Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 173 - 167: Mage’s Inheritance

In the sky, the Pegasus Knights drew their bows.

They were excellent archers with a superb, commanding view from above.

Under the dazzling light of the Lighting Technique, every small movement on the ground was clearly visible.

WHOOSH!

The first arrow sliced through the air, precisely embedding itself in the throat of a villager who was waving his arms and shouting.

His voice was cut short, and his body fell stiffly, like a log.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Arrows rained down, but each one had a specific target.

One after another, the "ringleaders" who were trying to incite the crowd and organize a charge fell to the ground.

They might have been disguised Monks, fanatical believers, or just local thugs promised rewards by the Monks. But at this moment, their identities no longer mattered.

The smell of blood began to spread on the fierce winds.

The villagers, who had been furious just moments before, completely broke down.

Above them was the terrifying Magical Beast creating a hurricane. Around them, "Warriors" were constantly falling. The fear of death instantly overwhelmed their hollow faith.

They screamed, cried, and dropped the "Weapons" in their hands. They scrambled to turn and flee, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

The chaotic charge turned into a chaotic rout.

In just a few minutes, the area outside the Monastery, once packed with over a thousand people, was empty. Only twenty to thirty bodies lay strewn across the ground, a reminder of what had just happened.

The Storm Griffin stopped flapping its wings and slowly descended.

The Pegasus Knights also put away their Longbows and returned to the camp.

The world, at last, was quiet.

Ed watched it all, taking a deep breath. His awe for his Lord deepened.

There was no bloody melee, no large-scale massacre. With just the Griffin’s fierce winds and precise, targeted kills, he had broken a siege of a thousand people.

What an iron-blooded and efficient method.

’Compared to when I first started following him, the Lord has become much more mature and ruthless.’

The orb of light in the night sky slowly dissipated, and the world returned to its original darkness, with only the bonfires still burning.

Raylo sat back down by the fire and picked up his half-empty mug of ale as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the camp was already a scene of busy and orderly activity.

The smell of blood from the previous night had long since been washed away by the morning dew and gentle breeze. Only a few patches of earth pierced by arrows still bore dark red stains.

The soldiers silently and efficiently packed their bags and dismantled the tents, the only sounds being the faint scrapes of metal against leather.

Raylo swung himself onto Baofeng’s back.

"Move out."

The order was given, and the army, like a great serpent, slowly began to move, leaving the emptied Monastery behind.

The sights along their path proved the effectiveness of the previous night’s iron-blooded methods.

Overnight, Raylo’s reputation seemed to have grown wings.

In the villages and fields along the way, not a single curious or peering villager could be seen.

Every household had its doors and windows shut tight, as if an invisible plague was spreading with the army.

Occasionally, a child would peek out from a crack in the door, only to be yanked back by a terrified parent, followed by the sound of a hushed scolding.

Ed rode beside Raylo, his heart filled with mixed emotions as he took in the scene.

’This sort of scene, where they fear our might but not respect our virtue, is perhaps the foundation for establishing a foothold in these chaotic lands.’

After the army had marched for about thirty kilometers, a vast expanse of water appeared on the horizon.

That was Silver Mist Lake.

The lake was immense, with vapor rising from its surface. A thin, year-round mist shrouded the lake area, blurring distant scenery and making it look like a mirage.

The air was damp and cool, carrying the faint scent of aquatic plants.

Raylo’s target was the Mage legacy of the Donne Family.

This legacy wasn’t top-tier. It was said that the upper limit of its cultivation only reached the level of a Tier Four Great Mage, which was nothing in the eyes of a true Magic Family.

But for Black Stone Territory, which was almost a complete blank slate when it came to Mage Power, it was like an oasis in the desert.

The army continued along the slippery pebble road by the lake, which had been eroded by constant moisture, for another eight kilometers.

After passing through a sparse grove of dawn redwoods, the view suddenly opened up.

A castle appeared abruptly before everyone. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was a grayish-white castle named Silver Mist Castle.

It sat on a massive rocky peninsula jutting into the lake, surrounded by water on three sides with only a narrow path connecting it to the mainland.

