Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 154: Chapter 148: ”Coal Ball” Appointed Minister of Logistics

Coal Ball tilted its small head, its glossy black eyes blinking, as if trying to understand Raylo’s command.

It circled the wagon, even sticking its nose out to sniff the wheels, as if sizing up this ”big fella.”

A moment later, it sauntered to the front of the grain wagon, lifted a small, black paw, and tapped it lightly.

HUM!

A barely perceptible spatial ripple spread out from the tip of Coal Ball’s paw, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake.

In the next instant, the grain wagon, weighing thousands of pounds, along with the mountain of grain sacks piled on top, vanished without a sound, as if it had never been there at all.

”Excellent work!”

A sharp glint appeared in Raylo’s eyes as he praised it generously.

”Bring it back out so I can see.”

Coal Ball seemed to enjoy the feeling of being praised. It meowed smugly and tapped its little paw lightly in the same spot again.

The spatial fluctuation occurred again. With a soft THUD, the heavy grain wagon reappeared, settling securely in its original position. Even the wheel ruts on the ground lined up perfectly.

Raylo was overjoyed. He bent down, scooped up Coal Ball, and planted a big kiss on its small, furry head.

”You little fella, you’re a real treasure!”

He immediately grew excited and pointed to the rows of grain wagons nearby.

”Alright, Coal Ball, keep going! Store this one, this one, all of them!”

Coal Ball seemed to treat this as a fun new game, enjoying it immensely.

It trotted on its short little legs, weaving between the wagons and tapping them one after another with its small paw.

With every light tap, a wagon fully loaded with supplies would disappear.

One, two, ten, twenty...

In the blink of an eye, dozens of grain wagons vanished without a trace, as if devoured by an invisible giant beast.

Yet Coal Ball remained full of energy, as if the effort had cost it nothing at all.

Its storage space seemed to be limitless.

Raylo’s heart pounded with excitement as he watched.

’This is practically a portable logistics corps!’

’With Coal Ball’s incredible ability, the logistical burden of transporting supplies during future campaigns will be drastically reduced. The army’s mobility and stealth will be massively enhanced.’

’However, this is too important. Coal Ball’s ability can’t be revealed just yet.’

After some thought, he had Coal Ball bring all the wagons back out, restoring everything to how it was.

”Coal Ball, you’re amazing!”

Raylo happily rubbed Coal Ball’s small head and solemnly announced,

”From this day forward, you are the Minister of Logistics for our Black Stone Territory! All of our territory’s supply transport will be your responsibility!”

Coal Ball squinted its eyes contentedly and let out a satisfied purr, seemingly quite pleased with its new title.

Moonlight, who was perched on Raylo’s shoulder, seemed a little put out seeing Coal Ball steal the show and even receive an ”official” title.

It let out a soft ”meow” with a hint of indignation, then leaped down from Raylo’s shoulder and walked over to a grain wagon.

Mimicking Coal Ball, it lifted a front paw and gave the grain wagon a light tap.

A silver spatial ripple spread out, and that grain wagon also disappeared.

”Oh?”

Raylo was a little surprised. He knew Moonlight also possessed a similar spatial storage ability and had stashed away plenty of its own treasures, but he never thought it could store something as large as a grain wagon.

Moonlight tilted its chin up smugly, then walked to a second grain wagon and made it disappear as well.

But when it tried to store the third wagon, it visibly struggled. The silver spatial ripple flickered a few times, the wagon trembled, but ultimately, it remained in place.

Moonlight flicked its tail in frustration and let out a low whimper, clearly dissatisfied with its own performance.

While it also had a spatial storage ability, it was clearly nowhere near as vast or limitless as Coal Ball’s.

Seeing this, Raylo burst out laughing.

He walked over and scooped the dejected Moonlight into his arms.

”There, there. Moonlight is very impressive, too,” Raylo laughed.

”Coal Ball is the Minister of Logistics, so you can be our Black Stone Territory’s Great Marshal of Magical Beasts! From now on, all the Magical Beasts in our territory will have to obey your command. How does that sound?”

Moonlight’s pale gold eyes brightened. It nuzzled its head against Raylo’s chin and let out a soft, pleased growl. With a touch of playful pride, it seemed to find the title of ”Great Marshal” quite agreeable.

The two ”high-ranking” felines glanced at each other, both seemingly satisfied with their new titles.

Raylo cradled Moonlight, the newly appointed ”Great Marshal of Magical Beasts,” in his left arm, and held the new ”Minister of Logistics,” Coal Ball, in his right. Looking at their two smug little faces, his spirits soared.

「The next morning, at the crack of dawn.」

The three army corps departed Red Leaf City one by one, marching toward the perilous Jade Swamp.

True to its name, the Jade Swamp was a vista of deep, oppressive shades of dark green and murky brown.

The air was thick with the nauseating stench of damp decay mixed with the foul odor of unknown Magical Beasts.

As the army advanced, the scrape of Iron Armor and the splash of hooves in the water echoed far across the silent swamp, startling countless small creatures hiding in the grass and murky depths.

