Chapter 281: Surrounding the City
Husband?
Emray and Aikes were clearly not as aware of Raphael’s personal matters as Raphael’s mother was, and they certainly didn’t know that Raphael already had her own Suitable Tail Partner, so they appeared somewhat surprised upon hearing each other’s words.
According to the information revealed by Raphael, it seemed likely that the other party’s Suitable Tail Partner was not a Dragon from the Dragon Tribe, but rather from another race.
However, as qualified subjects, they understood that it was best not to pry into matters that shouldn’t be questioned. They simply placed the sound waves used to discern things back onto the map in their hands.
“Lord Raphael, the location of the Imperial Palace is likely near the center of the continent, but that area is inhabited by humans, and it’s unclear whether the entrance has already been discovered by them.”
Raphael shook her head, stepping past the two Bat Subhumans ahead of her, heading deeper into Twilight Valley.
“Don’t rush; let me think. Besides, we can’t stay in Twilight Valley indefinitely. Now that the Four Dragon Clan members are entirely under my control, it’s time to take the next step in our actions.”
“Yes.”
Raphael’s pace was not fast, and the tail wrapped in red dragon scales behind her swayed slightly, causing her skirt armor to flutter.
They moved downward, and once they passed the residential area built for the Subhumans, the scenery deep within the cave completely revealed itself to Raphael. The firelight spread down the passage, and the sounds of hammering metal and boiling water from countless forging tools echoed throughout. Deeper below, a faint glimmer of magic sparkled.
This was the heart of the New Dragon Court. After seizing human weapons and technology, Raphael had replicated their technology here, but she also understood that merely mimicking technology would not defeat humans. The gap between Subhumans and humans was not bridged by strong ships and powerful cannons, but by the ideas within their hearts.
“Lord Raphael, human technology is quite complex. Even though we have successfully mimicked similar weapons before, both in quality and quantity, we cannot keep up with the demands of warfare. What we mainly rely on now are traditional cold weapons, and…”
“I know, but that would take too long. We don’t have time to fully catch up to human technology. The gap between us cannot be bridged in a short period.”
Raphael gazed at the scene in the cave, shaking her head and interrupting Emray’s words behind her. However, Emray misunderstood her meaning, frowning and questioning,
“Do you want to go to war with humans right now?”
“Yes, but it’s not that humans will inevitably discover our movements. Our confrontation with them before driving them out of the Southern Continent is unavoidable. The question is how to confront them in order to ultimately win.”
Raphael’s crimson horns blazed with fire, her emerald eyes resembled a deep pool, within which a simulated Southern Continent slowly emerged, as if the crevices and beings of this continent were already in her sight.
“Humans are indeed powerful, but they are not without weaknesses. They come from different nations and have interests that are generally similar yet distinct. While our strength is relatively weak, our advantage lies in our numbers and the fact that we are on home turf.”
“The wilderness, where human strength is weaker, is our home turf. The key to defeating humans is not how to destroy the cities they built but how to seize the initiative to secure land they have not yet occupied. Just like in chess, we slowly surround and capture their pieces; surrounding their cities and isolating their forces is essential.”
After saying this, Raphael turned to look at the contemplative Emray and the somewhat confused Aikes behind her, not intending to further explain. She stretched her tired body, feeling as though her previously light armor now bore weight, making her suddenly feel weary.
“The eyes of humans, dazzled by gold, are nowhere near as sharp. Grasping the enemy’s oversight is crucial. For them, this place is an unattended mine, and they have no sense of it being a battlefield.”
“After this, I will first handle the internal issues among the Dragon Race, cultivate a group of trusted loyalists, and use them to ignite the other Subhumans in the wilderness. Once the momentum builds up, humans in the Southern Continent will be rendered powerless.”
Raphael moved towards her resting place. As the master of the New Dragon Court, she did not have a luxurious and comfortable residence, only a small cave where her beloved “Dragon Palace Carriage” could fit.
“And you just need to continue with your previous preparations. Twilight Valley is our last trump card and may also become a key target for humans afterward. I need it to be as solid as a fortress. Emray, can I count on you?”
Raphael’s footsteps paused slightly as she turned to glance back at the Bat Clan leader. The dragon horns on her head glowed ever brighter, as if they could burn through the decay of the grave, allowing Emray and Aikes, who had poor eyesight, to feel that heat.
