Alan turned around at the sound.
His eyes met with a beautiful blonde girl, and he was slightly startled.
Three young men were accompanying this young lady.
Am, Phil, and Sean were also trial-takers and elementalists from the Randolph family.
"Pamela, why are you here too?"
Tanya asked in surprise.
"Hehe...that's what I wanted to ask you."
Pamela's smile remained as domineering as ever.
Tanya frowned, turned, and whispered to Alan, "Are Pamela and the others the helpers you've called in?"
"It has nothing to do with me. I'm just curious how she knew the dragons and giants were going to war today," Alan whispered.
A fragrant breeze drifted by.
Pamela ignored Tanya's "hen-guarding" stare and approached Alan, a smile on her lips and a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Alan, tell me first, who sent you here? I'll tell you which friend you got the information from."
Alan, of course, couldn't reveal Feng's details.
He was puzzled.
It was unlikely that Pamela had any connection to the Holy Spirit Society, so there was only one channel that could have provided advance information about today's battle.
If nothing unexpected happened, Pamela must have established a relationship with a Dragon Vein sorcerer, sharing information about the Trial.
Alan just hoped her informant wasn't Phoebus, otherwise there would be no future friction.
"You won't trade information with me? Haha... stingy!"
Pamela curled her lips.
"I'm not as stingy as you. I'm giving you two a piece of advice for free."
"Your ogre and tauren bloodlines are too lowly in giant society. You're not qualified to enter the castle and participate in war meetings. You can only wait outside the gate to receive orders."
"The four of us have all acquired the blood of the giants."
"Giant are distant relatives of the giants. In the local caste, they're equivalent to the third level, similar to stone giants, frost giants, and fire giants."
"So, the four of you are qualified to participate in war meetings?" Tanya asked, suppressing her anger.
"Just barely."
Pamela tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone feigning calmness, yet hinting at a hint of boasting.
"Although our status isn't high enough to allow us to sit at the table with the Cloud Giant officers, at least we can stand and observe, understanding the battle plan firsthand."
"If you're polite to me, I'll generously share intelligence with you."
"How else can I be polite?" Tanya retorted coldly.
"At the very least, when I'm talking to Alan in private, you should have the tact to stay away from us."
"Bah! Dream on!" Tanya was infuriated. "Pamela, I don't know what you intend for Alan, but as long as I'm alive, you're doomed to fail!"
"Haha... Madam Vice Dean, that's not up to you!"
Pamela flashed her signature, almost-smile, which was incredibly provocative.
Tanya gritted her teeth and was about to explode, but Alan stopped her.
"Senior Sister, there's no need to argue with her. Let's go into the castle hall and attend the war meeting."
"Junior Brother... I'm afraid our bloodlines don't qualify us for the royal city meeting hall."
No matter how unconvinced Tanya was, she had to admit that Pamela hadn't lied.
She had personally experienced the Cloud Giant officers' attitude towards the lower castes at the recruitment office.
"It's okay. Just change to a more distinguished identity."
"Change your identity?" Tanya was stunned. "You mean using magic to transform? But the registration information..."
"On the application, I wrote that I was of Storm Giant bloodline, but the recruiting officer didn't even look closely and just stamped it," Allen said calmly.
Take Tanya's hand and retreat to a secluded corner.
Recalling the physical characteristics of a Storm Giant, he began to transform.
Alan's ogre wizard bloodline inherently possessed the ability to transform.
He can transform into any giant up to six meters tall.
The six-meter limit is simply because adult ogre wizards typically don't exceed this height limit.
Alan's Sky Behemoth bloodline also grants him the ability to transform, allowing him to take on the form of a roc.
After the two bloodlines merged, his transformation abilities became mutually inclusive and enhanced.
Now, Alan can freely transform into a giant up to thirty meters tall—the average height of an adult Behemoth.
Storm Giants, while certainly tall and mighty, average no more than twenty meters tall, making them well within Alan's transformation range.
In a blink of an eye, Alan transformed into a handsome young Storm Giant.
Violet skin, silver-gray eyes, and a sorcerer's robes that danced in the wind.
His every move was a dashing demeanor, perfectly mimicked.
Tanya stared, her eyes wide open, and it took her a moment to recover.
"Junior brother... are you sure you can get away with this?"
"My transformation talent is similar to a fourth-level Transfiguration spell. It perfectly mimics a Storm Giant at the species level. Bloodline tests show no flaws. I just don't have a Storm Giant's spellcasting ability; that requires awakening, after all."
Alan spoke slowly.
"The war is coming, the situation is urgent, and no one's worried about these trivial matters. Getting away with it won't be a problem."
"Okay... even if you can get away with it, what should I do?"
