Chapter 274: Sacrifice

The night was deep. On the beach of the northern coast, a bonfire burned slowly, illuminating the thriving Deadwood Port.

Although it was nominally a proper port, there wasn't a single ship at the docks.

That wasn't all.

There were barely any living residents here; aside from half-dead pirates, there were only the undead who had been dead for who knows how long.

Yet, even so, this makeshift port was unusually lively, showing no signs of being lifeless despite being packed with the dead.

The reason for this was entirely due to the open-air tavern built from rotten planks and sails, with a sign hanging at the entrance that read "Blackbeard's Barrel."

Although most players roleplaying as undead characters couldn't drink, this tavern wasn't just a place for drinking; it was also the only NPC shop on the entire Gana Continent where one could quickly exchange junk picked up on the battlefield for Nether Coins... provided one didn't want to pay the high teleportation costs to transport the junk to other NPC towns.

Currently, this tavern with its unique design was managed by the former pirate captain, Titch.

After witnessing the military might of the Demon King's Army, Titch had completely embraced a new faith and bowed down at the feet of the Demon King.

Considering his contribution in helping Lumier complete the teleportation array, Luo Yan did not hold a grudge over his attempt to attack his merchant ship; he not only pardoned him but also gave him this new job.

Although Titch had no interest in running a bar, he had nothing else to do at the moment, so he obediently agreed.

Besides, this task was very easy.

He only needed to dress like a bar owner, sit behind the counter with his legs crossed, and casually recite a couple of lines to the undead who came knocking—lines whose purpose he couldn't quite figure out—

Such as, "Hello, I am Titch from the Empire," or "Wouldn't it be cool if magic could be attached to bullets?"

According to the Demon King, this would increase the immersion for the citizens of the Great Graveyard.

As for collecting items, that was done by the ghoul bartender, and he didn't need to worry about collecting payments either.

Also according to the Demon King, those "players" used a currency called Nether Coins, which were invisible most of the time and only needed to be paid in paper form on specific occasions... such as trading with other NPCs in unofficial settings.

Titch couldn't understand those overly technical terms, and he couldn't comprehend it even more. Collecting other people's things without paying for them—in his experience, only pirates did that.

However, he quickly thought that his boss was the Demon King, and he felt relieved instantly.

Things that seemed inconceivable on the surface might be normal in the Great Graveyard.

Just as he was bored to the point of yawning, another player rushed into the shop and slapped a pile of colorful trinkets onto the counter.

"Quick! Help me check, how much can these things sell for?" A creaking, crunching, incomprehensible sound came from the skeleton's mouth, and the soul fire in its eyes flickered with excitement.

Although Titch couldn't understand what this guy was saying, he wasn't an NPC after all; he could still understand the sign language common to primates—this guy was here to sell junk.

Although collecting goods wasn't his job, out of professional habit, he still subconsciously glanced at the items on the table.

Aside from a gold ring that made him take a second look, the rest were things he wouldn't even take if given for free.

"20 silver coins, no more."

Titch estimated, giving a quote in his heart that he felt was already as low as it could get.

And just as he expected, the most valuable item in this pile of goods was that gold ring... it was just that the price he quoted was still too high relative to the Demon King's bottom line.

The ghoul bartender in charge of collecting goods stared at the ring for a while, then spoke in a lifeless tone.

"50 Nether Coins."

"How much?!" The moment he heard the NPC's quote, the soul fire burning in that guy's eyes almost turned into a soul ring, and he immediately cursed, "Damn it! Are you scamming me?!"

The ghoul in charge of collecting goods did not answer, just maintained a dead look, quietly watching the "dead person" standing in front of him, then glanced at the oblivious boss nearby.

"It's set by our boss, take it or leave it."

The player cursed a few times, but eventually sold the junk in his hands.

After all, no other players wanted the things he had picked up, so he could only sell them to the NPC at a low price.

Thinking about it carefully, other games seemed to be like this too; the acquisition price offered by NPC shops was often not even one-tenth of the selling price.

