The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

"Pack your things, we're getting ready to go!" Caslo patted Olaf on the shoulder to reassure him not to be afraid.

"Uh, I don't have much to pack." Olaf nervously tugged at the bundle behind him, because he was not a professional and could not use storage items. Moreover, storage items that could be used by ordinary people without battle aura were not something that ordinary people could obtain. Those custom-made special items were basically for nobles who did not have the talent to become professionals.

"But seriously, am I really going to ride this thing back?" Olaf swallowed hard, staring at Caslo with an incredulous look.

“Of course! Don’t let its seemingly fragile appearance fool you; it’s much sturdier than you think!” Caslo praised, stroking the intricate magical patterns on its surface.

"Is this cage going to fall apart while it's flying in the sky?" Olaf was extremely resistant to the cage he was about to ride in.

Because dragons don't allow anyone other than a knight to step on their backs, and there's no room for another person to sit on the dragon saddle, dragons usually carry people by hanging a huge cage under their limbs. The dragon carries the person in the cage as it flies. The cage that Caslo pulled out was woven from vines as thick as a finger, which made Olaf's scalp tingle. He really couldn't imagine what it would be like to fly in the sky.

"Your Majesty Yunfeng's reinforced cage is safe to use. If any major safety incidents such as disintegration or falling apart occur, you can complain to His Highness! Don't worry, there haven't been any negative reviews since it was first used!" Caslo said seriously.

"Uh, are you going to bring my ashes?" Olaf was speechless. What the hell is this complaint?! A bad review? You can only give that if you're alive!

……

In the end, even though Olaf was extremely unwilling, he still obediently went inside under the double threat of Caslow and Apophis Breo's eyes.

"Your Majesty, please slow down! My life is in your hands!" Olaf kept nagging Caslo all the way, his demeanor even more devout than Tang Sanzang chanting sutras.

"..." Caslo and Cardo exchanged a glance, clearly the child was terrified of death.

……

"Your Highness, the phantoms in the sky above the Grey Mountains are appearing more and more frequently!" Hollin knocked on the door and entered. "Those phantoms? You mean those high-speed flying griffins?" Roland looked up. He knew there was a flock of wild griffins in the Grey Mountains; when griffins flew at high speed, they were indeed like fleeting phantoms in the sky! In the autumn, Roland even had his dragon riders monitor the griffins' movements every day. After all, as apex predators, it wouldn't be right not to pay attention to them! Roland didn't want to wake up one day to find his people had been carried off by griffins... otherwise, Roland would probably become a laughing stock among all the Lagrange emperors.

"Yes, spring is almost here, the snow is melting, and everything is coming back to life! The griffins have awakened from hibernation (wild griffins hibernate in cold regions), and we need to prepare to face them!" Hollin said solemnly. He had only come to understand griffins after becoming a griffin rider. Although they lack the power of dragons, the ferocity of flying dragons, and the grandeur of eagles, they are still apex predators in the food chain! All creatures tremble under their towering wings, and even dragons are unwilling to confront a griffin colony head-on!
"Don't worry, relax! Griffins are intelligent species too! The wisdom of older griffins is no less than that of humans!" Yun Feng clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.

"These griffins only recently migrated here, so they won't make enemies around their habitat! Don't underestimate their intelligence. As long as we don't cross their lines, even passing by their nests is fine!" Yun Feng smiled and shook his head, indicating that Hollin was overthinking it. Top-tier magical beasts like griffins are very intelligent, and they wouldn't easily provoke the Lagrang Kingdom, which has two giant dragons (what? The Golden Holy Dragon Dos? That's still a cub!).

"Do we have a chance to use these griffins for our own purposes?" Roland asked whimsically. Back then, Verway had his eye on these griffins and almost made Roland distance himself from them, but Roland ultimately couldn't escape the "it smells so good" phenomenon... those griffins really did look delicious.

"That depends on how well the relationship develops between the two sides, but before that, we need an opportunity!" Yun Feng shrugged. Supporting a race is not uncommon. In the past, the empire not only supported many races, but also raised many magical beast races! There were flocks of dragons, flocks of griffins, and flocks of pegasus!

Yunfeng was optimistic about being able to support the clan, but establishing an initial emotional connection with these griffins was a big problem. Without someone to act as a go-between, misunderstandings could easily arise. Roland couldn't just run up to the clan leader and say, "I see you have extraordinary talent and are destined for greatness. Come and join me!"

The griffins would probably blow Roland's mind out of shape! We need to find a suitable opportunity for them to communicate; only through frequent interaction can the relationship deepen, making it easier for Roland to be persuaded… no, I mean, to help the griffins find a warm home! Roland is still counting on these griffins to build his own air knight force; he can't rely on the dragon riders for everything, can he? The dragon riders are part of the nation's elite fighting force; now they're just like deliverymen, delivering supplies to everyone's homes every day. Don't the dragon riders have any dignity?
"Instead of those vague and unrealistic things, let's think about how to expand the villages and towns in the spring. The kingdom has taken in thousands of refugees during the winter! Jiliu City is definitely not big enough, so we need to build a few more new villages and towns!" Yun Feng said calmly, tapping the table.

"Any recommendations?" Roland asked seriously. After all, compared to those griffins he fantasized about, the newly arrived refugees huddled in Swiftstream City were the most pressing issue, and if not handled properly, they could very well starve to death! Why do you think they're called refugees? They can't even find two ounces of rice on their clothes. If Roland dares to cut off their food, they'll be willing to die right there!

"No, but I suggest developing towards the south, since the climate will be milder." Yun Feng shook his head. For villages and towns, the location doesn't need to be too particular; being close to farmland is enough.

“Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit. Once you’ve made a decision, you can come to me or Nyx for approval!” Roland nodded.

"Well, right now we should focus on getting Apophis Breo on his side. I reckon Caslo should be back soon!" Roland murmured, glancing at the sky.

"Yes, we'll be busy again. There are quite a few people loyal to the Junlin family, and they need to prepare a lot of things for this trip!" Yun Feng shook his head, feeling a headache coming on.