"Ultimately, it’s just a lack of strength..."
Faced with the situation in front of him, Austin became even more aware of this point.
If he had the power of an adult dragon, no, even just that of a young dragon, what would a tiny Jackal Wolfman Tribe have to be afraid of?
Or if his clan consisted of extraordinary professionals, their formidable strength would be enough to sweep away any vile creatures, then Austin probably could have breached the Jackal Wolfman Tribe that very day and begun large-scale refining of copper and iron industries.
"Strength, I need more materials infused with Magic Power!"
Austin could clearly feel it, the magic crystals he had previously consumed from the Ghost-headed Crocodile leader and the Blood Wolf leader had been completely digested, and his body was starting to feel a kind of hunger. If he could devour something containing a large amount of Magic Power, he might be able to grow again and unlock a third Talent Magic.
And if he could grow once more, his body and scale armor would elevate again, then his strength could fully reach Silver Level.
This growth speed, compared to an average giant dragon, undoubtedly seemed quite astonishing, because young dragons of the same age might still be in their first slumber, not yet awakened. Perhaps it was because Austin often used electricity to stimulate his body growth that his size, bigger than that of the same age, concealed his actual age, thus in the future, it wouldn’t shock people too much.
Where could there be a large amount of Magic-infused materials?
Austin suddenly thought of a place, the Spider Cave.
Back then, Rodney and the hunting team mistakenly entered that Spider Cave, were bitten by the spider magical beasts inside, and when Austin led the team to find antidotes in the cave, he conveniently took away the magic stones buried in the soil that contained trace amounts of Magic Power.
It was precisely because of those magic stones that Austin used the authority of his giant dragon talent to transform Quik and nine beastmen, successfully turning them into extraordinary lives, greatly enhancing the power of the Dragon Nest Tribe.
"Perhaps, it’s time to make a trip to the Spider Cave."
Compared to that time, Austin was obviously much stronger now. Although he hadn’t acquired new Talent Magic, the gusting winds from his wings were enough to dispel those pervasive corrosive poisonous mists.
Furthermore, with nine Dragon Vein Attendants and the fox-faced man Quik, who had two Magic Power items, this force should be sufficient to face the dangers inside that Spider Cave.
And the magic stones containing Magic Power buried in that Spider Cave might help him advance further; at the very least, they could be used to transform a large number of Dragon Vein Beastmen with extraordinary life.
Thinking of this, Austin planned to put aside the Jackal Wolfman Tribe matter for a while, first cleanse the Spider Cave, and then strengthen himself and his Dragon Nest Tribe.
"Go find Vini and draw fifty Minotaur Gun Shield Soldiers and two hundred spearmen from the three major corps, prepare to set off, and have Quik and the other Dragon Vein Attendants ready as well."
Resolute in his decision, Austin wasted no time, immediately giving orders to the Dragon Vein Attendant beside him.
"And also, bring all the collected pine oil with us."
Pine oil, also obtained from a plant Austin named "pine" in this world, was collected by cutting holes in the trunk of a pine tree with a stone axe, allowing the thick sap to slowly flow out, which was then collected in a container placed beneath the incision, becoming pine oil.
This sap from the pine tree, crystal clear and viscous, burned with a pine scent. When this yet-to-solidify pine oil was smeared on twisted bundles of straw and allowed to solidify, then lit up, the bundle of straw burned not only brighter but also longer.
The use of pine oil as fuel was naturally Austin’s idea, and even the method of extracting pine oil from pine trees was taught to the beastmen by Austin, as he had seen people extract pine oil from pine wood in his previous life.
The primary reason for extracting pine oil was for lighting.
During the previous cold winter, due to the blood wolf pack’s night raid, Austin made certain changes, such as sending a small squad of beastman militia on rotation every night to guard against the sudden enemy attack.
Moving around at night was inconvenient, with lighting being the simplest issue. Even though the vision of the beastmen was much better than that of ordinary humans, without firelight at night, it was difficult to see the enemy’s tracks.
However, using burning wood as a light source, the fire would be extinguished by the wind when taken out of the campfire, making it unsuitable for the illuminating needs of night patrols.
To solve this issue, torches made from pine oil appeared in Austin’s mind.
Austin remembered clearly the scene of exploring the Spider Cave for the first time; those spiders were creatures afraid of fire, so it was only natural not to forget to bring along the pyrotechnic pine oil.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The Dragon Vein Beastman respectfully answered, striding out quickly. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
Shortly, the army Austin needed was drawn, gathered in the plaza, waiting for Austin to appear.
"This time, I want to completely clear out that Spider Cave. Quik, you set off with me. Vini, you and Rodney guard the tribe; yesterday, I went to scout the Jackal Wolfman Tribe in the north and got discovered by them. They may have been alerted, potentially causing trouble, so keep a closer eye and send more ratmen for reconnaissance."
Speaking of ratmen, Austin remembered sending a ratmen reconnaissance squad the previous day to explore the route to the northern Jackal Wolfman Tribe, and after a night’s time, they should have returned.
"By the way, have the ratmen reconnaissance squad sent out yesterday returned yet?"
Back then, Austin, using his aerial advantage, flew directly to the Jackal Wolfman Tribe for reconnaissance, while also sending the ratmen reconnaissance squad to explore a suitable campaign route on the ground.
With the aerial advantage, Austin returned that same day, while the ratmen were still exploring, as their speeds couldn’t be compared.
Since he decided to set aside the attack on the Jackal Wolfman Tribe, it was natural not to waste too many resources on it.
"Your Highness, part of them has already returned."
"Alright, tell them not to rush, be sure to avoid the activities of giant beasts, and also avoid being discovered by the Jackal Wolfman Tribe. There’s no hurry."
Originally, Austin intended to call them back, but thinking about possibly launching the assault on the Jackal Wolfman Tribe right after clearing the Spider Cave, it made sense to make additional preparations and gather more intelligence on the enemy.
Just as Austin was about to lead his troops to the Spider Cave to clear out those spider magical beasts, a ratman suddenly ran in hastily from outside the village, out of breath. Seeing Austin, his eyes lit up.
"Your Highness, Austin, Your Highness, there’s a beastman team coming towards our tribe from the Jackal Wolfman Tribe!"