Thinking of this, he instantly felt it wasn't so regrettable, and turned around to use the Nether Coins he had earned, plus some of his own savings, to buy a low-tier mana potion from a life-profession player who was setting up a stall outside the tavern.

What a loyal good lad... uh, good undead?

Actually paying out of his own pocket to help the Demon King fight a war.

In the Empire, only the conscripted soldiers of the local lord would do this, and most of them did it to buy armor to save their lives; very few people would take the money earned from spoils of war to buy precious magic potions.

Since he had nothing to do, Titch kept observing that "player" until the latter left the open-air tavern and walked far away.

However, what he didn't know was that the loyal good undead hadn't just spent the money earned from spoils of war on the Demon King, but had also added some of his own.

These were necessary investments for pioneering.

For NPCs, it might be a bit hard to understand, but for players, it was common sense.

Not far away, the light of the teleportation array flickered, and a few lifeless ghouls carried a wooden box out.

They stacked the boxes in the open space near the counter, while moving the wooden boxes filled with valuable spoils of war to the teleportation array, intending to send them back together later.

The spoils of war packed in those wooden boxes were mostly gold, or high-value jewelry... such as the gold ring that the ghoul in the tavern had bought for 50 Nether Coins earlier.

As for those amulets with strange functions and odd-looking crafts, they were not placed inside, but piled up in the warehouse waiting for experts from the Great Graveyard to come and pick them out.

According to Lumier, those experts proficient in magic would improve the items with recycling value after studying them, and then sell them back to some "newbie players."

Titch didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.

In front of these demons, he felt he was as simple as a new recruit, and the past few years had been a complete waste.

However, what shocked him most wasn't this, but that the Demon King's Army was actually extravagant enough to use a teleportation array to transport goods!

Looking at the wooden boxes piled in the open space, Titch couldn't help but click his tongue and say with emotion.

"... You actually use a teleportation array for long-distance travel; this is too extravagant."

Checking the list in his hand, Lumier, who was counting the goods, replied casually.

"Magic crystals in Hell are cheaper than on the surface. Although the teleportation cost is still high, it's not as expensive as you imagine... it belongs to the barely acceptable category."

In fact, it wasn't just the Demon King's Army that used teleportation arrays to deploy troops; demons in Hell also often used this method to throw all kinds of trouble into the hinterland of the human world.

This was also something he only knew after joining the Demon King's Army.

Looking at Lumier, who seemed to know a lot of inside information, Titch curiously asked one more question.

"Have you been there?"

"No," Lumier shook his head, "but the Demon King told me I would have a chance to go there."

Titch shook his head, grabbed the wooden cup on the counter, and gulped down a mouthful of inferior rum.

"... You guys are really strange. If it were me, I'd rather never have this chance in my entire life."

Lumier glanced at him, didn't say anything, just smiled faintly.

"Then where do you want to go?"

Titch sighed, looked at the pitch-black night sky above, and muttered.

"I haven't thought about it yet. In the past, I wanted to earn a large sum of money, then return to my hometown to buy back the manor and land I had sold... Of course, that was in the past. Now I don't dare to think that far. Aside from surviving, I have no other thoughts."

Lumier asked casually.

"Then why did you sell your land and manor?"

"Of course it was for the Empire, for Saint Xisi, and by the way, to earn more money..."

Titch's words were only halfway through when he suddenly couldn't continue. He coughed awkwardly to cover up his embarrassment, "Uh... fine, I admit I was stupid, but I was young then, a jerk, and didn't know the world outside was so dangerous."

He suddenly realized that he was actually no different from the "players" he laughed at behind their backs.

Those "good undead" paid out of their own pockets to expand territory for the Demon King, and wasn't he the one who emptied his family fortune for the old Emperor and Saint Xisi...

Some things, when looking at the essence through the phenomenon, have always been the same stuff, just wearing a different layer of skin.

By comparison, it's not certain that he is even more pitiful.

