Translator: AnubisTL
On the vast skies of the Frontierlands, the sun rose and set countless times, day and night alternating in endless succession.
Since the Venomtail Tribe's conquest and pledge of allegiance, the Ironforged Tribe's banners had been planted in every corner of the Frontierlands, from east to west, north to south. Garos had officially become the king of this vast territory.
Beyond his existing titles—Lord of the Crimson Wings, Sky-Rending Wing, Ominous Star of Death, and King of the Ironforged Tribe—Garos now bore a new title:
King of the Frontierlands.
With the unification of the Frontierlands, the endless conflicts and disputes among its intelligent creatures came to an abrupt halt. The old tribal structures vanished, leaving only the Ironforged Tribe standing tall on this land, under the shadow of one unquestionable will.
After the war's end, the entire Ironforged Tribe, and indeed the entire Frontierlands, entered a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth.
Along the banks of the Estonian Great River in the south, the destroyed trade hubs were not only rebuilt but also expanded.
Trade negotiations remained primarily managed by the shrewd goblin tribes.
However, the goblins were inherently cunning and difficult to reform, resorting to all sorts of petty tricks.
As a result, additional centaur patrols were stationed along the trade routes to supervise them.
Goblins were strictly prohibited from accepting bribes or demanding tips, as such actions could damage the reputation of trade.
In addition to regular inspections and interviews with passing merchant guilds, goblins were encouraged to report on each other. Verified reports were rewarded generously, while those found guilty of corruption faced severe punishment.
In turbulent times, strict laws were necessary.
In the barbaric and remote Frontierlands, maintaining order and fostering upward development required the deterrent of harsh penalties. Otherwise, the multitude of wild and unruly intelligent creatures, each with their own customs, would have long descended into chaos.
The critical mineral resource sites were also managed with similar rigor.
The most dangerous and labor-intensive work was primarily performed by slaves, formerly defeated warriors. The presence of industrial-grade alchemy golems eliminated the threat of raids and plunder from other tribes, dramatically increasing the efficiency of ore extraction and mining.
Daily, vast quantities of mined and processed ore were collected.
On one hand, raw materials were transported to the Black Iron Plains for processing through the local alchemy industry, producing golems and various alchemy items beneficial to the tribe's development. On the other hand, raw ores continued to be traded along the Estonian Great River. Processed or refined ores were exclusively handled by the Gemstone Merchant Guild.
More advanced and larger-scale alchemy facilities were also under construction.
These items were generally restricted goods, difficult for the Gemstone Merchant Guild to acquire in their entirety, and beyond the capabilities of the Black Iron Plains' alchemy level to produce.
But where there's a will, there's a way.
With enough ingenuity, any obstacle could be overcome.
The Gemstone Merchant Guild, closely allied with the Ironforged Tribe, procured blueprints. They then sourced core components from various countries, shipping them in batches to the Frontierlands for assembly on the Black Iron Plains.
Though the process was cumbersome, it was essential.
With access to more advanced alchemy facilities, the grand artificer, who had profound expertise in golem research, further improved the golem production line, creating mech golems that could be operated by kobolds, hyena-men, and lizardfolk.
The chosen were the most numerous of the familiars.
Even after being used as cannon fodder in previous battles, as long as they weren't wiped out, they would multiply like weeds with sufficient food and resources.
Given their massive population, the grand artificer was able to identify a considerable number of individuals with innate talent for golem operation.
For these low-ranking familiars, becoming a golem operator was like ascending to heaven. Their status would skyrocket compared to their kin who remained cannon fodder or assembly line workers, so they trained with a desperate intensity.
The grand artificer also discovered that kobolds' thought patterns were more uniform than goblins', whose minds jumped between ideas.
By carefully selecting kobolds with synchronized thought patterns and cultivating them, it would be possible to operate large alchemy golems through collective control by multiple handlers.
This prerequisite was not difficult to meet.
Kobolds gave birth to over a dozen young at once, and siblings from the same litter had a high probability of sharing similar thought patterns.
The handlers weren't the problem; they just needed to wait for the Ironforged Tribe's alchemy industry to develop to the point where it could produce the necessary golems.
Without a doubt.
Once the number of alchemy golems and handlers accumulated, the golem guard would become a major force in the Ironforged Tribe, rivaling the Starbreaker's Hammer in importance.
The biggest problem the Ironforged Tribe faced was this:
They lacked skilled personnel in animal husbandry and agriculture, which always led to food shortages.
This was due to the many familiars lost in previous wars.
For now, this wasn't a pressing issue.
But once their territory was fully secured and their population grew again, the food supply would become a critical problem.
