The Natural Empire of the Oceanic Dragon

Old Man Ma, these old men and women are definitely more stable than these children. Eagle King brought them to find Artlan to arrange a safe mission for these old seniors where they wouldn't have to go to the battlefield.

Facing these seniors who were relying on their age, Eagle King couldn't persuade them not to go, but he couldn't openly stop the seniors from contributing to the great cause of the Druids either. Eagle King was thin-skinned, and the seniors rendered him speechless with just a few words.

But Artlan was different. Eagle King knew that he had always been thick-skinned and full of tricks. He didn't expect Artlan to come up with a win-win solution.

The children had all gone back to class, and Artlan said to the seniors with a smile:

"Seniors, you all saw the situation just now. The children now also have a very strong sense of collective honor as Druids, clamoring to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy."

"But how much knowledge have they learned? Letting them go rashly would be tantamount to harming them and losing their lives in vain. The reason I created this Second Logistics Support Corps is to hope that the seniors can keep an eye on these little guys."

"At the same time, don't be stingy with the Druid knowledge you have mastered. While providing logistical support and transportation, try to improve the children as much as possible. The safety of the children depends on you seniors."

Old Man Ma waved his pipe, his sturdy body full of muscles.

"With us here, even if all of us old bones die, these children won't lose a single hair."

An old man draped in tiger skin revealed a mouth of old teeth, half of which were missing and full of gaps.

"Speaking of which... what secret technique did you cultivate to actually restore yourself to your prime? Take it out and let the brothers and sisters use it. If we could restore ourselves to our prime, we could really go to the battlefield for a stroll."

"I haven't fought anyone in fifty years, I'm afraid I'll fall apart. You've researched such an amazing secret technique, but you didn't tell me. What's the meaning of this? Are we not friends?"

Old Man Ma said cheerfully:

"It's not me, it's Little Dragon's credit. I just researched a secret technique to efficiently utilize Little Dragon's life magic, which allows me to maintain my prime state before the life magic is exhausted."

"The disadvantage is that it requires continuous replenishment of Little Dragon's magic. It's okay if I don't fight, but once I start fighting, I estimate I'll revert to my original appearance in at most half an hour."

"I happen to have brought a secret technique scroll that records my research during this period. Take it and have a look!"

Old Man Ma was able to research this secret technique to restore his youth because he obtained Artlan's magic. He simply amplified the effect of Artlan's magic.

Strictly speaking, this cannot be considered a complete secret technique.

Without Artlan's special magic, this secret technique to return to youth is just a piece of waste paper, so rough it's not even good for wiping your butt.

If Artlan becomes a Legendary Druid, the Water of Life he condenses will not only allow everyone to return to their youth, but also live for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, everyone is about to die.

With bad teeth, they can't bite the big cake that Old Man Ma threw out.

The tiger-skin old man casually waved his hand.

"I don't care about living another hundred years, just tell me, if I use this secret technique, can I still have a hearty fight with the enemy?"

Old Man Ma frowned in embarrassment and said:

"Theoretically, yes, but it requires Little Dragon to provide a lot of magic, otherwise you'll revert halfway through the fight, and that would be fatal."

Artlan waved his hand directly.

"No problem, it is my honor to allow the seniors to spend the last leg of their lives in high quality. Old Man Ma, you should have told me the needs of the seniors earlier."

"The Water of Life I can provide is limited, and can only guarantee that the seniors can restore their daily activities in their prime. If you want to fight, it may only be able to guarantee one senior."

"I don't know..."

"Let Old Man Hu go. We're old and our mentality has changed. Unlike him, he's still so enthusiastic about fighting. With Old Man Hu guaranteeing combat power, if we encounter danger with the children, we'll let him go."

"It just so happens to fulfill his wish to die in battle."

A Druid's wish is to die in battle? How did this kind of berserker seedling end up in the Druid profession?

"Leave it to me!"

These are all seniors who have been immersed in the Druid profession for hundreds of years. Most of their levels are around level 10. Even if they are old and their energy is insufficient, the combat power they exert should not be underestimated.

Plants and animals can become symbols of Druids, naturally because Druids can obtain the most power from them. If you rely on the earth element, why not just be an elemental mage?

Artlan gave each of the old Druids a jar of Sea Dragon Blood Wine with the Water of Life added. The experienced old men and women only tasted a little.

After understanding the efficacy of the tonic, they began to study Old Man Ma's youth secret technique.

The old woman who had just wished Old Man Hu an early death in battle frowned after reading the scroll.

"Old Man Ma, your secret technique is too rough. If you had told me earlier, you wouldn't have wasted so much precious Water of Life."

Old Man Ma puffed on his pipe, scoffing at this.

