Chapter 1420: Distress, Blood Trial

Having settled the mission details, Xia Duo immediately cast spells within the Reception Room, first pinpointing the location of that Langas Tribe, and then leaving a Magic Mark on each of Feishe'er and his two companions to indicate their positions.

Afterwards, he reminded them: "You go to Zhenisi first; that tribe is not far southwest of the Zhenisi Peninsula. Once you arrive there, it won't be hard to find them by following the guidance of the Magic Mark."

"Yes," the three replied in unison.

"Then set off. I await your good news!"

"My lord, I have a question—"

"What question?"

Xia Duo, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared at the somewhat restless Andongni. This guy had just agreed so readily; could it be he wanted to go back on his word now?

Or was it that he was dissatisfied with the reward for a temporary mission and wanted more?

"My lord, I—I cannot afford the teleportation fee to the New Moon Tower!"

Being stared at by the three of them simultaneously, and with two of them being his future traveling companions, Andongni was almost embarrassed to the extreme, his head lowered, revealing only his slightly reddened ear tips.

For an Advanced Rank Mage to be reduced to this state could be considered a rarity; Xia Duo had never imagined that an Advanced Rank Mage would one day be unable to afford the usage fee for a Teleportation Array.

"It was my oversight!"

Xia Duo did not say anything else, but quickly took out a stack of Gold Coin Exchange Vouchers and distributed them to the three. "Set off!"

The three accepted the money, and this time nothing else happened; the three soon departed.

As for Xia Duo, he chatted with Aiwa for a while, instructed him to continue recruiting, and then quickly returned to the Arcane Union to begin the testing work for the new Arcane Fire scheme.

……

The next day.

Xia Duo arrived at the Laboratory early. Today was the day for the actual test of the old Arcane Fire Device scheme, and also the day he had been looking forward to—the day he could scrape up a large amount of Arcane Crystals.

Taking advantage of the fact that Iolum had not yet arrived, Xia Duo wanted to see how Feishe'er and his two companions were progressing with their mission, so he cast a Scrying spell targeting the Magic Mark on the three of them—

It was a tribal settlement on the edge of a forest. There was a faint presence in the center of the tribe that interfered with the Scrying spell, but Feishe'er and his two companions were not in the center of the tribe; instead, they were in a detachable house similar to a tent on the edge.

At this moment, the three were sitting behind Yarman. Feishe'er was closing his eyes to rest, as if he were here for a vacation, while Andongni and Keke were clearly drooping their faces, appearing somewhat unhappy.

"The Grey Eagle Tribe wants us to send people to participate in the Blood Trial with them; they are only willing to continue talking if we win against them. Do you think we should agree?" Yarman asked, stroking his sparse beard.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a manager from the Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce began to argue without any restraint: "Agree to what? They don't allow Mages to participate. How could we, mere ordinary people, possibly win against those savages!"

"Don't you have a group of Elite guards under your command? I don't think they necessarily can't beat those savages!"

"Hmph! The Blood Trial requires blood to be shed. People cultivated by the Chamber of Commerce at great cost should not be lost in such barbaric sports. Besides, the Blood Trial isn't just dueling; there is also hunting. How can we compare to them in that?"

"Alright, stop arguing. Let me say it again: they are Langasi, not savages. Pay attention next time. If you mention this in front of the Lord, you'll definitely be in for it!" Yarman hurriedly gave a reminder.

He continued: "Other tribes allow Mages to participate in the Blood Trial; after all, the Langasi also have Spellcasters like Shaman Wizards."

"It's just that the Grey Eagle Tribe was embarrassed by the three Mages sent by the Lord just now, so they deliberately proposed banning Mages from participating."

"We feel we should follow their wishes and try our best to show our sincerity. After all, our strength has already been demonstrated. As long as we let them see our sincerity, I believe they will eventually make a wise choice."

"Think about it, once the Grey Eagle Tribe is assimilated, the dozen or so small tribes around it will also be assimilated simultaneously. Our tasks for this year, and even next year and the year after, will all be completed."

The Liyadun Chamber of Commerce had strength far exceeding the other three chambers, not to mention that the current Liyadun Chamber of Commerce had also gained a group of Elf relatives. As a powerful manager of the Liyadun Chamber of Commerce, Yarman's words still carried a lot of weight.

But the problem returned to the beginning, with the manager of the Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce asking again: "Then who exactly should be sent to participate in the Blood Trial? This is very likely a one-way trip!"

"You know that the Langasi are not only found here; why must we insist on gnawing on this hard stone? As for the tasks for next year and the year after, it won't be too late to talk about them then, right?"

Regarding this, Yarman shook his head. "The Grey Eagle Tribe has quite a reputation on the Langas Plain. Once we offend them, it will likely affect our subsequent recruitment plans. This is also the main reason I told you not to resist when they made their move earlier."

After thinking for a moment, Yarman put forward his own opinion. "There are ten spots for the Blood Trial. Our Liyadun Chamber of Commerce will provide five people, and the other five will be provided by the three of you. Furthermore, the compensation and even the pension for these ten people will all be the responsibility of our Liyadun Chamber of Commerce."

Upon hearing this, the manager of the Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce immediately patted his chest. "Don't bother, we aren't so poor that we can't afford a little compensation or pension. Isn't it just ten people? Our Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce will provide them!"

"Black-Faced Wolf, can you really make that decision? Don't try to fool people with ten Slaves. This isn't just our own business; if you delay the Lord's grand plan, let's see how you handle it!"

The manager of the Shanjin Chamber of Commerce, who had been silent until now, suddenly reminded him.

And the manager of the Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce, who was called "Black-Faced Wolf," suddenly realized something. He hurriedly looked in the direction of Feishe'er and his two companions and explained hastily: "That's not what I meant. How could I forget the Lord's grand plan!"

"Alright, stop talking. Just do as I say. Our Liyadun Chamber of Commerce will provide five people, and you can discuss the remaining five."

Yarman knew he had to make the final decision now. Midsummer had just passed, and autumn and winter were clearly approaching. The Blood Trial took place in the autumn and winter seasons, which were also the times when tribal annexation on the Langas Plain was most severe.

If they didn't handle the affairs of the Grey Eagle Tribe well, even if they went to find other tribes, they might be destroyed by the Grey Eagle Tribe beforehand, or the Grey Eagle Tribe might send people to slander them.

And agreeing to the Blood Trial proposed by the Grey Eagle Tribe was the fastest and simplest way to handle the situation here.

……

At the same time, Xia Duo, who noticed the decision made by Yarman and the others, instinctively frowned. It wasn't that he opposed Yarman's approach, but rather that he felt dissatisfied with that kind of bloody trial method.

But he also understood that when basic survival was a problem, talking about morality or humanity was of no use. It only made him more determined to bring people out of the Langas Plain.

He was not plundering the population, but saving those Langasi who were currently in the midst of deep water and scorching fire.