Tanya shrugged and spread her hands, a look of frustration on her face.
"I can't transform into a Storm Giant... How about you go into the Royal City Conference Hall alone, and I'll wait outside?"
"Sister, haven't you awakened both the Transfiguration spell and the Giant Transformation spell? Combining these two spells will allow you to transform yourself and accompany me into the city."
"How exactly do you do that?" Tanya asked, confused.
A second-level "Transfiguration" spell can only transform into a creature with a similar bloodline to the caster.
Tanya is primarily human, but also possesses the bloodline of a giant-horned minotaur and a petrified bull.
She can transform into any human form, including a man, as well as a giant-horned minotaur and a petrified bull.
However, none of these transformations can elevate her status among the giants, earning the guards a higher regard.
"Sister, first cast the 'Giant Transformation' spell and transform into a gigantic bull."
"I'll lead you back to the castle gate and tell you you're my mount."
"My handsome son, as a Storm Giant Warlock, tamed the rare giant, the Ironclad Bull, and used it as a mount. That's perfectly reasonable."
"With my noble status, riding an Ironclad Bull into the city is my due. What do you think, Sister?"
"I think... you're asking for a beating!"
Tanya's forehead bulged, and her fists stiffened.
Furious as she was, she couldn't think of any other solution.
If Alan went into the city alone, she worried that Pamela would bully her while she wasn't watching.
Thinking of the dire consequences that could ensue if Alan and Pamela were alone together, Tanya felt a sense of crisis.
Out of precaution, he had to suppress his embarrassment and reluctantly accept Allen's awful idea!
Seeing his senior sister's reluctance, Allen couldn't help but recall his time in the Meditation World.
He, too, was forced by his sister Kelly to transform into a black panther and serve as her mount.
So, he could understand Tanya's feelings.
However, that didn't stop him from bullying her.
The usually cool and dignified senior sister, transformed into a cow for him to ride, was a delight beyond the boudoir.
"Damn it! You ride me at night, and you ride me during the day too. When will it be my turn to take over and be the master?"
Tanya complained bitterly.
"Senior sister, if you're interested, I can transform into a monster for you to ride anytime, day or night. I don't mind."
Alan consoled her with a smile.
"Bah! I don't want to play this perverted game with you! It's so embarrassing!"
Tanya's face was filled with shame.
…
A moment later.
A completely transformed Alan returned to the castle gates, riding a majestic, armored bull.
"My name is Handsome. I'm a trialist from Origin City and a sixth-level Storm Giant Warlock."
"With my noble bloodline, I believe I'm qualified to sit with the generals and participate in the battle meeting against the dragon."
Alan sat on the bull's back, looking down proudly at the giant guards.
The guards were overwhelmed by his imposing presence and momentarily lost for words.
The surrounding giants, including Pamela and the other three, were equally astonished.
"Haha!" Pamela suddenly laughed out loud, muttering to herself, "You're just as good as me, Alan. Only someone like you could pull off something so audacious and ridiculous!"
"Miss, should we expose his disguise?"
The fire djinn warlock Phil whispered to Pamela.
Pamela glared at him.
The cold gaze sent a chill through Phil's heart!
"What good would it do us to expose Alan's scheme?"
"This..." Phil was momentarily lost for words.
"Don't come up with such wicked ideas again!"
Pamela said gravely.
Phil was terrified.
He could hear the undisguised anger in the young lady's reprimand.
This puzzled him. Even if he had come up with a bad idea that harmed others and benefited himself, it was Allen who was harmed, not Pamela herself. Why was she so angry?
It seemed that Pamela cared more about Allen than she let on...
The news of the dignified Storm Giant Warlock's visit spread quickly, alarming Norman, the Royal City's garrison commander.
The tall and elegant Cloud Giant general wore silver armor, his complexion smooth and gray, and his long hair, tied in a high ponytail, flowed even in the wind.
Most striking was the exquisite silver mask that graced Norman's face.
"Silver Mask" was the general's nickname.
Alan jumped off the ox and looked at General Norman, who came out to greet him.
It was natural that he was reminded of the various "masked men" in anime from his past life.
A common trait of these characters is their tendency to overdo it.
Judging from this, "Silver Mask" Norman is probably a difficult pretentious individual to deal with.
General Norman paused, scowling over Allen.
His pale golden eyes flickered with suspicion.
"General, I come from an ancient family of sorcerers, with a noble lineage that dates back to the Bronze Age..."
Norman suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Allen's self-introduction.
"Haha! Both your family background and your bloodline are likely fabricated and unreliable."
"My respected fellow trial-taker, if you want to enter the Royal City Conference Hall, you'll have to show some real skill."
