While Anke was busy constructing bridges across the Piranha River, news of his victory over the Barbarian Raid was finally delivered to First Prince Spaite by Kerok, the eldest son of Earl Oca.
At that time, Spaite was still competing with the Second Prince Alliance for the support of the ministers in the royal court, completely unaware that his Fourth Brother, Anke, had quietly accomplished such a feat!
“You’re actually making me a bit afraid, aren’t you, Fourth Brother?”
Spaite could not help but mutter to himself as he read the description in the letter.
As Spaite continued reading, he saw the information about Anke’s intention to build a bridge over the Piranha River and his plan to hunt the Blue Water Dragon that lived within it.
The Black Cross Kingdom valued martial prowess, so the prospect of hunting a dragon was far more interesting to Spaite than building a bridge.
“You actually want to hunt a dragon. However, hunting a dragon is very dangerous, Fourth Brother. You must make sure you don’t die under the dragon’s claws.”
Spaite talked to himself, a new plan already forming in his mind.
Although Cavens’s plan was still in progress, it did not stop Spaite from making some early preparations of his own.
After all, an opportunity to let a prince die under a dragon’s claws did not come around often.
Spaite immediately began writing a letter, telling Earl Oca to find an opportunity to act so that Anke would ideally perish under the dragon’s claws.
After sending the letter, Spaite looked out at the snowy sky and sighed softly, “Anke, don’t blame your brother for being heartless. Who told you to be my brother?”
“Achoo— “
Standing at the construction site on the banks of the Piranha River, Anke suddenly sneezed.
“Who’s talking about me? Anyway, where was I humming?”
Anke wiped his nose and continued humming the little tune from before.
“The sun hangs high, the wind brushes my face, leaving a hint of warmth~ Don’t let this season go to waste~”
As Anke hummed, time passed, and the basic frame of a magnificent bridge appeared over the frozen surface of the Piranha River.
On the eastern bank, the ballista positions on both sides of the bridge were completed almost simultaneously.
This speed still did not satisfy Anke, so he used gold coins to further accelerate the construction of the bridge.
Finally, as the river began to thaw, the bridge was successfully completed.
Anke only kept a portion of the militia to operate the ballistae, Louis’s Guard Knight Guard, and thirty elite warriors selected by Gros, integrating them into a temporary Dragon Slaying Army.
The remaining militia, the remnants of the Coloque Army, and the soldiers of the Iron Jaw Tribe were all dismissed by Anke after receiving their final pay, and they subsequently set off on the road home.
“What we need to do next is deal with that dragon’s attack,” Anke said seriously to Vera, who had just arrived, as he stood on the bridge and watched the broken ice drift away below.
“The threat of the dragon does indeed need to be rooted out. However, Your Highness, I just received an urgent letter from Border City. Recently, a group of bandits has been attacking and killing passing merchant caravans on the trade routes. Now, the leaders of the caravans have joined together to request that Your Highness suppress these bandits; otherwise, they won’t dare to take to the road at all.”
Vera relayed the news from Border City to Anke.
“Bandits? That shouldn’t be.”
Anke looked at Vera in surprise upon hearing this.
“Wasn’t that group of bandits near Border City already wiped out by you, Vera? Besides, the treatment I give my subjects is enough for them to live well. Why are there new bandits now?”
“Your Highness, in the letter, Mustafa speculated—based on descriptions from survivors of the attacked caravans—that this band of bandits likely came from the southeast. They aren’t local bandits from Border City or Hanover Province,” Vera explained.
“Not local? Where’s the letter? Let me see.”
Anke tilted his head in thought and then reached out to Vera.
Vera cooperated and handed the letter to Anke.
“This is truly a hassle. Why must bandits cause trouble at a time like this…”
Anke took a sharp breath after reading the letter, but he also felt a slight sense of relief.
According to Mustafa’s urgent letter, this bandit gang had at least 200 to 300 men. Almost all of them were equipped with high-quality armor and possessed exceptionally rich combat experience.
Faced with these hardened outlaws, the caravans and their hired mercenary guards were like sheep before wolves, completely unable to fight back.
Anke had already transferred most of the garrison from Border City, leaving only about 300 militia in the city.
Border City was currently in a weakened state and, on paper, could not confront such fierce bandits head-on.
If these bandits attempted to storm Border City, setting aside the possibility of them breaking in to pillage the citizens, the damage caused to the various workshops around Border City during a siege would be a significant loss for Anke.
Therefore, the fact that the bandits were only raiding caravans and cutting off trade routes without daring to attack Border City directly was a blessing in disguise for Anke.
“Your Highness, do we need to transfer a portion of the garrison back to Border City to deal with the bandits?” Vera asked for Anke’s opinion.
“We should transfer a portion back, but only to protect Border City and the surrounding workshops. We are in no hurry to deal with the bandits,” Anke answered her.
“In no hurry? Why, Your Highness? I don’t understand. Isn’t it better to eliminate bandits as quickly as possible?”
“Of course, the sooner the better. But I think we can make a profit out of this bandit situation.”
“Make a profit?”
“Of course. Vera, draft a letter to Border City immediately. Order Mustafa to appoint Kano as an envoy to invite the Three Earls to Border City to discuss the bandit suppression.”
“Can discussing bandit suppression make money?” Vera looked at Anke in confusion.
“You’ll see when the time comes. Either way, we will definitely make more than a little. Besides, eliminating that Blue Water Dragon is more urgent than the bandits right now. Lately, I’ve learned more information about the Blue Water Dragon from Priestess Kaxier and the others.
This dragon is even more difficult to deal with than I imagined. It has reigned over this river for nearly 600 years and is known as the Overlord of the Water. This is not just because of its powerful body and the lightning between its horns, but also because it possesses a cunning equal to that of a human.
If I want to deal with the Blue Water Dragon, I only have one chance. If I fail, not only might I never be able to eliminate it again, but Border City will also face the dragon’s endless retaliation.”
Anke turned to look at the broken ice below the bridge and spoke with some worry.
“Is that a consequence Your Highness cannot bear?” Vera asked.
“Exactly. So we’d better take this dragon down in one go!”
As Anke spoke, he clenched his right hand into a fist and struck the railing in front of him.
Vera followed Anke’s instructions and sent a reply to Mustafa.
To stabilize everyone’s confidence in the dragon hunt, Anke chose to remain at New Border City and wait for the dragon’s arrival alongside the “temporary Dragon Slaying Army” he had formed.
Two days later, when a rough, grayish-blue back appeared amidst the floating ice, Anke knew that his target—the Blue Water Dragon known as the Overlord of the Water—had arrived!