Chapter 103: Undercurrent-Surging High-Level

"Sakavi! Wake up——!"

The voice was as loud as an ancient tree collapsing, carrying undisguised teasing.

"If you keep snoring on that pile of gold coins, that ugly monster Malgash, who is covered in fire, will rush into your lair and fiercely whip your butt!"

Before the words fell, a muffled thunder-like, hoarse laugh belonging to a Thorn Deer rumbled and rippled: "Hahahaha——!"

Sakavi's molten-gold vertical pupils slowly opened in the refreshing atmosphere. He was dazed for a moment, then his pupils shrank, focusing on the massive, ancient thorn vine and emerald-light-entwined giant shadow that almost reached the dome in front of him.

"……Vilance?"

A low roar mixed with sparks and sleepiness rolled in his throat, full of genuine astonishment.

His pupils cleared quickly, sweeping over the giant Thorn Deer body in front of him, seemingly wanting to capture more information from the air, his tone carrying clear confusion, and a trace of vigilance that had not yet dissipated:

"Outside... the stench of the Abyss hasn't dissipated yet, right? How did you break through the demons' defense line?"

"Of course, thanks to my good son coming to help, he has already twisted off the head of that Abyssal Lord, look, I brought it to you specially today."

A huge, ferocious head, still lingering with wisps of black smoke and pungent sulfur smell, smashed heavily in front of Sakavi. It was precisely Malgash's head.

The remaining eye was frozen in a state of shock, anger, and unbelievable stagnation. The fractured cervical spine was jagged, and the dark purple Abyssal blood had not yet fully congealed, slowly seeping into the gaps of the stone bricks and emitting a faint, corrosive "hissing" sound. The twisted horns and craggy bones on the skull still radiated an unsettling pressure.

"Now, believe it? And your little life was also saved by my son, Morax that half-baked guy is afraid he can only make a necromantic dragon, but compared to the skin-and-bone you, there is no difference."

"Vilance, you really gave me a big surprise, I originally thought this war would go on for a long time, how did you persuade the Dark Elves to enter the arena?"

"Time... is truly an interesting blacksmith."

The Thorn Deer's low voice echoed in the cave, carrying the echo of ancient rock layers.

"When I was still a seedling that had just drawn its third new branch, I had to lower my leaves when I saw anyone, and respectfully call out 'elder'." Her thorn vines brushed across the ground, as if stroking the passing time. "Now, after nearly eight hundred annual rings have turned..."

She raised her head slightly, and the giant horns entwined with starlight and ancient vines cast mottled shadows in the dim light of the cave.

"Even in the bloodline of the Dark Elves that stretches like a forest, there are plenty of branches and leaves that can be considered 'juniors' who are sprouting and stretching." There was no showing off in the voice, only a calm like deep water, "It is indeed easier to get them to do something now."

"Living long... heh, is a good deal." Sakavi sprayed two streams of sulfur smoke mixed with sparks from his nostrils, and his huge tail swept impatiently over the pile of stones, bringing up a mess of noise.

"Everywhere are debts of human favor that can't be collected, and old account books that can't be calculated." He squinted at the Thorn Deer with molten-gold vertical pupils, his tone mixed with a trace of habitual arrogance and extremely hidden, near-self-deprecating mockery.

"Unlike me? When something happens, the claws have to be sharpened by myself, the flames have to be burned by myself, the sky falls..." He parted his mouth, revealing dragon teeth like daggers, "Also have to use this body of mine to hard-carry it."

"Don't try to deceive me with those useless words."

Vilance's voice suddenly sank, like ancient tree roots tightly grasping the rock. The ground in front of her hooves trembled slightly, and the black smoke on Malgash's head was washed away by an invisible natural force.

"That necromantic plane you threw to me last time, filled with moaning bones and even the soil rotting, I have already let those few unfilial children 'clean up' clean."

Her tone was flat, "Just purifying the plane core soaked in negative energy cost three Morning Gems preserved for a thousand years."

"Debt, must be calculated clearly."

She leaned forward slightly, and the faint light on the Thorn Deer's horns illuminated Sakavi's scales.

"First debt: reward for cleaning the necromantic plane. I want half of that plane that has been purified. Its pure earth and newborn spiritual veins are useful to me."

"Second debt: the price of today's relief." Vilance's gaze seemed to pierce through the rock wall, looking toward the city wall in the distance, "And that Gnoll named Gisk under you, he has been stuck at the threshold of the Legendary for some years, right? I used the baptism of thorns and starlight to help him cross that last threshold and become a true Legendary Ranger."

She paused, letting the silence settle in the air.

"Of course, this second debt... the price is calculated separately."

"That necromantic plane, the whole thing belongs to you."

"This time... you really found reinforcements." The dragon pupils reflected the faint light on Vilance's horns, "Without you finding those guys hiding in the woods, in the mud, and in the shadows..."

Sakavi paused, a low laugh rolled in his throat, unable to tell if it was self-deprecating or lucky, "I'm afraid I would really have to roll up these few belongings and find a place in the Astral rift to go into exile."

He raised a front claw, and the claw tip drew a virtual line in the air, as if counting an invisible list of enemies.

"Over the years, this mouth and this pair of claws of mine have caused no less trouble for all parties' 'heroes' and 'righteous people'." The tone was flat, but carried a detachment after experiencing countless conflicts, "Owe you this time... not a loss."

