flew all the way to the boundary separating the regions scouted by the Tide Titans and the uncharted waters. The King of the Tides called for a halt. He flew out of the Floating Tower and stood upon the surface of the sea. His fat, massive hands lifted the conch, pressing it to lips that were entirely hidden beneath his thick beard.

Wooo~ Wooo~ Wooo~!