This war does not only test the military strength of both sides but also their comprehensive national power.

However, the Beastmen did not anticipate that the Dragon Group Territory already had a certain level of industrial capability. Catalyzed by the war, countless factories have been established in the western rear.

Most of the residents have also migrated from their original villages and towns to the western rear due to the war, leaving behind patches of land and vacant towns, awaiting new populations to fill them after the war ends.

Dozens of trees stepped into the shallow waters of the River of Gold, planning to cross the wide river of over a hundred meters to reach the opposite shore. The Ranger sitting on the branches could already glimpse the distant, majestic Royal Capital.

This city, having expanded towards the western rear, uses the original River of Gold as a wide moat, forming an almost unbreachable defense.

The city wall, towering at twenty-five meters high, was constructed entirely of solid granite. The manpower required for this monolithic stone wall was extensive, but thanks to scholars’ research and improvements, the first-generation steam and Magic Power hybrid engine cores have been officially put into use.

Excavating the mountain body and transporting stones is no longer solely reliant on human labor, saving the territory a significant amount of construction time and cost.

Moreover, to ensure the defense’s sturdiness, each worker building this wall must inscribe their name on every stone brick, ensuring the construction’s quality.

An enormous Magic Defense Barrier was then invisibly layered over the entire solidified city wall by countless Casters gradually graduating from the Giant Dragon Academy, who carved the Magic Rune Stone Bricks.

Once the defense barrier is activated, it is sufficient to withstand the bombardment of Magic Power Heavy Cannons. Additionally, the heavy cannons and giant crossbows mounted beside the battlements are enough to deliver a punishing blow to any invading enemy, a source of confidence and a sense of safety for over two hundred thousand people living in this city.

The Ranger, close to nature and blessed with vision as sharp as an eagle’s, could even see many merchants driving their carriages, leading their convoys through forest pathways, passing through territorial defense checkpoints before heading towards the Royal Capital.

These merchants, smelling the scent of money amidst the long-lasting war, continue to travel between the human nations and the Golden Coast.

Initially, they conducted trade with the Beastmen. The Beastmen not only purchased military supplies and food from merchants; surprisingly, the largest volume of transactions involved woodcutter axes used for logging.

During the truce and rest period between the Beastmen and the Dragon Group Territory, both sides tacitly refrained from attacking these brave merchants. Although some merchants perished in the Beastmen’s offensives against the Dragon Group’s armies, numerous merchants still profited from the war.

"What a pity that all these well-developed lands will remain abandoned for who knows how long," the Ranger redirected from the forest to the bank, where once lush farmlands have become desolate. Without the farmers’ care, weeds wildly regrew across the fields, spreading densely.

"Those damned Beastmen bastards, phew," the Ranger spat, but then a surge of cheerfulness hit him.

According to news from companions on break in the Royal Capital, the Giant Dragons slumbering within the Dragon Group have begun to awaken successively. According to the plan devised by the brainy folks at the general staff, since there aren’t many warriors in the Dragon Group, not enough to withstand reckless exhaustion, they must delay until the Giant Dragons awaken—a plan now mostly successful.

"It seems the moment for the ultimate battle is approaching," the Ranger looked at the magnificently standing great city, a city that forms the unyielding foundation from which the Dragon Group cannot retreat.

"It’s a pity the Great Lord is still in slumber. Otherwise, with the Great Lord’s wisdom and strength, these Beastmen would be incinerated, their ashes buried as fertilizer,"

The Ranger thought to himself, as nearly every resident of the Dragon Group Territory knows that the duration of a Giant Dragon’s slumber is closely related to its inherent strength—the stronger the talent, the longer the slumber.

With the extraordinary talent of the Red Monarch, it is estimated that even if the fight extends for another two years, it will not awaken from its slumber. But the awakening of the other Giant Dragons has injected the territory’s residents with immense confidence and courage.

After all, facts have proven that these Giant Dragon Lords always possess powerful capabilities. Now, the Dragons that remain active have already become legends spread through the words of Minstrels and merchants amidst the long-standing war.

Governing warfare is Blue Dragon Akzhi, governing wisdom is Bronze Dragon Alina, overseeing the spread of civilization is Red Copper Dragon Alfred, and causing mayhem on the back lines of battles, destroying countless Beastmen vessels, is Deep Red Roar Cadillos.

And the two Female Dragons, Blue Dragon Carlette and Green Dragon Ali, also hold some fame. Although these Giant Dragons have not yet earned great titles, they indeed display significant potential.

Only a few White Dragons, often sneaking around under the sea and secretly chiseling ships, are rarely mentioned, seemingly intentionally neglected for how they’re acting.

But discussions about these Giant Dragons pale in comparison to that Red Dragon, still asleep in the volcanic lair and unseen for over two years—the King of the wasteland and forests, ruler of the various tribes of the Land of Golden, the true supreme ruler of the Giant Dragon Kingdom. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Even today, many human scholars cannot believe that within a realm where the supreme ruler never appears, its citizens and warriors are still tightly united, resisting the onslaught of the Beastmen’s army.