After all, those "players" were clearly enjoying it, but he was carrying a belly full of resentment towards Saint Xisi, and still holds a grudge to this day.

Lumier didn't mock him, just smiled meaningfully, then closed the ledger in his hand and patted his shoulder.

"It seems the Empire isn't as holy as you described, and I imagine Hell isn't as bad as you think... Keep it up, maybe one day the Demon King will fulfill your wish for you."

"Unlike Saint Xisi, that Lord truly will respond to the deepest prayers in the hearts of his believers."

The next morning.

The faint light of dawn crossed the peaks of the Sun Staircase Mountains and spilled onto the Shenghu outside Assam City.

The clear lake surface was calm, reflecting the ancient and solemn Royal Capital, just like the unshakable foundation of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom for thousands of years.

However, unlike the past, a battle report from the north broke the peace of Assam City.

The news was reported layer by layer, soon reaching the palace of the Saint King, and finally turned into an angry roar, echoing in the spacious hall.

"... Idiots! Trash! A bunch of useless things! To think they couldn't even handle such a small matter!"

On the Golden Wang Zuo, the face of the Saint King, Yi Zi, was full of anger, completely lacking the calm and composed look of the day before.

Thirty thousand Scale Dragon soldiers were completely wiped out!

Since he ascended the Golden Wang Zuo, the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom had never encountered such heavy losses!

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth hard, wishing he could crush his teeth and swallow them into his stomach.

"A mere group of outsiders, actually able to defeat my thirty thousand Scale Dragon soldiers... That idiot Ku Chaer, if he still has the face to come back, I will definitely dig out his eyes and heart with my own hands!"

Listening to the vicious curse, the nobles of the Elder Council knelt on the ground one after another, not daring to let out a breath.

They knew very well in their hearts that the Saint King was currently in a fit of rage, and any rebuttal might be seen as disrespect to the Dragon God, eventually ending up with the fate of using blood to appease the Dragon God's anger.

That Ku Chaer was likely already dead, and they had no need to speak for a dead person.

Mere cursing was not enough. The Saint King, Yi Zi, stood up angrily, his scales faintly glowing with golden light, as if the Dragon God's will was burning within him.

"These dirty bugs... since thirty thousand Scale Dragon soldiers are not enough, then send three hundred thousand! Three million!"

"I want to let these alien races who stretched their dirty hands to the Holy Land know what the fate of provoking the Dragon God's majesty will be!"

The angry roar almost extinguished the flickering fire in the brazier. The air in the hall felt extremely scorching due to the Saint King's anger, roasting the lizardmen until their mouths were dry.

And just as this violent anger was about to sweep through the entire palace, an old but majestic voice slowly sounded, like a clear spring gushing over, smoothing out the restless atmosphere.

"Your Majesty, Saint King, please calm your anger."

At the main entrance of the hall, a figure wearing deep black sacrificial robes slowly walked out.

He held a dragon bone scepter in his hand. Although he looked old and his scales were dry and cracked, he still exuded a majestic aura that made people look on with awe.

This person was none other than the High Priest of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, Ze Er Tu A.

As the agent of the Dragon God's will in the mortal world, he was the most prestigious spiritual totem of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom besides the Saint King, and also the only person who could persuade the Saint King when he was angry.

After seeing Ze Er, the furious Yi Zi calmed down as expected and slowly sat back on the throne.

"Do you have anything to say?"

"... What I want to say, Your Majesty might have already realized."

Ze Er slowly raised his head, his turbid eyes flickering with wisdom and caution.

"These outsiders are indeed not simple, and they are different from those guys we encountered before, otherwise the Great Barrier wouldn't have loosened... Although we have realized this point and attached enough importance to it, it is clear that we still underestimated their threat."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall fell into a brief stagnation. Everyone remained silent, only looking at each other.

The vast majority of nobles and generals were unwilling to admit this point; after all, for thousands of years, no foreign enemy had ever truly threatened their rule.

