Plight of the Lizardmen

Yet, when faced with the food provided by Serea, tifia waved his hands in panic.

“Your Majesty the Queen, we are truly grateful for your kindness, but you have also seen our current situation. If we accept your food again, then Maregof… we definitely won’t fare well.”

“But father, we are already out of food. Since this generous Queen wishes to give us food, at a time like this, what we should think about is how to repay her, not how to refuse her!”

“……”

Upon hearing his son Digue’s words, the old chieftain Tifia was caught in a dilemma. If this happened once, could it not happen a second time? Even if food was delivered again, it would just…

“Enough talk! No one has ever dared to reject something I wish to give. Just wait, the goods will be delivered to your tribe before dark.”

As Serea spoke, she looked over to Avril.

“Miss Avril, is there anything else?”

“No, thank you for your help. Afterwards, I will return that batch of food to Your Majesty the Queen.”

“That’s all right. If there’s nothing else, let’s head back.”

“Mm.”

Avril agreed, then turned to the Lizardmen.

“Please trust me, I will give you all a satisfactory answer.”

After saying this, avril didn’t wait for a reply from the Lizardmen. She reached out, and Aruka immediately pulled her into his arms, setting her on the direwolf. The others followed Serea back to the camp.

Watching the group leave, tifia looked deeply troubled.

“She truly is a kind and powerful Queen.”

“Let’s hope so…”

……

The conversation between the Lizardman father and son did not reach Serea’s ears. At this moment, Aruka was carrying Avril, while Auna rode alongside, matching pace with Serea.

“This should also be Maregof’s doing, right?”

Avril was the first to speak, and hearing this, Serea nodded gently.

“That’s right. For so-called interests, such a response isn’t surprising. But that chieftain, tifia, clearly knows it was Maregof’s handiwork, holds a grudge against him, and yet does not dare to stand against him. Maregof… just what kind of methods does he use to make the nearby foreign tribes swallow their anger so thoroughly?”

As Serea spoke, Celia continued.

“Intimidation and enticement. Didn’t you notice? Maregof’s allies are all around here. He uses benefits to strengthen alliances, then uses those alliances to oppress the weak. Aren’t such tactics very common?”

Celia spoke as though she was quite familiar with such matters, and Serea fell into contemplation upon hearing her words.

Returning to camp, they quickly loaded the food onto carts. At the same time, Serea received word from Little White.

“Queen, five kilometers from the jungle wetlands, an armed force comprising a group of dwarves and ogres has already gathered. There are thirty-five ogres and five dwarves.”

Upon hearing this, Serea’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hmph, moving this fast? It seems Maregof intends to finish this whole ‘killing the chicken to warn the monkey’ act. But that’s just what I want.”

Thinking thus, Serea summoned Avril and Aruka privately.

“Honored Queen, you asked for me?”

“Yes, regarding the cooperation you proposed yesterday.”

At the word ‘cooperation,’ Avril’s spirits were lifted, for if she could gain Serea’s support, perhaps the current deadlock faced by the Xiyun Merchant Guild in the jungle could finally be broken.

“Has Your Majesty made a decision?”

“Yes, I agree to your request, and I will help your Xiyun Merchant Guild establish itself in the jungle. However, aside from the payment you promised earlier, I have one more condition.”

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

Avril spoke respectfully, and Serea showed a mysterious smile.

“That is…”

……

A few minutes later, the prepared food transport convoy set off. Fifty underworld Undead participated in the escort. The leaders were Little Black, little Red, eighty, talius, and the Black Knight.

The accompanying personnel included Aruka, auna, avril, as well as twenty wolf riders, twenty blood slaves, and ten advanced blood elves providing cover.

No one would have thought that such a large force was being used just to deliver a small quantity of food…

At this time, Serea stood atop the elf king tree, watching the departure of the convoy, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in her eyes.

The convoy set out. Looking at the long line behind the three wagons, avril, sitting in Aruka’s arms, asked,

“Isn’t this a bit of overkill?”

“Queen Serea has her reasons. We just need to trust her.”

“All right.”

Hearing Aruka’s reply, avril softly responded, then relaxed herself in Aruka’s embrace.

The convoy was not particularly fast, but they still managed to reach the jungle wetlands before dark. However, as expected, no Lizardman delegation appeared to greet them. Thus, Little Black gave the order:

“Bring the food, we’ll proceed on foot.”

Fifty underworld Undead moved in unison, the Skeleton Cavalry’s bone steeds hauling the food as they advanced directly into the wetlands.

Along the way, there were traces of combat, but Little Black ignored them. Close to the Lizardman camp, Little White, who had already been waiting, appeared.

“It’s just up ahead, I’ll take you there.”

“All right.”

The group moved into the heart of the wetlands. On a relatively dry patch stood a wooden camp—their destination. But now, not only Lizardmen were around the camp, ogres and dwarves were present too!

……

Standing atop the wooden palisade, looking down at the ogres and dwarves, tifia’s brow was deeply furrowed.

“Hey, old man, have you decided yet? Will you move out of this territory, or should I kick you out myself?”

A dwarf mounted on an ogre shouted arrogantly. Hearing this, digue couldn’t hold back and was about to erupt, but Tifia held him back.

“Try not to start a conflict.”

“But father…”

“Let me handle this.”

Tifia stepped forward to the edge of the wooden palisade, looking down at the ogres. He knew that if battle began, more than twenty warriors and over thirty innocent tribespeople would be wiped out. War could not start.

“Lord Mulin, at least give us a reason if you want us to leave our land.”

Tifia spoke, but the dwarf named Mulin barked impatiently.

“The reason is simple. Where are this month’s black pearls? Why haven’t they been delivered?”

“That can’t be. We already sent the black pearls to your camp!”

“If Lord Mulin hasn’t received them, then you haven’t paid. Living on such prime land and still refusing to pay ‘territory tax’? Are you challenging Lord Maregof’s authority?!”

As Mulin spoke, the hot-blooded Digue truly couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Father, can’t you see? They’re here to drive us out. They just want to seize the black pearl-producing area—Lake Nos.”

Digue spoke, but how could Tifia not understand their intentions?

But Tifia really didn’t have the courage to declare ‘war’—once war broke out, the Jawfang tribe would be finished.

“I… we…”

“Have you decided yet?”

Mulin pressed, making Digue even more anxious.

“Father, resist! If we keep being oppressed like this, the bullying will never stop!”

“I… we…”

Tifia was still hesitating, but at this moment, a loud voice echoed from the distance.

“Old man, the food you wanted is here! Open the gate to receive it!”

(To be continued…)

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