Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 603: Chapter 444: Great Elder Gu Visits Black Stone Territory

Silence spread throughout the great hall.

The Great Elder, Gu, did not press the matter further. He simply leaned back on his throne, quietly awaiting Raylo’s response.

His patience was as long as his life.

Kado swallowed nervously. The sound of his Adam’s apple bobbing was jarringly loud in the cavernous hall.

He wanted to say something, to speak up for his ”brother,” but his throat felt as if it were clogged. He couldn’t utter a single syllable.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Countless thoughts flashed through Raylo’s mind like Lightning.

Deny it?

’Utterly foolish.’

’Make up a new lie?’

’It would just be full of holes.’

Before a Catastrophe Level being who had lived for over a thousand years, any disguise or excuse was meaningless. It would only make him seem more pathetic and weak.

The Great Elder wasn’t guessing.

He was stating a fact he had long since seen through.

Now, the ball was in his court.

His answer would decide his and Kado’s fate, and perhaps even the future of Black Stone Territory.

’Then, there’s only one path left.’

Raylo raised his eyes, once again meeting the Great Elder’s gaze, which seemed capable of piercing one’s very soul.

His expression was open and honest.

”Yes, honored Great Elder.”

Raylo spoke.

”I am, indeed, an outsider.”

Beside him, Kado swayed slightly, nearly losing his balance. He stole a glance at the Great Elder and, seeing no sign of anger, felt a small measure of relief.

However, Raylo’s voice rang out again.

”I did not intend to deceive you. My circumstances are simply unique, and I had to act with caution.”

He bowed slightly, a gesture of respect.

”I come from another world. Due to an accident, I passed through a spatial rift and arrived in this land.”

”There, I met Kado and his people, who were wandering. He is an honest and good-natured person, and we came to see each other as friends and brothers.”

Great Elder Gu’s expression remained unchanged, his long white beard resting motionless on his chest.

He did not interrupt, merely listened.

”The reason I brought out those Weapons for trade and caused such a stir was not for my own sake.”

Raylo’s tone shifted, taking on a heavier note.

”In my world, I am not alone.”

”I am a Lord,” he said. ”I have my own territory and people who need my protection.”

”My territory, Black Stone Territory, is facing an unprecedented threat.”

”A Catastrophe Level Magical Beast, the Nine-headed Demon Serpent Hydra, has taken root in the swamps near my territory. Its encroaching minions and armies have pushed my lands to the brink of destruction.”

”I came to the Giant City-State precisely to use my territory’s expertise in Forging to trade for the Magical Beast Materials in the hands of the Hill Giants, thereby securing resources for my territory’s development.”

”At the same time...”

Raylo took a deep breath, his gaze fixed intently on the old man on the throne.

”I also hope to find a sufficiently powerful ally for my territory.”

”I hope to gain the support of the Hill Giants. I want to borrow the Power of the Giants, which is enough to shake mountains, to fight alongside me and defend our homes together.”

As his voice fell, the entire hall once again fell into a long silence.

Raylo had laid everything bare.

His origin, his purpose, his predicament, and... his plea.

It was a gamble.

But it was a calculated one, based on Raylo’s understanding of the Hill Giants.

At the very least, he believed that the small Black Stone Territory was not enough to tempt the Great Elder Gu—a Catastrophe Level powerhouse who had lived for over a thousand years and controlled the entire Giant City-State—into an act of greed that would require him to abandon the dignity of the Hill Giants.

On the throne, Great Elder Gu’s fingers, which resembled dried bark, tapped lightly on the stone armrest.

The Great Elder’s eyes slowly narrowed.

Something glinted in the depths of his murky pupils.

He could tell that every word the young man before him spoke was filled with genuine emotion and will.

’The Nine-headed Demon Serpent...’

A long while passed.

”Heh heh...”

A hoarse, ancient laugh suddenly rang out, shattering the tense atmosphere.

It was Great Elder Gu.

Kado felt like he could breathe again. He gasped for air, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

”Interesting.”

The Great Elder sat up a little straighter. It was the first time he had changed his posture since Raylo had entered.

”A Little Guy from the Otherworld.”

Then, Great Elder Gu said something that neither Raylo nor Kado could have possibly expected.

”I’m quite interested in your story.”

”So...”

he said.

”I would like to visit your territory... as a guest.”

”To see for myself what that world you speak of is truly like.”

Raylo’s pupils contracted in an instant.

’Go to my territory?’

’As a guest?’

’A Catastrophe Level Hill Giant is coming to Black Stone Territory?’

Countless thoughts exploded in Raylo’s mind.

Risk!

A huge risk!

This was equivalent to laying most of his cards, his secrets, bare before an unfathomably powerful expert!

Was this an opportunity, or a disaster born of letting the wolf in the door?

But when this Catastrophe Level being who had lived for over a thousand years said he ”wanted to go see,” Raylo knew he had no room to refuse.

Refusal would imply a guilty conscience.

Refusal would mean that all the trust he had just built would instantly crumble.

Raylo’s heart began to beat a little faster.

But after the initial shock, the expression on his face quickly returned to one of composure.