However, the bloody facts were placed in front of them. Thirty thousand Saint Scale Dragon soldiers were wiped out overnight; this could never be explained by luck or coincidence.

Looking around at the nobles and generals present, Ze Er continued in a low voice.

"Ku Chaer's failure certainly had elements of underestimating the enemy, but we have to admit that the methods of these outsiders far exceed those of the ordinary explorers who were stranded on the coast in the past. They not only possess powerful weapons and strange magic, but can also cross the barrier of the Great Barrier through unknown methods, continuously projecting troops and supplies to our land... These are things we have never encountered before."

"Humph!" Yi Zi snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with such a statement, "Do you mean that the strength of these alien races is above ours, and we have to bow our heads to them?"

"Not so."

Ze Er shook his head slowly, continuing in a gentle tone.

"Their strength is certainly powerful, but compared with the accumulation of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom for thousands of years, it is still far behind. I have no doubt that your power is above theirs, however, even so, it is still not a wise move for us to bear the obligation of defending the harmony and stability of the Gana Continent alone."

"Even if we can achieve final victory with a crushing momentum, the conflict with those outsiders will still consume the precious power in our hands, thereby giving those tribes who covet our prosperity an opportunity."

"I know you are angry at Ku Chaer's stupidity and pity the Scale Dragon warriors who died in the war, but now is definitely not the best time to avenge them."

"Then when are we going to wait? Just wait like this?" Yi Zi stared at him coldly, suppressing his anger, "Do you want to wait until they have completely established a foothold on our land before taking action?"

"I assure you, they don't have that chance, and we won't wait that long."

Ze Er continued to shake his head, soothing the Saint King's anger, and continued in a calculating manner.

"... Priests of other tribes will soon discover the loosening of the Great Barrier and attach enough importance to those outsiders. What we should do now is to remain calm and wait for Te La Ke Er's mission to persuade the surrounding tribes to attack with us, and jointly defend the stability of the Great Barrier, instead of us Scale Dragon clan bearing this ancient mission alone."

"In this way, we can not only resolve the threat outside the Great Barrier, but also consume the power of the tribes, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone!"

Having said this, he paused for a moment and bowed respectfully.

"I hope Your Majesty, Saint King, will think twice."

Hearing that earnest statement, Yi Zi, whose chest was heaving violently, finally calmed his breathing and fell into silence.

Indeed.

If it were solely by the power of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, even if it were a final victory, it would inevitably suffer certain losses, far less than dragging other tribes along.

He admitted that he had indeed been a bit overwhelmed by anger earlier, to the point of losing his calm.

However, just as he was about to open his mouth to make a decision, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, and then a blood-covered messenger ran in, panting and kneeling on the ground, shouting with a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, Saint King, something bad has happened! The mission you sent to the Central Desert... was intercepted and killed by the Sand Ridge Tribe!"

Hearing this, Ze Er's pupils contracted violently, and he gripped the dragon bone scepter in his hand. The Saint Blood Warriors standing on one side of the hall widened their eyes, their hands subconsciously pressing on the obsidian short swords at their waists.

The whole hall was silent, without a sound, as if a needle falling on the ground could be heard...

Until the voice from the Golden Wang Zuo broke this silent atmosphere.

"Sand Ridge Tribe..."

Yi Zi's voice was grim, accompanied by the sound of grinding teeth.

He stared fixedly at the messenger kneeling on the ground, as if he had squeezed this sentence out from between his teeth.

"Are you sure?"

The messenger did not dare to raise his head, his head pressed tightly against the ground, stating with a trembling voice.

"I am sure... Your Majesty! I cannot be mistaken, that is the 'Quicksand Assassin' of the Sand Ridge Tribe! They ambushed us in the canyon, and the entire mission was almost wiped out... including Te La Ke Er, many young warriors died under their blades! These shameless villains have clearly defected to the outsiders, otherwise they would never be so bold!"

Having said this, his voice carried a painful tone.

