Chapter 461: Orders and Conquest

Golden Fortress did not sleep through the night.

At sunrise, the Dans family's guards and servants discovered that the open space in front of the castle's main hall was piled with hundreds of large crates. Each crate bore a lion‑head emblem painted in gold, and when the Lion‑Heart Knights moved and set down the crates, a heavy thudding sound rang out.

Some discerning people recognized that these were the Duke family's special boxes for storing gold coins!

"Heim, on high!"

"With so many Gold Dragons, how much money is that?"

The Lion‑Heart Knights continued to haul crates endlessly from the family treasury, piling them into a mound like a small hill; this golden mountain was surrounded by the Lion‑Heart Knights, barring anyone from approaching.

Whenever the servants passed by, they inhaled a cold gasp and couldn't help but hide at a distance to watch.

The overwhelming majority of Kangjiatuo people could never amass a hundred Gold Dragons in a lifetime, not even filling a small pouch; this amount of Gold Dragons exceeds everyone's imagination. Everyone knows the Duke's family is the kingdom's wealthiest, yet they didn't realize it had reached this level.

What intrigued them most was what the Duke intended to do with so many Gold Dragons.

Amid a murmur of whispers, the Duke appeared.

The guards and servants were shocked to see that the Duke, who for years had been aloof, dignified, and never smiled at subordinates, now bowed respectfully to a stranger young man, even with a hint of flattery, appearing more humble than when King Marck visited Golden Fortress.

"Who is he?"

Everyone watching secretly widened their eyes.

"Honorable Chairman," Duke Dans, leading Lei En, arrived at the clearing, pointed at the mountain‑high crates, and said with a bitter face, "Ten million Gold Dragons are ready."

The expression on his face was not entirely feigned; it was genuine heartache.

The Dans family's lands are rich in gold, possessing many high‑quality gold mines, truly the wealthiest family in Kangjiatuo, yet ten million Gold Dragons is no small sum; although it wouldn't bankrupt the family, it equals decades of wealth accumulation.

Because a few words could cost ten million Gold Dragons, even endless money couldn't withstand it.

Duke Dans now fully understood Lei En's temperament; this man is a robber, utterly unreasonable, and he had been reckless, trying to bribe with money, flaunting his wealth—it's as if he had washed his own neck clean to hand it over to the opponent's sword.

If he could regret, he would have blocked his own mouth last night and not spoken a word.

Consider this ten million Gold Dragons a lesson; if they haggled again, it might become twenty million, even thirty million—this robber could definitely pull that off.

Lei En smiled, nodded, and praised, "The Dans family truly lives up to being the kingdom's wealthiest; pulling out ten million Gold Dragons so easily—impressive!"

His compliment startled Duke Dans.

"Not to hide from you, actually it wasn't easy for me to gather this sum; I mortgaged many family estates and treasures, borrowing from the bank," Duke Dans began to sound impoverished, then adopted a magnanimous demeanor, "but to satisfy you, even if the family's finances are strained, we must squeeze out this ten million Gold Dragons."

Lei En gave him a half‑smile, half‑sneer glance.

Yesterday, when this Duke tried to bribe him, he didn't speak like that; that ostentatious, wealthy tone he had only seen in his past life's coal boss.

Duke Dans felt his heart race with fear.

"Gathering ten million Gold Dragons in a single night—Lord Duke, you are determined," Lei En said, no longer pressuring the other side; overstepping would be counterproductive. If he truly drove the Dans family to desperation, it would harm the restoration plan. When Ai Mi Li Si ascends the throne, the overall situation will be settled, and then they'll squeeze again… no, they'll handle the finances.

This also aligns with Ai Mi Li Si's interests; war is about money, and the Dans family is too rich—such a formidable family cannot be allowed to exist within the kingdom.

Lei En showed no intention of demanding more, which let Duke Dans breathe a sigh of relief.

"Bo Erqi, check it," Lei En said.

The golden three‑headed dragon standing nearby had been impatient for a long time; it casually opened several crates, and instantly a dazzling golden radiance burst forth. Each crate was filled with gold coins—one side bearing a massive dragon head, the other side bearing portraits of successive kings—these are Kangjiatuo's "Gold Dragons".

Bo Erqi's eyes widened, and the nearby Lion‑Heart Knights held their breath for a beat.

Only Duke Dans turned his head away in pain, not wanting to look further.

