179: The Rising Tide of the Angry Bear

Karl Angry Bear sat high upon his throne, watching with a cold, stern expression as over a dozen top-tier grizzly bear fief nobles in the Thunder Hall argued incessantly.

His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of the throne, the crisp clicking sounds serving as an accompaniment to the arguing crowd below.

Months ago, Karl had headed north with the determination to die in battle against the dragon invasion. Given the strength of the invading Dragon Race and the army Karl led, his chances of survival against them had been slim to none.

Although the Raging Bear Family was guarded by a Legendary Magic Bear, Karl didn't dare risk the family's sole foundation as long as the Dragon Race's Legends didn't appear. If he died, the Raging Bear Family would still exist; but if something happened to the Legendary Magic Bear, the Raging Bear Family would no longer be able to maintain its footing in the North.

Fortunately, the outcome was positive. The Golden King's reinforcements arrived uninvited, the Dragon Legion was routed, and the crisis in the Rage Bear Territory was resolved.

After returning to Rage Bear Fortress, Karl handed over all political affairs to his designated heir, Belmont, and entered the Thunder Cave, rarely coming out. Outsiders believed the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear had touched the Legendary Realm and was exchanging insights with His Highness Volrigard.

Only Karl knew his true situation in his heart.

Karl's right index finger tapped the throne's armrest heavily, ending the rhythmic tapping. The final click echoed throughout the Thunder Hall, drawing the attention of all the nobles to him.

"Your Highness!"

"That Sub-plane is within our Rage Bear Territory, so it belongs to us. Why should we yield it to the Stag Family?"

"Exactly, Your Highness!"

Those in agreement made up the majority in the hall.

What they were fighting over was the control of a Plane Passage that had appeared in the border region between the Stag Territory and the Rage Bear Territory.

Behind this Plane Passage was a sizable Sub-plane, and the plane was extremely stable.

Normally, while such a Sub-plane is valuable, it wouldn't drive the nobles of an entire Grand Duchy into a frenzy. The key was that someone had discovered a Magic Stone Mine with extremely rich reserves within it.

Extraordinary materials of such high value as Magic Stones hold a fatal attraction for any power. Once the nobles of the Rage Bear Territory learned that the Sub-plane contained a large number of Magic Stone Veins, they immediately went wild.

Initially, a viscount living near the Plane Passage immediately sent troops to blockade the area and strictly guard the entire passage.

However, because the Plane Passage was quite large and its emergence caused significant fluctuations, it also caught the attention of an earl from the Stag Territory.

The viscount of the Rage Bear Territory was naturally no match for the earl of the Stag Territory, and the Plane Passage was subsequently taken over by the latter.

Unwilling to give up, the viscount of the Rage Bear Territory immediately sent word to Rage Bear Fortress, sparking the debate among the territory's nobles.

"The area where the Plane Passage is located used to be a buffer zone between us and the Stag Territory, without a clearly defined boundary. Claiming that the Plane Passage belongs to us now seems a bit far-fetched, doesn't it?"

Evans stood up to voice his disagreement, which immediately triggered a wave of verbal abuse, making Horn fly into a rage.

"Black Gold Pig, I think your brain is full of shit. How could that area not belong to our Rage Bear Territory? That Plane Passage belongs to us; it's only natural and right, and it's protected by the laws of the kingdom."

Evans trembled all over from Horn's cursing, clearly fuming with anger.

"You brute, you lunatic! You don't know jack shit! Oh, you're so great. Since you say it's all yours, why don't you go fight the Stag Family for it? No one's stopping you. Go on then!"

After Evans said this, Horn's anger subsided significantly, and he quickly stole a glance at Karl.

The Stag Family, the founders of the Stag Territory, had been active in the North long before the kingdom was established, being one of the most powerful tribes among the various northern tribes at the time.

Later, the first Golden King unified the Golden Plains and began conquering all directions of the kingdom. The northern tribes had once organized an alliance to resist the Golden King, and the Stag Territory was a member of that alliance.

