CHAPTER 943: A SIGNAL

"The Emerald Dream Realm is an opportunity we cannot miss. The dragon race must have a foothold here. Once we are established, it is only a matter of time before we unite this entire world under our rule."

"By the Dragon God, the sacred eggs have been desecrated by outsiders! This is a disgrace! We must reclaim them!"

"Those thieves who stole the eggs... I will twist off their heads! I will peel their skin from their bones like an orange!"

"Your Majesty, Great Dragon King of Light! You should have told us of this from the beginning!"

"I want to know what gives these enemies the audacity to provoke a war they are destined to lose."

Mondusath watched the hypocritical demigods with a blank expression. If they weren’t his kin, he would be tempted to use a forbidden secret technique to sacrifice every last one of them.

For the sake of the World Dragon eggs, these creatures had instantly flipped from detached indifference to fervent, impatient zeal, spouting all manner of self-righteous justifications for a full-scale war with the Champions Alliance.

Now, at least, they would take this war seriously.

Fight, then, Mondusath thought, a new plan already forming. Fight and bleed. Perhaps in the chaos, I’ll have a chance to reclaim the eggs myself.

He was not without resources in the Uynting Realm; many of his descendants still lived.

He recalled the blade flashes he’d encountered upon his first arrival in this world and felt a surge of confidence in the strength of the faction from the Dusk Continent. His brief test with the white dragon avatar had told him all he needed to know: this faction had depth. Its members were not to be trifled with.

Three arch lords had worked together to slaughter his avatar—an avatar that, due to the laws it commanded, could have escaped from an ordinary demigod without breaking a sweat.

Who are these people? he wondered. And the one hiding behind the scenes... what stage of power have they reached?

It was precisely because of these unanswerable questions, this deep-seated caution, that Mondusath dared not descend with his true soul to pressure the three shameless bastards who had stolen his future.

Titanion Realm, Stoneheart Citadel.

No one was happier about Lorelia’s arrival than Elara and Pallas. Lorelia had a child’s heart, and because Elara and Pallas were Orion’s children, she was more than happy to dote on them. She had even gifted each of them two Alpha cave spiders as personal guards.

The gift had elevated the status of the two royal children to its absolute peak among the other Tribe younglings.

"I can’t believe that out of all our Alpha-level elders, Lorelia was the first to reach Legendary level."

"Everyone used to whisper about her behind her back. They called her timid, lazy... a drain on the horde’s resources."

"It seems our vision was too narrow."

A fond, maternal smile graced Lilith’s face. She had raised Lorelia from a young age. Before Pallas was born, the vast majority of Lilith’s affection had been poured into the young spider-kin. It was only after Lorelia advanced to Alpha and moved into the underground fissure to guard the bottomless abyss that Lilith had shifted some of her focus to the Whitefur.

Now, Lorelia had surpassed everyone, becoming one of the Stoneheart Horde’s two great broodmothers. Within the horde, her status was likely second only to Orion himself. And because she had been nurtured since birth with the collective effort and resources of the entire Tribe, her bond of intimacy and trust with her people was something an outsider like Soraya could never hope to match.

With Lorelia’s ascension, a great weight had been lifted from Lilith’s shoulders. The moment Lorelia had teleported in and thrown herself into Lilith’s arms, she had unleashed her new lord-level pressure, her voice ringing throughout Stoneheart Citadel.

"Mistress! Lorelia is a lord now! If anyone ever bullies you again, I’ll send my endless little spiders to wipe them out!"

It was a true reflection of her heart. She was, in her own way, simply showing off for the woman who had been a mother to her. But while the speaker was innocent, the listeners were not. Lorelia’s words spread like wildfire through the city, and then through the entire Stoneheart Horde.

Orion had no objections whatsoever.

"Any broodmother who can reach Alpha-level should have the potential to become a lord," he mused, pulling Lilith into his embrace. His voice was a low, gentle, and deeply satisfied rumble. "The spider queen who used to live north of the black forest never advanced because she lacked the resources and nutrition to realize her potential."

"Lorelia is different. From the day she was born, she has been fed on the strength of our Stoneheart Horde. The potential was always there."

"Her ascension to lordship is a credit to all of us."

"You should have seen Rendall back in Kadira when he heard the news," Lilith said, her voice filled with warmth. "He was blind drunk for three days and three nights. Even in his sleep, the old elder kept muttering, ’This life was worth it... the status of the four races is secure.’"

Lilith leaned against Orion’s chest, gazing out at the plaza where Lorelia was playing with Elara and Pallas, her face a mask of pure happiness.

"I imagine the prophet Onyx will be greatly pleased when he emerges from his seclusion and hears the news."

Orion nodded. The four founding races of the Stoneheart Horde had followed him from the very beginning, through continental wars and battles in the otherworldly realms. Lorelia was the ultimate combatant they had collectively raised. Her ascension was a symbol, a testament to their depth.

But more than that, it was a signal. It was a signal that boosted the confidence of their people, a signal that the foundation of the four races was now strong enough to produce Legendary-level powerhouses on its own. Where there was one lord, there would be a second, and then countless more.

That was the true reason for the smile on Lilith’s face.

"Speaking of good news," Lilith said, the thought striking her. She looked up at Orion, her playful demeanor vanishing, replaced by a look of serious purpose. "We have finished collecting the sacrificial materials for the Heroic Altar. We have enough."

Orion’s eyes lit up.

"Set the quota at fifty for now," he commanded. "Ten slots go to the elders of the four races who need their potential unlocked. Give one of those directly to Rendall."

"Put another twenty slots in the horde treasury, to be redeemed by those with sufficient battle achievements. Let them earn it."

"The remaining twenty," he said, a look of hope and expectation in his eyes, "are for the younglings in the youth camp."

"Tell the instructors to organize a tournament. Let the younglings fight for the honor themselves. Have Elara and Pallas participate as well. The First Daughter and the Prince of the Stoneheart Horde can’t just be figureheads."

Lilith nodded, eagerly accepting the task.

"Word came back from Soaring Bird City," she said, her tone shifting back to that of a tactician. "King Harold has agreed to an equal four-way split of all territory and spoils. With that on the table, is sending only Lorelia and her cave spider armies truly going to be enough?"