The castle’s stone, seemingly eroded by the lake’s moisture over the years, had a unique damp texture, as if it had merged with the misty lake.

Beside the main keep stood a slender Mage Tower, slightly out of sync with the main structure. A huge crystal was embedded at its peak, faintly glowing even in the daylight.

The crest of the Donne Family hung on the castle walls.

A white swan, craning its neck to sing above silver ripples.

But the banner looked somewhat tattered, flapping limply in the lakeside wind.

"Make camp here. Light fires and prepare a meal."

Raylo ordered.

Silver Mist Castle in the distance had clearly spotted the approaching army.

Figures began to stir on the castle walls.

A moment later, a troop of about thirty Knights filed out from a side gate of the castle. They formed a defensive line in front of it, tensely facing off against Raylo’s large army from a distance.

"Pegasus Knights, take to the sky and reconnoiter. Maintain your distance."

"Yes, sir!"

A dozen or so Pegasus Knights acknowledged the order and rose into the air. Their wings cut across the sky as they flew toward Silver Mist Castle, observing every move within from high above.

"Ed."

Raylo called out.

"Here, my Lord."

"Send some men to ’invite’ a few locals over. Ask them about the situation."

"Understood."

Ed understood immediately. He dispatched a few cavalrymen, who galloped toward a nearby village.

They were highly efficient. In less than ten minutes, two farmers, their faces pale with fright, were brought before Raylo.

The moment they saw Raylo sitting by a bonfire with a magnificent Griffin resting beside him, their legs began to tremble, and they dropped to their knees with a THUD.

"Spare our lives, my Lord! Please, spare us! We don’t know anything!"

Ed stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Who is in charge at Silver Mist Castle now?"

One of them, a slightly older farmer, answered, trembling.

"T-To answer you, my lord... the o-old Viscount Donne just... just passed away last week..."

"Oh?"

Ed raised an eyebrow.

"And now?"

The other, younger farmer blurted out.

"Now... now it’s chaos! The old Viscount’s children are about to tear the castle apart!"

As if a floodgate had opened, and also to prove their worth, the two men scrambled to spill every bit of gossip they knew.

"The old Viscount had three sons and a daughter. The eldest young master, Brian, is a Knight. He controls all the Knights and guards in the territory, about three hundred men in total!"

"But the eldest young lady, Ailia, is no pushover! She’s a real Mage! The old Viscount doted on her the most. The Mage Tower in the castle, and all those Mages, they all listen to her!"

"Then there’s the second young master, Dennis. He’s the most treacherous! His mother was from Red Rock City. As soon as the old Viscount died, he called over all his cousins from his mother’s side. They’re all Mercenaries who only care about money, not people!"

"What about the third young master?"

Ed pressed.

"The third young master, Kevin? He’s just a tag-along. He’s always following the eldest young master around, doesn’t have any real skills of his own."

After listening, Ed processed all the information in his mind and turned to report to Raylo.

"My Lord, the situation is basically clear."

"Viscount Donne has just died, and his children are fighting for the inheritance."

"The eldest son, Brian, controls the Knight forces and has the support of the third son, Kevin. The eldest daughter, Ailia, controls the Mage forces. The second son, Dennis, has the support of external Mercenaries from his mother’s family. The three factions are currently in a standoff inside the castle."

Everyone around the bonfire heard this intelligence.

"It sounds like their internal forces have formed a fragile balance,"

Alex said.

"Of the three factions, if any one of them tried to take out the other two alone, they would likely have to pay a terrible price."

"So, they’re at a stalemate,"

Raylo concluded, a playful smile touching his lips.

He raised his head and looked toward the nearby Silver Mist Castle.

The nobles on the walls were endlessly infighting over a pitiful amount of power, oblivious to the fact that a hungry lion had arrived outside, ready to devour them along with their entire orchard.

"A wolf, a fox, and a pack of hyenas, all squabbling endlessly."

Raylo stood up, brushing the grass clippings from his clothes.

Just then, a Knight in charge of perimeter security hurried over.

"My Lord, an envoy from Silver Mist Castle wishes to see you. He... he claims to be Viscount Donne’s third son, Kevin Donne."