Chapter 158 Loyalty and Betrayal

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

The monsters moved quickly and had already set up basic camps.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the low hills, coating the gradually forming mine below with a layer of silver frost. The iron dragon Sorog's claws were pressed against the rock wall, his eyes slightly closed, carefully sensing the tremors deep within the ore vein.

Suddenly.

The giant eagles of Korla swooping in the sky let out sharp cries, an alarm signaling the approach of intruders.

The large groups of people made no attempt to conceal their presence, walking openly and casually from the edge of the pine forest.

Iron Dragon straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the men and horses, then flapped his wings and took to the air. The guards of the tribes who had just settled there picked up their weapons and followed closely behind.

"Centers, halt!"

"The territory ahead belongs to the Ironforge Clan."

The iron dragon circled in the sky, looking down at the men and horses, and let out a deep, thunderous roar of intimidation.

This group of people was large in number, clad in armor and wielding spears. Their quantity and quality surpassed the vanguard brought by Tie Long. Moreover, the two leaders were tall and robust, with steady steps, and exuded a strong life energy.

Without needing to investigate, it can be determined that both are warriors with a life level exceeding 10.

Centaurs are brave and powerful warriors, ranking among the most powerful humanoid intelligent species.

Young Tie Long was not confident that he could defeat his opponent.

At this moment, the silver-maned dragon looked up at the iron dragon with a respectful attitude and said, "Honorable dragon, may we have the honor of knowing your name?"

The centaur's reaction surprised Iron Dragon.

He pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "The Iron King, Sorog!"

Silvermane said, "Your Excellency Iron King, the gray magnetite is the property of our clan, but it has not been mined before."

Tie Long narrowed his eyes and said, "You mean, I seized your property, so you want to expel me?"

The other party's submissive attitude may be a prelude to force.

Sorog did not let his guard down.

In fact, when he first discovered the mineral vein, he didn't think too much about it, assuming it was just unclaimed land.

However, after a careful investigation today, he discovered some fresh hoof prints and exploration marks, which proved that what the horsemen said was true, and that they were indeed the first to discover the grey magnetite.

but.

There is no such thing as first come, first served here.

Resources belong to the stronger.

Iron Dragon continued to warn: "You lowly centaurs, I'll give you ten seconds to retreat, or you will taste the wrath of dragons."

However, something unexpected happened.

"Your Excellency Iron King, you have misunderstood."

Under Iron Dragon's gaze, Silvermane knelt deeply into the ground, unconcerned about the dust covering his body, and adopted a submissive posture. The other centaurs also knelt down, bowed their heads, and showed Iron Dragon the highest etiquette of centaur society.

"The White Mane Clan is willing to offer the mining rights to the gray magnetite."

After a pause, Silvermane said humbly and eagerly, "We centaurs yearn for power and crave glory, and you, mighty dragon, noble Iron King, you are the embodiment of power and glory. We wish to offer our loyalty to you and follow you under your wings."

Iron Hoof's movements were slightly stiff.

The burly warrior had his head bowed, and the bone necklace in his mane jingled.

"We have brought the best of our tribe for your inspection."

Iron Dragon's gaze swept over the silent centaur warriors, noticing their strong physiques and the resilient aura honed by long battles, and he couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

The Ironforge clan has just established itself in the borderlands and is in dire need of strength.

Every centaur is a born warrior and a born cavalryman, and the loyalty of a centaur clan is a good thing now.

This is due to the inherent pride of dragons.

Tielong believed he was worthy of following, and it was normal for the centaurs to appear here wanting to pledge their loyalty to him, but he also harbored a slight sense of wariness.

Centaurs are valiant creatures, and there are few examples of them surrendering to dragons without being challenged in battle.

If it's a gnoll or kobold creature that loves to cling to dragons, the Iron Dragon will accept them without hesitation.

However, he did not fully trust the centaurs.

"Offer loyalty?" Iron Dragon's voice was hoarse and magnetic, with a texture like metal rubbing against stone. He said slowly, "I've heard that centaurs are brave and fearless warriors who will never bow down to anyone."

Silvermane felt a chill run down his spine, sensing the suspicion emanating from Iron Dragon.

This surprised him somewhat.

In his mind, dragons were all extremely arrogant and conceited beings. When they dealt with the white dragon, the White Mane Clan pretended to submit first, and then took advantage of the white dragon landing to launch a sudden and unexpected attack, severely injuring and driving it away.

The iron dragon in front of him was more cautious than he had imagined.

Silvermane maintained his humble posture and said, “Times have changed, Iron King. The chaos of the tundra is gradually spreading to the borderlands, and we…” He paused at just the right moment, “yearn for a stronger protection.”

His words were a mixture of truth and falsehood.

The war between giants and barbarians deep in the ice plains brought chaos, causing many ice-covered creatures to migrate outwards, severely impacting the natives living in the borderlands, and the centaurs also sensed the danger.

However, compared to seeking the protection of dragons.

These two centaurs preferred to use the materials from the young iron dragon's body to create weapons and armor to arm the clan.

Ironhoof raised his head and said in a resentful tone, "The young centaurs crave battle and glory, but the old fogies in the clans want to migrate and escape. We disagree."

"Now, we have brought our most elite warriors. If you are willing to accept us, we will fight for you. The only reward we ask for is to receive the honors and glory we deserve under your protection."

After hearing what the two men said.

Tie Long's eyes flickered as he stared intently at them, his doubts gradually dispelled.

"You made the right choice."

He said, "It is your honor to be loyal to the great Iron King and to the Iron Clan."

With its wings folded, the iron dragon slowly descended, standing in the center, its small number of monster followers and centaur warriors gazing at each other behind it.

"Pine resin mead is a specialty of our clan. Please enjoy it."

Silvermane presented the wine flask, uncorked it, and a sweet and intense aroma of wine filled the air. Ironhoof also came closer, grinning and saying, "There is no better wine in the entire border region."

Tie Long, who has a sweet tooth and is also interested in alcohol, couldn't help but have a bright look in his eyes.

But now is not the time to enjoy it.

Sorog shook his head and said, "The important thing now is to mine the vein. More family members will be arriving soon. Before that, we need to complete and build the settlement here as much as possible."

He gave his men a direct order: "If you want protection, you must also demonstrate your value."

"There is no need for fighting now. You will be responsible for transporting stones and timber and building the base together."

Upon hearing this, Silvermane and Ironhoof's gazes sharpened, and they exchanged a subtle glance.

The pine resin mead contains poison that can weaken the attributes of dragons, but the other party doesn't seem to want to drink it, and judging from Iron Dragon's words, other monsters are coming later.

This means that if we want to take it down, we can't delay any longer.

Although they failed to trick the other party into drinking the poisoned wine and it wasn't perfect, the preparations were almost complete.

"What are you standing there for? Go do what you're supposed to do."

Tie Long urged.

"Sorry, we're new here, so we're a bit..."

Silvermane said in a low voice.

Before the words were finished, the iron hooves suddenly pounced and attacked.

His powerful forehooves slammed into the ground, and at the same time he drew his spear from under the saddlebags and gripped it in his hand. The spearhead was wrapped in surging magical energy, and it moved with lightning speed, piercing straight for the iron dragon's throat.

Silvermane's actions were even more insidious.

His silvery-white mane suddenly bristled, and the paralyzing powder hidden in the mane drifted towards the Iron Dragon's face with the wind. The heavy sword forged from fine steel spun out from his waist, and the blade cleaved straight at the junction of the Iron Dragon's right wing and torso.

(End of this chapter)