Tanya, transformed into an armored bull, couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety upon hearing General Norman openly question Allen's identity.
"I told you long ago not to pull such clever little tricks! You refused to listen. Now you're embarrassed, aren't you?"
Tanya scolded Allen through telepathy.
Unexpectedly, this stinking brother, clearly exposed, still feigned composure.
Tanya watched anxiously, stamping her feet.
Alan patted the ox's head, reassuring her senior sister not to worry.
A test of true ability, right?
Alan smiled.
True gold fears no fire.
If he had said that true ability would earn him the corresponding treatment, why would he have gone to all this trouble to pretend to be of a higher caste?
"General Norman, how do you want me to prove myself?"
"It's simple. Just cast any sixth-level spell—thunder, lightning, or wind!"
"Don't tell me you, a sixth-level sorcerer with the Storm Giant bloodline awakened, can't even cast Chain Lightning!"
Silver Mask's voice was cold.
The sixth-level spell, "Chain Lightning," is the Storm Giant's signature skill.
A Storm Giant bloodline sorcerer who ascends to the sixth level has a 90% chance of awakening this spell.
If Allen insisted on claiming he was one of the 10% exceptions, Norman and the others wouldn't be convinced.
Alan didn't know Chain Lightning, but that didn't matter.
"Chain Lightning? Haha... General, you're asking me to perform this commonplace magic that any Storm Giant can do. Aren't you humiliating me?!"
Norman was slightly taken aback. He said in a deep voice, "That's not my intention. But you must prove yourself worthy of my hospitality."
"I can prove myself, but a mere Chain Lightning isn't worth my public demonstration and lowering my status."
"So, how do you prove your identity?" Norman demanded coldly.
"I possess a 7th-tier lightning-based martial art even more powerful than Chain Lightning. General Norman, do you dare to personally test it out and see if I'm bragging?"
Alan stared directly at Norman, his tone unabashedly provocative.
So many people were watching, waiting for the show, including the outsiders.
Norman didn't give Alan face, but Alan was a man of great pride, so he certainly couldn't back down.
He gritted his teeth and responded sternly to Allen's challenge, "I accept your challenge!"
Isn't it just a tier-7 lightning technique?
As a Cloud Giant, Norman possessed tier-7 electrical resistance and tier-7 lightning resistance (sonic resistance), confident in his invincibility.
The opponent might truly be a warlock who had awakened the bloodline of a Storm Giant, but that wasn't important.
What mattered was that this guy was a Trialist from outside!
General Norman disliked these foreign mercenaries!
They disobeyed orders, acted on their own, and, for personal gain, would even betray their own faction and join the dragons!
Every single one of these Trialists was a nasty thorn!
If it weren't for the fear of offending Origin City, General Norman would have wanted to issue a military order forbidding Trialists from entering the battlefield between Giants and Dragons and disrupting the situation!
The fact that he had been so rude to Allen from the start, openly questioning his bloodline, was a reflection of this xenophobic sentiment.
The young and energetic sorcerer responded to his doubts with the most vehement force, giving him a prime opportunity to publicly scare the other trial-takers and establish his authority.
General Norman, of course, wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Still crossing his arms across his chest, he maintained a relaxed demeanor, waiting for Allen's move.
When it comes to pretense, Allen adheres to a principle.
It's best for everyone to stop pretending, be honest, and communicate on an equal footing.
If you insist on showing off, don't blame me for a slap in the face!
Snap!
In full view of the crowd, Allen raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The dashing gesture brought on earth-shaking thunder!
Boom!
The giants watching nearby were caught off guard, and a large number of them were knocked to the ground!
They all covered their ears, faces filled with horror! His mind went blank!
Am, Phil, and Sean's expressions also changed, their hearts trembling with fear.
Deeply shocked by the thunderous roar that Allen unleashed with a flick of his finger!
Pamela's face was solemn.
The look she gave Allen was filled with subtle meaning.
Across from Allen, General Norman had been struck down by the thunder.
The silver mask on his face shattered into pieces.
Cracked.
A rather ordinary-looking face was revealed.
Norman's appearance, though not unattractive, was not of a good appearance befitting his status.
He usually wore a mask, deliberately creating a mysterious aura, successfully conjuring up suspicions of his handsomeness.
Now, the mask shattered, losing its aura of mystery, revealing his true form.
The crowd that saw his true appearance couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Tsk! So, that pretentious Norman is just average-looking, not even as handsome as me!"
There were many giants at the scene who shared this thought.
Invisibly, their awe of the general diminished somewhat.
As the crowd watched, Norman scrambled to his feet, feeling both ashamed and angry! "You're cheating!"
