34. The Mountain’s Core
Waking up the next day, Reina was still hazy, her mind processing the previous day’s events.
But as she recalled, she had been infused with magic power and lost consciousness for various strange reasons that night. She immediately felt that something was wrong!
Not good!
Did Calysia “counter-kill” me?
And when she rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw Calysia sitting beside her, one hand on her belly, looking at her with a triumphant expression, she finally understood the truth!
But this time, Calysia had made some progress.
She actually knew to wait for Reina to wake up.
As a pregnant dragon, what she liked most was having her wife by her side whenever she opened her eyes. This would also be the case when she was incubating the eggs in the future.
…I should reward Calysia.
But when it came to rewards, Reina didn’t know how to praise Calysia.
—This dummy had no redeeming qualities, only traits that annoyed her!
So, Reina buried her face in the quilt, thought hard for a long time, then looked up and asked cautiously:
“Master, did you… sleep well last night?”
The moment she asked, she regretted it.
Ahhh—!
What am I saying?! Isn’t this just going to make Calysia misunderstand again? Yesterday, she had already let this person have her way with her. Wouldn’t this just make her smug, thinking she had won again?!
But Calysia didn’t take this opportunity to tease her.
She said worriedly:
“Reina must have been very tired yesterday. We really have to think about the baby.”
“…You know that?!” Reina puffed out her cheeks.
“Of course, because I’m her mother, and your wife.”
“Goes without saying…”
Reina swallowed the retort she had been holding back.
She looked at her belly and felt that the dragon egg had grown bigger while she wasn’t paying attention.
She chuckled a few times.
Then she realized that she was actually happy about the dragon egg’s growth.
It was because the child she was carrying was also Calysia’s. A happy ending would definitely include this dragon egg in her belly.
°
It was all for the sake of the main quest.
But even so, the work still had to be done.
Fortunately, Calysia had already arranged a teleportation magic circle in the Dragon King’s Palace.
°
After cooking for Calysia and tidying up the dining room, they set off.
According to the plan, Reina was going to the orcish territory to investigate “the most important matter at hand.”
Under the guise of visiting and learning, she took Liya, Ann, and her assistant Calysia. The four of them rode in a “flying carriage,” a privilege only enjoyed by the Dark Elf Queen, and began their journey from the western orcish territory.
Arriving at the orcish “Chieftain’s Tribe,” Reina discovered that the city here was much more “civilized” than the magic items they used for sieges.
Compared to the giant thatched huts that grew from the ground, the city here could almost be considered a town—a giant town.
The height of the orcs ranged from three to ten meters, from weak to strong, so their rooms were also several times larger than human’s. Unfortunately, Reina wasn’t surprised by this scene, because the orcs’ houses were still far inferior to the dragon’s.
After getting out of the carriage, the three of them walked down the street as if they had entered a giant’s kingdom.
“How about I try transforming into a dragon?” Liya raised her hand cautiously.
“That wouldn’t be good. Miss Liya’s strength might scare the orcs.”
Ann, remembering that she wasn’t a dragon, could only chuckle wryly:
“I’m so envious~”
Liya returned a polite smile: “Miss Ann, you flatter me.”
“You’re the one who broke through to high-rank tier nine in just a few months…”
…
Reina also realized that transforming into a dragon to show her authority wasn’t that important.
No matter how crazy the soldiers on the front lines were, the civilians just looked at them with awe, not malice. This was thanks to Calysia’s aura and pressure.
The group walked to the plaza. They hadn’t seen Kribi yet, but they heard his voice first.
“Hah—!”
“You should hit them in the head!”
“The enemy is a mix of races. If you’re going to punch, aim for the chin!”
“Watch me—!”
Reina sighed: He’s just like a hot-blooded old man.
As the group got closer, they discovered that it was a team composed of petite half-orcs, winged people, and orcs. In the center of the circle, on an arena, Kribi was demonstrating his superhuman strength to a burly, tall orc.
With just a light push, the orc, ten times his size, was easily knocked over and fell off the arena.
The cat girl, Hol, sitting beside them, raised her fist and cheered:
“Nice hit!”
But Kribi wasn’t proud of the cheers. Instead, he scolded them sternly: “You damned lot, don’t just stand there and cheer, you elite elders! Did you learn anything?”
Seeing him diligently carrying out his orders, Reina felt a sense of admiration.
Suddenly, a few red-skinned beastmen whispered something in his ear, and Kribi was greatly shocked:
“The dragons are here?”
He jumped off the arena and walked up to Reina’s group, his previous sternness replaced with respect:
“President, you’re here sooner than I expected!”
Reina smiled:
“This matter can’t be taken lightly.”
Kribi briefly instructed the orcs under his command and then had them conduct tactical guidance and exchange with Liya’s group. They planned to train near Norville Castle for easier communication and travel. Unfortunately, these orcs didn’t have strong wings, and due to their weight, they couldn’t ride the dark elves’ carriages.
Then, Kribi led Reina and quickly walked to the giant castle at the foot of the mountain. It was a massive fortress embedded in the mountain range, but now, due to the passage of time, it was covered in cracks, yet still indestructible. Above the castle was an artificial waterfall like a riverbank, flowing down from both sides of the fortress’s main gate, a magnificent and beautiful sight. Legend had it that this was a kingdom built by dwarves in the Primordial Era.
Kribi let out a heavy “heh” and forcefully pushed open the 20-meter-high gate that had been sealed for a long time. With a creaking sound, Reina saw the full view of this “mountain castle.”
Directly in front of them was a waterfall of molten metal, flowing along an artificial river, spreading to the sides of the room, and converging into huge molds for shaping. Then, after a burst of steam, perfectly formed weapon blanks were arranged neatly and sent to the anvils pushed by gears and chains, making a rhythmic sound.
This was a giant, fully automated forge.
Even if she knew about it from the game, Reina was once again shocked by the realism of the scene.
The scorching heat that washed over them made Kribi squint, but his eyes were filled with a crazed excitement.
“President, what you’re seeing now is the foundation of our orc army. The reason we were invincible before we met you wasn’t just because of the treasures.”
“Welcome to the [Mountain’s Core].”
