Chapter 276: Those who know the times are heroes

The shadows of the trees on the edge of the forest thinned, and a strange aura permeated the air. The mission of the Sand Ridge Tribe finally arrived near the Demon King's military camp.

Standing on the edge of the forest, Thea gently pulled down the hood of her storm cloak, revealing her pale brown golden-tinged scales and those long, amber-colored pupils.

She narrowed her eyes, staring into the distance, and whispered to herself.

"We finally arrived."

Nema stood quietly behind Thea, like a grayish-brown statue, her deep green eyes revealing coldness and vigilance.

Her scales changed subtly with the color of the environment, so that she, standing in the shadows, almost merged with the surrounding trees.

At this moment, her gaze was fixed on the busy skeleton soldiers and ghouls in front, her voice low and hoarse, carrying a trace of faint fear.

"These guys are 'Sleepless Ones'. We... really want to be with them?"

The so-called Sleepless Ones are the undead.

In the culture of the Gana Continent, those whose faith is not firm enough will be abandoned by the gods and have nowhere to go after death, only able to wander in the wilderness like lonely ghosts.

Thea didn't look back, just responded softly.

"But from another perspective, they can even accept the undead, why can't they accept us who are alive? That Demon King is not undead, we saw it with our own eyes."

That day, the decisive battle between the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom and the Demon King's Army, they were on the mountain nearby, not only witnessed the whole process, but also captured a few deserters from the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom.

Later, they cut off the heads of those Scale Dragon clan members, put them into the trailer containing the heads of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom mission, and counted them as gifts offered to the Demon King.

"I'm just worried... they will turn us into that too." Nema said in a low voice.

Thea was silent for a moment and said softly.

"Don't rush to conclusions, Nema. Since we are here, let's go and see with our own eyes what kind of existence the Demon King is, and then it won't be too late to make a decision."

If she could exchange her own safety for the prosperity of the entire tribe, she had no complaints.

However, Thea felt that she shouldn't encounter any danger.

Didn't a lizardman of the Wind Roar clan land near this camp before, and finally left safely?

Unlike the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom that cuts off the heads and hearts of messengers, these outsiders who call themselves the Demon King's Army, although extremely cruel on the battlefield, not giving the enemy a chance to breathe, have no precedent of killing messengers.

The two stepped slowly into the periphery of the camp, observing the garrison of the Demon King's Army along the way, but the more they looked, the more shocked they were.

Large areas of forest were cut down into wide and flat open spaces in a short time, and huge cave spiders waved sharp limbs and mouthparts, uprooting dense trees one by one.

On the hills, a fortress was rising rapidly, and the city walls built of huge stones were entrenched like a giant dragon... those buildings were all things she had never seen before.

And what shocked Thea even more were the strange-looking utensils scattered on the periphery of the camp, some could lift huge stones, and others could quickly transport a pile of wood from the east side of the camp to the west side.

This is incredible!

And those giant metal tubular weapons... don't know if it was that thing that brought down fire rain like divine punishment towards the formation of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom.

She felt an indescribable oppression from it.

That was not based on any extraordinary power, but the shock brought by pure power.

Thea sighed softly after a long silence.

"No wonder thirty thousand elite Scale Dragon soldiers were easily defeated by them... This power is really amazing."

Nema wrinkled the scales on her brow bone, her voice revealing a bit of anxiety.

"Is this power really trustworthy? If they turn around to deal with us, how should we resist?"

Thea was silent for a long time, and a trace of helplessness flashed in her soft vertical pupils.

She turned her head to look at Nema and said in a low voice.

"Undoubtedly, we cannot resist, just as we cannot resist the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, they are all powers that can destroy us instantly... The only difference is that you can see the figure of lizardmen in the Demon King's Army, although they are breeds we have never seen before. On the contrary, have you seen the figure of the Sand Ridge clan on the land of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom?"

"They have never accepted us, driving us from the mountains to the forest, depriving us of water, driving us to the barren desert, preventing us from going to the Sun Staircase Mountains to worship the Mother of Earth... The Demon King's Army is certainly not trustworthy, but is the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom trustworthy?"

Nema was silent.

Indeed.

Her mother died in the war with the Scale Dragon clan.

Thea paused and continued.

"... The great Mother of the Clan saw through that hypocritical Saint King at a glance. For the past thousand years, they haven't thought of the ancient contract, until today they couldn't win and suddenly thought of the agreement with us to jointly maintain the Great Barrier. Even if they pretend to be generous and propose an alliance, it is only to consume our power, let us die first, and then crush us completely at the last moment. Since that's the case, we might as well defect to the Demon King, maybe there is still a glimmer of life."

Reality is so cruel.