The first time they saw Raphael, they felt the light of the Dragon Court, which had existed only in historical texts, shining upon her. Now, they still felt the same way.
Only Raphael could become the new Dragon Court Lord; only Raphael could become the Dragon Queen of the Southern Continent.
They slightly bowed their heads and responded respectfully, “Of course, this is all for the New Dragon Court.”
Raphael smiled faintly, folding the dragon court relic map that Fisher had left for her and placing it in her bosom, before returning alone to the front of the carriage in the cave.
Pushing open the familiar carriage door, the interior had changed significantly, as this was now Raphael’s private space. No other Dragon would enter, so she redecorated the room according to her own preferences.
Except for Fisher’s study, which she hadn’t touched—inside, the items still carried Fisher’s essence—Raphael would occasionally spend a long time there. The rest of the rooms had changes to varying degrees, especially the second changing room.
It had many pieces of armor and weapons that Raphael wore, and after returning to the tribe, she rarely had the opportunity to wear the Nali skirts made by Fisher, so she placed them and other clothes left by Fisher deep in the wardrobe. The third room had many spoils she had collected lately.
Raphael returned to her room and took off her armor piece by piece. Then she gently raised her long red hair, which flowed like flames. After completing all of this, she let out a sigh of relief, as if finally releasing the fatigue from her body.
There were too many things to handle in the Southern Continent. The once harmonious races had developed entirely different attitudes over time.
There were hidden communities that passively avoided the world, indifferent to the situation; there were traitorous groups that blindly trusted humans, attempting to cooperate with Western Continent humans to share the Southern Continent; and there were radical Subhumans filled with deep hatred for humans, wanting to slaughter cities immediately.
All these complexities meant that Raphael needed sufficient powerful forces and a solid banner to rally them, such as the new Feimabaha Dragon Court.
Raphael sat on Fisher’s bed, surrounded by numerous spoils she had collected in recent days, many concerning Nali. Various magazines and newspapers filled the space, and she could vaguely see some text on the pages of those magazines.
“Breakthrough in Soul Theory: The rebellious Fisher Benavides from the Royal Academy’s innovative theory!”
Her gaze then shifted to a newspaper by her desk, which seemed to be another publication from Nali, distinct from the one before.
This was no surprise, as the only source from which Raphael obtained human newspapers was through unintentional seizures during battles. After learning that such materials contained information about Nali, she specifically asked Ke Lili to help her buy some in the city.
She could become ethereal and, alongside Xiya and the rescued Famasi, serve as Raphael’s subordinates, in charge of gathering intelligence on human movements, occasionally bringing back tidbits about her husband Fisher’s hometown.
The title on the other newspaper read, “The Shivali Academic Delegation’s Visit to Saint Nali University Completed Successfully!”
Below the huge headline was a black-and-white group photo, with Fisher standing at the forefront among a group of scholars. The photo was taken when Prince Losang of Shivali was leaving, and Elizabeth, representing the Godlin Royal, also appeared.
Elizabeth stood next to Fisher, her gentle smile complementing the dark-haired Nali gentleman beside her, and the newspaper particularly reported on the “Universal Request” story of Fisher and Elizabeth as a side note.
This newspaper had a big sale in Nali and reached the Southern Continent after several transfers along with a cargo ship, which Raphael eventually bought and read.
At this moment, the newspaper lying in Fisher’s room in the carriage had the photo of Fisher beside Elizabeth, with Elizabeth’s figure completely torn apart by someone’s claws, leaving a significant hole that isolated Fisher in the picture.
Above the section about Fisher and Princess Elizabeth’s gossip also bore numerous fierce claw marks, much like confirming the anger Raphael felt when she saw this content.
Raphael’s emerald gaze lowered to the map of the Dragon Court relic in her hand, already planning to set off secretly to human territory soon, to enter the Dragon Court relic for further investigation. Her horns constantly reminded her that she would certainly gain something there.
Although her body felt tired, Raphael’s gaze was very determined; she had to seize the time.
“Fisher, wait for me.”
She set down the map in her hand and curled up rather wearily on the soft bed. The slight whisper was only audible to her, symbolizing her determination.
In a spot she hadn’t noticed before, there lay an intact official wanted poster from Nali at her bedside, which listed the most wanted criminal in Nali so far,
“Fisher Benavides”
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(The End of this Chapter)
