Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, Chapter Fourteen: Head-On Confrontation

Baoling frowned, as both he and Fran indeed harbored skepticism and concern over Komer's trade with the Barbarians. Though the Barbarians had provided a small squadron of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs as promised, Baoling and Fran saw these more as deterrents than practical assets; they might have some strategic value in intimidating the local Half-Beastmen, but how effective this squad of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs would be in actual combat was something neither Baoling nor Fran were optimistic about.

"Baoling, it seems you're not particularly fond of our secret weapons?" Komer said, smiling faintly. He could understand the feelings of Baoling and Fran; after all, soldier types like Earth Dragon Warriors were novel to the Mortals of the North. A small team comprised of several Earthwalking Dragons could indeed strike imposingly in minor skirmishes, but how much power they could exert in large-scale confrontations with regular armies was another matter.