In front of powerful tribes, weak tribes do not have the right to decide their own destiny, they can only choose one whose eating style is relatively more elegant.

Deciding the fate of the Gana Continent and all lizardmen is an ambition that only the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom is qualified to have. This is too extravagant and too far away for the Sand Ridge clan.

Their only goal is to survive.

Slowly raising her head, Thea looked at the fortress that was about to be completed, with a bright light in her deep vertical pupils.

"I have a strong premonition that this will be a storm sweeping the Gana Continent. The ashes of thirty thousand Scale Dragon soldiers are just the beginning of everything, even including the power displayed by the Demon King, which is just the tip of the iceberg of his full strength."

"The Gana Continent will undergo drastic changes in his hands, no one can avoid it, we can only try to find a place for ourselves in this storm and strive for living space for our Sand Ridge clan."

Nema was silent for a moment, and a trace of recognition finally appeared in her eyes. She nodded slightly, returning to her usual coldness and calmness.

"I understand."

Thea smiled softly, gently tidying up her cloak, her tone turning soft and steady.

"Let's go... The Demon King is waiting for us in front, your expression can be more natural."

Nema nodded slightly, trying to make her expression look more natural.

And just at this time, a tall lizardman ghoul stepped with heavy steps and walked slowly towards them.

His scales were gray and dull, his eye sockets were deep, and behind his amber pupils, dark green soul fire faintly flickered, looking lifeless. However, Thea noticed that every movement of his steps carried an oppressive feeling that made people palpitate.

"Welcome, you two." Okto said in a emotionless voice, "The Demon King agrees to see you, follow me."

The moment she met the gaze of the ghoul, Nema's gaze froze, and her body instinctively tightened.

Unlike other undead around.

This undead suspected to be a ghoul exuded a powerful aura, which was no less than the strong ones in the Sand Ridge clan, and even more so!

Could it be that this undead also awakened extraordinary power?!

But... how is this possible?!

"This undead is very strong." Nema whispered behind Thea, "His strength may have reached the Saint General level... or even God General level!"

God General level?!

Thea looked at Nema with some surprise. She knew that Nema would not easily make such a judgment, and felt secretly shocked in her heart.

It's just that neither of them would have thought that this lizardman undead, who was strong enough to make people nervous in Nema's eyes, was just a Silver-level ghoul according to the power system of the Os Continent, only considered a backbone force, at most bullying adventurers.

Although his strength in the Demon King's Army was not bad, he was only a boss on the first floor of the labyrinth, not a strong one in the first echelon.

Thea suppressed the surprise in her heart, nodded slightly to Okto with a gentle face, politely and softly said:

"Thank you for introducing us, can you tell us your name."

"Okto."

Okto turned around lifelessly, and threw down a sentence indifferently.

"Follow."

"Yes..."

Thea didn't talk nonsense, and followed him obediently.

Nema remained silent, just clutching the cloth bag containing the head of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom envoy Te Sacred Sacred Lake Er, subconsciously restraining her steps, making her breath look smaller.

When the two walked into the camp with Okto, the players who were busy with their own things curiously raised their heads, looking at the two lizardman breeds they had never seen before with interest.

"Hey hey, look, two NPCs came in, why haven't I seen them before?"

"These two lizardmen don't look like locals at all, their skin colors are different. Is it a new force?"

"Maybe it's a new task line!"

"But then again, don't you think that lizardman girl with gold scales is quite good-looking?"

"Damn, your taste is really heavy, brother, even lizardmen don't let go?"

"No, I'm serious. Look closely, that light-colored lizardman has delicate features! And it's a melon face, just a bit flat in front."

"Hurry up and say you are from the international server!"

"Reasonable, printed."

"%￥#@!"

The players' discussions came one after another. Although Thea didn't change her face, her tail tightened slightly, elegantly circling around her side. And Nema coldly swept a glance at those undead, instantly making a few giggling players close their mouths.

Not because of fear.

Mainly because I don't want to lose the favor of the new NPC.

"Tsk, this cold-looking lizard lady has a strong aura."

"Don't look around, this is estimated to be an envoy from the Sand Ridge clan, a distinguished guest of the Demon King."

"Sand Ridge clan? Is the new map finally going to be opened!"

"You don't read the information updated on the official website at all..."

Amidst the interesting whispers and guesses of the players, Thea and Nema slowly passed through the center of the camp and followed Okto to the tent where the Demon King was.

In the tent in the center of the camp, the dim lights flickered, making the figure sitting on the high chair look more mysterious and majestic.

Thea and Nema walked into the tent slowly, and almost the moment they saw the Demon King, they felt an indescribable oppression and majesty.

