A Trip to Forest City

"That's not necessary!"

Haotian shook his head. A dragon, after all, wasn't enough to scare him into abandoning his base. Besides, it was an injured dragon.

Although two years had passed, it was uncertain if the dragon, Charles, had fully recovered. If his injuries were life-threatening, even a dragon's formidable regenerative abilities would struggle to heal quickly. If that were the case, it would be advantageous for him.

Of course, this was the optimistic view.

As the lord of the Golden Oasis, with nearly ten thousand subjects under his command, Haotian had to prepare for the worst-case scenario. That meant assuming Charles the dragon had recovered over the past two years and was now a Saint-level dragon, a threat significant enough to endanger his territory.

"Stay calm," Haotian said steadily. "Charles hasn't left the Ratman Kingdom in two years, suggesting he has some concerns. He shouldn't appear before us anytime soon."

"Our priority is to rapidly develop our territory's strength!"

After some thought, he instructed his old butler, Horden:

"First, the Royal Gryphon Knights must avoid the Ratman Kingdom's territory when hunting in the sandy areas. This will leave them some space."

"This strategy will reduce the Ratman Kingdom's vigilance and hostility towards us."

"In the short term, we need to coexist peacefully with the Ratman Kingdom to prevent them from unleashing Charles the dragon against us."

"Secondly…"

"Form a one-hundred-man elite squad."

"This squad will consist entirely of Royal Gryphon Knights."

"When hunting monsters, let these Royal Gryphon Knights do the killing to quickly level them up."

"Once they advance to extraordinary levels, we won't have to worry anymore."

One hundred extraordinary-level Royal Gryphon Knights. One hundred extraordinary-level Golden Gryphons. This combination should be formidable enough to stand against a Saint-level dragon.

"You're wise, young master!" Old Butler Horden exclaimed. "This strategy will significantly reduce our crisis!"

Haotian continued, "Old butler, I need you to make a trip to Forest City."

"Forest City?"

Old Butler Horden looked puzzled. "Are you asking me to join Miss Sophia and bring back the gold coins from her transactions to further enhance our territory?"

"That's one reason," Haotian replied. "Once you're in Forest City, you also need to find out if any faction is selling dragon corpses."

"If they are, purchase one no matter the cost!"

Before Horden could ask more, Haotian explained, "I have a blueprint that can build a Dragon's Tomb. If we bury a dragon's corpse there, I can recruit undead dragon units!"

Horden gasped. Undead dragon units… Wouldn't that mean bone dragons or ghost dragons? These are fearsome undead creatures rumored to be as powerful as living dragons. He never imagined his young master could summon such top-tier beings—truly blessed by the Goddess of Magic!

"I'll leave for Forest City immediately, young master," Horden said.

Haotian nodded. "I'll send a squad of Royal Gryphon Knights with you. With the speed of the Golden Gryphons, you should reach Forest City overnight."

Originally, Haotian planned to develop quietly, but that was no longer feasible. He needed to deal with the dragon threat swiftly to sleep soundly at night, without fearing a dragon's breath scorching his face.

After this discussion, Haotian led Horden out of the [Town Hall] to the nearby [Elven Spring]. Under Horden's watchful eyes, a radiant golden light enveloped the [Elven Spring], expanding its diameter to about five meters in an instant. The life and nature aura it emitted became richer and purer.

"Young master, this is…"

"Upgrading the Elven Spring's building level!" Haotian explained. "Once upgraded, this spring will produce mid-quality elven water, similar to what you drank years ago."

"Worth thousands of gold coins per bottle?!" Horden was astonished.

"Something like that," Haotian smiled. "But the exact market price will depend on Forest City's market. One more thing…"

"Yes, young master?" Horden asked.

"Our territory is still too weak compared to kingdom-level superpowers. When in Forest City, keep a low profile. Be cautious when selling the new batch of mid-grade elven water to avoid attracting attention from superpowers. But if you can trade it for a dragon's corpse, it's worth the risk."

"I understand, young master!" Horden nodded.

Seeing this, Haotian had nothing more to add. Horden's experience and wisdom far exceeded his own, so he trusted him to handle the situation properly.

The two of them then fetched a large wooden barrel and began filling it with the [Elven Spring] water. They only filled about one-fifth of the barrel, but it was still around three thousand bottles' worth, valued at millions of gold coins.

Haotian didn't ask Horden to take more of the [Elven Spring] water simply because it was too sensitive. Forest City was under the dominion of the natural elves, and selling too much could attract unwanted attention from them. Plus, the Crystal Chamber of Commerce had already taken away several thousand bottles of elven water.

What Haotian didn't know was that Sophia's recent transactions had already sold out all the elven water. Unsurprisingly, the Crystal Chamber of Commerce's name would soon spread throughout [Forest City]. It wouldn't achieve instant fame but definitely wouldn't remain obscure. Sophia dared to take such risks because she believed a formidable expert, at least at the Saint level, stood behind Haotian.

Who would risk offending a Saint-level expert over a few thousand bottles of low-grade elven water? At most, they might target the Crystal Chamber of Commerce, but they'd definitely avoid provoking the Golden Oasis.

If Haotian knew this, he'd probably say thank you.