"Tell me yourself, how many times have I invited you back to the forest as guests? You all agreed in the letters, but who really came back? If it wasn't for Master Gai'ergai's wedding, I think you would have died outside and not come back!"

The old men and women were a little embarrassed. Back then, they had also accepted guidance from the Bearmen like Eagle King, Wine Woman, and others, and each of them went out into the world full of confidence.

They made bold statements that they would also cultivate a forest like the Bearman Forest to prove their Druid attainments. But what was the result? It was already good enough that the old men and women who were still alive could come back.

Some people had already been killed by humans who regarded them as evil wizards entrenched in the forest and hindering their normal lives while guarding the forest, and recruited adventurers to kill them.

Those who are still alive, above level 10, have become the masters of one side of the forest. After having their own careers, they naturally cannot come back often. They are used to being grandpas, and cannot be grandsons.

As for those old Druids below level 10 who have lived to the end of their lives because of caution, they naturally have no face to see their former friends, and shrink into a small forest with one person or two or three apprentices and do not come forward.

Even if they don't have level 18 and don't get the effect of a long-lived body where one year of life becomes ten years, it doesn't mean that Druids haven't tried other methods to prolong their lives.

Otherwise, after more than a hundred years, human lifespans are shorter than Centaurs. These old Druids should have passed away. Not only was Old Man Ma's longevity secret technique criticized by them.

Even Artlan's use of Water of Life to brew Sea Dragon Blood Wine was evaluated by the old Druids as not being exquisite enough. If it was brewed according to the methods they brainstormed, they should be able to put together a second old fellow who could restore combat power.

But they don't plan to do that. Old Man Hu is the only one who can handle the battle. After living for more than a hundred years, they are becoming more and more afraid of death and cherish the remaining years of their lives.

Now that they have the opportunity to restore their youth, they naturally hope to make up for their past regrets.

Especially after hearing that Old Man Ma actually has a son about to be born, some old Druids can't sit still anymore. They can't let Old Man Ma have all the glory.

Of course, it is impossible for them to have one themselves like Old Man Ma. They want to use their newly restored clear brains to find a suitable successor.

Why did they send the orphans they collected here? Isn't it because they are old and don't have the energy to train them? The generation of Druids they trained when they were young was even more unreliable.

They owe their current achievements entirely to the guidance of the Bearmen, but the children they trained were not as able to endure hardship as they were, or rather, their hearts were not as hard as the Bearmen's.

When the children cried, the cultivation that should have been paid with sweat and pain was muddled through, which naturally led to the lack of talent in the younger generation of Druids.

This kind of guy, even if he is sent to the forest, the Bearmen won't even look at him.

The second generations who went home dejectedly naturally gradually became estranged from the Bearman Forest.

In the end, many members were absorbed by the blood-stained withering school.

Now that they have seen Little Dragon, the successor recognized by the Bearmen, especially since Artlan provided them with a magic potion to restore their youth, and Artlan also showed considerable enthusiasm and curiosity about the Druid situation in the north.

For a time, they all had the idea of handing over the forests they had opened up to Artlan for management. Handing them over to their disciples, maybe a few years after their death, the forests would become human logging yards and farmland.

But handing it over to Artlan would be different. The forest could be maintained for at least hundreds of years, and the distance between their forests is actually not far, but there are many human villages and towns in the middle.

This has led to their forests not being able to connect into one piece.

If it was Artlan, he would definitely have a way to connect their forests together and become a Druid forest that is not inferior to the Bearman Forest.

After understanding the location of their forests, Artlan was surprised to find that they happened to be in the East and North territories of the Northern Kingdom that Artlan wanted to occupy.

If he controlled those human towns, he could indeed connect the forests by relocating the towns, and then connect them to the forests in the south of the River Valley Kingdom.

A huge C-shaped forest encompassing the Swamp Dragon's lake would appear on this continent, and the remaining direction of the Swamp Dragon's development would only be eastward.

Taking down the Dwarves and the Human Kingdom and connecting his inland sea and outer sea, the Swamp Dragon at that time would be unstoppable.

Fortunately, the Dwarves and Humans in the east are much more promising than those in the west. Even the Halflings have a hero as tall as a human in the eastern tribes.

It made Atilan very suspicious whether the feng shui on the east side was better, so the Swamp Wyrm insisted on moving east, only to be blocked by the two kingdoms for hundreds of years.

Strictly speaking, the hundreds of years were actually the result of the major kingdoms in the east constantly retreating, and finally, after being oppressed to the limit, the humans and dwarves were forced to unite and explode with amazing combat power.