This was not the first time they had faced a powerful existence, but the Demon King in front of them, behind that indifferent smile, seemed to hide an endless abyss, making people instinctively feel awe.

Saint General level?

Or... the strongest God General level?

Thea couldn't evaluate his strength, only felt that even the shadow reflected on the ground revealed an unfathomable power.

Quickly calmed down, she lowered her head and bowed respectfully.

"Respected Demon King, my name is Thea, this is Nema, my guard... We are from the Sand Ridge Tribe, and I represent the Sand Ridge clan to offer you sincere respect."

She signaled Nema, Nema lowered her eyes, and silently placed the bag containing Te Sacred Sacred Lake Er's head on the ground gently.

Thea paused slightly and continued softly.

"For a long time, our Sand Ridge clan has been bullied by the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom. They cruelly slaughtered our clansmen, treated us as sacrifices offered to the Dragon God, without caring about our situation at all, and now they are persuading us to be enemies with you. The great Mother of the Clan saw through their treacherous tricks and immediately cut off the heads of their messengers."

"We hope to submit to your command, and implore you to give us a chance to prove our loyalty and value to you."

Luo Yan narrowed his eyes, his gaze looking at the two Sand Ridge envoys with a bit of interest.

Their scales revealed a faint luster in the light, pale brown golden and dark brown reflecting each other, which was very different from ordinary lizardmen.

The silk robes and the bone pieces embedded with totem carvings were also quite exotic, a style he had never seen before.

Don't misunderstand.

Luo Yan was purely looking at the value of these two lizardmen from a human perspective... just like when he saw the envoys of the Wind Roar tribe.

If the Wind Roar clan is more similar to the pterosaurs in Jurassic Park, then the prototype of the Sand Ridge clan is probably the chameleons living in arid areas.

They have slender bodies, big eyes, and pointed chins, which are quite exotic, and even more in line with human aesthetics than the gecko clan that has lived with humans for many years... but this is not the point.

The point is that their skin can adjust color according to the surrounding environment, and even completely merge with the surrounding environment, just like optical camouflage.

These guys are simply born assassins!

Luo Yan recalled the information about the Sand Ridge clan tortured from the Scale Dragon captives in his mind.

These lizardmen, who are close relatives of chameleons, live in the vast and desolate Central Desert of the Gana Continent, in the hinterland of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom.

Their social structure is similar to the "Shadow Weaving clan", belonging to a relatively primitive matrilineal clan, ruled by a leader called the Mother of the Clan, and the clansmen worship an ancient existence called "Mother of Earth Ataya".

According to the knowledge he learned at the Demon King Academy, this Ataya is probably the god of earth elements in the first epoch, and also one of the gods who disappeared in the long river of history.

Sand Ridge clan members are good at stealth and concealment. The most elite among the warriors are called "Quicksand Assassins", possessing swift and fatal combat skills, often assassinating enemies unexpectedly. Although their extraordinary power is not prominent, relying on superior lurking skills, they are hard to find opponents in the desert.

Of course, this is also related to the "thin spiritual energy" of the Gana Continent, and there is no overly powerful extraordinary person.

Placed in the labyrinth, these Quicksand Assassins can at most be elite adventurers or elite monsters.

Looking at the two envoys kneeling in front of him, Luo Yan smiled lightly and opened his mouth with interest.

"... I'm curious, aren't you afraid that I will treat the Sand Ridge clan as a sacrifice like the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom?"

Nema's scales on her head tightened, and her whole body stiffened instantly.

Thea was also slightly stunned, but soon her expression returned to normal, her eyes were clear and soft, and her voice said respectfully.

"I did have such concerns before seeing you, but after seeing you in person, the doubts in my heart all dissipated."

Luo Yan: "Oh?"

Thea nodded slightly, continuing respectfully and elegantly.

"I felt a majesty and power from you that is no less than that of the gods. Why would a supreme existence like you need to serve other mysterious high spirits? The throbbing from the depths of my soul tells me that you are a living god. And we believe that compared to our flesh and blood and souls, the living us will be more helpful to your great cause."

Luo Yan laughed out loud when he heard this.

"Interesting answer."

Luo Yan didn't think this guy could perceive You You's existence like himself, but her second half of the sentence was indeed correct.

Living people are more useful to him.

Especially these chameleons with optical camouflage skills.

It's not a problem that the soul level is a little bit worse, his divinity just happens to be able to make up for the shortcomings of the Sand Ridge clan for thousands of years.

As long as they piously offer their loyalty and faith to him.

Thea keenly noticed that Luo Yan was quite satisfied with her answer, and hurriedly took advantage of the heat to strike while the iron was hot.

