Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Stoneheart City, castle's underground secret chamber.

Led by Lilith, Orion walked in.

"This is the surprise you were talking about?"

Gazing at the pure white, cocoon-like mayfly eggs before him, Orion's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Mm, they're called Flying Fish Mayflies, an insectoid beast."

"The adult Flying Fish Mayfly can reach about twenty feet in length, making it very suitable as a mount for Succubi."

Lilith explained as she led Orion deeper into the secret chamber.

In a chamber dedicated to breeding such creatures, Orion saw densely packed Flying Fish Mayflies.

They rested on the walls, the ground, the beast pens… Flying Fish Mayflies crawled over almost every available surface.

"Their combat power isn't high, but they easily form groups and can be organized into units."

"Furthermore, their growth period is very short; they are ready for use within a year."

Orion looked at these Flying Fish Mayflies; he naturally knew what Lilith wanted to tell him.

The Stoneheart Horde had always lacked a formally organized air force; this was a shortcoming of the Horde.

If not for the Eagle Nest in the northern Thunderwood Forest breeding Harpies for the Horde, Delilah's Sentinel Corps would never have developed.

Before the appearance of the Flying Fish Mayflies, Orion, to address this need, had set his sights on Thunderhawk Rayden, tasking him with forming a flying army primarily composed of Thunderhawks within a year.

One of Orion's purposes for returning south this time was to inspect Thunderhawk Rayden's progress.

Unexpectedly, Lilith had given him an additional little surprise.

"If the adult Flying Fish Mayfly is less than thirty feet long, its limitations are somewhat significant, suitable only for Succubi and other small-statured people to ride."

"This type of insectoid beast needs to be paired with troop types proficient in ranged attacks."

Speaking of this, Orion suddenly felt that the Blood Elves, skilled in magic and archery, were the ideal riders for the Flying Fish Mayflies; they were a perfect match.

"How long is their lifespan?"

As Orion observed the Flying Fish Mayflies, a serious problem suddenly occurred to him.

"Five to seven years. The Flying Fish Mayfly's lifespan is very short."

Lilith's expression was slightly embarrassed; for insectoid beasts, a short lifespan was an inherent weakness.

"The Flying Fish Mayflies are ready in a year. Their remaining lifespan is enough to create surplus value for us."

Although the Flying Fish Mayfly had significant drawbacks, Lilith still believed it was a very good troop type.

At least for the Stoneheart Horde, it could fill the gap in air cavalry.

Orion frowned, gazing at the Flying Fish Mayflies, unsure what to say for a moment.

After a long while, Orion shook his head.

"The Flying Fish Mayflies can indeed become our flying mounts, but they are not suitable for the Succubi."

"Why?"

Lilith was puzzled. Flying Fish Mayflies were not inherently large and didn't have a strong carrying capacity; logically, some lighter Succubi should be perfectly capable of riding them.

"The Flying Fish Mayflies are not strong. If they go into battle, though they are air cavalry, they can only be considered cannon-fodder-level air cavalry."

This was a fact. Compared to the wyvern armies Leonidas brought, the Flying Fish Mayflies were completely out of their league.

The wyvern armies could slaughter the Flying Fish Mayflies in a few passes because their strength was simply too weak.

"Since they are cannon fodder, most Flying Fish Mayflies will inevitably die on the battlefield, right?"

Orion looked at Lilith, his face gentle. This was his wife; many things could be explained clearly and thoroughly to her.

"According to your idea, the riders on the Flying Fish Mayflies would be members of the Succubus tribe."

"If the Flying Fish Mayflies die on the battlefield, would their riders fare any better?"

"Does the Succubus tribe have that many members to sacrifice as cannon fodder?"

Hearing this, Lilith's eyes widened. She could already imagine countless Succubi riding Flying Fish Mayflies, crashing onto the battlefield.

Such a tragic scene was definitely not what the Succubus race hoped for, nor what the Succubus Queen hoped for, and certainly not what Lilith wanted to see.

"No, don't!"

Lilith cried out involuntarily. The Succubus tribe was her mother race and also the pillar of support for her and Pallas.

The tenderness on Orion's face deepened. He pulled Lilith into his embrace, gently stroking his wife's back.

"Therefore, Flying Fish Mayflies are only suitable for small-statured, expendable races to ride."

"For example, Ratmen, Goblins… such races are not afraid of sacrifice."

Ratmen were available in the northern Poison Dragon Swamp; they were a vassal race of the Stoneheart Horde.

And there was a group of Goblins neighboring the southern part of Thunderwood Forest; perhaps something could be arranged with them.

Also, in the wilds of the former Beastfolk territory, small populations of Gnomes existed; they were also under Orion's consideration.

"Ratmen and Gnomes—you can try them out first."

"If it's feasible, you'll also need to train them as decent spear throwers or archers."

As he spoke, a new idea sparked in Orion's mind.

If these troop types were viable, their development could be explored even further.

If they had gunpowder, Orion mused, could these units drop explosive packs and grenade-like items from the air, thereby upgrading the Stoneheart Horde's Flying Fish Mayfly air cavalry into a bombing squadron?

Even without gunpowder, couldn't they acquire items like magic bullet scrolls?

After all, the Champions Alliance had a demigod-level Archmage and his demigod faction.

Perhaps the Deputy Commander already had such things.

As he thought about it, a joyful expression appeared on Orion's face.

"Lilith, domesticate these Flying Fish Mayflies well. They will be of great use to the Stoneheart Horde in the future."

Lilith nodded. Receiving Orion's affirmation, her heart filled with joy.

However, Lilith's expression soon fell again.

"Unfortunately, the number of Flying Fish Mayflies is still rather small. If we want them on the battlefield, we'll have to wait for them to breed for another two years."

"These Flying Fish Mayflies, I still need to keep for laying eggs. If the number of viable eggs doesn't reach a certain amount, the Flying Fish Mayfly population won't snowball."

"It's alright. Our Stoneheart Horde can afford to wait."

Never mind two years; even ten years, Orion and the Stoneheart Horde could afford to wait.

Orion comforted Lilith, telling her not to rush.

For two years, Thunderhawk Rayden's makeshift flying armies could temporarily fill the gap; that was acceptable.

Next, Orion accompanied Lilith, tending to the Flying Fish Mayflies for a while before they left the secret chamber.

Three days later, Orion, leading a contingent of Raptor Cavalry, left Stoneheart City, heading towards the western coastline under the pretext of inspecting the territory.