At that point, they would either have to expand through conquest or find a way to resolve the food crisis.
"Expansion, war... these are just temporary fixes."
"We must ultimately find a way to solve the food shortage."
After reviewing the Ironforged Tribe's current situation, the spirit energy in Iron Dragon Solgorn's eyes gradually faded, leaving his gaze dim.
Territory development and familiar management.
These were the two primary tasks the red-iron dragon had entrusted to him.
Solgorn had always managed them well.
But as the Ironforged Tribe's territory expanded to encompass the entire Frontierlands, even as a mind mage, he felt waves of exhaustion and weariness.
"Individual thoughts and perspectives have their limitations," he mused.
"To manage a vast empire, I need more than just myself. I need many subordinates whom I can command and trust."
"...I need some dragons as assistants."
Iron Dragon Solgorn was a staunch dragon supremacist, deep down distrusting other races. He was willing to entrust only dragonkind with truly important matters.
"Unfortunately, the current membership of Dragon Valley is still too small."
"To establish a grand Dragon Kingdom, dragons must be the foundation, the core. We need more like-minded companions."
The iron dragon thought.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern Frontierlands...
Boom!
The ground suddenly trembled violently, sending countless stones flying. Massive, sturdy trees were snapped in half, one after another, as dust and debris billowed in a thick cloud.
Finally...
As the swirling dust was scattered by a fierce gale, the red-iron dragon folded its massive wings and pressed its heavy claws into the ice deer's neck, pinning the wild monster lord to the ground. The deer struggled violently, but the dragon's mountain-like grip held firm.
When the ice deer, exhausted and gasping for breath, finally weakened.
Garos's voice echoed in its mind through mind sense:
"Submit or die."
The giant deer let out a mournful cry, its head, now reduced to a stump with only a fragment of its horn remaining, lowered in submission. Its fierce gaze gradually softened into compliance.
Only then did Garos release his grip.
This giant deer was the third wild monster lord he had subdued.
After unifying the Frontierlands, Garos had begun systematically clearing out its wild monster lords. First came the white tiger, then a giant serpent lord in the territory once belonging to the Venomtail Tribe, and now this giant deer.
Each of these lords, with a life grade of at least 15 and high racial stats, would bolster the Ironforged Tribe's strength and become elite combat units.
Even with limited intelligence, they could prove invaluable.
Unfortunately, if the intelligence was correct, this giant deer was the last wild monster lord remaining.
Thirteen wild monster lords.
Ten of them refused to yield, remaining defiant and untamed, while only three ultimately chose to submit.
"Garos."
With a faint, bloodline-like resonance, the voice of the Iron Dragon Solgorn echoed in his heart: "We discussed this before—the idea of emulating the blue dragon community by adopting and raising other dragonkind. I think it's time to put it into action."
He frankly explained the Ironforged Tribe's current challenges and his own limitations, admitting that he was gradually becoming overwhelmed and would benefit from having other dragons as assistants to help manage the territory and familiars.
Garos had already considered finding Solgorn an assistant.
Now that Solgorn himself had raised the matter, and even proposed the idea of adopting dragonkind, and given the Ironforged Tribe's current scale, they could indeed support more dragons—and indeed, needed more dragons.
For example:
If a green dragon were present, its innate talent combined with a suitable class path could greatly alleviate, or even fully resolve, the Ironforged Tribe's agricultural problems.
"Young dragons struggle to survive alone in the wild," Solgorn continued. "If Dragon Valley were willing to offer refuge, any young, juvenile, or juvenile dragons who have endured the hardships of life would gladly join."
"However, I am not their parents and have no obligation to raise or shelter them."
"From now on, any dragon wishing to join Dragon Valley must prove their worth. This place does not support idle dragons."
"Wait a minute... the dragons that might be adopted are likely to be evil dragons who are missing parents. If such dragons become too numerous, won't this place turn into Evil Dragon Valley? I might never shake off the title of 'evil dragon' then, and could even be seen as their leader."
Garos pondered this, but ultimately decided to expand his dragon pack.
Whether they were evil dragons or good dragons, as he grew stronger, Garos cared less and less about the opinions of other creatures.
However, there were few dragons in the Frontierlands. To implement this plan effectively, he would need to start with the Sierre Wilderness or the Permafrost Tundra.
Garos was more familiar with the Sierre Wilderness.
"Sierre Wilderness... I'll send some scout patrols to investigate and pave the way for our return."
"We can't neglect the Permafrost Tundra either. It borders the Frontierlands and is home to powerful barbarians and giants, so we need to prepare for that."
(End of the Chapter)
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