"We came here this time, not only bringing you the head of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom envoy Te Sacred Sacred Lake Er, but also bringing one hundred of the most outstanding young talents in our clan. Including Nema beside me, they are all outstanding young generation of the Sand Ridge clan, both powerful hunters and excellent incubators, both combat power and fertility are top-notch."

"Out of admiration for your majesty, we are all voluntary to join the Demon King's Army. As long as you nod and agree, we can immediately join your command, and from then on, you can drive us at will."

After Thea finished speaking, she lowered her head respectfully, quietly waiting for the Demon King's reply.

The tent fell into silence again.

Luo Yan leaned back on the chair lightly, with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking at Thea who was bowing respectfully and Nema who was standing nervously behind her.

This is a good proposal.

Following the gecko clan, now players have another lizardman breed to choose from, and it is the kind with optical camouflage.

He nodded lightly, and said in a gentle tone.

"I accept your loyalty, but you must know that to obtain our protection, offering only one hundred young talents is not enough."

Thea nodded and said.

"We are ready to dedicate everything, no matter what request you make... even if it is to let our Mother of the Clan come here personally to swear loyalty to you, or even become one of your concubines."

Sarah, who was distracted, suddenly became sharp.

Luo Yan coughed lightly and stopped this guy.

"That's not necessary."

He admitted that these lizardmen looked quite pretty, but he hadn't been hungry enough to not even pick the race.

"I need you to provide us with lizard eggs that can hatch offspring regularly, and convert to our faith."

After a pause, Luo Yan continued.

"Of course, you can retain your traditions and sacrificial activities, but you must not resist or hinder the acolytes of the Great Graveyard from preaching in your living areas."

Thea only hesitated slightly, then lowered her head and agreed.

"No problem."

Being able to retain the original traditions and the right to sacrifice is already the best ending for the Sand Ridge clan.

If it were the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom, those arrogant guys would definitely not give them a chance to choose their destiny, but would wipe their traditions and bloodline off this land together.

As for offering lizard eggs, this is nothing.

They themselves occasionally eat some eggs that are not well developed, or even bite weak cubs to ensure the overall strength of the tribe and the excellence of the bloodline.

Looking at Thea who agreed to all conditions, Luo Yan nodded slightly, and ended the negotiation with a pleasant voice.

"I am very happy to see you make the right choice, so from now on, the fate of the Sand Ridge clan is tied to my throne."

Hearing Luo Yan's promise, the nervous expression on Thea's face finally relaxed, and she nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for your mercy, our Mother of the Clan will come to your tent to swear loyalty to you as soon as possible, but... this may take some time."

Luo Yan looked at her playfully and said with a smile.

"It seems you still have something to report to me."

"Yes... I absolutely don't mean to hide it from you, but I think you might have guessed that our situation is not optimistic now."

Thea looked at Luo Yan with embarrassment, lowered her head, and continued carefully.

"Although we have been very careful, the news that we intercepted the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom mission still reached Assam City, and angered that arrogant and self-important pseudo-king. In order to deter other tribes, they sent ten thousand troops to us... With the current strength of the Sand Ridge clan, we simply cannot resist this attack."

When saying this, Thea humbly pressed her head to the ground, and the imploring voice carried a trace of begging.

"We implore the Demon King to lend a helping hand... Only your power can save our clan from destruction."

Luo Yan guessed she would say so.

And, this is actually the cleverness of the Sand Ridge clan.

They saw the Demon King's Army's plot for the Gana Continent, and the conflict with the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom had reached an irreconcilable point.

If the Demon King's Army wants other tribes on the Gana Continent to submit from the heart like the Sand Ridge clan, they will definitely not leave the Sand Ridge clan who first submitted to them alone.

Although being used once, Luo Yan doesn't hate it.

He likes smart people, what he hates are guys who are smart and act like wall grass.

Since the Sand Ridge clan gambled everything on his side, how could he fail these loyal servants?

"Don't worry, they won't be able to jump for a few days."

Thea and Nema were surprised when they heard this, and looked at each other. Although they didn't know why the Demon King was so confident, now they could only believe... that this Lord was serious, not drawing cakes for themselves.

Otherwise, the mission under her command would probably be the last bloodline of the Sand Ridge clan...

The Mother of the Clan also considered this point, so she entrusted the young talents in the clan and the direct bloodline of each family to her.

But if possible, she hoped the worst situation would not happen.

Looking at Thea whose thoughts were turning fast in her head, Luo Yan didn't intend to talk nonsense with her, stood up from his seat, and said with an interested voice.

"Now, take me to see your clansmen... let me see their skills, and by the way, see the abilities of your Sand Ridge clan."

Quickly put away the complicated thoughts, Thea didn't dare to neglect, and nodded respectfully.

"Obey... please follow me."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 277 =====