Whoosh, roar.
On the vast, boundless prairie, wild grasses hung low, and the wind blew through them like green ripples spreading across the land.
Dozens of hunters, riding magnificent horses, galloped across the prairie, scattering countless wild buffalo, wild sheep, and herds of horses along the way.
The herds in the core of the Dragon Clans Territory were not the target of these hunters; they rode divine steeds, larger than the wild horses of the prairie, charging into the distance.
These hunters also passed through Anna's Land, the area around the large tree where the leopard Anna once lived, which had been named Anna's Land by the hunters of the Dragon Clans Territory.
Because under this large tree, there was a simple tombstone with Anna's name written on it.
In this area, no hunter was allowed to hunt wild beasts.
Only the leopard family residing under that large tree was the king of this small area, dominating its rise and fall.
There was once a large pride of lions, a powerful pride with five adult lions, that coveted this fertile territory and sought to contend for the leopard's rule over this land.
The pride succeeded; they drove the leopards away and killed the strongest male leopard in the leopard family.
But they also failed; they occupied this land for only a single day before being driven away by a Dragon descending from the sky.
However, the Dragon did not kill this group of lions; although the Dragon had a preference for leopards, the current Dragon was more like a deity ruling all living beings within the territory, hoping that everything within the territory would develop according to rules.
Granting this territory back to the leopard family was the Dragon's last favoritism towards this creature.
These hunters did not bother with the few leopard cubs peeking their heads out from the big tree, curiously looking around; instead, they bypassed this area and rode forward.
Only when they saw the low hills on the prairie did these hunters stop.
Tall, slender watchtowers were built on the hills, and the Kobold Soldiers on rotation were lazily leaning against the watchtowers, chewing on wild grass roots growing on the prairie.
These were outposts and communication points established by the Dragon's dependents across the prairie, based on the terrain, to control the territory.
The leading hunter was an extremely strong man; he slightly reined in the horse beneath him, turned its head, and began to give instructions to the hunters behind him.
"Upon reaching here, this is the free hunting zone within the territory's division. Everyone can hunt any prey they see. Today, our team's goal is for each person to hunt at least two hundred jin of meat. I don't want to go back and be mocked by those people from the Thistle group, saying that the hunters in our team are trash!"
Although the hunter leader hoped his team could hunt more meat, even with selected and bred large horses, whose carrying capacity exceeded that of ordinary good horses by double, the long distance still needed to be considered.
Each of these hunters was an excellent marksman, and the longbows on their backs were also improved versions of the bows used by the warriors of the Dragon Clans Territory.
These hunters were here not to sell their own prey, but because they had received a commission from the City Management Department, a subordinate agency of the Dragon Clan Territory.
With everything in the territory on track, such matters no longer required the Dragon's dependents to act, as the Dragon's dependents each had their own tasks.
The approaching New Year was given top-down importance within the territory, leading to an atmosphere of anticipation for the festival throughout the entire territory.
Not only did various alcohol brewing businesses receive a large number of orders, but even the usually abundant meat supply in the Dragon Territory could not keep up with the demands of the territory's residents.
Of course, most importantly, the New Year's celebration activities must have sufficient alcohol and meat supplies, especially since the territory now needed to gradually supply the Dragon Lord's consumption.
And the newly opened pastures, managed by the residents and Elf Druid for domestication, though the scale of the well-bred herds had expanded considerably, still could not fully bear this consumption.
Especially Germott and Alina, these two Dragon Lords who routinely governed the Dragon Territory.
Under the advice of some human Scholars, they decided that for the first time welcoming this extremely important and representative festival, they would distribute a strip of dried meat and a bottle of cheap wine to every family in the territory.
Although the Dragon's stinginess and greed made these two Dragons somewhat hesitant, they also knew Kalon's emphasis on this festival and its significance to the territory.
Most importantly, the Scholars' arguments convinced these two Dragons.
The general meaning of what the Scholars said was that money spent from the Dragon's treasury could create various revenues through circulation.
Those who were hired received commissions and would also spend within the territory; not only would the money return, but the act of consumption would also generate taxes during the consumption process, and so on.
Anyway, the long discourse of the old man who called himself an 'economic Scholar' was like a succubus, making the two young Dragons' eyes gleam with gold in his professional field, and then, after consulting other Scholars and grassroots officials, this measure was finally decided upon.
It must be said that these two young Dragons were very good at absorbing others' opinions, although to a certain extent they were tempted by profit.
The hunter leader then gave some more instructions, including trying not to hunt beasts drinking by the water, trying not to hunt pregnant female beasts and young beasts in the herds, and dividing the hunters into teams of five, asking them to look out for each other and keep their communication and distress flares safe.
"Finally, I emphasize again, take good care of the horses under your butt. They are good horses registered in the Beast Pasture, very precious, more precious than ourselves."
