Chapter 343: Boar's Howl

The White Dragon Lord hoisted the small Demon and plucked the plant tightly gripped in its hands. A bit of soil still clung to the fresh roots. Carefully storing the specimen in a Magic Container, he casually tossed the little Demon—who had only just stepped out of its front door—right back to its hometown, the Spring of the Abyss.

To be so clever right after birth... he couldn't let it live.

Having snuffed out a rising star of the Demons, the two Dragons continued their journey in satisfaction.

This area lay deep in the rear of the Alliance, far from any powerful Demons. The two Dragons flew through the sky without a care, drawing waves of gasps from the adventurers hunting Low-Tier Demons below.

After passing three fortresses, the White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon finally spotted their destination.

On the horizon, a majestic fortress sprawled across the plains. Its tall, thick, matte-black City Wall bristled with guard towers and heavy defenses. This was the front line of the blood war—Blackrock Fortress!

Frontline defenses were extremely strict. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, the two Dragons landed a thousand meters away from Blackrock Fortress and approached the city in their dragonborn forms.

Under the awed gazes of the soldiers atop the City Wall, the two Dragons crossed the drawbridge spanning the moat.

Adventurers passing through the city gates halted, their hands instinctively dropping to the weapons at their waists.

The guards stationed at the gates tensed. Even in the Abyss, Dragons stood at the apex of the food chain, and most were known for their foul tempers. Still, duty called. The squad captain, a Master Tier powerhouse, braced himself and stepped forward.

"Halt..."

The White Dragon Lord presented the transfer order from the Alliance's commander, Engru Ghostwolf. Seeing the magical imprint on the document, the gate captain hurriedly stepped aside to clear the way.

Ignoring the adventurers who breathed long sighs of relief, the two Dragons stepped into the deep, dark gate tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, the White Dragon Lord had a direct view of the City Wall's internal structure. The wall was constructed from massive, interlacing black stone bricks. A thin layer of adhesive held them together; looking closely from within the passage, this adhesive was no thicker than a strand of hair.

It was perfect craftsmanship, though he wondered how its defensive strength held up.

His sharp claws scraped across the wall, throwing off four sparks.

Glancing at the shallow marks left behind, the White Dragon Lord concluded that Blackrock Fortress's City Wall possessed defenses on par with the White Tower. He then inspected the dust scraped off by his claws.

"Obsidian bricks forged through a special magical process, treated with advanced hardening spells, and infused with a unique magical adhesive. Both its magical and physical defenses are top-tier," he noted.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord's pupils shrank. To his surprise, the scratches he had just carved into the stone had vanished.

"The builder of this fortress is no simple figure."

"Of course."

The Gold Dragon beside him fully agreed.

"Blackrock Fortress was personally designed and constructed under the supervision of the divine smith Sir Melville of the Otag World."

"A divine smith! No wonder."

The two Dragons exited the deep gate tunnel. From entering the passage to stepping into the city proper, the White Dragon Lord had taken exactly thirty-four steps, which meant the thickness of Blackrock Fortress's City Wall was roughly thirty-four meters.

The main streets of Blackrock Fortress were lined with shops and bustling with adventurers of all appearances. It looked like a miniature version of the City of Naxxramas.

However, the atmosphere here carried less leisure and much more of an iron-and-blood edge. Some adventurers hadn't even finished cleaning the fresh blood off their clothes and blades.

Pushing through the bustling crowds on the main street, the two Dragons arrived before a castle and presented their transfer orders to the guards. Unlike the soldiers at the gates, these men did not immediately let them pass; instead, they inspected the documents repeatedly.

These soldiers were all High Tier professionals or stronger, and the leading squad captain had even stepped half a foot into the Legendary Rank. In terms of sheer presence, their eyes glinted sharply, their callused hands constantly rested on their sword hilts, and an unshakable aura of blood clung to them.

These were true elite veterans of a hundred battles!

The guards took an unusually long time to check the papers, which struck the White Dragon Lord as a little strange.

According to the Alliance's standard procedures, news of the two Dragons' arrival should have been relayed to the manager of Blackrock Fortress long ago, yet...

Was this a show of force?!

"Is there a problem with my transfer order?"

The captain opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. He suddenly froze for a second, then quickly snapped back to his senses and bowed deeply to the two Dragons.

"My apologies for keeping the two of you waiting, my lords! Please, come in!"

The two Dragons exchanged a puzzled glance before stepping into the core of Blackrock Fortress. After passing through a tunnel thick with the aura of magical traps, they found a middle-aged Mage standing in the middle of the path.

