In the plaza, the Giants had already set down their weapons and were sitting together in a circle.

They were waiting for their post-battle dinner.

Their Giant Dragon Leader had promised that every Giant would receive a double portion of roasted meat as a reward today.

Raylo was about to turn around.

Suddenly, a forgotten image surfaced from the depths of his memory.

It was the scene of him encountering this group of Hill Giants in the Giant Dragon Realm.

At the time, they had been gathered around a huge bonfire, and roasting over the flames was a massive, long-tusked Mammoth!

Raylo’s eyes lit up.

He remembered clearly that it had been an adult Mammoth.

This meant that near the area where the Hill Giants had been active, there had to be one, or maybe even more than one, Mammoth Herd! 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Black Stone Territory currently had a squad of ten Mammoth Knights. They were invincible in both charges and sieges, and past wars had proven the value of these Mammoths.

If he could tame another group of Mammoths and double, or even multiply, the number of Mammoth Knights in Black Stone Territory, it would be a massive boost to the territory’s Power.

He turned and strode out of the study.

He didn’t call for a servant. Instead, he walked straight through the castle courtyard and toward the noisy plaza.

In the plaza, fourteen Hill Giants were waiting for their meal. They sat in a circle on the ground, occasionally slapping the earth with their huge palms, producing dull thuds.

Sun lay to one side, its golden scales shimmering in the sunset.

"Sun."

The Golden Dragon’s enormous head turned, its pale gold vertical pupils looking at Raylo.

"Raylo."

Its voice was as resonant as a great bell.

"Your training methods are quite good. I can feel the progress these big oafs are making."

Raylo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the group of Hill Giants who had looked over at the sound of their voices.

"They are natural-born warriors, merely lacking a bit of restraint and discipline."

"However, I’ve come to find you about something else."

Raylo paused for a moment, organizing his words.

"I remember when I met these Hill Giants in the Giant Dragon Realm, they were roasting a Mammoth."

"Could you help me ask these big oafs where they hunted the Mammoth they were roasting?"

A nearby Hill Giant, perhaps understanding a word or two, foolishly rubbed his stomach and let out a covetous gurgle.

Sun shot the Giant a glare, then after questioning the Giants, replied to Raylo.

"They say that Mammoth meat is firm and their bones can be made into weapons. Those big guys are one of their favorite prey."

"Where are they?"

Raylo got straight to the point.

Sun emphasized the question to the Giants again.

The Giants’ reaction was direct. One of them stood up, pointed to the South with a thick finger, and roared a few unintelligible syllables.

Sun quickly finished translating.

"They say if you head south from their old camp and follow a dry river valley for a while, there’s a wide basin that is the Mammoths’ habitat. There are many of them, as many as all our fingers times all our fingers."

’All our fingers times all our fingers?’

Raylo had to think for a moment to understand what the Giants, who had no concept of numbers, meant by that phrase.

’Over a hundred of them!’

This number made Raylo’s pupils contract slightly.

"Excellent."

A faint smile appeared on Raylo’s face.

"Sun, get ready. Tomorrow, we will go to the Giant Dragon Realm again."

Raylo turned and returned to the castle.

He went straight to the office of Evan the Scribe.

"Evan."

Raylo pushed the door open and entered.

The Scribe, who was organizing scrolls, was startled and quickly stood to bow.

"My Lord."

"I need a large quantity of rope and Beast Capture Nets."

Raylo spoke extremely quickly.

"The rope must be the most tenacious kind, the type tanned from the sinew of Magical Beasts. The Beast Capture Nets must also be the largest size, preferably woven from iron chains or Magical Beast tendons. The more, the better. Before dawn, bring all the stock from the warehouse to the plaza for me."

Although Evan was filled with confusion, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, my Lord. I will see to it at once."

「The next morning, at the crack of dawn.」

The first rays of sunlight pierced through the thin mist, shining on the spires of Black Stone Castle.

Raylo stood before the window of his study, the morning breeze stirring the black hair on his forehead.

[Daily Intelligence Refresh]

[1: The Eternal Giant Turtle of the Black Water River has dammed a portion of the current, forming a new lake in a Valley near the Black Water River. This is the first step in the Eternal Giant Turtle’s active offensive against the Jade Swamp. Its Magical Beast Legion has already entered this newly formed lake and occupied it. This has caused widespread flooding on the "Horn of Plenty" plains on the south bank of the Black Water River, submerging thousands of acres of nearly ripe wheat fields.]

[2: In the Giant Dragon Realm, the fugitive Tier Five Hill Giant Kado has returned to the Giant Camp. He is currently sitting in the camp, blaming himself for his cowardice and for fleeing.]

[3: In the Twilight Forest, east of the Jade Swamp, a Green Phosphorus Poison Dragon arrived half a month ago. He defeated and subdued the original overlord of the Twilight Forest, becoming the new master of this sea of trees. The Green Phosphorus Poison Dragon is a Catastrophe Level Magical Beast and a mutated species of Green Dragon.]

[4: A Catastrophe Level Demon Lord from the Chaos Demon Realm has developed a keen interest in human theater. He has dispatched his subordinates through spatial rifts to kidnap famous theater troupes from multiple nations, demanding they perform eight different plays each day. If they fail, he will turn them all into Little Inferior Demons.]

[5: Three days from now, near the Three-Way Oasis south of Black Stone Territory, a young Red Dragon will attempt to rob a Gold Transport Team passing through its territory, only to be captured alive by a disguised Dragon Slayer Mage Team from the convoy. It will be imprisoned in the Mage City to provide energy for the Magic City’s Magic Furnace.]