Don't Mess with That Dragon-Chapter 668 - 056 Attraction

The scorching sun hung in the sky like a blazing furnace, emitting intense heat.

On the arid road,

amid the rumble of wheels, a convoy of carriages rolled along the dried-up path, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.

"Damn it, when will this hellish weather ever end?"

The scorching sun blazed overhead, and the mercenaries guarding the convoy were nearly drenched in sweat. Everywhere they looked, a withered yellow landscape stretched out before them, leaving them irritable and restless.

A burly bald man took a swig of water, wiped his sun-blackened head with his hand, and grumbled in discontent.

The group originally belonged to a relatively well-known mercenary corps from the Golden Eagle Duchy.

This time, they had accepted the employment of a merchant to escort the merchant's family south to the Blue Dragon Kingdom.

In recent days, with the severe drought in the south,

disasters had driven refugees everywhere, bandits roamed the land, and without hiring a mercenary corps for protection, traveling even a little further was too dangerous.

"Luda, stay alert; the road is not safe."

A bearded man ahead of the bald, burly man named Luda scanned the refugees crowding around the convoy and warned.

"Understood, boss. They're nothing more than a bunch of pitiful peasants, hardly dangerous."

All around, the roads were lined with refugees.

Inside the carriage at this moment,

someone inside slightly parted the curtains and gazed outside.

"It's said that in recent days, numerous peasants have left their homelands and fled south; many lands have been left fallow, and taxes from the fields can't be collected. Rumor has it that Duke Adira proposed in the parliament to send troops to prevent refugees from heading south, but many dignitaries have concerns. After all, the orcs from the south once used breaking through the Border Great Wall as an excuse, and those noble lords feared it might prematurely trigger a war."

As family members of wealthy merchants, the people inside the carriage naturally had their information channels and were aware of the events unfolding in the upper echelons of the Southern Countries.

Their perspectives were also broader.

"Last year's flood effects haven't subsided, and now there's this drought. In times of natural disasters, isn't it usual for a large number of peasants to perish? Though this disaster has been harsher. However, with people fleeing en masse, even if the weather improves later, there might not be anyone left to tend to those noble lords' lands."

"Indeed, that's what Duke Adira thinks, but you understand their concerns."

"It's truly impressive that twenty years ago, the south was a barbaric zone, and now it's become such a powerful kingdom that the eight southern countries fear it. It's simply unbelievable."

"Well, what can you do when the armies sent by those noble lords were all annihilated? Even Duke Adira doesn't dare gamble on withstanding an all-out attack from the other side, nor does he dare to enact policies. However, some lords did prohibit their peasants from fleeing, but since they can't watch everyone all the time, implementing collective punishment instead forced nearly whole villages to escape, becoming a laughingstock for the upper class."

"After such a series of events, even if they eventually repel that Blue Dragon Beastman force, it won't recover here for decades."

"Exactly..."

Engaging in the conversation inside the carriage were two relatively knowledgeable young men.

The Blue Dragon Kingdom, entrenched in the south, had become like a rolling dark cloud looming over the Southern Countries, shaking the entire southern region.

Amidst such chaos, some saw potential in the southern Blue Dragon Kingdom,

and thus pledged allegiance before the outbreak of war.

The merchant and his family in this convoy were evidently among them.

They were not the only ones.

Amid the tide of refugees heading south, some insightful and adventurous lineage sons of families and common folk also began heading south.

Because,

in the Central Earth World, regardless of the country, a hierarchical system of noble inheritances prevailed.

One's status at birth wasn't just words; it was directly reflected in the succession of titles and positions.

The legitimate heir of a duke might be mediocre, but he could still find his way into the core power of the state, shaping the nation's future direction.

And a person born a commoner,

no matter how hard-working or talented, without unique opportunities recognized by the King, would remain a commoner for life.

Because of this,

talented commoners often took up roles as rangers, mercenaries, adventurers, earning titles the lofty nobles barely acknowledged.

But the Blue Dragon Kingdom was different.

As the Blue Dragon Kingdom extended its might over the border and entered public consciousness,

many were astonished to find that the Blue Dragon Kingdom had no nobility system at all.

Even government officials there were openly recruited from society.

As long as one was talented and capable, they could pass assessments and climb step by step to become city lords or even high-ranking officials like the Minister of Finance and Military Affairs.

This wasn't just a fantastical story told by minstrels,

but a reality!

Long before, the Blue Dragon Kingdom's civil service system had begun implementation throughout society. Many entered the military and political systems of the Blue Dragon Kingdom through this civil service system, embarking on official careers.

Previously, when the Border Great Wall was held by the southern countries, news was less accessible.

At that time, although the lower class had shifted their perception of the Blue Dragon Kingdom, many still thought of it as a stinking nest of beastmen in a barbaric zone.

But when the Blue Dragon Kingdom's army broke through the Border Great Wall, dramatically destroying the so-called never-falling fortification,

the Blue Dragon-led beastman force in the south entered the focus of everyone in the Southern Countries.

Some disadvantaged civilians and offspring of wealthy merchants discovered that there was such a political system in the southern kingdom, capturing the attention of many ambitious individuals.

Those with ambition and action in the political arena, whether commoners or disinherited noble offspring, seized the opportunity amidst the massive refugee wave and headed south.

Where there was no opportunity before,

now there was,

even though the Blue Dragon Kingdom declared equality of persons, and that officials were merely professions serving the people without any privileges, it couldn't stop those ambitious individuals from the lower classes from wanting to change their destiny.

"I hope that place, as Father said, is truly an awe-inspiring one."

The wheels rumbled along,

and the convoy quickly vanished into the distance.