Lord Game: I Have 100 Million Talents-Chapter 213 - 1: The Gulad Empire’s War on 3 Fronts
The Gulad Imperial Capital, built from Obsidian, lay like a slumbering behemoth entrenched in the very heart of the continent.
Its hundred-meter-high walls were embedded with fist-sized Sulfur Crystal Stones that glinted with an eerie red light under the sun, as if forged from solidified crimson lava.
The spires atop the castle pierced the lead-gray clouds. Every stone pillar was carved with coiling dragon patterns, the grooves of their scales still holding flecks of bronze mixed in during the initial casting, now revealing a mottled metallic sheen from the erosion of wind and rain.
Inside the great hall, when sunlight streamed through the high windows, patches of light drifted across the floor, resembling the colorful waves stirred by a swimming Giant Dragon.
The floor was covered in a triple layer of bearskin rugs, while twelve massive paintings hung on the walls. They chronicled the battle achievements of past Emperors of Gulad, who were all True Dragon Knights. Dragon Blood and volcanic ash had been mixed into the pigments, causing the scenes to display different hues under varying light, as if the battles depicted were subtly shifting.
Flame Emperor Galukasa was lounging on the throne, his crimson helmet casually placed by his feet. His full head of red hair, slick with sweat, shone brightly. A few damp strands clung to the coiling, dragon-shaped birthmark on his neck, like Dragon Scales beaded with morning dew.
The fifty-five-year-old "Imperial Military God," Baludopa, knelt on one knee. The bearskin rug beneath him had a worn, oily sheen, and the joints of his iron armor grated with a dull sound as he moved.
He bowed his scar-covered forehead, his hoarse voice kept extremely low.
"Your Majesty, the Flame Emperor."
"Have you truly decided to open three fronts at once?"
On the throne, Galukasa’s expression remained unchanged. His finger paused briefly on the Dragon Scale pattern of the armrest before he gave a careless reply.
"Yes."
"Aside from the Ventecenia Kingdom to the south..."
"The Minotaur Kingdom to the north and the island nations to the west pose no threat whatsoever to our Gulad Empire."
"Therefore."
"I plan to dispatch the main Dragon Knight Order to the Ventecenia Kingdom."
"First, we’ll pin down the most troublesome of them."
Flame Emperor Galukasa’s finger traced an arc on the throne’s armrest, as if marking out territory on a sand table.
"Then, we’ll quickly take the Minotaur Kingdom to the north and the island nations to the west... After that, we will concentrate our forces, conquer the Ventecenia Kingdom, and, while we’re at it, destroy their Tower of Magic Guide."
The Military God Baludopa reminded him in a low voice,
"Your Majesty."
"This will provoke the wrath of all the other nations."
Flame Emperor Galukasa waved his hand dismissively, his face impassive and his tone so flat it betrayed no emotion.
"It matters not."
After a pause, he unconsciously caressed the hilt of the sword at his waist, a hint of cold mockery in his eyes.
"If not for the Oracle forcing our Gulad Empire to maintain a facade of peace... ten years ago, my Imperial iron cavalry would have already trampled all the Forest Sub-human Tribes in the north. How could we have allowed a Minotaur Kingdom to cling to existence until today?"
He sneered, the corner of his mouth curling into a disdainful arc.
"It’s truly laughable."
"These uncivilized, barbaric forest slaves."
"To actually think that with their meager abilities, they could stop the iron-hoofed legions of our Gulad Empire."
He looked up toward the northern sky, his tone filled with dismissive certainty.
"They have no idea."
"That so-called ’Celestial Peril,’ the Northern Mountain Range they hype up to the heavens..."
"I need only dispatch five hundred Dragon Knights to hold the line, supported by twenty thousand elite ground troops, and I can crush it as if it were flat ground."
"As for the island nations to the west..."
"Those lucky bastards just happened to not be next when I was ready to strike."
"Otherwise."
"They’re nothing more than ants, just slightly stronger than that pack of barbaric Forest Sub-humans in the north."
"They’re not even worthy of my main Dragon Rider Corps."
Hearing this, the Military God Baludopa’s brow furrowed slightly, and he asked in a grave voice,
"Then what about the ’Dragon Realm’ in the east and the vassal forces under its Shelter?"
"What will we do about them?"
Flame Emperor Galukasa snorted.
"Don’t worry about them."
"While it’s true those beings are more powerful than us..."
"...the Ancient Giant Dragons, who have lived for thousands of years, don’t care about a hollow title like the so-called ’Heaven’s Chosen Ruler’ from the Oracle."
"What they care about is whether they can live out their ordinary lives in the east."
After a pause, Galukasa continued.
"Besides."
"My spies tell me..."
"...that a large number of Evil God Believers have recently appeared in the east, including high-ranking priests from the Lizardman Kingdom, chieftains of Sub-dragon Tribes, and even respected Ancient Giant Dragons from the Dragon Race..."
"They’re already too busy to handle their own affairs."
"They have no time to meddle in the outside world."
The Military God Baludopa sighed in resignation.
"Very well."
"I understand."
"In that case, Your Majesty, which front did you summon me here today to reinforce?"
Flame Emperor Galukasa said slowly,
"The north."
"I will personally go south to deal with that annoying bunch of Magic Masters from the Ventecenia Kingdom."
"The western island nations will be handled by my sister, Amelio."
"Lyon, Russell, Aegina, Lucianna... they will all accompany me to the south to fight the Ventecenia Kingdom."
The Military God Baludopa was taken aback.
"This..."
"Everyone is being deployed?"
"Doesn’t that leave our empire’s internal defenses completely empty?"
"If an expert at the Extraordinary Realm were to launch a sneak attack on our Imperial Capital..."
Flame Emperor Galukasa said faintly,
"Of course not."
"Nesia will be responsible for the empire’s defense."
"And while she’s at it, she can round up and eliminate those Divine Chosen Lords within our borders who refuse to pledge their loyalty to our Gulad Empire."