These horses were borrowed by these hunters from the Beast Pasture because they took on commissions; even in a place like the Dragon Clans Territory, not every hunter would own their own horse.
These horses, bred through selection by the Elf Druid, were each a head taller than ordinary horse breeds. Now, many shrewd merchants wanted to trade with the Dragon Clans Territory and apply to do horse-selling business, selling the precious horses of the Dragon Clan Territory to other regions.
And the Dragon Clans Territory had already begun to select its business partners; the Dragon did not care that these excellent horse breeds could bring powerful cavalry seeds to others.
Because the horses within the Dragon Territory would always be superior to the horse breeds sold out.
In fact, every horse in the Beast Pasture was registered and had its own name. And because of the Elf Druid, the selection, breeding, and development speed of these horses were extremely fast, and the price was not as expensive as the hunter leader thought.
However, the hunter leader did not know this; he just led his team, riding the large horse named "Green Ear" beneath him, galloping towards the hunting ground he had chosen.
Although the prairie was rich in species and the prey was plump, compared to the vast prairie, the distribution of these numerous animals and beasts still appeared sparse.
The hunter leader, Reggie, led his hunting team, searching for suitable prey. They did not want to provoke overly fierce beasts.
Just like the white-horned wild oxen that Kalon often liked to eat, although these beasts were large in size, and one white-horned wild ox, after boning, could meet the goals of several hunters, they were not as docile as ordinary herbivores.
These large creatures were particularly fierce, daring to charge head-on against the ferocious species on the prairie, though the result was often willingly entering the stomachs of the ferocious species.
There were also some extremely fast animals, such as giant gazelles, which were also excluded. These creatures were extremely wary, and chasing them was just a waste of time and arrows.
The hunter leader led his hunting team, searching all the way, encountering countless beasts and animals. White-naped cranes, golden eagles, herons, and whooper swans flying in the sky made these hunters stop and watch.
These beautiful and majestic birds were particularly popular within the territory and were also pets especially favored by the territory's residents. If sold to those merchants, the price would be even more expensive.
There were also manuls, sand cats, and blood pheasants that occasionally darted out from the grass. The furs of these creatures could also fetch a good price, and several hunters couldn't help but take action, harvesting several small beasts.
"Don't bother with these small things. Ahead are white-lipped deer and argali. These two are our suitable targets," the hunter leader, Reggie, had not taken action until now, only searching for his target.
At this moment, he finally found his target among the numerous types of beasts.
"Accelerate, surround and flank from both sides, then force them to crowd together," the hunter leader, Reggie, shouted the command, urging the hunters to spread out to both sides.
"Ho, ha!" The rest of the hunters cheered, patting their horses and beginning to drive the argali flock, shooting arrows at the nearest argali.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Of the few arrows, only one struck a slow-reacting argali in the eye socket, felling it. The other argali had already bolted, and as the hunters on both sides closed in, they could only run towards a nearby valley.
"Good, let these argali escape into the valley. It seems today's objective will be completed very soon!" The hunter captain, Reggie, was overjoyed. He urged his horse to chase after them, following the argali flock into the valley.
But as he entered the canyon and hadn't ridden even a few dozen meters, he suddenly pulled hard on his horse's reins, stopping it abruptly. He saw that the argali flock had stopped not far away, bleating frantically, neither daring to charge at the hunters nor to take another step forward.
The other hunters also stopped a few steps away, their expressions serious as they looked at the area where the argali had halted.
It was a dense mist, laden with heavy water vapor.
The entire valley floor was sunken, like a hollow pit, so the heavy mist occasionally carried the sound of a giant creature stirring water.
What made these hunters even more wary was the layers of white bones faintly visible beneath the heavy mist, decayed, damp, and broken, raising the entire terrain by a layer.
"What should we do, Reggie?" a hunter turned and asked the hunter leader.
The safest course of action would, of course, be to leave this cursed place immediately, but Reggie knew the purpose of the question.
These hunters were reluctant to give up the defenseless prey so close at hand. If they hunted this argali flock, not only would today's quota be met, but there would be extra for tomorrow's quota as well. Greed stirred their hearts.
And from the hunters' keen perception, as long as they didn't actively step into the mist, they wouldn't be attacked, which was why they hesitated.
The hunter leader, Reggie, was silent for a long while. He, of course, knew that greed was a hunter's great taboo, but then he thought of his eagerly awaiting wife and two crying children at home, as well as his growing son who was studying at the Dragon Academy.
"Sigh, be careful. Try not to get too close to the mist, and be quick," Reggie sighed inwardly, gritting his teeth and giving the order.
The hunters, having received their leader's answer, immediately sprang into action.
The argali, wailing, were struck by the hunters' arrows and fell to the ground. Streaks of blood permeated the earth, staining the misty area.
