Night enveloped the territory of the Bone-Chewing Clan as the adult Stone Giant, Targon, approached with heavy steps.
With every step, the ground trembled slightly.
He stood about ten meters tall, with a thick and heavy build. His body was composed of grayish-white granite, and ancient-looking copper rings were embedded in some of his joints, emitting a low metallic grinding sound as he moved.
The strong Ogres appeared before the adult giant.
They looked like children who had not yet grown up.
Even the size of Gluttony Demon Karu paled in comparison.
A Gluttonous Ogre is an Advanced Ogre variant that can reach Legendary status as long as there is sufficient food. However, giants themselves are powerful creatures renowned alongside Dragonkin, with a high probability of reaching Legendary status as they age; they are by no means inferior to Gluttonous Ogres.
Targon looked down, sizing up the Ogre camp before him.
Dried animal bones hung from the crooked perimeter walls. Within the territory, multiple casters were visible to the naked eye. Groups of Ogre Warriors were stout and well-equipped, with many elites standing over four meters tall. They sat around campfires, tearing at the raw meat of some large beast, grease dripping into the fire with a sizzling sound.
"Are you the leader?"
Targon's voice sounded like two rocks rubbing together, a low buzzing drone.
He stared at the Gluttonous Ogre before him, who was taller than the other Ogres and had a peculiar, distinctive appearance, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.
At first glance, the Stone Giant recognized the Gluttonous Ogre.
He couldn't help but feel delighted.
An Ogre clan with a Gluttonous Ogre possessed potential incomparable to ordinary Ogre clans. By bringing them under his command, the scale of their Stoneheart Clan's subordinates would swell rapidly, making it no problem to establish a firm foothold here.
Establish a foothold, accumulate strength, and return to their homeland.
This was the Stone Giant's wish.
As for the possibility of failure.
The Stone Giant Targon hadn't even considered it.
Under normal circumstances, if a Dragon and a giant were placed before an Ogre and the Ogre was asked to choose one to swear fealty to, the Ogre would most likely choose the giant over the Dragonkin.
The reason was simple.
Ogres possess an extraordinary size because they actually have giant Bloodline within them, sharing a certain ancestral connection with the Giant Race. Furthermore, the Ogre god is a lesser deity belonging to the Giant Pantheon, much like the Kobold god belongs to the Dragon Pantheon.
However.
What the Stone Giant Targon didn't know was that he had arrived too late.
The Gluttonous Ogre had already submitted to a more powerful Dragonkin.
Ordinary Ogres might stand in awe of giants, but a Gluttonous Ogre's potential is not inferior to a giant's. A Gluttonous Ogre who hadn't been crushingly defeated by a Stone Giant felt no sense of awe toward one.
Karu wiped the meat scraps from the corner of his mouth and stood up slowly.
He was about six meters tall, and his body appeared more compact and solid.
Although he was several sizes smaller than the Stone Giant, with his head not even reaching the giant's chest, Gluttony Demon Karu showed no fear. He approached with large strides, looked up at the Stone Giant, and said, "I am Karu, King of the Bone-Chewing Clan."
While speaking.
It seemed he felt his height was insufficient, and looking up at the Stone Giant was an uncomfortable posture.
Karu beckoned two elite Ogre Warriors over, having them each shoulder one of his legs. They exerted themselves to lift him up, finally making Karu's head slightly higher than the Stone Giant's by an inch.
The Gluttonous Ogre nodded with satisfaction.
He used his tongue to lick away the meat fibers between his teeth and said to the Stone Giant in a gruff voice, "Big guy, what are you doing in my territory?"
Cracks resembling a smile appeared on Targon's rocky face.
"I come from the Cliff Strait in the west."
He raised his arm and pointed toward the west: "The land there is ten times more spacious than here, and the prey is dripping with fat."
Hearing the word 'prey,' several young Ogre Warriors immediately pricked up their ears.
Targon noticed this detail and continued, "My people are assembling a powerful army. Brave warriors like you should stand on the side of the victors. When the time comes, there will be countless prey for you to eat, enough to make your bellies round."
The Stone Giant was undoubtedly an intelligent being.
He knew how to use an Ogre's nature to entice them.
Karu blinked his eyes and took a raw liver handed to him by a nearby caster using a Levitation spell, taking a savage bite: "Sounds good, but the Bone-Chewing Clan is doing quite well right now."
He licked his blood-stained tusks: "Why should I listen to you? Based only on your empty promises?"
"At the very least, you must provide food, equipment, or other resources directly before I would consider swearing fealty."
Karu seemed crude and reckless, but his mind was more refined than that of other Ogres.
His overall personality was rough but meticulous.
This was evident from the very beginning when he first encountered Garros and tried to trick Garros into landing on the ground.
Targon's rocky eyebrows (which were actually two protruding stone ridges) furrowed. He had thought these simple-minded Ogres would immediately submit before him; he hadn't expected this Gluttonous Ogre to be more cunning than anticipated.
Stone Giants feed on minerals.
Creatures obtained from hunting could indeed be given to the Ogre clan.
But as for equipment and other resources, they didn't have much themselves, so it was naturally impossible to provide them to the Ogre clan.
The point of gathering subordinates was to have them provide for oneself; there was no logic in conversely depleting one's own foundations to provide for subordinates.
Without waiting for the Stone Giant to answer.
Karu remembered Garros's instructions. Hiding his true purpose beneath a simple and honest expression, he took a bite of the raw liver and then asked with feigned curiosity and casualness, "Mm... the strait in the west should be very far from here. Why would you give up a rich territory to come here? This leaves me confused and puzzled."
The Stone Giant was silent for two seconds.
Should he tell the truth?
Tell the Gluttonous Ogre before him that it was because their clan had been defeated by a Blue Dragon? That to avoid being wiped out, they had no choice but to abandon their territory and flee in disgrace? That after six years of wandering and experiencing several setbacks along the way, they had finally arrived here wanting to settle down?
The Stone Giant's face remained calm as he said, "To expand our territory."
He continued in his dull voice, "We are not satisfied with just a single western territory. Therefore, we have dispatched some of our clansmen here, intending to occupy this place as a stronghold, and then use it as a base to gradually expand our clan's map."
His facial lines were hard, composed of stone; his expressions changed very little, appearing slightly stiff and numb.
And this made it impossible for Garros, who was observing in secret, to judge the truth or falsehood of these words.
"A Stone Giant clan wanting to expand its territorial map."
"...Judging by his meaning, he has other clansmen traveling with him; he's not a loner."
"It's possible that more giants will arrive later."
Garros habitually considered the worst-case scenario first, assuming for the time being that the Stone Giant's words were true.
"Why does someone always come to break my peaceful life?"
At the thought of a potential large force of giants, Garros felt a bit afraid—afraid of being discovered and beaten to death.
This set off alarm bells in his heart, making him feel a deep sense of danger and threat, even more intense than the danger he had felt from the Blackrock Dwarves.
Dragons and giants are absolute mortal enemies, with a blood feud inherited from ancient times, rooted deep within the Bloodlines of both sides.
An encounter in the wild would not have a friendly outcome.
The moment Garros saw the Stone Giant, he felt a heart-felt loathing and hatred, wanting to rush out and kill him.
He suppressed his natural instincts with his astonishing will.
Garros did not like being controlled by instinctive desires, such as the natural hatred for giants; it would only bring him unnecessary trouble and conflict.
If possible, Garros was actually willing to live in harmony with giants.
But.
The other party most likely wouldn't have the same idea.