Chapter 501: 489 The Storm is Coming_1
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, time flows.

Unconsciously, five years had passed since the day the ceasefire began.

Five years, for long-lived species like Otto, is sometimes just the time they spend asleep.

But for humans, an ordinary race with an average life expectancy of only forty to fifty years, five years can change a lot of things.

With Otto absent, many matters were left to Sofia’s discretion.

Now, Otto’s territories cover vast areas such as the Eastern Empire, Felton, Farrand, Dragon Bone Wasteland, and Nolan Forest.

In addition to the Sky Mountains, half of the continent’s land is under Otto’s rule.

Taking advantage of the rare peace, Sofia established the Dragon Soaring Empire!

Moreover, the half-elf girl drew the exclusive emblem of the Dragon Soaring Empire using Otto as a model.

Now, flags featuring flying dragons have been planted all over the territories of the Dragon Soaring Empire.

During these five years, many towns that had been artificially destroyed have gradually regained their vitality.

Although there is still a significant gap compared to their peak, at least there is no longer a starvation problem.

Underground tunnels have also been built throughout the territories of the Dragon Soaring Empire. Although the railway construction is still ongoing, even using horse-drawn carriages in the tunnels has improved efficiency by countless times.

Saru, Gaz, and Angelina were walking on the fortress wall at the junction between the former territories of the Eastern and Western Empires.

Currently, in the Dragon Soaring Empire, with Otto not returning and Sofia not paying much attention to worldly affairs, most of the affairs within the empire are resolved through discussions among the three of them.

Saru is in charge of internal affairs, Gaz is in charge of military affairs, and Angelina is responsible for most matters related to the human race.

In the present Dragon Soaring Empire, the proportion of humans is very high, and they are polarized.

They either harbor malicious intentions to cause trouble or live an honest life.

If the former breaches the laws of the Dragon Soaring Empire and gets caught, the consequences are dire.

The latter group, on the other hand, usually lives well, with the lives of the common people not being much different from before – in fact, many aspects have improved.

Standing on the high wall of the fortress, Gaz and his companions look towards the Western Empire. They then look at each other with a clear understanding in their hearts that the war may be about to start again.

The Dragon Soaring Empire has stabilized, while the border fortresses of the Western Empire are becoming increasingly lively.

From the amount of cooking smoke from the opposite side every day, it’s evident that the number of people coming to the border from the Western Empire is indeed growing.

However, before Otto issues an order or the other side initiates an attack, Gaz and his companions must maintain the status quo.

Of course, the Soaring Dragon Legion and Angelina’s human army have already gathered here, prepared for any situation.

The calm before the storm seems unable to last much longer.

Meanwhile, Otto remains in the Gale Sea Area.

By now, he had lost count of how many desolate islands he had experienced, and in these five years, he had successfully verified his ideas.

Near the Land of Red Flames in the Gale Sea Area, a massive, irregularly shaped island has appeared.

This colossal island had recently emerged nearby and had gradually developed from a small island to its current state.

Otto is now lying at the center of this island, and all of this is his doing.

During his stay in the Gale Sea Area for five years, he had been trying to gain control of these islands and eventually succeeded.

Using the same method he used with Stania Floating City, Otto succeeded, and these islands now feel like a part of his body, coming here and connecting at his will.

The massive island formed in the end is probably the size of an ordinary human kingdom in terms of area alone.

Since he had already verified his ideas, there seemed to be no need to stay here any longer.

This dragon-made island will be left here as a last resort in case of any unforeseen events.

With that thought in mind, Otto soared into the sky and left the Land of Red Flames, heading towards the territory of the former Eastern Empire.

Not long ago, the Demon Flame Emperor had informed Otto about the situation there, and Saru’s messenger had made many trips to the area.

When Otto arrived at the border between the Eastern and Western Empires, the situation on both sides had become very tense.

Gaz and the others couldn’t see clearly from such a distance, but Otto could see clearly from high above.

The fortress at the border of both sides was named Pierce Castle, which belonged to the Dragon Soaring Empire. The entire fortress was full of metallic spikes, giving it a wild and ferocious appearance.

The fortress on the other side of the Western Empire was called Lima Fortress, a traditional military fortress characterized by thick, towering walls.

The well-equipped, numerous, and disciplined elite soldiers stood as straight as sculptures, either on the city walls or inside the city.

If Otto remembered correctly, the Western Empire’s most elite Crimson Legion and Dragon Slumber Army had been almost wiped out five years ago.

However, looking at the soldiers below, they didn’t seem any worse than the Crimson Legion and Dragon Slumber Army.

Being able to train an army of this scale and quality in five years is almost unbelievable.

Simultaneously, inside Lima Fortress, Otto discovered a large number of forced laborers building numerous structures resembling teleportation gates.

On the other side, many completed teleportation gates were undergoing functional tests.

For some reason, both the soldiers standing straight like sculptures and the teleportation gates inside the city gave Otto a familiar feeling.

Feeling somewhat puzzled, Otto flew back to Blackstone Floating City and met with Gaz and his companions here.

Lying on the platform covered with treasure, Otto listened to their reports on recent events.

It didn’t take long for the focus of the discussion to shift to whether or not to go to war.

First, Gaz analyzed the current situation in the Dragon Soaring Empire and the Western Empire, weighing the pros and cons before giving his opinion.

He believed that the Dragon Soaring Empire should attack the Western Empire as soon as possible to prevent any unforeseen events.

In response to this, Otto’s answer was simple: he just nodded slightly.

Seeing Otto’s response, Gaz and the others looked serious, knowing that the five years of peace had come to an end.