Along the way, they were sporadically attacked by Swamp Demon Serpents, lurking Demon Crocodiles, and Giant Lizards. There were even demonic vines that ensnared the passing Knights or struck them with poisonous thorns, causing considerable trouble.

These scattered threats were swiftly handled by the Scout Knights on the army’s perimeter and experienced veterans, doing little to slow the main force’s advance.

By afternoon, as the second army corps was passing through a dense thicket, an incident occurred.

The urgent blast of a Horn came from the scouting party up ahead. A moment later, several Knights galloped back, looking rather battered.

”My lord! Swamp Giants ahead! At least twenty of them!”

The lead Knight was gasping for breath, his face bearing several bloody scratches from branches.

Swamp Giants. They were Tier Three Demons, known for their tough hides, immense strength, and a diet of carrion. Their temperament was savage.

A group of over twenty was a significant threat, even for a well-equipped army.

Count Gao Wen’s expression darkened, and he immediately gave the order.

”All troops, on alert!”

He wheeled his horse around and rode to Raylo’s side.

”Baron Raylo, I’m afraid I’ll need your Storm Griffin Knights. These Giants may be clumsy, but their numbers make for a troublesome charge.”

Raylo did not decline.

”Baofeng!”

With a sharp cry, the Storm Griffin King beneath him let out a piercing shriek and took to the sky.

Ten Storm Griffin Knights followed close behind, forming an attack pattern in the air. Their sharp gazes locked onto the low hills ahead, where the Giants were gathered.

On the ground, Count Gao Wen had already drawn his sword. Under his command, the Knights of Red Leaf Territory formed a tight assault formation and began advancing on the high ground held by the Giants.

”Kill!”

Count Gao Wen roared, leading the charge.

”ROAR!”

”GRAH!”

The Swamp Giants had clearly spotted the approaching army. Letting out earth-shaking roars, they brandished crude stone clubs and massive animal bones as they clumsily charged down from the high ground.

The ground trembled with their every step, as if a group of small hills had come to life.

The battle erupted in an instant.

The Knights’ Long Spears clashed against the Giants’ stone clubs with heavy, muffled thuds.

The front-rank Knights of Red Leaf Territory relied on their superb Riding Technique and Solid Shields to barely hold back the Giants’ charge. From behind their shield wall, Long Spears darted out, leaving bloody gashes on the Giants’ thick hides.

Raylo, mounted on Baofeng, circled high above the battlefield, surveying the engagement below.

He noted that while the Swamp Giants were individually powerful, their coordination was chaotic. Their movements were clumsy and full of openings, making it easy for them to get separated from the group.

”Break into squads! Prioritize the isolated targets!”

Raylo commanded the Storm Griffin Knights.

Following his command, the Storm Griffins broke into small squads of two or three, circling at low altitude.

Whenever they spotted a Giant pinned down by the Knights on the ground or isolated after an overeager pursuit, they would dive in for the attack.

Sharp talons tore through the Giants’ thick hides, and powerful wing flaps could even knock them to the ground, creating openings for the troops below.

Raylo wasn’t idle either.

He targeted a Swamp Giant swinging a massive leg bone, about to crush a Knight from Red Leaf Territory, and sent Baofeng into a sharp, accelerating dive.

Baofeng dove like a tawny bolt of Lightning. Its massive talons dug deep into the Giant’s shoulder, while its sharp Iron Beak struck precisely at the creature’s eye socket.

”AARGH!”

The Giant let out a horrific shriek. The leg bone dropped from its grasp, and its massive body crashed to the ground, sending mud flying.

With the hit confirmed, Raylo didn’t linger. He immediately pulled up, ascending to find his next target.

Soon, another Giant that was about to hurl a boulder was struck down from the sky by Baofeng. The massive rock went wide, landing in a nearby mud pit with a loud KERPLUNK and sending up a stream of bubbles.

With the precise strikes and suppression from the air, the pressure on the Knights below was greatly reduced.

Count Gao Wen seized the opportunity, leading his Elite Knights in several effective counter-charges that threw the group of Giants into further disarray.

The fierce battle lasted for about a quarter of an hour.

Nearly half of the twenty-odd Swamp Giants were slain. The survivors, seeing the tide had turned, let out frustrated roars before dragging their wounded bodies away, scattering and disappearing deep into the swamp.

Count Gao Wen, panting heavily, wiped a mixture of blood and sweat from his face.

”Don’t pursue them! Tally the casualties and tend to the wounded!”

Raylo and the Storm Griffin Knights descended slowly.

Baofeng’s Iron Feathers were spattered with the dark green blood of the Giants. It shook its head, annoyed, and let out a few low rumbles.

In this battle, the Allied Army lost four Knights, with more than ten others suffering light or heavy injuries. It was an unexpected, but minor, victory.

After a short rest, the army did not stay for long.

The Swamp Giants were native to the Jade Swamp and rarely ventured out, posing a limited threat to human lands.

Their ultimate target was the Snake-man Battle Groups that were ravaging the human territories.

「The army marched through the damp, gloomy swamp for three days.」

As sunlight burned away the last wisps of fog in the Jade Swamp, the army broke camp at dawn and continued its advance toward the region occupied by the Snake-man Battle Groups.