"Your Majesty! Te La Ke Er did not forget the mission you entrusted to him before he died, trying to persuade the people of the Sand Ridge Tribe to turn back, but they humiliated him without any scruples, and cut off his head... You must seek justice for him!"

Boom—!

Yi Zi clenched his fists suddenly, hammered the golden armrest hard, and a violent aura exploded in the hall.

His eyes seemed to be burning with golden flames, and his killing intent was overwhelming.

"These shameful barbarians, actually daring to openly betray the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom! Betray the ancient contract!" His voice was low and full of majesty, saying angrily, "Very well... since they chose death, then I will fulfill them!"

Yi Zi's gaze suddenly turned to a warrior kneeling on one knee under the hall.

That was a Saint Blood Warrior wearing heavy obsidian armor, covered in the highest-level obsidian engraved armor of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, with a burly figure and an aura like an abyss!

"General General Baka Er!"

"Subordinate is here." Saint Blood Warrior General General Baka Er knelt on one knee, his voice steady as a mountain.

"I order you to lead one hundred thousand Scale Dragon soldiers to flatten the Sand Ridge Tribe and bring back their hearts," Yi Zi's voice was cold to the bone, with unquestionable majesty, "I want to use their blood to irrigate the temple dedicated to the Dragon God, I want to let all the tribes on the Gana Continent who rely on the Dragon God's majesty to recuperate know! They can retain their faith, but there is only one fate for betraying the Dragon God—and that is destruction!"

"Subordinate accepts the order!" General General Baka Er slammed his fist on his breastplate, and the sound of metal collision echoed in the hall, making people palpitate.

Feeling the overwhelming fighting spirit gathered in the hall, High Priest Ze Er felt vaguely inappropriate in his heart, but eventually said nothing, just sighed softly.

Pacify the interior before resisting the exterior.

Especially since the Sand Ridge Tribe is located in the middle of the Gana Continent, right in the hinterland of the Saint Scale Dragon Empire. If these guys defected to their enemies, the threat to them would be fatal.

Besides—

The surrounding tribes are all watching them.

If they swallowed this breath, the Dragon God's majesty would never be able to deter those petty people again.

Before dealing with the enemies from the sea, they must first wipe the traitors off this land...

With the Saint King's order issued, the entire war machine of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom operated again, and a bloody crusade against the Sand Ridge Tribe was about to begin.

Especially after hearing the news of Te La Ke Er's death, all the lizardmen in Assam City were filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could immediately kill into the depths of the Central Desert and slaughter the Sand Ridge clan hiding in the sand dunes, along with the scorpions and snakes they raised!

And coincidentally, just when the lizardmen of Assam City were aggressively united against the outside world, two silly-looking gecko lizardmen wandered to the side of this precarious lake city.

Looking up at the towering Assam City, 【Teammate Sacrifice】 and 【Boundless Mana】's faces were full of excitement and shock.

This modeling!

This light and shadow!

These special effects rich in artistic atmosphere!

It's simply awesome, isn't it?!

The entire huge city was like a stepped temple, surrounding the pyramid in the center. The city gate was guarded by two huge dragon statues, the lifelike patterns looking as if they were alive. Fully armed guards stood on both sides of the city gate, wearing tough vine armor, holding obsidian spears, with extraordinary momentum, monitoring the Scale Dragon clan members entering and leaving the city.

Without bragging, although the copywriter of this "Disaster OL" is not very good, the art team is definitely top-notch. It's clearly just a pile of cold data and textures, but it can be made like a real world, every brick and tile revealing a rich historical background... this is too awesome!

【Teammate Sacrifice】 silently boasted in his heart for two seconds, and said with his claws supporting his knees.

"Mom... looking at it right in front of me, I walked for a damn day, I'm exhausted."

【Boundless Mana】 rolled his eyes.

"Forget it, stop pretending, get up quickly!"

