Don't Mess with That Dragon-Chapter 673 - 061 Reaction

A year has passed since the demise of the Eight Nation Alliance and the Blue Dragon Kingdom's breach of the Border Great Wall.

During this year, although there have been numerous local conflicts between the Southern Countries and the Blue Dragon Kingdom, overall, a certain level of general peace has been maintained.

The Southern Countries are in chaos, and the conflicts of interest between nations, lacking a powerful force to mediate, have made it impossible for the Eight Southern Nations to set aside their differences and form an alliance.

The formation of the Eight Nation Alliance back then was due not only to common internal interests and the greed of certain nobles for wealth but more importantly to the influence of a powerful organization hidden behind the scenes.

To attract the Blue Dragon Kingdom's attention and facilitate the assault plan on the Main City, they went along with the flow, suppressing complex interests and facilitating the formation of the Eight Nation Alliance.

However, now, with the failure of the plan to attack the Blue Dragon Kingdom Main City, that organization has vanished without a trace.

Without a strong organization driving it behind the scenes,

even when faced with an immense crisis, the Eight Southern Nations, which have long been fraught with internal conflicts, are utterly unable to unite against a common external threat.

For example, a fierce nation largely consisting of desert, with a surplus of rogue mercenary adventurers, has continuously waged war for hundreds of years against a wealthy country with rivers and plains. Both sides have nearly been destroyed multiple times, and even their kings have perished on the battlefield.

How could such a deep-seated blood feud of a century-old war be casually set aside for the sake of an alliance?

The relationships between countries are far more complex than those between individuals.

It must be noted that not every nation among the eight facing the Blue Dragon Kingdom's threat wishes to capture the Border Great Wall at all costs and drive the arrogant and conceited beastmen back to the Kawa Great Forest.

Some countries have the majority of their borders adjoining the Border Great Wall, directly facing the threat of invasion by the Blue Dragon Kingdom, and thus feel the most uneasy.

Some countries have only a small portion of their remote borders touching it. Even if the Blue Dragon Kingdom's army crosses the Border Great Wall to invade, they won't face the bulk of the enemy forces directly, so their mindset is more relaxed.

And this is just one aspect.

Without a powerful entity to unify them, these contradictions cannot be resolved.

Moreover,

in recent days, spies trained by the Blue Dragon Kingdom based on modern scientific systems have dispersed into the Southern Countries, gathering intelligence while spreading rumors, crafting enemy conspiracies, and even penetrating courts to subtly increase the kings' doubts with various covert tactics...

The fall of the Border Great Wall had already made the people of the Southern Countries uneasy.

In such a restless atmosphere, it is the perfect time to fan the flames, spread rumors, and conduct espionage work.

With spies and operatives trained with a modern scientific intelligence system, the eight Southern Nations appear as defenseless as sifters under the scrutiny of these elites.

Despite numerous failed explorations before, within the Eight Southern Nations, there have already been wise individuals who suggest uniting national forces to repel the gathering beastman army at the Border Great Wall.

However, in the face of chaos, these insightful individuals lack influence and are unable to change the situation.

Over the past year, the busiest have been the diplomats of the various countries.

They frequently travel back and forth between nations, discussing diplomatic affairs, yet not only has nothing been achieved, but relations between countries have also become more complicated due to various reasons.

Alliance negotiations have made no progress.

"Lofite, get ready to pack up. We are leaving the day after tomorrow. If I am correct, the reason the Blue Dragon Kingdom in the South made little movement over the last year is not fear of the Eight Nations' power but preparation, brewing a grand war. Frandy Duchy will likely soon become a battlefield." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

In the capital of Frandy Duchy, a famous old scholar with in-depth research on war strategies at the Noble Academy said this to his son.

This year, the Blue Dragon Kingdom that suddenly emerged in the south,

has been engaging in small skirmishes at the border without launching large-scale offensives, staying quietly by the Border Great Wall, seemingly still in awe of the Southern Countries' powers.

However, the old scholar, after many years of researching national wars and campaigns in dusty tomes, keenly sensed something amiss.

Logically speaking, when the Blue Dragon Kingdom's army breached the Border Great Wall, there should be no military force nearby that could resist them.

To maximize benefits, the Blue Dragon Kingdom should have seized the momentum to sweep south, occupying the major cities in the southern borders of the Frandy Duchy, Golden Eagle Duchy, and Olan Duchy.

But the Blue Dragon Kingdom held back,

abandoning the vast wealthy lands, pausing at the Border Great Wall while gradually nibbling at the surrounding areas and gathering refugees, beginning post-disaster construction.

This genuinely baffled the old scholar.

However, the old scholar believed one thing: a predator bypasses a small prey because it has a bigger appetite!

After spending half a year gathering intelligence from the Adventurer Guild, the old professor took several days to finally discern something...

Sadly, the old professor's words carried little weight, and being just the second son of a baron, he lacked any substantial influence.

The research he worked hard on was submitted but ended up sinking into the void.

"Father, is the situation really that dangerous? But even if we leave, where can we go?"

Lofite was somewhat dumbfounded but did not doubt his father's judgment.

Although his father was just an obscure scholar in the Noble Academy, Lofite knew all too well of his father's talents.

"Go to the Blue Dragon Kingdom. I heard that their king is just a Blue Young Dragon, but His Highness Austin isn't very involved in governance, and the country respects knowledge highly. Previously, an old friend of mine who researches magic invited me to go over there. Now is just the right time to visit. I hear my friend has been evaluated as some Magic Research Fellow, don't worry."

The next day, the old scholar's family packed up overnight.

They embarked on their journey southward.

The old scholar's vision was accurate, being one of the few insightful individuals able to see through the fog.

Unfortunately, in the Southern Countries, there were very few such insightful individuals, and they had no substantial influence.