However, the northern tribal alliance eventually failed. Several of the strongest tribes were defeated in battle and disappeared from the North's history, while the remaining tribes chose to submit to the Golden King, Asriel.

The tribe that led the entire northern tribal alliance to submit to the Golden King back then was the Stag Territory; at that time, it became the undisputed most powerful tribe in the North.

It was then that the Stag Territory was granted the title of Grand Duke of Stag by the Golden King, and other submitting tribes were also granted fiefs. the North transitioned from an era of tribal rule to an era of noble rule.

The subsequently established Cold Wind Territory took the wealthiest lands of the North and brought in a population of people and nobles from the Golden Plains, splitting the North in two.

For the next millennium, the North was ruled by two Grand Dukes. Backed by the royal family, the Grand Duke of Cold Wind far exceeded the Stag Family in both strength and influence, firmly suppressing the Stag Territory.

It wasn't until two hundred years ago, when the Rage Bear Territory was born, that Karl Angry Bear carved out a new Grand Duchy in the North, turning the "Two Heroes of the North" into the "Three Heroes of the North."

The Rage Bear Territory nobles qualified to stand in the Thunder Hall today all knew an open secret: the establishment of the Rage Bear Territory would not have been possible without the support of the Stag Family.

The ancestry of Karl and these high nobles of the Rage Bear Territory could mostly be traced back to the indigenous people of the North, having little to do with the Golden Plains.

The Raging Bear Family was once a small tribe in the North, calling itself the Raging Bear Tribe because they raised a Magic Bear.

The Magic Bear raised by the family for hundreds of years continued to grow in strength, eventually breaking through to the Legendary Realm. The Raging Bear Family was then noticed by the Grand Duke of Stag, and the Stag Family invested heavily in resources to help Karl establish the Rage Bear Territory.

Karl's first wife was a legitimate daughter of the Stag Family. Although that Raging Bear Matriarch had already passed away, there was still a group of nobles in the Rage Bear Territory who held favorable views of the Stag Territory.

Of course, this did not include Evans. How could Evans, who deeply loved gold coins and treasures, be willing to give up that Magic Stone Vein?

The reason he said those things was entirely because he had read his Grand Duke's inner thoughts and said them on purpose.

At the same time, it was also true that he was extremely wary of the Stag Territory.

"Your Highness!"

Horn lowered his head and knelt on one knee to show his determination to Karl. He knew that without Karl's support, these few earls simply didn't have the strength to challenge the Stag Territory.

"The Stag Family is currently embroiled in internal strife, and it's hard to say if the Old Grand Duke of Stag is even still alive. The appearance of this Sub-plane at this time is surely heaven's will for our raging bear to prosper."

"In the past, I would never have suggested that Your Highness antagonize the Stag Family. But things are different now. Your Highness, that Sub-plane is the key to our prosperity; we absolutely cannot let it fall into the hands of the Stag Territory."

The deeply-rooted Stag Territory was much stronger than the Rage Bear Territory. As Horn said, if it weren't for the fact that the Stag Territory was currently in the midst of internal conflict, he wouldn't have even thought of competing for it.

It was precisely because of this special period that these nobles of the Rage Bear Territory were so tempted. There were great benefits to be had, and their competitor was in a poor state; to them, wasn't this a windfall from the heavens?

"So, you are all determined to fight for that Sub-plane?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Behind Horn, the vast majority of the nobles in the hall also knelt.

Seeing the crowd kneeling before him, a cold light flashed in Karl's eyes. His sharp gaze startled Evans, who was observing secretly from the side, causing him to lower his head deeply and remain motionless like an invisible man.

As the founder of the Rage Bear Territory, this was the first time Karl had encountered such a situation in all these years. He fixed his gaze on Horn for a moment, the chill in his eyes growing more intense.

Those before him were not enough to shake Karl's will. Just as he was about to display the majesty of the raging bear, a message was hurriedly delivered to him, causing him to change his mind.