Chapter 371: Major Changes and Investigation

Hearing the queen's decision to endure silently for a few years, the Dorel elf elders looked at each other, then fell into silence. It was clear that Duke Muria's power was overwhelming, and even the queen, who was blessed by the gods and prodigiously talented, had to submit despite her youth and legendary status.

Of course, if Delilah had ordered them to wage war against the current Lockman Kingdom, they would have surely advised against it. No one would favor a war that was certain to be lost, especially one that might lead to the extinction of their race.

Now that the queen had decided to bide her time during the reign of the Gold Dragon and wait for his departure before launching any plans to invade the surface, it was undoubtedly the best course of action.

After all, it was merely a waste of time, and as long-lived beings, they had time in abundance. They would wait and see how long this Gold Dragon could hold the title of regent duke.

The only sore point was the annual tribute of resources worth fifty thousand units, which the queen certainly wouldn't pay. That meant the elf elders would have to come up with the funds themselves.

"Humph, do you think I plan to wait for this Gold Dragon to leave before I strike back?" Seeing the various thoughts among her subordinates, Delilah snorted angrily.

"Whether this Gold Dragon leaves or not, even if he plans to stay in Lockman as regent duke for a lifetime, I don't care. In no more than ten years, a major upheaval powerful enough to shake the world will occur on our Nokian Eur continent. What then of ten ancient dragons? In this upheaval, a slight misstep could reduce them to dust."

The news, seemingly containing shocking insights, immediately intimidated the many Dorel elf elders.

As legends, positioned at the very pinnacle of the world's hierarchy, they had already sensed unusual changes in the surrounding environment, changes vastly different from the era they had lived in before.

But they did not know the cause of these changes. However, it now seemed that their queen knew some insider information, perhaps even the reasons behind these changes.

"Just wait patiently and ask no questions." As an elf elder began to inquire, the queen, who sat on a metallic throne, vanished without a trace, leaving only her words echoing in the vast hall.

---

In the western frontier of Lockman Kingdom, over the endless ocean, Albert, leading the Investigative Legion, arrived at the Isman Fortress through a teleportation array. After learning the direction of the Cloud Islands from the legion commander stationed there, they rapidly flew over the calm sea surface.

After nearly twenty-four hours of relentless flight, this giant investigative troop finally sighted the numerous Cloud Islands surrounded by hurricanes, causing even those giants who had lived on Cloud Islands to marvel.

They had never seen so many Cloud Islands gathered together, covering such a vast area, and most crucially, surrounded by a massive ring of hurricanes that clearly indicated an unnatural wind. Such clarity was impossible under normal circumstances.

"Has anyone lived on a Cloud Island surrounded by such winds before?" Albert, the Cloud Giant leader, floated in midair and asked his companions.

"No, never seen before."

"This is the first time I'm seeing such Cloud Islands."

All the giants shook their heads. Before coming to Titan Cloud Islands, they lived dispersedly by family units, and a large-scale settlement like that of the Titan Archipelago was virtually unheard of.

In other words, among these one hundred Cloud Giants, besides a portion that lived on land, many had grown up on Cloud Islands and stated they had never seen anything like the massive cluster before them.

"It's very likely that there is a powerful creature living on these Cloud Islands," Albert said gravely, eyeing the clear, transparent wind. "This wind could very well be formed by the presence of such a powerful being."

"How powerful would something have to be to create such a scale of wind barrier?" A Cloud Giant expressed shock and awe upon hearing Albert's speculation.

"It could wipe us out with a breath," said a Storm Giant riding on a giant rook, coolly. He was slightly annoyed at having to follow the orders of a Cloud Giant, as directed by Muria, but orders were orders, and his complaints were just grumbling.

"Surely it's not that terrifying!" another Cloud Giant standing next to Albert chuckled nervously, finding the idea of being blown away by a breath from some creature hard to imagine.

"It's indeed possible that there is such a powerful presence," Albert said solemnly. "However, even if there is, it likely won't attack us without provocation. Such pure wind could not be produced by an evil creature. So, the risk is low. Still, prioritize survival and investigate secondarily. If you encounter an irresistible danger, retreat quickly."

"Albert, is this the attitude you take toward the task entrusted to you by

 His Highness?" a Storm Giant questioned.

"Duke Muria did not specify a timeline for the investigation," Albert retorted coldly. "If I were to sacrifice my comrades to explore the Cloud Islands, then His Highness would truly reprimand me."

"Everyone, prepare to break through the wind barrier and enter the Cloud Island. Be cautious," Albert commanded, wielding his staff to create a protective shield far beyond what ordinary human mages could conjure, enveloping his griffins and himself within it, then led the way through the wind barrier.

The barrier's defense was not particularly strong. Soon, all the giants with their griffins broke through the wind wall and landed on a Cloud Island. After deploying detection spells and finding no immediate dangers, the giants spread out to explore.

To the giants' surprise, the plants and animals on this Cloud Island were no different from those on a normal Cloud Island, except that there were particularly many wind-attribute species among them, which meant the local wildlife moved very quickly.

After exploring for nearly three hours without catching a single golden-tier, intelligent creature to communicate with, they quickly resolved this issue.

A Storm Giant patrolling the island on a giant rook discovered a Cloud Giant family living near a waterfall. Informed of this, Albert immediately took his subordinates to meet them, as communication would be easier among their own kind.

"What kind of giants are you?" A thirteen-meter-tall male Cloud Giant holding a heavy sword looked uncertainly at the well-equipped giants who were gradually surrounding his home.

"Brother, don't be nervous, we're the same kind!"

"Do you take me for a fool? Since when are Cloud Giants as tall as you?"

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