[Winteria was very worried that something might happen to you once you left the Dragon Realm, so she planned to go out with you]
[But she had just given birth and her body was still weak, so you forcibly made her stay in the Dragon Realm]
[“I wonder what the Kingdom of Tianyue looks like right now? Maybe it’s earlier than I expected, or maybe later…”]
[Just as you were imagining the state of the Kingdom of Tianyue, reality exceeded your expectations]
[The moment you flew out of the Dragon Realm, the sight before you stunned you]
[“Why is everything out here scorched earth?”]
[You flapped your wings and flew over the nearest human city to the Dragon Realm]
[“A war must have broken out somewhere around here, right?”]
[You noticed a fortress near the ruins of the city, and it seemed there were still humans inside resisting]
[The surroundings of the fortress were filled with zombie-like creatures, frantically clawing at the fortress’s outer walls. Inside, many children and women were cowering, while the men who resisted had dwindled to almost none]
[The figures on the city walls were sparse. Most soldiers wore tattered armor, and even the bandages on their bodies were filthy]
[It was clear that they were already at the end of their rope]
[Your gaze swept across and you noticed that the one leading the humans was a middle-aged man also wearing tattered armor. The difference was that he carried the aura of a powerful warrior]
[“ROAR—”]
[You roared and landed near the fortress]
[“Oh gods, it’s a dragon!”]
[“We’re doomed!”]
[Seeing you land near the fortress, the soldiers who had barely been holding on began trembling in fear. Even the leading man turned deathly pale]
[Yet he still stepped forward and advanced two paces]
[Just then, an undead creature climbed up over a pile of corpses. He casually pierced its skull with his spear, splattering rotten blood across the city wall]
[“Lord Dragon, you did not kill us immediately. I am truly grateful…”]
[You did not reply and waited to hear what he would say next]
[“The Kingdom of Longlan has now… only a few fortresses remain. Lord Dragon, if you have come for gold, we no longer have the means to provide it…”]
[Hearing his words, you finally understood where Garrod’s mountain of treasure had come from]
[“So he plundered it from human kingdoms!”]
[You spoke in a deep, dragon-like tone, feigning gravity]
[“Humans, I have not come to demand tribute. Tell me what happened here. What is the story behind these undead?”]
[“Lord Dragon, I am Milu, Third General of the Kingdom of Longlan. Our kingdom has been under attack by the undead for five years now. Two years ago, a terrifying wave of undead struck and tore the kingdom apart. And today, it has come to this state.”]
[“Do you not know where these undead came from?”]
[“This… we do not know. Even resisting is a struggle for the kingdom, let alone investigating.”]
[You figured that someone like the King would probably know the hidden truth, since this man was only a general. There was no way he would know too much]
[“I understand.”]
[You suddenly felt your foot itch. Looking down, you saw those zombies attacking your toes]
[You breathed out Dragon Flame, incinerating all the undead near your feet and around the fortress]
[“Tell me where your King is. I wish to meet with him.”]
[Seeing that you helped them destroy the surrounding undead, the numb soldiers stared at you blankly at first, then erupted into cheers]
[Those zombies had roamed day and night without rest and were difficult to kill. Yet now they were all reduced to ashes under your Dragon Flame. This reignited the spirits of those who had been fighting for so long]
[“Open the gates quickly! Soldiers, follow me out to gather supplies!”]
[Milu did not hesitate. He calmly assessed the situation and issued orders. After doing so, he cast a grateful look toward you]
[“Thank you, Lord Dragon! On behalf of all the people within this fortress, I offer you my highest gratitude!”]
[Milu prostrated himself before you as if worshipping a deity. You saw humanity’s hope and sense of duty in him]
[Of course, to them right now, you were far more useful than any deity]
[“Not bad. This man would make a fine subordinate. Too bad I’m a dragon right now.”]
[You saw in him a quality similar to Nina’s. If you had such a capable right-hand man, protecting Ailuo Wen would be much easier]
[“Milu, I cannot protect all of you forever. In the end, you must rely on yourselves.”]
[“I know, Lord Dragon. But the fact that you were willing to go this far is already more than I could ever ask for.”]
[Milu paused, then took out a map and studied it for a while]
[Finally, he pointed to a location and handed you the map with the spot marked]
[“Our King Pojin is at this location.”]
[Amid the cheers of the people, you flew away from this fortress that was destined to fall]
[For humans, this distance would take several days on foot. But for you, it was only a matter of a few dozen minutes]
[Soon, an even larger fortress appeared on the horizon]
[“Here we are… Hmm? Something isn’t right.”]
[You noticed that unlike Milu’s fortress, there wasn’t a single figure on these city walls]
[When you flew closer, you realized this place had already been completely overrun by the undead]
[The fortress was now filled with mindless undead wandering everywhere]
[You made your way to the innermost part of the fortress and discovered there was another inner wall]
[You smashed through the wall with one claw swipe]
[“No one here either…”]
[Inside the wall stood a modest castle, but it was already deserted]
[The throne engraved with a Dragon Head Pattern was empty as well]
[“Great. It seems this Kingdom of Longlan is finished.”]
[“I should fly farther out and see if things are like this everywhere.”]
[You spread your wings and accelerated at full speed in the opposite direction of the Dragon Realm]
[“No way…”]
[Along the way, you saw no trace of humans at all]
[“Ruins. More ruins.”]
[Just as you were flying, thinking the world had been destroyed, movement finally appeared ahead]
[“How long have I been flying now?”]
[You looked down below and spotted people fighting]
[A dozen or so people were battling the undead. What was notable was that there were many different kinds of undead here]
[“Is that a Skeleton Mage… and even a Lich?”]
[Just as you thought these people were about to be overwhelmed by the undead, a graceful figure cut through enemies as if dancing]
[The longsword in her hand continuously traced dazzling arcs of sword light, and those powerful undead all perished beneath her blade]
[She was clearly fighting alongside an Adventurer Team, using a standard formation of warrior, mage, and tank. This woman was likely their leader]
[“Why is she here too?”]
[What surprised you the most was that among them was an old acquaintance of yours]