Though they had never met face to face, the White Dragon Lord had seen the man's magical portrait back in the City of Naxxramas. He was the current lord of Blackrock Fortress—Owen Demonbinder.

Yet right now, this powerful High-Tier Legendary Mage looked a bit flustered.

"Welcome to Blackrock Fortress, my two colleagues from Nordhill. Please forgive me; I was in the middle of a magical experiment and failed to check the messages sent by the Alliance in time. Truth be told, if my guards hadn't alerted me, I still wouldn't know you had arrived."

Seeing Owen's messy, greasy hair and smelling the pungent scent of experimental materials wafting off him, the White Dragon Lord immediately understood the reason for the delay.

"I understand perfectly, Sir Owen. I, too, often lose myself in the ocean of knowledge," the White Dragon Lord said.

"Hm?!"

Sensing the majestic magical power coursing within the White Dragon Lord's body, Owen Demonbinder was astonished.

"Sir Amos's chosen path is truly..."

For a moment, Owen didn't know what words to use to describe a Dragon becoming a Mage.

"...unique!"

Chatting amicably, the two Dragons and the man entered the castle hall. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three got straight to business—specifically, the two Dragons' upcoming learning schedule, along with the exact time and procedures for the handover.

Once they hammered out a general outline, Owen pointed to a map spread out on the table and began introducing the situation at Blackrock Fortress.

"The primary enemies Blackrock Fortress faces are Ten Thousand Blades Fortress and Incineration City."

The White Dragon Lord studied the map. Opposite Blackrock Fortress were two Demon cities, while Blackrock City was flanked by Riverrun and Shuqiong Fort. The cities formed mutually supporting positions, meaning Blackrock Fortress could be attacked by both Demon cities simultaneously—and the same applied in reverse. Notably, the boundary line between the two opposing forces was nothing more than an insignificant little river.

"The masters of those two cities are the Eight-Armed Snake Demon, Durio, and the Fire Demon, Rabmodo, respectively. Both are High-Tier Legendary Demon warlords under the command of the Blade Sovereign, Nayinduo."

"Durio of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress is a direct subordinate of the Blade Sovereign. She has eight arms, holding six scimitars, a wand, and an orb."

"Durio excels at assassination. She often hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Once she finds an opening, she uses Greater Teleportation to instantly close the distance for a sudden assault, either piercing the enemy's heart with a scimitar or beheading them in a single strike."

"Even when knowing her combat style, this method of sneak attack is practically impossible to defend against. Furthermore, Durio's frontal combat strength is no joke either. Her six scimitars move as fast as lightning; once she entangles you, it's incredibly difficult to break free."

"The wand in her hand stores the Legendary ice-element spell—Touch of Absolute Frost. If struck by it, your body's flexibility will plummet, leaving you at her mercy. As for the orb, its abilities are unknown."

Master Owen glanced at the two Dragons.

"If we encounter Durio on the open battlefield, it would be best for Sir Amos to handle her. My method of dealing with her is to first cast Dimensional Anchor to stabilize space and restrict the Demon's teleportation capabilities, then bombard her with long-range magic..."

The two Dragons listened with rapt attention. These precious insights had been accumulated through countless battles; in the near future, they just might rely on their predecessor's experience to save their own lives.

"The Fire Demon Rabmodo is the commander of Incineration City. He specializes in fire magic and prefers to cast spells while protected by a group of Legendary subordinates..."

"Thank you, Sir Owen, for sharing this invaluable experience," the White Dragon Lord said.

The intelligence Owen shared was utterly crucial to the two Dragons, and they were deeply grateful for it.

"There's no need for thanks. Back when I first arrived at Blackrock Fortress, the senior stationed here took care of me in the exact same way."

Owen smiled.

"With your reinforcements, Blackrock Fortress's military strength has drastically increased. I am planning an offensive in seven days; what do you two think?"

"No problem!" they replied in unison.

Having received his favor, the two Dragons naturally wouldn't refuse. Moreover, with an experienced veteran like Owen leading the charge and their own newly added strength, the odds of winning this battle were very high.

At the same time, the White Dragon Lord understood that their early arrival wasn't just to let the successors familiarize themselves with the battlefield; it was also a boon for the current commander. With an extra High-Tier Legendary Rank combatant on hand, the outgoing commander definitely wouldn't pass up such a golden opportunity to rack up more battle merits before leaving.

It wasn't just Blackrock Fortress—other fortresses would also launch offensives against the Demons in the near future, because battle merits meant wealth.

However, this kind of warfare benefited the successors as well. It allowed them to accumulate combat experience against Demons while holding an overwhelming advantage in strength, letting them adapt to the Abyss Battlefield as quickly as possible.

