Green Monster Epic

The area around the Chagori Hills in the dead of winter was covered in snow. A constant stream of people from all directions converged on this mountainous region. From the sky, they looked like gray serpents winding across the vast land, moving slowly.

Guleite, one of the three Grand Marshals of the Dwarf Kingdom and the commander of the southern front, a gray dwarf demigod, arrived at Molten Steel King City with an elite cavalry force. After settling his soldiers in encampments outside the city, he went straight to the underground corridor where the royal capital was located, heading directly for the imperial city.

The underground city was still noisy, but it felt very different from when he usually returned to report for duty. Perhaps it lacked some vitality and had a bit more of a solemn atmosphere.

Most of what he saw along the way were dwarven warriors in armor. There were crowds in front of blacksmith shops and potion stores, everyone preparing for the upcoming war. The women, children, and other common folk, who were usually seen everywhere, were now mostly hiding in their homes or in the academies. Since the royal family issued a general mobilization order in the capital, these dwarves with weak combat capabilities had become supporting characters in the city.

The imperial city was built in the innermost part of the underground city. A lava waterfall flowed from a huge cauldron-shaped device, passing right through the center of the steel castle where the imperial city was located. Vigorous natural energy flowed continuously from the waterfall, virtually supporting this heavy steel creation in mid-air.

Dozens of huge metal chains stretched out from all directions, converging on the base below the steel castle, with the other ends extending into the hollowed-out mountain cliffs, merging with the massive mountain.

"Marshal Guleite!"

The dwarf guard guarding the imperial city's elevator, seeing the iron-faced and dignified Grand Marshal striding over, was awe-stricken and saluted respectfully, quickly opening the entrance to the guarded ladder.

Guleite nodded slightly to the guarding warrior, stepped into the circular disc-shaped magnetic levitation ladder, and as faint magical fluctuations escaped, the magnetic poles below the circular disc operated, steadily pushing the disc upwards into the sky.

Passing through an obscure magic lock shield, the turbid and hot air in the underground city instantly became fresh and warm, and the dim and dark scene also became clear and colorful. Various plants were planted everywhere in the huge steel building complex, almost no different from a garden city in the surface world.

However, the gray dwarf demigod was not in the mood to admire the beautiful scenery of the imperial city at this time. His cold gaze, apart from the magnificent hall hundreds of meters away, could not accommodate anything else.

A clever guard had already gone ahead to report Guleite's arrival to the owner of the imperial city, so when he arrived at the gate of the hall, the well-equipped and powerful guards on duty did not intend to stop him, but instead let Guleite walk straight into the hall with a sidelong glance.

Before he even entered the hall, the loud voices of heated debate inside had already reached Guleite's ears.

"...Your Majesty, my Dragon Tooth Legion's 200,000 elite troops are in position on the Ironwave River. All the necessary supplies and equipment for the front line are ready. We are just waiting for the two million royalist troops from the capital to join us, and then we will launch a full-scale attack across the river to defeat the invading elven army and retake our occupied territory!"

"I implore Your Majesty to order me to lead the reinforcements gathered in the capital to the main battlefield on the Ironwave River!!"

"No, Molten Steel City is the core of the kingdom and must not be at any risk. The Royal Guard Corps has already been sent to the front line. Now we can only rely on the reinforcements from all sides to guard the capital..."

In the spacious hall, more than a dozen dwarven ministers wearing different styles of clothing and armor, but all with thick beards tied into small braids, were gathered in a circle, arguing fiercely. Even Guleite's arrival went unnoticed.

Only King Augustus, the dwarf king jointly elected by many dwarven branches, sitting high on a huge throne, cast a solemn and majestic gaze over Guleite's approaching figure, and then spoke, immediately suppressing the noisy argument in the hall: "Guleite, you have finally arrived."

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Guleite wore heavy armor, but it did not affect his bowing movement. He knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and thumped his chest to report to the king he served.

"The second batch of 300,000 support troops from the Southern Legion will arrive outside the capital within three days, of which the 50,000 cavalry regiment I lead is now stationed outside the city."

"Very good!"

With the arrival of this ever-victorious marshal, Augustus could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Although there were now three Grand Marshals in the kingdom, in reality, apart from Guleite's marshal position, which he had earned through meritorious service, the other two Grand Marshals were more due to their prominent family backgrounds and the support of a powerful dwarven branch behind them. Therefore, the royal family had to grant them powerful positions to win them over.

The collapse of the northern front was ultimately due to the fact that Chief and Grand Marshal Li Oberte of the Dragonblood Dwarves, who guarded the defense area, had long neglected his duties, causing the elven elite to invade the native plateau without him knowing, thus brewing such a disastrous defeat.

Moreover, even if the other party had made such a big mistake, King Augustus could not impose too much punishment on him. Apart from insignificant punishments such as fines and confinement for reflection, he could not even strip him of his title and official position.

The middle-aged dwarven general wearing the most flamboyant clothes and with the loudest voice in the hall was that Northern Grand Marshal Li Oberte who had returned from the northern front to the capital to report for duty and seek reinforcements.

"Why are you so slow, Guleite? Do you know that the kingdom is now in a time of crisis?"

Facing the newly arrived colleague, Li Oberte immediately threw words of complaint, his ingrained contempt for the gray dwarf branch overflowing in his expression, not showing much restraint even though Guleite now held the same official position as him.

Guleite was furious in his heart, but his face remained calm. His eyes swept contemptuously over the other party's rough face before retracting them, and he faced the King above with a solemn expression.

"You..."

Seeing that he was being ignored, Li Oberte was ashamed and angry and was about to flare up again, but at this time Augustus on the throne interrupted the arrogant minister: "What are your thoughts on the current situation on the front line, my lord? Tell us and let everyone hear?"

From the beginning to the present, the kingdom's high-level officials still had different voices and fierce debates about this sudden outbreak of war, making it impossible for the entire kingdom to unite as one and resist the powerful enemy together.

The two strongest factions were the main battle faction, mainly composed of generals such as Li Oberte, and the defensive faction, mainly composed of civil servants such as the kingdom's chief minister. The two sides expressed their opinions and argued endlessly in the court, but the reasons they gave were very convincing, making King Augustus, as the decision-maker, also hesitant and unable to make a final decision for a while.

Now that Guleite, the ever-victorious marshal, had arrived, it was a good opportunity to listen to his opinion and gather everyone's wisdom, so that Augustus could have more confidence in his heart.