22: Bring back the mountain giant

While Arthur and the two Mountain Giants happily reached an agreement, the look of disbelief on the faces of Chris and the others became increasingly apparent.

Because they couldn't understand how Arthur, just by talking, could trick these two Mountain Giants—who possessed the invincible strength of Earth Knights—into coming to the territory, and seemingly as thugs; it was simply too ridiculous!

One must know that the Earl they previously served, Abergh, only possessed strength at the Peak Earth Knight level.

Yet he couldn't beat either of these Mountain Giants; now, two such experts who surpassed Abergh had been recruited by Arthur all at once—it was like a dream!

If the Earl heard this news, he would probably be so shocked he'd be speechless!

The massive impact of this information left Chris and the others looking completely stunned.

Meanwhile, Arthur had already jumped onto the outstretched palm of a Mountain Giant and stood on its shoulder.

"Chris!"

"Present!" At Arthur's shout, Chris snapped back to his senses.

"Return to the territory; you guys follow behind!"

Then, accompanied by deafening footsteps, Arthur stayed on the shoulder of a Mountain Giant and headed toward the territory.

Chris and the others watched Arthur's departing back, their admiration for him deepening.

Although they didn't understand what kind of charm Arthur possessed to actually get a Mountain Giant to let him stand on its shoulder—which was a sign of great trust!

But being impressive was enough!

Following such an impressive lord, their future would surely be more brilliant and vast.

Thinking of this, the spirits of Chris and the others rose, and they followed behind Arthur and the Mountain Giants with smiles on their faces.

On the way back, Arthur learned the names of the two Mountain Giants: Zog and Zoffy.

The two Mountain Giants addressed Arthur as Baron.

Because with Arthur's current Bronze-level strength, it would be too strange for the two Mountain Giants to call him Lord, and the previous act would have been for nothing.

But if they called him Arthur directly, the two Mountain Giants felt it wasn't respectful enough, so they finally settled on calling him Baron.

Fifteen minutes later, as Arthur and the others drew closer to the territory, the people inside also noticed the massive commotion caused by the Mountain Giants' walking.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The loud sounds and the vibrations beneath their feet became increasingly obvious over time; this eerie phenomenon caused the entire city to go on alert. Soldiers began to swarm onto the city walls.

Finally, the massive figures of the Mountain Giants were discovered.

"Giants! Terrifying giants!"

Just as people began to panic, a sharp-eyed Silver Knight spotted Arthur on a giant's shoulder, along with Chris and the others following behind.

Though it was unbelievable, he still shouted a warning as quickly as possible:

"Don't panic! The Lord is with the giants; the giants are on our side!"

As the highest-ranking person in the city currently, the Silver Knight's warning was effective, and the panic quickly subsided.

As time passed and Arthur's group was only a few hundred meters from the small city, others also spotted Arthur, Chris, and the rest; the panic finally dissipated completely.

After the panic, the crowd's mood turned mostly to curiosity—curiosity about why those two giants were with their lord and why they had come here.

When the Mountain Giants arrived beside the small city, their twenty-meter-tall bodies were a head taller than the fifteen-meter-high city walls; the immense pressure caused the entire city to fall silent.

Arthur knew he had to explain, otherwise it would be hard to eliminate the people's fear of the Mountain Giants:

"Everyone, I have good news to share. These two Mountain Giants are my new friends, named Zog and Zoffy.

For the coming period, they will live with us. When danger arrives, they will face it alongside us, so there is no need to be afraid."

After explaining, Arthur didn't wait for a reaction and said to Zog and Zoffy:

"You two, your bodies are too large to live inside the city. Rest outside the city gates.

And while you're at it, deter any outsiders!"

"The Baron is too polite. We Mountain Giants take the earth as our bed and the sky as our quilt; we don't care about those messy things!

As for dealing with those with ill intentions, that is what we promised the Baron, so naturally, there's no problem."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you!"

Arthur then left Zoffy and Zog outside the city and entered with Chris and the others.

It took a long time for the people in the city to realize what had happened.

They had gained two powerful allies, their territory's strength had greatly increased, and the threat of the Orcs was no longer so great!

"Long live Lord Arthur!"

"Lord Arthur's Divine Might!"

...The people, having come to their senses, continuously shouted Arthur's name, praising his valor. At this moment, Arthur's prestige in the territory reached its Peak!

As for Zog and Zoffy outside the city, as Mountain Giants, they naturally didn't like moving much, so following Arthur's instructions, they soon lay down at the city gate, turning into two small hills and falling into a deep sleep.

When Arthur returned to the castle, Karona looked at him with a face full of admiration, her beautiful eyes sparkling so much that Arthur felt a bit embarrassed.

He gave her head a light tap:

"Alright, stop staring. It's nothing to be surprised about. If you want, next time I'll take you up on Zog's or Zoffy's shoulders to experience it!"

"Ah! Really?!"

Standing on a giant's shoulder or a Dragon's back was the dream of many on the Continent of Gods!

Seeing that she might realize this dream, Karona couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"Of course it's true. Would I lie to you?"

"Yay! Young Master is the best!"

Receiving Arthur's confirmation again, the overjoyed Karona originally wanted to step forward and do something to Arthur—perhaps a hug!

But thinking of something, she ultimately stopped her steps, leaving only her small hands restlessly twisting the corner of her clothes to express her excitement and joy.

Meanwhile, the butler Poussin, Chris, and the others cast envious glances toward Karona; after all, they also wanted to experience such a grand moment as standing on a giant's shoulder!

But they could only think about it; they weren't like Karona.

As Arthur's personal maid, Karona had grown up with him, and the bond between them was not something they could compare to!

Then, Magistrate Charles arrived at the castle with a look of admiration and surprise:

"My Lord, you are truly incredible! To bring back two giants just by going out on patrol! With these two giants, the restrictions on our territory's development will be greatly reduced!"

Facing Charles's flattery, Arthur waved his hand:

"Alright, I accept your praise.

But since the restrictions on the territory's development have lessened, you must work hard to develop the territory as quickly as possible!"