Although this game is realistic, it is not realistic enough to replicate muscle soreness one-to-one. Although this continuous three-day long-distance trek is indeed fatal, for them, it is only slightly uncomfortable, not enough to make them unable to walk.

Of course, it's also possible that the dog planner chose the latter between authenticity and his own mother, actively lowering the game's realism.

The two rested for a while, then swung their big tails and walked towards the city gate of Assam City.

Perhaps their movements were too ostentatious, or their appearance was too unique locally, all the lizardmen encountered along the way looked at them dumbfounded, standing in place like they had been hit by a petrification spell.

Is the NPC's memory not loaded yet?

【Teammate Sacrifice】 thought so in his heart, but didn't doubt much.

Finally arrived at the city gate.

Just as they were about to open their mouths to negotiate, the guard next to them suddenly widened his eyes and gripped the spear in his hand. One lizardman who looked like an officer was even more excessive, staring at them aggressively and shouting sharply.

"Stop! Who are you?"

【Teammate Sacrifice】 was startled, hurriedly raised his hands, indicating that he was not a bad person.

"Uh, we are travelers, want to go into the city to see... no malice."

"Travelers?"

What is that?

The guard clearly didn't believe it, narrowed his eyes, looked them up and down, especially taking two more looks at the crystal hanging on their chests that emitted a faint magic light.

"Which tribe are you from? Why are you sneaking near the Shengcheng?"

"Tribe? Uh... Gecko?"

The guard's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What is that?"

What is that is fine.

The two players looked at each other, not knowing how to explain.

The name taken by the dog planner, you ask me, who do I ask?

Without waiting for them to discuss a reason, a group of guards had surrounded them, obsidian spears aimed at them. At the same time, pedestrians on the street retreated one after another, and more and more Scale Dragon soldiers rushed over from nearby, looking like they were facing a great enemy.

The two suddenly felt that things were not going well.

And just as the atmosphere was tense, a lizardman wearing priest robes walked from afar and said in a deep voice.

"What happened? Why block the road into the city."

His robes were embroidered with complex golden patterns, and he held a scepter made of bones in his hand, clearly not low in status.

When the guards saw him, their expressions suddenly became solemn, and they immediately put away their weapons and bowed respectfully.

"Reporting to Priest, these two lizardmen have suspicious movements, trying to sneak into the Shengcheng, we suspect they are spies from outside."

The priest wrinkled his scales and looked at the two lizardmen at the door with suspicious eyes... this appearance was indeed a breed he had never seen before.

Seeing this guy's god-stick attire, 【Teammate Sacrifice】 moved in his heart, hurriedly changed into a pious expression, accompanied by a smiling face and said.

"Adult misunderstood! We... are pilgrims! Heard of the holy power of the Shenghu, so specially came to admire the greatness of the Dragon God!"

After saying that, he squeezed his eyes at the teammate next to him, signaling the latter to say something too.

"Ah... yes yes, that's right!" Understanding the hint of his good brother, 【Boundless Mana】 also hurriedly nodded, drew a cross on his chest with a pious face, and quickly drew a circle, "We have admired the Dragon God since childhood, hoping to pray to Him personally... If it doesn't work, forget it, we can come back another day."

The priest was slightly stunned, his gaze swept over them, seemingly pondering whether their words were credible.

A moment later, he showed a kind smile and nodded.

"So it's pilgrims, then don't worry. The Dragon God protects all believers, may His glory descend upon you."

He turned to the guards and said faintly.

"Let them in, the gate of the Shengcheng will not refuse pious believers."

The guards looked at each other, although still a bit suspicious, but since it was the priest who spoke, they didn't dare to disobey, so they had to retreat resentfully.

【Teammate Sacrifice】 and 【Boundless Mana】 secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodding and bowing to the priest repeatedly.

"Thank you, Adult!"

"Dragon God bless!"

Listening to their clumsy prayers, the priest smiled slightly, but didn't care, waved his hand and said.

"You're welcome, since you're here, follow me to the altar. I will take you to the Dragon God Temple and let you personally feel the Dragon God's grace."