"Oh? Suddenly so generous?"

Vilance's voice carried a trace of playfulness, like ancient trees shaking branches lightly in the wind. Her gaze swept over the experimental equipment piled up like a mountain behind Sakavi, and seemed to be able to pierce through the rock wall, seeing the demon remains and twisted weapons emitting ominous auras on the battlefield outside the city.

"The 'spoils of war' you caught this time... mountains of demon remains, weapons soaked in Abyssal filthy fire, and those zero-and-pieces that clatter but are stained with fel energy," her tone was flat, but every word hit the key point.

"These things, ordinary chambers of commerce, let alone acquisition, would go to the temple to wash their eyes for three days after just one glance. Even if there is a daring guy who dares to take over, he will definitely treat you as a fool who is full of stupidity, and press the price to death."

The Thorn Deer stepped forward slightly, and the emerald light flowing between the hooves illuminated a wall.

"How about it, do you need me to help you 'deal with' these hot potatoes?" Vilance's voice lowered a bit, carrying a kind of reliable sense of reliability unique to experienced brokers.

"Go according to the real market price, don't play fraud. Guarantee that every piece of Abyssal iron, every bottle of demon gland, is exchanged for equal-weight, clean, real gold coins, or any 'hard currency' you want."

"You... still have this kind of door?"

His voice dragged long, carrying heavy suspicion and the meaning of re-evaluation, and sulfur smoke sprayed slowly with the words.

"I originally thought that in these few hundred years, you had long been no different from the ancient trees in the deep mountains, with roots stuck dead, and leaves too lazy to reach out."

"Didn't expect it, Vilance... the business scriptures coiled under your old roots are probably denser and deeper than the annual rings on your body."

"Hahaha! I'll take it as you praising me! We Thorn Deer have been allies with the Dark Elves for generations, and we still have face.

Because of poor talent before, my mother was much more powerful than me, and my children grew up faster than me, so I haven't had any chance to perform, and I still have quite a few friends at present, most of whom are still alive."

…………

Three hours later, in the conference hall deep in Agrik Castle, the air was as stagnant as mud.

The candlelight on the long table flickered uneasily, pulling the sitting figures long and twisting them on the cold stone walls. Vilance's return was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, the ripples turned into silent undercurrents, completely disrupting the pattern underwater.

The newly promoted Legendary Sha Lu Te and Gisk were seated. The aura of a sharp, newly cast blade that was unique to them when they broke through the realm had not yet dissipated, which was out of tune with the smooth and stagnant style of the old high-level officials around them.

More importantly, they were local natives, and their bloodline and combat achievements were woven into a net, gathering a large number of loyal generals and soldiers under their command. Their seats represented the rise of local forces that could not be ignored.

On the other side, Morax's silver scales shone coldly in the candlelight. Behind him represented the dragon beasts participating in the war this time, those still circling outside the city suburbs, and at least two Legendary dragons who clearly supported him. This was a powerful armed force sufficient to influence the situation and even subvert the scene.

In contrast, Sakavi, who should have been the absolute core, seemed to be in the center of an invisible vortex. The Black Dragon's massive body lay on the throne, but that silence shrouded in sulfur precisely indicated some kind of predicament.

His authority remained, but the fulcrum of power had been quietly divided. New nobles rose, strong reinforcements each had their own masters, foreign forces intervened deeply... He still sat in the main seat, but the foundation supporting that throne felt an unprecedented loosening in the intersection of everyone's gazes and silent calculations.

The voice on the throne broke the silence, carrying a kind of deliberately boosted, unquestionable authority, echoing in the stone hall.

"This Abyssal crisis could be quelled, relying on everyone present fighting to the death. Agrik can still stand here, it is what you exchanged with blood."

His gaze fell on the position at the head of the left side.

"Sha Lu Te, Vilance." He paused, letting the weight of these two names sink into everyone's ears, "You are the key to this battle. Sha Lu Te commanded and dispatched; Vilance brought strong reinforcements to break the situation. Your two merits are the highest."

"Sha Lu Te," his voice raised, like a declaration, "I announce in the name of the Grand Duke: the entire Solo Archipelago will be your fief from now on. That is our forward base in the sea."

Immediately, he turned to the other side.

"Aequilon, Vickers. The muddy battle line of the Saltwater Swamp, you defended it with difficulty, the demons' footsteps were dragged by you, I will not forget this point. The Bohe River banks on the Iron Hoof Plateau will be your fief from now on."

His gaze swept over all the silent or expectant faces on both sides of the long table.

"The combat achievements of everyone else, the scribe will verify and remember. Rewards will never be forgotten."

Finally, his body leaned forward slightly, and his voice suddenly turned deep.

"But please remember: driving the demons out of here is by no means our end point. If you want more vast land, more fertile river valleys, more dangerous mountain passes... then use your swords to seize them, use your fire to burn them!"

His front claws pressed heavily on the thick oak table in front of him.

"Every inch of scorched earth where demons survive, every nest, every fortress, go and grab them! Kill all the scum occupying them, then that piece of land, along with everything on it, is your territory!" ===== CHAPTER 104 =====

"Every inch of scorched earth, every nest, every fortress where demons survive—go and seize them! Kill all the scum entrenched upon them, and then that land, along with everything on it, will be your territory!"