Don't Mess with That Dragon

It seems that the Celestial Dragon Island mentioned by Guppa and Avril initially appears to be a formidable force. Even after Austin killed their Half-Legendary envoy, they dared not retaliate in the slightest but instead sought to mend relations with all efforts.

Apparently, the tiger skin Austin currently wields is far larger than he had imagined.

Moreover, after Austin presented that Crystal Dragon Scale, the attitude of these Alliance envoys changed dramatically, leading Austin to ponder further.

Originally, according to Avril, they were invited to reroute through here.

And it seems that the bald middle-aged man named Guppa was summoned to discuss this matter.

Guppa was well-versed in the recent war in the Kawa Great Forest, possibly even directly involved; otherwise, he wouldn't have warned against involvement before departing.

It's unclear why the Crystal Dragons are connected to this matter and what place they intend to visit, referred to as Celestial Dragon Island.

Austin is quite interested in the Celestial Dragon Island that Guppa and his group invited him to.

Unfortunately, it's not the time to poke holes in the tiger skin, making it difficult for Austin to inquire deeply about too much, lest the facade falls apart.

The envoys from the Beastman Alliance stayed here for a day and then departed.

They headed straight back to the base camp.

After such an incident, it's inevitable that they must return to report, especially since the key combatant, the dark-striped Tiger Beastman Vira, has perished. The next joint campaign will certainly require another strong figure to suppress those beastmen powers.

Austin did not obstruct them, watching the envoys depart while a weight lifted from his heart.

A Half-Legendary is dead, along with the tiger skin of Celestial Dragon Island backing.

In the future, the development of the Dragon Nest Tribe shouldn't encounter any obstruction from those major forces.

When news of the Half-Legendary's death spreads, regardless of the external turmoil it may cause, at least for the Dragon Nest Tribe, there will be a relatively stable period for some time.

Patiently developing for a few years, one day, Austin might ascend to Legendary status, able to roam freely, and the Dragon Nest Tribe could take advantage of the post-war lull to directly rule over the entire Kawa Great Forest.

"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."

Watching the Alliance envoys leave, Austin thought quietly.

The Beastman Royal Court in the core area was virtually besieged globally, with numerous Legendaries secretly orchestrating the whole thing, seeming destined for defeat.

Yet, Austin felt a vague uneasiness.

He recalled the Fallen Divine Kingdom beneath the volcanic cluster domain near the second outpost of the Dragon Nest Tribe.

That's most likely the Divine Kingdom of the Fallen Beast God, and judging by the reaction of the old priest's remnant soul back then, someone associated with the old priest, or something else, took the most important thing from that Divine Kingdom.

Also, the mysterious crystal acquired after destroying the Pyramid...

Possibly, the person who took the item has joined the Beastman Royal Court and, using some unknown method, has instigated this grand war.

However, according to the Elf Queen, weren't the Beastman Empire and the Elf Royalty allies back then and all deemed god desecrators? How did the pure-blooded beastmen of the Royal Court then end up associating with the Divine?

And those Undead, which Austin viewed as essentially zombie-like creatures transformed in this world, where did those pure-blooded beastmen acquire these things?

"Forget it, today's counterattack is fueled by numerous Legendaries from behind the scenes, and there might be the tactics of the Divine as well, concerning the descendants of the Empire established by god desecrators, it's nothing worth fretting overtoo much.

Thoughts twisted into knots in his mind, Austin shook his head and pushed the multitude of thoughts away.

As long as he remained uninvolved in this war, with the Dragon Nest Tribe in a secluded area, they should face no significant trouble.

He's already decided to stay low during the war years.

...

With the departure of the Beastman Alliance envoys, the Dragon Nest Tribe began cleaning up the aftermath and reconstructing Dragon Nest Tribe City.

This attack was led personally by the dark-striped Tiger Beastman Vira, swiftly cutting down the patrolling beastman troops before they had time to signal, allowing for an unimpeded advance.

This revealed the Dragon Nest Tribe's inadequacies in defending against such super-powerful entities.

To address this issue, the Dragon Nest Tribe has decided to establish a watchtower on the mountaintops surrounding Dragon Nest Tribe City for external observation.

At least they could receive pivotal information before the enemy strikes.

Meanwhile, the architecture of Dragon Nest Tribe City also poses quite a challenge.

Initially, to prevent fires, Austin instructed the beastmen to construct houses with a mixed wood and brick structure.

Back then, manpower was insufficient, preventing a full transition to brick and stone structures, relying on these wood-brick hybrid houses for interim solutions.

During a mercenary invasion later on, infiltrating human mercenaries started fires throughout the tribe city, and these houses played a significant role in preventing uncontrolled fire spread.

But now, these wood-brick hybrid houses are clearly not suitable for the Dragon Nest Tribe's current situation.

In earlier years, in the hot and rainy climate of the Kawa Great Forest, some supporting wooden beams had already begun rotting, becoming rather dilapidated.

After Vira's previous assault, numerous houses collapsed under excessive weight.

No casualties were caused, but reconstruction is necessary.

Giving the need for rebuild, naturally, the choice is to opt for the best available.

Austin plans to replace the wooden-brick hybrid houses in Dragon Nest Tribe City entirely with brick and stone structures to strengthen the city's resistance against external shocks like storms.

Fortunately, with the Dragon Nest Tribe's population boom, human resources aren't as stretched as they were initially, supporting the new wave of reconstruction work.

With Austin overseeing the tribe, the Dragon Nest Tribe embarked on a massive reconstruction.

Meanwhile, various production and farming efforts haven't ceased.

Land cultivation continues, with large amounts of food crops yielded from newly cultivated fields, serving as a vital factor for the Dragon Nest Tribe's rapid expansion.

The grain output from farming allows the Dragon Nest Tribe to accommodate more people and expand its territory further.

Food production through farming has become a vital source for sustaining Dragon Nest Tribe's development.

During major reconstruction, the tribe hasn't halted its external expansion efforts.

Now, in the area surrounding the main Dragon Nest Tribe location within a hundred miles radius, there are virtually no other beastman tribes, and beyond a hundred miles, because of food transport considerations, it is regarded as an expedition, posing many inconveniences.

The outpost plan is innately one of expansion's original intents.

Leveraging outposts, consolidating the territory they hold while using them as strongholds for continuous outward expansion.

But as time progresses, the second outpost has now reached the limit of population capacity and territorial occupation, further expansion would require more effort and energy, becoming futile, thus they plan to establish a third outpost.