Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Giant Stone City

The date of the lords’ gathering in Giant Stone City was fast approaching. There was no more time to delay.

”Ed!” Raylo called out.

Personal Guard Captain Ed responded and pushed the door open, his posture ramrod straight.

”My Lord.”

”Have the First Pegasus Knight Squad prepare their gear and mounts. We leave for Giant Stone City after lunch.”

Raylo was decisive.

”Also, immediately summon Knight Bolin, Mayor Buck, and Carl to the study.”

Before long, the three of them were gathered in the study.

Raylo looked at Bolin first.

”Bolin, while I am away from the territory, you will be responsible for all of Black Stone Territory’s defenses and border security. Pay special attention to the area bordering Ironthorn Territory. Double the manpower and have them patrol day and night. Baron Mengde has been making some small moves, so keep a close eye on him.”

”Rest assured, my Lord!”

Bolin bowed and accepted his orders.

Then, Raylo turned to Old Mayor Buck and Internal Affairs Officer Carl, his expression growing more solemn.

”Mayor Buck, Carl, a plague has broken out in several nearby villages. The two of you must organize manpower to strictly investigate the safety of the territory’s water sources and food supply, and strengthen sanitation management in every village and town. If you discover any suspicious symptoms or signs of an epidemic, you must implement a quarantine immediately, report it as quickly as possible, and do everything in your power to control the spread.”

”As you command, my Lord!”

Old Buck and Carl understood the gravity of the situation and solemnly accepted the task.

After lunch, the sky was clear and boundless.

On Black Stone Territory’s central training ground, ten Pegasus Knights stood in formation.

Raylo swung himself onto the Storm Griffin’s broad back.

Moonlight jumped up and sat in the small seat in front of the saddle, specially reserved for it.

The Storm Griffin’s saddle was a custom-made two-seater that Raylo had commissioned from the territory’s leatherworker.

The smaller spot in the front was Moonlight’s exclusive seat.

”Move out!”

Raylo’s gaze swept over the formation as he gave the order in a deep voice.

”SCREEE!”

Storm let out a high-pitched, resounding cry. With a powerful beat of its wings, it kicked up a gale and was the first to shoot into the sky.

The Pegasus Knights followed close behind, taking off swiftly and disappearing over the horizon, racing toward Giant Stone City.

The squadron flew at high speed. Two days later, they entered the Withered Ridge region of the Black Stone Mountain Range.

True to its name, the mountains were rugged and craggy, a scorched gray-black color. Vegetation was extremely sparse, with only a few tenacious shrubs struggling to survive in the crevices of the rocks. The air was filled with a sense of desolation and deathly silence.

”My Lord, there’s something unusual in the airspace ahead!”

At the head of the formation, a sharp-eyed Pegasus Knight shouted a warning, pointing into the distance.

Everyone focused their gaze and saw over thirty black dots in the dim sky ahead, flapping their wings and approaching at extreme speed. The faint sound of sharp, piercing cries could also be heard.

”Harpies! About thirty of them! All units, on guard!”

Ed, with his rich experience, made a swift judgment.

The Pegasus Knights showed no signs of panic. They tacitly adjusted their formation in mid-air, each taking a bow and arrow from the side of their saddle, nocking an arrow that glinted coldly, and aiming at the approaching enemy.

The Harpies had also spotted Raylo’s party. They had the filthy heads of women and emaciated upper bodies, but their lower bodies consisted of massive, vulture-like talons and wings covered in gray feathers.

They let out greedy and piercing shrieks, their eyes glinting with bloodlust. They clearly saw this well-equipped squad as a rare and succulent prize, and dove down without hesitation.

”Maintain distance! Three volleys! Fire!”

Ed commanded sharply.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The arrows tore through the air with sharp whistles, precisely covering the Harpies’ dive path.

The Harpies at the very front were unable to dodge in time. Bursts of blood bloomed on their bodies as they let out miserable shrieks. Their wings pierced, they tumbled from the sky like kites with their strings cut.

Harpies were Tier One Demons, skilled in agility and flight, but their defense was very poor.

A single volley had downed several enemies. The Pegasus Knights’ morale soared, and they quickly nocked their second arrows.

However, Harpies were ferocious by nature. The deaths of their comrades did not frighten them off; instead, it provoked their savagery. The remaining monsters let out even shriller hisses and charged forward recklessly, their sharp talons carving dangerous, cold glints in the air.

Raylo’s eyes turned cold. He did not act himself, but merely patted the neck of the Storm Griffin beneath him.

The Storm Griffin had long been holding back. Receiving its master’s signal, it suddenly raised its head, its wings whipping up a fierce wind. Its chest heaved violently, and then it opened its massive beak and let out a soul-shaking roar!

”SCREEE!!!”

The clear, majestic roar was like a tangible sound wave, mixed with the unique and powerful pressure of a Tier Three Magical Beast. It swept out madly in all directions like an invisible hurricane!

The Harpies, who had been charging forward ferociously, seemed to be seized by the throat by a giant, invisible hand. Their dive came to an abrupt halt.

Their ugly faces were instantly filled with extreme fear and panic, as if they had encountered the natural predator they feared most deep in their bloodline.

They shrieked chaotically, no longer thinking of attacking. They all flapped their wings in terror, turned around in a pathetic scramble, and fled desperately toward the horizon, disappearing beyond the gray skyline in the blink of an eye.

A vicious battle that might have been was decisively ended by a single roar from Storm.

Moonlight, perched on Raylo’s chest, had only lazily lifted its eyelids from beginning to end. Now, seeing the Harpies flee in panic, a faint trace of disdain flashed in its pale golden eyes. It let out a soft ”tch” from its throat, as if mocking these low-level Demons for overestimating their own strength.

After driving off the flock of witless Harpies, the rest of the squadron’s journey was met with no further obstacles.

「Two days later.」

A massive, magnificent city with a grand silhouette finally appeared on the distant horizon.

Giant Stone City, the core city that had stood on the Northern Border for hundreds of years and the venue for this lords’ gathering, had finally been reached.

The city walls were built entirely of massive, blue-black stone blocks, soaring tens of meters high and stretching endlessly. They resembled an ancient Giant Beast crouching upon the earth, exuding an aura of weight, majesty, and solemnity.

Arrow towers dotted the city and banners fluttered in the wind. Even looking down from high in the sky, one could clearly feel the prosperity and clamor that rushed to greet them—a scene from another world compared to the barren poverty of Black Stone Territory.

The squadron slowly descended outside the city gate. The Pegasi folded their wings, letting out a series of weary, low calls.

The Storm Griffin, however, was still full of vigor. It landed with its four claws gripping the ground firmly, raised its head to survey its surroundings, its kingly aura undiminished.

”Are you Lord Baron Raylo of Black Stone Territory?”

A Knight wearing the crest of the Giant Stone Family spurred his horse forward. His voice was loud and clear, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Raylo, the Storm Griffin, and the Pegasi, carrying a hint of barely perceptible surprise and envy.

His warhorse was quite sturdy, but compared to the Storm Griffin, it was like a house dog meeting a savage tiger.

”I am.”

Ed nodded and presented the invitation.

”My Lord received an invitation from the Count of Giant Stone to attend the gathering.”

The Knight Captain carefully inspected the insignia, his expression growing even more respectful.

”Lord Baron, you must be weary from your journey. Please follow me. The City Lord has already arranged lodging for you and your men.”

He waved his hand, and two columns of Knights immediately broke off from behind him to clear a path, guiding Raylo and his party through the massive city gate.