The two were overjoyed when they heard this, and hurriedly responded.

Good guy.

Not only turned danger into safety, but also picked up a tour guide for nothing?

There is such a good thing!

It's just that...

Is this benefit coming too easily?

Before he could think too much, the priest had already turned around and walked towards the pyramid with his scepter.

Feeling the warning gaze from the side, the two players glared fiercely at the group of blind guards, and then followed behind the lizardman priest.

Passing through the prosperous capital of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, the prosperity in front of them made them marvel. The silk fabrics here were so rich that they could be hung on trees, and even the pottery jars were decorated with golden gold.

Looking at the two soil lizardmen who had never seen the world, the priest smiled slightly and told the history of the Gana Continent and Assam City.

"... The tribes of the ancient continent coveted the wealth in our hands, so the Dragon God gave us this fertile land and protected us with the Great Barrier, letting us stay away from the troubles of war, and be able to obtain eternal tranquility under the protection of the Dragon God."

Hearing this, the two players subconsciously showed envious expressions.

"That's pretty awesome."

"So that's it... then haven't you fought a war for a thousand years?"

A look of displeasure appeared on the priest's face, but more of it was disdain.

"That's not it, although the Saint King governs the country with benevolence and righteousness, he is not afraid of war, on the contrary, our martial virtue is no less than our benevolence and righteousness, and even more so than the latter. Whenever the surrounding tribes are restless, we will take action to punish them, often a battle involves hundreds of millions of soldiers, with casualties counting in the tens of millions... By comparison, the barbarians on the ancient continent have never seen the world, and their small fights are not on the table."

He had long seen that these two lizardmen came from the ancient continent, but only because they were pious to the Dragon God did he not attack on the spot.

The two players didn't hear the rebuttal in his words, but were a bit confused.

Good guy.

The last sentence was eternal tranquility, and the next sentence was a big killing.

You are contradictory.

【Teammate Sacrifice】 just wanted to argue with him, but was stopped by 【Boundless Mana】 with quick eyes and hands.

They are not here to make trouble.

Can't let this guy mistake them for the lizardmen across the sea!

Moreover, although what the priest said had no logic, the prosperity of Assam City was indeed visible to the naked eye.

Although the lizardmen living here are not as exaggerated as hundreds of millions, millions are more than enough.

The streets are full of lizardman warriors holding obsidian weapons, alien slaves are diligently carrying goods, the air is filled with incense and the bloody smell used for sacrifice, magnificent buildings can be seen everywhere, full of solemn and mysterious atmosphere.

Finally, they came to a pyramid towering into the clouds.

This huge building made of granite is the most sacred place in the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom—the Dragon God Temple.

The priest led them up the stone steps, all the way up, and introduced them on the way: "... This is the altar where we sacrifice to the Dragon God, and it is also the place where we appease the Great Barrier. The reason why the Gana Continent can be favorable for weather and maintain the prosperity of a thousand years is all due to the gift of the Dragon God. Therefore, thousands of believers come here every year to offer their most precious things to show their respect for the Dragon God."

The two listened half-understood, until they were brought to the top of the temple.

There, huge Dragon God statues stood around the altar, their pitch-black pupils seeming to be looking down at everyone who entered here.

At the same time, several priests were performing some kind of ritual, they whispered ancient spells, and the air was full of solemn and oppressive atmosphere.

Just when the two players were admiring this solemn ritual, wondering why these guys were chanting spells without offering sacrifices, the leading priest suddenly turned around, smiled and handed them each an obsidian dagger.

Looking at the two confused lizardmen, the priest spoke in a gentle and unquestionable tone.

"Come on, pilgrims..."

"Offer your hearts to Him!"

"Dedicate your flesh and blood and this life, as proof of your piety!"

"Your souls will return to the fertile ancestral land, starting a new reincarnation here—you will obtain true eternity, reach the other shore beyond the secular, and become true Dragon God citizens!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 275 =====