In a word, Atilan's ten thousand elites were no match for the allied forces of dwarves and humans. This was the news he got from the tiger people, in order to maintain the combat effectiveness and logistical support of the army.

They opened up the opportunity for commoners to become mages, although what they learned was only some knowledge that was helpful to agriculture, they were still considered mages.

Over time, they still figured out a lot of practical spells. The Department of Magical Agriculture, which is almost entirely composed of commoner mages, has begun to show its fangs in the political arena of the human kingdom.

Yes, just like Atilan used druids to farm, humans were forced to use mages to farm, but what are mages? They are mage lords!

Can mage lords be content to be magic farmers for the rest of their lives?

That's impossible!

However, the head of the Department of Magical Agriculture is still a noble mage. Even if the means of casting spells are mediocre, the concept of nobles being superior to others is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. These commoner mages dare to be angry but dare not speak out.

Do you know how upset Atilan is when he sees such a big mine in the east, but he can't detonate it? Detonating this mine would only benefit the Swamp Wyrm for nothing.

The stronger the Swamp Wyrm is, the less likely Atilan's plan to occupy the entire continent and establish a natural empire will be realized. Now the Swamp Wyrm is so strong that Atilan can't think of a suitable way to deal with it.

If the Swamp Wyrm expands its territory again, then Atilan will really have no way to play.

Now the only way he can think of is to wait!

The difference between an 800-year-old ancient dragon and a two-year-old hatchling is very big, but the difference between a 2,000-year-old primeval dragon and a 1,200-year-old primeval dragon is not that big.

Who told dragons to like sleeping? Atilan used the time other dragons spent sleeping to work hard. When he was 1,200 years old, the power he obtained through cultivation was not much worse than the Swamp Wyrm's after cultivating for 2,000 years.

According to the old merman's vague memories, the Swamp Wyrm doesn't particularly like sleeping. The longest time it sleeps is only two or three years, and it is also cultivating in its sleep.

If Atilan wants to work it to death, he needs to put in more effort.

The bear people once said that it only took him four hundred years to achieve the results that the Swamp Wyrm took eight hundred years to achieve. He believed that Atilan, who was more talented than him, could surpass the current him in four hundred years as well.

Atilan couldn't drink any of the bear people's chicken soup, because there was no chicken in the chicken soup, only blades, hurting his throat very much.

He finally managed to appease the members of the Second Logistics Corps, which was full of old, weak, sick, and disabled members. Atilan only hoped that there would be no pregnant women.

Looking at the eyes of these old druids who had regained their youth and vitality, Atilan felt that they might really have a few children.

Dragging his tired body back to Greenscale Town, Atilan received intelligence from Big Horn Town before he could go back to rest. The Dwarf King sent a gryphon knight to send a message, hoping to meet with Atilan in Water Cellar Town.

Atilan had already met with the Dwarf King once. The Dwarf King was simple and honest, and truly treated Atilan as a good friend, even though he was a dragon.

That enthusiasm made Atilan a little embarrassed to trick him to death.

Thinking of the dwarf Silver Ring, who harbored the dream of becoming the Dwarf King and was still working hard to build roads for him, Atilan could only harden his heart.

The Dwarf King is a good person, but he is not a suitable king. Otherwise, the Dwarf Kingdom would not have been managed so badly by him, and the dwarves would still need to work in other places to support their families.

Many dwarves from the Dwarf Kingdom went to the Western Territory of the Northern Kingdom. There are many mines in the Western Territory, and it is very common to hire dwarf forging masters to help.

For example, Silver Ring has a cousin whose family is called Gold Mine. Just hearing the name, you know that their family is best at mining gold mines. The whole family is helping the Western Territory to openly mine gold mines.

This time, the Dwarf King suddenly requested a meeting at such a critical juncture. Atilan suspected that the Dwarf King had received wind of it and was preparing to send troops. After all, fire treasures and dwarves go well together.

Atilan bought equipment from the Dwarf Kingdom, and the dwarves also got food, giving the Dwarf King the confidence to expand his army. Otherwise, how could such a big Dwarf Kingdom have so few troops?

In fact, on the Frost Plateau in the northwest of the Dwarf Kingdom, there lives a Frost Giant clan. This clan and the Dwarf Kingdom are sworn enemies. No one knows why the two countries started fighting.

Anyway, they will start a war every few decades.

If there is no threat from foreign enemies, how could the system of inheriting the throne only by mastering Divine Descent be passed down for more than two thousand years?

Atilan could only casually eat some pan-fried pork chops, braised pork knuckles, and sweet and sour pork ribs before setting off to meet the Dwarf King.

This guy didn't make any concessions. He only sent an envoy to invite Atilan to meet after arriving at Water Cellar Town.

