Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 133: Preventive Preparations
After finishing the discussion about rubber, Owen finally brought up the matter of the Black Dragon King with a heavy heart.
【Winston, if—just if—the Black Dragon King were to attack Bianshu Town, do you have any way to defeat it? Even if not defeat, at least stop it?】
At those words, Winston fell into a long silence before finally replying in a tone of surprise and doubt.
【Owen, I never thought you’d be more eager to slay a dragon than I am.】
【No, no, that’s not it. It’s just that Lusha might have gotten entangled with the Black Dragon King during the last operation.】
Owen hurriedly denied, then told Winston everything Lusha had reported, word for word.
【So that’s what happened. No wonder you’re asking me for help.】
【Had I known the Blackwind Tribe might be connected to the Black Dragon King, I would’ve advised Lusha to just keep the Sinking Sand Tribe in Bianshu Town. Why provoke the Black Dragon King? Am I tired of living?】
At this point, regret was useless.
If one day the Black Dragon King really did appear—intending to destroy Bianshu Town or the lizardmen villages—then, sorry, but it would have to be eliminated, no matter the cost.
【That said, I still have no clear measure of the Black Dragon King’s strength. Do you have any records or documents about it? Maybe we can find some useful information.】
【Yes, hold on a moment.】
Owen quickly left the office, hurried to the third-floor study, and pulled a book off the shelf.
It was a copied edition of a work written by a noble who had personally survived the Black Dragon King’s slaughter of the royal army.
Flipping through, Owen found a passage: not only arrows, but even large-scale magic cast by over ten magicians working together failed to harm the Black Dragon King in the slightest.
【So its defense really is formidable. Owen, compared to the great spell recorded there, how does its power measure up against the Radiant Greatsword the Holy knight used before?】
Winston had only ever seen one large-scale spell: the Sacred Sword cast under Bray’s lead at the end of last winter, so he used that as a reference.
【The difference shouldn’t be too great.】
Owen thought for a moment and gave that answer.
The power of large-scale magic depended on many factors, so he couldn’t judge precisely.
【If the Black Dragon King has high magic resistance, that would explain why large-scale magic doesn’t work. Cannons probably won’t be much use either—unless you pile up all the black powder in one spot and detonate it as the dragon approaches. That could heavily injure it, maybe even kill it outright by chance.】
Pile up all the black powder and blow it up?! That would be insanely difficult.
First, they’d have to bury a huge amount of gunpowder well away from Border Garrison Town.
If it were detonated nearby, half the town would be blown off the map.
Second, they’d need someone strong enough to both lure the Black Dragon King and avoid its attacks, leading it right into the trap.
But who could take on such a task?
And at the moment of detonation, the one luring the dragon wouldn’t have time to escape—he’d have to “share in the art of the explosion,” his body obliterated along with it.
【And even if you really did kill it, you’d have to watch out for whatever burst happens after its death.】
Owen suddenly recalled the strange occurrence when Lusha fought the Blackwind chieftain, and he reminded himself of that possibility.
【Oh! I nearly forgot about that. This Black Dragon King really is a troublesome one.】
To put it bluntly, you’d have to kill it twice.
【The only relief for now is that we still don’t know whether the Black Dragon King is actually connected to the Blackwind Tribe. Even if it is, it won’t come for revenge so quickly. That gives us at least some time to prepare.】 Owen said helplessly.
【That’s true. In fact, I have a few proposals…】
Since the four tribes—Sinking Sand included—had jointly attacked the Blackwind Tribe, the ones who’d suffer first would naturally be them.
Thus, Winston suggested setting up an efficient communication system among the four lizardmen villages—something like beacon fires.
If any side spotted the Black Dragon King, they could immediately warn the other three, giving everyone time to evacuate.
More importantly, Bianshu Town needed to receive word in advance, so Owen could make proper preparations to face the Black Dragon King and not be caught unprepared.
In addition, taking refuge didn’t mean that the lizardmen should all try to run away—there was no way they could outrun the Black Dragon King flying in the sky. Instead, they needed to hide in pre-dug air-raid shelters, which also had to be stocked with all kinds of essential survival supplies.
【Air-raid shelters?】
Owen heard another unfamiliar term.
【They’re underground facilities we dug back in the old wartime era to defend against enemy air raids and reduce losses.】
Since the Black Dragon King attacked ground targets by spewing dragon breath from the sky, Winston compared it to a bomber dropping explosives overhead. It really was a pretty fitting analogy.
【Hiding underground is indeed a better survival option than running around on the surface.】
After hearing Winston’s explanation, Owen couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
On top of that, Owen also needed to speed up the development of more powerful weapons. Otherwise, there would be far too few means available to counter the Black Dragon King’s attacks.
【Aside from those precautionary measures I just mentioned, I’ve got one final backup plan,】
Winston said mysteriously.
【Oh? And what’s that?】
Owen asked.
【If the Black Dragon King truly appears, I’ll transfer a set of high-tech battle armor to you. That’s the last safeguard I can offer.】
To be honest, Winston didn’t want to directly provide their high-tech weapons, unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
That was because high-tech weapons contained immense energy, and during transfer, this energy would need to be converted into equivalent mass according to the law of mass–energy conversion.
Which meant it would be an enormous mass transfer.
During the process, the link between Winston and Owen might be cut off—and once it was severed, there was a chance it could never be reestablished.
…
The next afternoon, Owen met again with Lusha and the elder of the Sinking Sand Tribe in the reception hall to discuss in detail both the matter of rubber and precautions against a Black Dragon King attack.
After that, Lusha reported the relocation plan: the more than two hundred lizardmen who had stayed in Bianshu Town would be gradually transferred to the new village in ten batches.
He also stated that twelve lizardmen, including himself and one elder, would remain in the town.
Hearing this, Owen felt curious and asked:
“Eh? Lusha, as the chieftain, isn’t it better for you to return with your people rather than stay behind in Bianshu Town?”
“Lord, when it comes to governing the village, Kerman is clearly more capable than I am. With him there, things will be fine…”
Lusha explained.
“I can be of greater use by staying in town—for example, by training a lizardman unit loyal to you.”
He paused, then stood up from the bench, performing a knight’s salute, and said:
“Besides, I am, after all, a foreign knight personally knighted by you.”
“That’s true. Very well then.”
Owen said with a smile.
Lizardmen were far stronger physically than humans, and Owen indeed had the idea of forming another lizardman unit.
Once the former Blackwind tribesmen had fully integrated into the Sinking Sand Tribe, he would select qualified lizardman warriors from among them to form a second force.
The instructor responsible for training this unit had to be a lizardman.
If a human were to train them, the former Blackwind tribesmen would likely refuse to accept it.
Moreover, only lizardmen themselves best understood their own limits, which would make training more natural and effective.
Owen’s original candidate for the role was Xilong, but since Lusha had chosen to remain, entrusting it to him was naturally the best choice.