The compass pointed directly to the southeast, which made life much harder for them.
With Arulion's shape, the land to the southeast of Fort Halleya was either mountainous to the point where flat land was hard to find, or submerged below the sea as a result of the conflicts that took place in Qinglong's era.
For a group of twenty geniuses, it was an extremely large swathe of land that they wouldn't be able to easily explore. The sea was August's territory. If the crown was within, then he'd feel it as soon as he got close. Otherwise, it would take more than just splanning to figure out exactly where it was.
The benefit of a starting point like Fort Halleya was that it was closer to their intended destination than anyone else's starting points, so August and Melania weren't forced to move immediately.
Instead, they waited and planned the other aspects of the overarching schand waited for the people they called to arrive.
It was almost entirely familiar people.
Valerie cfirst. After defeating her enemies and calling upon her clan, she immediately returned. Naturally, August had to explain everything to her as well, but that was beside the point.
The Wood Dragon Clan was already on the move without a real direction. They were originally just going to help where they could help and do what they could within their means, but with August hatching such an elaborate plan, Valerie was forced to contact them with new orders.
They were now playing a much greater role in the kingdom's troubles than intended, but they didn't have a problem with it.
After all, Alcharist was already one of August's greatest supporters. He sent Valerie into the world to aid him, and he had already promised his clan's help when the tcfor August to face the world.
Lucas and Ophelia arrived next. As they knew that they wouldn't be able to compete for the crown on their own, they accepted August's invitation to work as a team.
The two of them were similar to Melania in a way. They joined the heir wars originally so that they could gain sponsors and better lives for themselves.
Truthfully, both of the young geniuses knew that they weren't fit for the throne. It was a position that only gave one a compilation of hardships. What benefit was there in joining the ranks of high society people who would never respect their opinions? What could they change if they found themselves in that position?
The resounding answer was nothing. They wouldn't gain anything and would instead trouble themselves more.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtInstead of taking the throne, wasn't it better for them to be content with what they had?
They did have ambition, but they did not strive for that particular position. Still, they wanted to support a new friend they'd made in the recent months.
If August had that desire, then they were more than willing to support him in it. Plus, this kind of expedition would be great for their growth and could provide benefits of its own, so rather than fighting against a powerful enemy in the kingdom, they preferred going on an adventure.
Unfortunately, they were all who remained from the originally formed alliance.
August was tempted to call the friends he made from the Holy Clans like Iridia, Seryius, and Cera, but he knew that it was impossible.
No matter how friendly they were, they would not support him in flipping the kingdom upside down and taking power away from the Holy Clans.
It was a shame, but they were competitors and enemies at their core.
The rest of those joining him in the race were his friends from Bastille. Juno and the rest were nearby already. They arrived soon and completed the main raid team.
There were many more individuals who received calls from August. Most of them responded, but none of them were going to help in the fight for the crown.
There was only one more person who was coming for that purpose, a hidden card that August had called in preparation for the worst.
Everyone made it to Fort Halleya within three days. It was just enough tfor the first of the Sea Tribes to breach as well.
August met them at the port as the rest learned of the plans he'd prepared.
There were 10 Sea Tribes living in this area of the ocean. Of them, the Surge Dragon Tribe was nearest to the shore.
They were pure dragons, however, their bodies were more similar to seahorses. When they turned into their human forms, they kept their unique fin-shaped ears that signified their clan identity.
The person who stood at the head of the group of over a thousand was a man with a weak-looking figure.
He was young, at most somewhere in his early thirties, and everything about him seemed to beg others to underestimate him.
However, August knew personally just how deceiving appearances could be.
The entire Surge Dragon Clan had similar features to him, but they were providers for the entire ocean habitat and the ones in charge of making contact with the shore. They were given this position not particularly because they were intelligent, but because they were strong enough to force others into favorable deals.
These dragons had a connection to Fort Halleya and even had friendships with sof its people. When August called them, they moved instantly.
"It's been a while, Yusuf," August said with a smile.
"I cannot say the sto you, Young Master. Though it has only been a short time, you have improved immensely."
The man named Yusuf spoke with a warm smile, as if he was looking at a young nephew of his.
"Though, now is not the tfor pleasantries, is it?"
His expression changed in a flash.
"You said that they are killing our comrades, didn't you? I would very much like to hear more about that."
August nodded seriously.
When he and his group left, Yusuf and his people would be in charge of communications between all of the Sea Tribes. The rest would encounter them first and learn the situation before moving to where they needed to go.
The Surge Dragon Tribe was one of two of the most important forces in this plan.
As for the other…
Well, it was obviously August's sectmates from Bastille.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAs August walked Yusuf and his people into Fort Halleya, he explained everything from the start.
Yusuf's expression becdarker and darker.
"Forsaken Dragons…"
It was the first tAugust actually heard the phrase.
The woman he spoke to naturally refused to use such terminology. She actually didn't use any sort of nfor their clan and only told of what had happened to them.
"You know who they are?" August asked in surprise.
"Indeed," Yusuf said with a nod.
"As we have maintained the history passed down to us by our ancestors, I have personally read stories about the dragons who were later termed 'The Forsaken.' Their history…is an unfortunate one, but that is not of my concern."
He didn't take long to reach the sconclusion as August.
"Then, what do you want us to do?" he asked.
Reiteration was something August never experienced as much as he had today, but this was the last the'd have to give the sexplanation.
That job now belonged to Yusuf and his master.
Once he had passed Fort Halleya on to its new protectors, once he'd ensured that all of the moving pieces would activate properly without his direct supervision, August set out with his team to the southeast.
This time, meeting in a place where they were not protected by barriers or mechanisms, how would the geniuses interact…?
August was hoping it wouldn't reach that point, but…
…if they forced him to do so, then he was not unwilling to let them learn what it felt like to die.