Beneath the Red Dragon

”If you do not choose me, then you must face me!”

When Karon Gogomola uttered this sentence, it did not seem boastful or threatening. Instead, the other Kings sensed a powerful confidence in this Giant Dragon Emperor.

It was the self-assuredness of a strong being, recognizing one’s own power, and having the confidence and conviction to overcome every obstacle. Their inner belief was strong and unyielding.

Just as within the hearts of these Kings, there existed a similar self-focus.

When a person’s inner strength matches their power, and both are sufficiently strong, you can sense the hurt in others when they criticize you.

When others flatter you, you perceive their need for acknowledgment.

In the eyes of such a strong person, all relationships in the world can actually be explained by a projection of immense fear, external factors cannot alter their inner thoughts, nor can they shake their will.

The other Kings did not easily become angry because of Karon Gogomola’s words, as they were weighing the strength of the Golden Empire.

The Golden Empire held this meeting and displayed part of its strength in front of these rulers, akin to a military parade, showcasing its power.

Mogyes, the Multi-armed Giant, might not understand some aspects of the Golden Empire’s power assessment, but the other true Monarchs had to pay high attention to it.

Brushing aside the morale and strength of the Golden Empire’s warriors, the heavy armor worn by those legion warriors and the weapons they wielded demonstrated the terrifying scale of the Golden Empire’s production capability.

Even in the Hill and Mountain Dwarf Kingdom, solely focused on crafting weapons and armor, equipping so many warriors would require at least decades of accumulation.

Yet, the Golden Empire now claimed to have armored a hundred thousand, and the entire Dragon Country since its founding till now hasn’t even spanned twenty years.

If the said hundred thousand armored troops are like the legion warriors arrayed on the island, it would mean an exceedingly terrifying gap in production capability, then how resource acquisition and transformation are fathomless.

Furthermore, the Golden Empire showcased various military weapons, such as Magic-guided Heavy Cannon and Alchemy Magic Armor Golem, acquiring powerful attack forms with minimal resources and low-intensity energy reactions.

This not only speaks to energy conversion efficiency but signifies that the Golden Empire’s magic technology has reached an exceedingly high level.

Although other kingdoms’ civilizations also possess magical civilization and knowledge, there’s no gap with the Golden Empire in terms of civilization difference, but it can be generalized as a massive gap in civilization productivity.

This is an unimaginable event within the Icaria World, because the progress and development of civilized technology and the accumulation of wealth and growth of military power are completely different.

A country can quickly accumulate wealth through conquest, harvesting, and pillaging, can recruit warriors in large numbers to form legions and expand military power.

But seeking progress and achievement in magic, civilization, technology, and knowledge in just over a decade is akin to a fantasy.

As these things cannot be achieved overnight, they all require long-term accumulation, ascending one step to witness the scenery of the previous level.

Even nations with legacies spanning hundreds of years, or even longer, achieve such progress through continuous accumulation. Once the nobles and rulers monopolizing knowledge and technology decline, their previous accumulation naturally dissipates.

This point is felt most deeply by King of Frost Giants, Ragnar Heg; compared to the Golden Empire, the frost giant kingdom could also be considered as a large tribe.

Beastman King Bossel Lane pondered for a moment, recalling the Golden Imperial Dragon King and Emperor’s Imperial Guard Corps encountered before ascending the solitary cliff.

In many market rumors, every Emperor and Dragon King’s Guard Warrior possesses immense talent power and unrivaled potential, each warrior can act as a weapon in breaching cities and breaking formations within a legion.

Those Storm Giants and Golden Guards indeed possess power that these rulers covet.

However, Bossel Lane hadn’t yet spoken when the monarch of the Hobis Empire calmly asserted, ”Karon Gogomola, although you are honored as the pinnacle of the earthly Ancestral Giant Dragon, relying solely on your power and the strength of the Golden Empire, are you truly qualified to say such words?”

”To not be amid, is to face your strike. None of the assembled Kings are intimidated by threats; do you think I am weaker than you, the Ancestral Dragon? My empire, my legion, how would they fear your warriors?”

This middle-aged Emperor appeared ordinary, but his confidence was akin to that of the Ancestral Red Dragon, the confidence of the strong.

Charal Cesar was not angered by the Dragon’s words, as an Emperor, he instinctively knew to lay groundwork while there wasn’t a definitive conclusion yet, for future negotiation power.

If one assesses a ruler’s intentions solely based on surface understanding, one can never reach their true motives.

Moreover, no supreme power-holder willingly succumbs to another’s pressure.

”Charal’s statement is correct,” Bossel Lane, the Beastman King with white and brown mane spoke, ”The Golden Empire is indeed strong, but thinking to rashly move against any nation while surrounded is wishful thinking.”