"Boss, the count is correct," Bo Erqi, with a dragon's innate sense for treasure, confirmed the sum was indeed about ten million Gold Dragons, and reported to Lei En with a face full of zeal and expectation. According to convention, there is his portion inside.

Then he was at a loss: how could he take away so much gold?

The boss and he each owned several magical spatial devices, but their capacities were limited; even if he manifested his true dragon form, he couldn't transport hundreds of crates in one go.

Bo Erqi experienced the difficulty of excess treasure for the first time, both blissful and vexing, and muttered gloomily, "Boss, I can't carry this much gold."

Duke Dans looked elsewhere, his face breaking into a smug smile.

When he turned back, he had adopted a concerned expression, "Honorable Chairman, shall I arrange personnel to send the gold to Baroske, or directly to Mo Du?"

As long as the money is on the road, any mishap could occur.

Moreover, the farther the journey, the longer the delay, allowing some meddling around the ten million Gold Dragons—like releasing a massive lure, drawing attention from all sides, influencing the whole kingdom's situation.

Where the money is sent also matters.

Sending it to Baroske City means handing it over to the Dragon‑born, while sending it to Mo Du hints at letting Lei En keep the money for himself.

Duke Dans hoped Lei En would choose to send the money to Mo Du, directly into his own domain.

Thus, Lei En would certainly not want others to know he had pocketed the ten million Gold Dragons, making it a leverage point; although it couldn't truly threaten Lei En, it might sow discord between him and the Dragon‑born, later adding more chips, perhaps the robber could then be bought off.

He was over 70% sure that Lei En would embezzle the gold.

The colossal wealth of ten million Gold Dragons could even attract the attention of deities; Duke Dans didn't believe Lei En was unmoved, after all he was merely a mortal.

However, Lei En did not follow the usual script.

"Thank you for the Duke's kindness; I can take it myself," Lei En said calmly, his gaze scrutinizing Duke Dans as if seeing through his thoughts, warning, "I don't like others acting on their own; considering these ten million Gold Dragons, I won't argue with you this time."

Duke Dans replied somewhat sheepishly, "I am also considering your interests."

Lei En gave him no further attention.

He stepped forward, loading more than ten crates into the spatial device, along with two rings and a jeweled brooch; in an instant they were all stuffed.

Bo Erqi also loaded away a dozen or so crates.

But these accounted for only a tiny fraction of the ten million Gold Dragons, less than one‑twentieth.

Lei En shook his head inwardly; spatial devices are always rare, and most have small capacities. This time he hadn't brought Galadros, otherwise his void‑chain belt could have taken everything in one go.

He recalled that the Titan Giant elder's exchange list featured a "Nebula Ring", whose capacity was hundreds of times that of a normal spatial device; exchanging one required 1,500 pounds of source crystals. Next time he visited the Storm Sanctuary, he must buy two or three for himself.

Duke Dans, seeing Lei En pause and realizing he couldn't fit any more, sneered inwardly, "I'll see how you take it away!"

If he can't take it, his own chance arrives.

While pondering, the bell tower in Rock Lion City suddenly rang, its clanging alarm echoing throughout the city; the guards atop the tower shouted loudly, "Enemies are invading from the sky!"

"Oh my God!"

"What is that thing flying over?" people pointed at the sky and shouted.

Title: Duke Dans looked up in astonishment; on the southern skyline of Rock Lion City, a swarm of black specks sped toward them, catching the early sunrise. Soon it became clear they were a flock of crimson flying dragons, the sunlight striking their bodies and scattering flame‑like glints.

Each flying dragon carried a knight on its back; they wore deep‑blue armor, a total of forty‑eight knights and dragons, and even from a distance one could feel a terrifying aura.

Koste, still badly wounded, ran out and exclaimed, "Flame Dragons! Where did so many Flame Dragons come from?"

In Rock Lion City, a flying beast also took off.

It was the Scorpion‑tail Lion tamed by the Dans family, a brown, robust lion‑body with a pair of wings; its tail was a long scorpion tail, the tip sharp as a poison needle, its length reaching seven or eight meters. Carrying Lionheart Knights, it took off to meet the enemy, but there were only a little over twenty of them.

The Scorpion‑tail Lion is also a high‑grade beast, yet its strength is far below that of the Flame Dragons, and its numbers are less than half of the opponent's; the situation is far from optimistic.

"Those are my men; have your Scorpion‑tail Lions descend," Lei En said.

Title: Duke Dans and Koste both let out a sigh of relief.