Sure enough, as soon as Atilan arrived at Water Cellar Town, the Dwarf King immediately excitedly stepped forward and said:

"Dragon Lord, let's send troops together. My one thousand dwarven heavy infantry and one thousand ram cavalry have already marched into the desert. After taking the treasure, we will each have half of the magic weapons we make!"

Atilan raised his eyebrows and said unhurriedly:

"I didn't expect the Dwarf King to have such good information. Even I just found out, and the Dwarf King has already deployed his troops and started attacking."

The Dwarf King laughed loudly.

"Actually, I only received the news yesterday, and then I immediately gathered the soldiers and marched towards the underground city at the fastest speed. We must take the lead in occupying a suitable position."

"Otherwise, after the treasure is obtained by them, it will be almost impossible to snatch the treasure from the midst of thousands of troops. Dragon Lord, you must make a decision as soon as possible."

Atilan pretended to think, and the Dwarf King looked at him anxiously.

"Dwarf King, I agree."

With the troops of the Dwarf Kingdom, they might really be able to take the treasure. Even if they can't, Atilan won't lose anything. Anyway, he just needs to complete the task of covering the bear people.

Suddenly, the Dwarf King smiled shyly.

"That's good. Our dwarves can send out a little more troops, but this food... maybe... we need the Dragon Lord to help solve it."

"No problem!"

Leaving more manpower to continue production, Atilan can also quickly mobilize them to the desert if the situation is not right. The current problem is whether the grassland has the ability to support tens of thousands of troops.

It is impossible to wait until troops are needed before Atilan starts gathering them from within the kingdom. Just marching from Big Horn Town to the desert hinterland of the underground city may take a month.

This is already the fastest speed without considering logistics.

It is so troublesome to send out a large army.

Unless you don't bring food and go to war on an empty stomach.

With the harsh environment of the desert, there is no way to seize food from the enemy.

"Then I will send out three thousand troops, half minotaurs and half centaurs, all wearing dragon armor. Dwarf King, do you think that's appropriate?"

"Enough, enough. In addition to the two thousand people we sent, we can also send another thousand heavy warriors and ram cavalry, as well as gryphon knights, which is also a thousand people, but their food will need the Dragon Lord to help with."

Atilan smiled and agreed. No wonder they only sent two thousand people. It seems that the situation in the Dwarf Kingdom has not improved. A war has exposed the problem of insufficient food.

As Atilan's control over the Halfling Town deepens, especially after he taught the dwarves the technique of growing apples and brewing wine in the mountains, it is believed that the amount of food produced by the dwarves themselves will further decline.

Since they are joining forces with the dwarves, then the druids do not need to go to the front line for the time being. Introducing water veins to transform the soil environment of the grassland and making the grassland a grain-producing area is their job.

Even if the grain yield of the grassland is low, it is better than transporting grain from the wetland.

When transporting grain by land, the transportation team will eat half of the grain first.

After advancing into the desert, Atilan and the Dwarf's six thousand elites quickly occupied an oasis under the command of the Blue Dragon as a stronghold, and began to dig a tunnel into the underground city.

Then Atilan learned very bad news from the gryphon knights responsible for high-altitude reconnaissance.

An army appeared in the south, occupying another oasis stronghold under the command of the Blue Dragon. Judging from their appearance and equipment, they should be the army of the Elven Kingdom in the south!

Atilan narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not expect that the Water Elf Kingdom would intervene in a fire treasure. Although the Water Elf Kingdom is also a terrestrial elf, their careers are all at sea.

What use is a fire treasure to them?

Wait a minute, it seems to be useful. Although it is naval warfare, fire attacks have always been a classic method, especially magic warships are made of wood, and they will naturally be burned by flames.

"Dragon Lord, the sudden intervention of the elves, what do you think?"

"How many people do they have?"

"According to the reconnaissance results, they don't have many people, probably no more than a thousand. It is estimated that they are just joining in the fun, or they don't want the treasure to fall into anyone's hands."

"Just interfering with us contenders for a period of time, the treasure will disappear again, and we can only wait for the treasure to appear again next time."

"Enter the underground first, and then talk after meeting the elves."

The speed of digging the underground city tunnel is very fast. As expected of dwarves who are professional miners.

The arrival of the first war came even faster than Atilan imagined.

Just after entering the underground, before the army's formation could be set up, they encountered the Blue Dragon and his dependents. It seemed that they had just come down as well.

Before Atilan and the others could fight, the elven army, emitting a blue magical aura, emerged from behind the mountain.

The ones who detonated the battlefield were the owners of the underground city, a group of fire gnomes who were frantically throwing bombs at them.

A melee has since begun.