"That move you just used... wasn't a pure 7th-tier lightning technique; it even contained hidden force field properties!"
Norman's lightning resistance could neutralize 7th-tier lightning bombardments, but it couldn't withstand the force field's impact.
He'd been careless for a moment, suffering a heavy loss and publicly embarrassing himself.
Alan sneered at his accusation.
"What? In front of so many witnesses, you can't afford to lose and refuse to admit that my move was a lightning technique?"
"I admit it was a lightning technique, but not completely!"
Norman's exasperated defense only served to reinforce his unwillingness to lose, drawing boos from the onlookers.
The lower-caste giants, in particular, had long since grown tired of this pretentious pretentious individual. They hid in the crowd, stirring up trouble, unfazed by Norman's retaliation.
"General, I never emphasized that this move was solely a lightning technique. All of you present here can attest to that."
"Besides the lightning attribute, it possesses other properties. Doesn't that prove I'm stronger than ordinary Storm Giants and more worthy of your respect?"
"In fact, after I knocked you down, you didn't spit blood or get seriously injured, and you were able to stand and speak. That's the result of my mercy."
"General, may I ask, with this move, 'Finger Thunder,' do I qualify to enter the Royal City Conference Hall as a Storm Giant and receive the treatment that belongs to the highest caste?"
Alan's question put Norman in an awkward position.
Originally, he had intended to use Allen as a stepping stone, to establish his authority in public.
To dampen the spirits of the foreign trialists, to warn them to follow orders and not cause trouble.
The result was counterproductive, and he became the other party's stepping stone.
The mocking gazes of the crowd deeply wounded his pride.
Norman was extremely reluctant to bow to Allen.
However, breaking his word in front of so many people wouldn't make him seem narrow-minded and lacking in tolerance.
As he was struggling with this, a teleportation light rose beside him.
The priestess who had previously presided over the sacrifice in the temple emerged from the teleportation array.
Norman quickly bowed and saluted the priestess.
Storm Giant priests rarely interfered in military and political affairs, but that didn't mean their power was emptied out.
Cloud Giants were merely agents employed by Storm Giants, like managers of large companies.
When it came to truly important matters, the decisions still had to be made by the majority shareholder.
This priestess was the majority shareholder who usually stayed out of the loop.
Norman was a beneficiary of the giant caste system, but he himself was bound to strictly adhere to it, not daring to be disrespectful to the priestess, whose caste was higher than his own.
"Priest, there's been some trouble here. Rest assured, I'll handle it properly..."
"General Norman, no need to explain," the priestess waved her hand. "I'm well aware of the whole story."
"So, what do you mean..."
"This handsome young man is a descendant of our Storm Giant clan, and he's certainly entitled to receive respect."
The priestess had publicly confirmed Allen's identity, and now, no doubts were allowed to arise.
Alan thanked the priestess and led Tanya into the royal city's conference hall.
Norman still couldn't swallow his anger. After the crowd dispersed, he couldn't help but whisper a complaint to the priestess.
"Priest, are you sure that boy is a Storm Giant warlock? I just can't believe he's right..."
"Alright, let's stop fussing over these details."
The priestess interrupted him impatiently.
"Norman, you're still missing the point."
"Whether or not the handsome guy is a real Storm Giant is irrelevant."
"What's important is that the handsome guy is powerful. We need his strength to fight the dragon!"
"Whether he's an imposter or not, as long as he's on our side and can bring us benefits, we can tolerate him."
"On the other hand, if he sides with the dragon, even if he's my own brother, I refuse to acknowledge him as a true Storm Giant! Do you understand?!"
"Norman, don't make the mistake of forcing this powerful ally to the dragon just to save face!"
The priestess's stern warning sent a chill through Norman's heart.
He quickly bowed his head and replied, "Priest, I understand!"
"That's good."
The priestess nodded and disappeared into the teleportation array.
…
Norman adjusted his composure and returned to the conference room.
He respectfully invited Alan to take a seat.
Alan readily accepted the honor.
During a break in the meeting, he stumbled upon Pamela and the others standing in a corner of the hall, listening like a group of minions, and couldn't help but laugh.
Pansus is a kind man, repaying kindness with kindness, and a great man doesn't hold grudges against the little man.
"General, those four sorcerers are my friends. Could you please let them sit down and rest to conserve their energy for the upcoming battle?"
"Since they're your friends, of course!"
Norman ordered his servants to bring chairs to Pamela, Am, Phil, and Sean.
"Also, my mount must be treated equally."
Alan gently stroked the armored bull transformed by his senior sister and made another request.
"I've ridden her from night to day. She's worked so hard."
"Please bring a soft blanket and spread it at my feet so my little cow can rest her feet."