The hunters were busy with the slaughter, completely oblivious that the sound of the giant creature stirring water in the mist had vanished. The center of the mist, which had always enveloped the valley floor, began to subtly churn, like gradually boiling bubbles.
"Oh, the stench of blood, the life I envy, and the sweet, pure scent of souls," a dry, ancient voice emerged from within the mist.
The moment the voice came out, the thick mist churned, and a massive white bone claw extended from within, like an eagle's talon gripping a chick. It seized a hunter who hadn't even had time to react, then retracted back into the mist.
Only then did the other hunters react, screaming in terror, even throwing their bows and arrows to the ground. They mounted their horses, intending to flee this cursed place.
The hunter Reggie gripped his longbow, swung onto his horse, and at the same time, pulled out the signal flare for help, launching a sky-piercing, whistling firework.
Whoosh, bang!
The firework exploded in the air. Beneath the dazzling display, several white bone claws extended from the mist, reaching for the hunters trying to escape the valley.
The moment the white bone claws enveloped him, the hunter leader felt no regret or remorse. His mind was filled only with his family and loved ones.
"Sigh," his last sigh in this world was swallowed by the thick mist.
Within the dense mist, a peculiar, dilapidated hall, resembling a Gothic church, stood in the valley's water. Occasionally, a white bone tail, with sharp, ferocious barbs, would emerge from beneath the dark water, thrashing.
Within this structure, a decaying, tattered body, its empty eye sockets burning with ghost fire, watched the struggling, twisting mass of a soul with intense obsession held in its claws.
"Oh, a strange soul, possessing strange power, seemingly connected and resonating with something," the half-lich's numb tone revealed a hint of fluctuation.
He systematically purged the soul's obsessive cries—fragments such as "wife, children, Dragon, beautiful, regrettable"—then brought his head closer to the soul, beginning to explore the mysteries of this anomalous soul.
In fact, liches and most necromancers are universally reviled, even by the gods, not only because of their spells and power, but also because both types of beings covet the gods' authority and toy with souls.
"It is calling, it is praying, but this power is too minuscule. The other party is clearly not a powerful being. Your object of prayer cannot save you now, pathetic soul."
The lich's decaying jaw clattered, emitting a mocking sound. He extended his spirit and will along a certain connection of the soul, wanting to see who the soul was praying to.
Thousands of mountains and waters, all in a single thought. The mysteries of the soul are unfathomable. The next moment, the lich's consciousness saw its target.
It was a massive Red Dragon. Its entire body was submerged in hot, surging magma. In the dim space, its floating body was clad in formidable red scales, and its dragon horns were fierce and majestic.
Its broad head seemed like a divine sculpture, with unparalleled lines and full-body musculature that showcased the Red Dragon's terrifying power.
The next moment, the Red Dragon suddenly opened its eyes, like a crimson lightning bolt illuminating the entire space. A vast aura rose from the Red Dragon, and it turned its head, staring directly at the lich whose consciousness had descended.
"Not good," the lich's consciousness was startled, and it immediately tried to withdraw, but a supreme authority emerged from the Red Dragon, firmly trapping the lich's consciousness. Even the lich's main body's call, though still responding, could not move.
Before the lich's consciousness was annihilated, it only saw a red claw descending upon it, and a voice, transmitted through this connection of consciousness, reached its main body.
"You dared to spy on my spirit after killing my people, little mouse! Think about how you wish to die; that is the only request I can fulfill for you!" The voice was arrogant and domineering.
"Hmph," the lich's main body in the mist actually exhaled a breath. It had forgotten this physiological instinct a hundred years ago, but now it recalled it again.
"Damn it, what kind of monster is that?" The lich's lost consciousness made him uncomfortable. "Psionist? No, they are similar, but it's not the power of a psionist."
The ghost fire in the lich's eye sockets flickered. He was considering whether to move, as he was still transforming into a lich, and moving would be troublesome.
But a violent gust of wind suddenly came from above the valley. He looked up, projecting his spirit, which transformed into a phantom figure, observing the movements around him.
Whoosh!
The resonant flapping of massed wings made the already cloud-like sound of wings even grander. In the dazzling light streaking from the distant sky, there were wyverns with four wings.
The lich saw the Wyverns, carrying their riders, flying in the sky. The dazzling streams of light on the Wyverns made their speed unimaginable. In moments, they descended above him, surrounding the entire valley, and him as well.
An exceptionally large wyvern also descended at the same time. The Wyverns crystalline whiskers trembled slightly, emitting an invisible sound wave, directing all the Wyverns.
The valiant, yet sexy and wild female knight riding the Wyvern placed her hand on her chest and bowed slightly, showing noble etiquette.
Then the female knight laughed loudly: "Under the Dragon Lord, the Dragon Battle Group greets you, little rat hiding in the gutter!"