The two Dragons and the Mage discussed for a while longer, ultimately choosing the Eight-Armed Snake Demon's Ten Thousand Blades Fortress as their target. After all, the Fire Demon's magic provided a massive advantage in siege defense.

"You two can wander around Blackrock Fortress and familiarize yourselves with the environment while I prepare for the battle," Owen said.

The two Dragons gladly accepted. Master Owen then summoned his disciple to serve as their guide.

"It is an honor to serve you, esteemed Dragons. I am Yur Samewin, from the Otag World."

After introducing himself, the young Legendary Mage offered a deep bow.

The White Dragon Lord evaluated the young Mage. He estimated that this Yur was no older than sixty—which, by the standards of a Legendary Mage, was absurdly young.

The Otag World truly lived up to its reputation as the heir of the Arcane Empire.

Like most highly accomplished youths, Yur Samewin carried a visible air of arrogance, but in front of two High-Tier Legends, he knew he had no right to show off.

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the Gold Dragon, who just returned an indifferent expression.

"Mage Yur, I would like to see the warehouses where Blackrock Fortress stores its food and water," the White Dragon Lord said.

The lands of the Abyss lacked any normal food or clean water. The White Dragon Lord cared deeply about these essential living supplies, because in the near future, the armies of White Castle would be taking over this city.

"Understood. Please, follow me."

Yur Samewin led the way, explaining things to the two Dragons as they walked.

"The provisions and drinking water in Blackrock Fortress's storerooms are enough to sustain the soldiers and civilians in the city for ten years. However, those are emergency supplies prepared strictly in case of a demonic siege. The food and water used for daily consumption are transported here by envoys from the Alliance Headquarters once every six months..."

After weaving through a series of twisting corridors, Yur led the two Dragons to the castle's warehouse. It was a basement spanning only around eighty square meters. Wooden shelves crammed the modest room, and every shelf was lined with labeled dimension bags.

Refined wheat bread, rice, barbarian beef...

The insides of the dimension bags functioned like vacuums, so the food wouldn't rot even after being stored for a long time.

Yur Samewin continued his introduction as they walked.

"This food was brought in from various planes by Alliance members. The variety is immense, maximizing our ability to satisfy the Warriors' appetites..."

Spotting his own territory's seafood among the labels, the White Dragon Lord couldn't help but nod.

After making a round in the food warehouse, the two Dragons followed Yur to the basement used for storing drinking water.

Similar to the food storeroom, the water storage room was packed with wooden shelves. However, instead of dimension bags, these shelves held specially crafted magical items from the Alliance: Spatial Jars. These unique Spatial Jars looked like teacups fitted with faucets, and each one stored massive quantities of drinking water.

Once they had familiarized themselves with the castle's vital locations and defensive measures, the two Dragons stepped out of the castle and onto the main streets of Blackrock Fortress.

"Blackrock Fortress is divided into two districts. One is the military district where the army resides, and the other is the adventurer district right here," Yur explained.

"The military district houses the regular forces. The army is responsible for large-scale battles, such as clashing head-on with the Demon Army, assaulting Demon cities, or defending our own walls."

"Meanwhile, adventurers from various planes hunt wild Demons out in the wilderness and gather the Abyss's unique magical materials to sell to the shops in the city. That's their primary source of income."

"Sometimes, we also post tasks for adventurers when it's inconvenient for the army to act. Additionally, the Alliance and other organizations will issue their own quests. Most of these involve having far-traveling adventurers search for materials or scout out intelligence."

Tasks posted by the Alliance?

The White Dragon Lord felt somewhat curious about this.

"And where can we see these tasks?" he asked.

"At the Boar's Howl Tavern."

"Is it that one?"

The White Dragon Lord pointed to a tavern by the side of the road. Its signboard depicted a wild boar howling up at the sky.

"Yes, exactly. That's the one."

"Let's go inside and take a look."

The White Dragon Lord took the lead, stepping through the tavern doors.

Unlike ordinary taverns, Boar's Howl had no dead-drunk alcoholics and no noisy clinking of glasses. Even those deep in conversation kept their voices low or simply blocked the sound with magic.

This was because a few large words were posted right on the front of the tavern counter: 'Keep quiet. Don't wake it up.'

The White Dragon Lord saw a small wild boar sleeping peacefully atop the counter. The little boar was a dull grayish-brown and looked like it possessed absolutely no lethality whatsoever.

However, judging from the energy fluctuations radiating off its body, this was a genuine Peak Legendary Rank wild boar.