CHAPTER 942: THE WORLD DRAGON EGGS

By the same token, if the dragons agreed to enter the war, the Stoneheart Horde would be unlikely to refuse and lose face.

"However," Delilah continued, her tone shifting from righteous to pragmatic, "before we go any further, we must be clear on the matter of logistics and the division of spoils."

"To mobilize our armies and cross such vast distances will be... troublesome. And extremely costly."

She turned her gaze to the silent dragon. "Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Jorik?"

Jorik was familiar with Delilah. During the last North-South War, on the western front, it had been this very succubus who directed most of the campaign.

"The distance is too great," Jorik stated flatly, picking up his cue. "The cost in supplies and materiel would be immense. My ancestor will not agree to fight a war for zero gain."

"I want to know what the dragons stand to acquire from this conflict. Resources? Or territory?"

If Delilah’s approach had been subtle, Jorik’s was a battering ram. The moment she had deferred to him, they had fallen into a perfect rhythm—good cop, bad cop.

Grand Elder Lireesa remained silent. Though she had already stated her position, she was ideologically aligned with Delilah and Jorik. The blood elf race also expected to gain something from this war. No one fought for free.

Just as Ava was struggling with how to respond, the shimmering form of King Harold appeared beside her.

"King Harold can make this promise to you all," the king’s will projection announced, his voice echoing with authority. "If we win this war, the North-South dividing line will be pushed three hundred thousand miles to the north. The territories of the dwarven Tribe and the other northern clans will be divided equally among our four races."

His eyes seemed to pierce through them. "Don’t you all agree that there are far too many lords in the north?"

The loss of a Grand Duke and two earls had struck a deep blow to the kingdom. They had to win this war, and they had to use the spoils to compensate for their losses.

Delilah, Lireesa, and Jorik all rose and bowed respectfully to the king’s projection. Harold was now the voice of a great faction with an arch lord at its head. He commanded their respect.

"Your Excellency Delilah, Lord Jorik," the king continued, "as for matters concerning the arch lords, the Saint will discuss them personally with His Majesty the Giant-King and His Majesty the Dragon Emperor."

Delilah and Jorik both nodded. Bargaining between arch lords was far above their station.

"Then it is settled," King Harold declared. "I hope you will all return to your people with haste and lead your armies to the dwarven lands, so that we may defend the honor of the Five-Race Alliance together."

The North, Blackstone City.

A wave of Lumi’s energy swept through the city. Deep within an underground fissure, Lorelia, who had been fast asleep, snapped awake.

A moment later, she was clinging to Lumi’s arm, beaming. "Sister Lumi! I haven’t seen you in forever! Look, look! Mistress sent me a new dress! Isn’t it pretty?"

Lorelia let go and twirled, the red dress with its gold-thread embroidery creating a blur of dangerous beauty.

"Lilith sent me to tell you," Lumi said, her voice its usual cool monotone. "It’s time to report to Stoneheart and prepare for war."

Lumi was naturally aloof, but Lorelia was one of the very few in the Stoneheart Horde who was openly affectionate with her. She was fond of the girl. Lorelia’s personality was the polar opposite of her own, and she often found that she gained new insights and understanding just by being around her.

"Aww, is the war starting already?" Lorelia pouted for a second before her face broke into a massive grin. "Hahaha, awesome! Finally, something to do! It’s my turn to go on a rampage!"

Hearing the command, she shot back into the underground fissure like a bolt of lightning to retrieve her Nest and gather her children. During her time back in Blackstone City, she had fulfilled many of her childhood wishes, exploring every last inch of her old home. She was especially fond of the lord’s tent Orion had left behind and the familiar comfort of the fissure. She hadn’t been idle, either. With a wealth of resources at her disposal, she had successfully hatched several new broods of cave spiders with superior bloodlines.

I can’t believe she reached Legendary level on her own, Lumi thought with a sigh. As an elemental being, her senses were exceptionally sharp. Lorelia’s aura was far purer than that of a typical lord. Though she was newly ascended and hadn’t yet perfected concealing her power, Lumi could see the signs clearly.

Orion truly has a good eye.

Lumi dissolved into a flurry of wind and snow, heading for the inner keep behind the Horde Hall. With Lorelia being redeployed, she would now be the guardian of Blackstone City.

Emerald Dream Realm, Dragonflame Island.

Deep within the island’s largest Dragon Nest, seven spectral phantoms were gathered.

"You wished to know why I guided you to this world," a proud, imperious voice echoed in the darkness. "Beyond the fact that the Emerald Dream Realm is an evolving world, there is another reason."

If Orion were present, he would have recognized the voice instantly. It was the Great Dragon King of Light, Mondusath.

"I am at the sixth stage of demigod," he announced. "Though my physical form has decayed and died, my essence has already passed through the stages of divine power, divine fire, and divine soul. I am on the cusp of the fourth stage: the divine calling."

"I need only condense my Divine Kingdom to answer that call and be reborn. To that end, I prepared for myself a clutch of six World Dragon eggs within my tomb."

As he said this, his gaze swept over the other phantoms. He could almost hear the greedy, hitched breathing of the other demigods.

"However," Mondusath’s voice was heavy with regret, sorrow, and a profound sense of loss. "All six of the World Dragon eggs were stolen. And the thieves are the very same people now occupying the Dusk Continent."

As things stand, he knew, there was no way for him to recover the eggs himself. So, he had changed his plan. He would first retake the Uynting Realm, using the dragons there to incubate a new clutch of World Dragon eggs. But before that, these fools were obstacles. He would use the promise of the eggs to bait them, to deplete their strength. Ideally, they would be grievously wounded, forced into slumber to recover their divine power. That would buy him the time he needed.

"It is impossible for them to assimilate the eggs in a short time," he continued aloud. "I can sense the eggs are in this world, but I cannot pinpoint their location, which means they have been hidden. I no longer want them. Whoever finds them can keep them."

"All I ask now is that you help me utterly eradicate that faction and its people. Can you do this?"