These Scorpion‑tail Lions are the family's elite trump card; countless effort was poured into taming them, and they are rarely deployed, let alone wasted.

Then their surprise resurfaced; Lei En's men actually had a squad of flying dragon knights!

They know how hard it is to tame flying mounts; Kangjiatuo's climate is cold and it produces no griffins, so it cannot cultivate griffin riders like the Empire aristocracy. Apart from their own Scorpion‑tail Lions, only the Etes family has a Snow Eagle Guard capable of flight, which is also Kangjiatuo's most renowned aerial legion.

Rumor has it that Lei En rose to power only a few years ago, yet commands a mighty dragon legion; no one knows how he achieved that.

Soon after the Scorpion‑tail Lions returned to the city, Flame Dragons swooped over the Golden Fortress.

Under the astonished gazes of the people, the Flame Dragons descended; the wings of over forty dragons blocked the sky, whipping up a fierce gale that hurled sand and stones, filling every open space in the Golden Fortress. The dragons had to fold their wings to make room.

Jets of heat streamed from the dragons' nostrils, carrying sparks and crimson flames; the castle, usually cold, turned into a furnace, making everyone break into sweat.

The guards and servants, frightened by the dragons' presence, hid, yet couldn't help peeking out.

Title: Duke Dans, Koste, and the Lionheart Knights felt as if facing a great foe; they realized that, compared to the dragons, the riders on the dragons' backs were even more terrifying. Clad in heavy armor, these knights towered over even the giant elk warriors, resembling moving metal fortresses, their footfalls thudding like a minor earthquake.

"Father, they are the Extreme Warriors who captured Flowing Fortress," Koste whispered.

Title: Duke Dans nodded silently, his heart cold.

Scouts the family placed in Baroske City sent word that this powerful transcendent legion, within fifteen minutes, defeated the River Bay forces of Flowing Fortress with only a few dozen men. Earlier intelligence gathered from the Empire also mentioned Extreme Warriors; this was their first appearance, and it is said that thirteen of them held back the onslaught of tens of thousands of Undead Army.

Back then he thought it was nonsense and paid it no mind; now, having truly seen the Extreme Warriors, he knows the rumors were true!

"Boss!"

Xika Liusi walked up to Lei En and shouted, "We arrived late; the distance was a bit far, so we rested on the road for half an hour."

Lei En nodded; last night he used primal symbiosis to have the Extreme Warrior Corps rush over through the night, arriving faster than expected, and ordered, "Take these crates back."

The Extreme Warriors looked at the mountain of crates; they were seasoned, knowing these were all gold!

Whenever the boss makes a fortune, everyone gets a share.

At once the Extreme Warriors erupted with excitement, booming, "Yes, boss!" and hurriedly loaded the crates onto the Flame Dragons' backs. Given each dragon's carrying capacity, each could easily lift a dozen or so crates and take off, needing only one or two short rests mid‑flight.

In less than ten minutes, hundreds of crates were secured on the Flame Dragons' backs, one after another taking off.

Title: Duke Dans and the others stared in amazement.

But what astonished them even more was Bo Erqi; in a flash of light, he transformed into a massive creature bearing gold, red, and black colors, its body covered in golden‑like scales, exuding an overwhelming dragon aura that sent the Lionheart Knights scattering in panic.

"Great Dragon!"

"So he is that golden three‑headed dragon!"

Title: Duke Dans and Koste were both a bit stunned, watching Lei En step onto the Great Dragon's lowered neck and mount its back. Ding Laji also sat beside Lei En, looking down at himself with a victor's smile; his short stature seemed enlarged against the backdrop of the massive dragon.

Before taking off, Lei En produced a communication device and tossed it to Title: Duke Dans, instructing, "Use this to stay in contact, summon your troops, and await my orders at any time."

"I don't want our next meeting to be to eliminate you; take care of yourself."

Lei En's words were blunt, both command and threat, leaving no doubt, completely trampling the dignity of the Dans family beneath his feet.

Title: Duke Dans caught the communication device; under the dragon's intimidating presence, he dared not show any resistance, bowing his head and replying, "Yes, the Dans family obeys your command."

Amid the gale stirred by the dragon wings, the Great Dragon sped away, and the looming dragon aura above vanished.

After a long while, Title: Duke Dans finally straightened his posture.

He gazed at the Great Dragon and the flock of flying dragons disappearing on the horizon, his expression complex, letting out a long sigh as he gently tucked the communication device back into his coat.

(End of Chapter)