In the world of Moe King, I became the ruler of ice.

The atmosphere inside the lizardman's palace was unusually tense.

"Excuse me, we're currently in a crisis and unable to properly entertain you."

The lizardman leader waved away the soldiers surrounding him, his eyes fixed on the demon before him.

Ghostly Shadow stood there expressionless, his eyes calm as still water, seemingly unaffected by the tense atmosphere.

He nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the lizardman leader's situation.

"No need for formalities. I am merely a messenger, here to deliver a message on behalf of my masters."

Cangying's voice was somewhat deep, as if it carried an irresistible force.

The lizardman leader exchanged a glance with the guard captain beside him, and then slowly spoke.

"Oh, you mean the alliance?"

Cangying nodded, her tone remaining calm.

"Yes, my master wishes to form an alliance with the Lizardmen. You must already know about the Pig-Headed Emperor..."

The lizardman leader pondered to himself.

However, at this critical moment, any decision needs to be made with caution.

The lizardman leader hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask.

"But why would we choose to ally with you when we don't know your master?"

Cangying seemed to have been prepared, and he answered calmly.

"My masters, Lord Granster and Lord Rimuru, the reason we chose to ally with you is because we share a common enemy—the Orc Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the lizardman leader's expression turned serious.

In fact, he was well aware of the horrors of the pig-headed army; their brutality instilled fear in all races.

If we can form an alliance with other forces to fight against the pig-headed army, it might increase our chances of winning.

However, the lizardman leader remained filled with doubts.

He couldn't help but think to himself.

When did a demon with such power appear in the Jura Forest? What is its purpose?

He had never heard of this so-called Lord Gransta and Lord Rimuru, but judging from their tone, they clearly possessed considerable strength.

Just as he was pondering, Cangying continued.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you: we've secured the support of the tree spirits..."

Cangying's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the lizardman leader's ears.

"What? It's actually the support of the forest manager..."

The surrounding lizard soldiers were all surprised. As monsters living in the Great Forest of Zhura, how could they not know the name of the tree spirit, the forest's manager?

This news was clearly more intimidating to them.

Tree spirits are an ancient race in the Jura Forest, beings who wield the power of divine punishment.

Possessing mysterious power and wisdom, gaining their support undoubtedly adds a huge advantage to this alliance.

After Cangying finished speaking, he waited quietly for the lizardman leader's reaction.

But it seems that no matter where you are, there will always be some brainless idiots who like to interrupt at such crucial moments.

"Hmph, what two lords! I've never even heard of them. It must be you cowards trying to drag us into this because you're afraid of the Pig-Headed Lord..."

"Chief, you'll be looked down upon if you act like this..."

However, before the talkative lizardman could even finish speaking, he suddenly felt a tightness in his neck, followed by a sharp pain.

The ghostly figure's face instantly turned icy cold, and a chilling killing intent erupted in his eyes. He gently raised his hand.

A gleaming, extremely sharp ice blade, under his control, precisely rested on the neck of the rude man, and trickles of blood slowly seeped out from the blade.

The surrounding soldiers all stared wide-eyed in terror.

"Stop right now! On behalf of my people, I apologize for his rude behavior. Please be merciful and let him go."

The lizardman leader hurriedly rose from his throne.

"snort!"

Cangying snorted coldly and dissipated the magic power he had gathered. The cold, sharp ice blade slowly vanished into the air, as if it had never existed.

"Well……"

The lizardman, having regained his mobility, went limp and collapsed to the ground. He stared in terror at the demon before him, his heart filled with fear and awe.

In that brief moment, he sensed the approach of death. Cangying's strength was too great; with just a single movement, he was rendered immobile.

At this moment, he finally understood why the leader valued this ghost so much.

You should know that he dares to be so arrogant because he has B-level strength and is an elite member of the clan.

But even in front of this person...

The lizardman trembled as he struggled to his feet.

"I don't like it when people talk badly about my master behind his back..."

"I...understand...I..."

The lizardman stammered, his voice filled with obvious fear.

Cangying looked at him expressionlessly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

He didn't even need to lift a finger to easily eliminate such a weakling.

"Remember, there must be no next time."

Cangying said coldly.

"Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

The lizardman leader secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"You may leave!"

The rude lizardman was led away with the help of the other soldiers.

The lizardman leader spoke after a long silence.

"Choosing to ally with the strong might be the only hope in this crisis, but I have one condition."

Cangying nodded slightly.

"Please speak."

"I'd like to meet with the two gentlemen you mentioned. Is that too much to ask?"

Cangying paused for a moment, then recovered.

"Can!"

"Once we're ready, we'll arrive to support you in three days. You'll see us then. But that depends on whether you can hold out for three days..."

The lizardman leader thought for a moment before speaking.

"With the natural defensive capabilities of our underground palace, if it's three... okay, no problem."

"Um."

Cangying nodded upon hearing the answer he wanted, and with a flash, he disappeared into the shadows and left.

Seeing the vanished shadow in the palace, and confirming that the ghostly figure had left, the lizardman chieftain breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on his throne.

He turned to the head guard beside him and said.

"This must be a high-ranking Oni-human of the Great Oni Clan... and the person who bestowed this name upon him must be very powerful. Perhaps forming an alliance with this person would be beneficial for our Lizard Clan!"

"But I'm still worried about the Pig-Headed Lord's strength..."

The head guard looked at the aged lizardman chieftain in front of her with some concern, and blurted out her words.

"Father...I will protect our people."

Deep in a dense forest, in a secluded corner, Cangying's figure quietly emerged.

He stood quietly, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep, but also as if he were silently waiting for something important to happen.

Time passed slowly, and finally, Cangying slowly opened her eyes, her eyes flashing with a sharp light as she stared straight into a certain direction in the distance.

Before long, a petite blue figure flew in from afar, like a light butterfly, and silently landed on Cangying's broad and sturdy shoulders.

"Cangying, well done!"

A clear and melodious sound came from the small blue figure.

It turned out that the figure was the cute chibi version of Gransta, who was praising Cangying with a delighted expression.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Cangying's usually stern and serious face. He bowed slightly in humility.

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Gulansta. This is simply my duty."

Gransta Q, with its petite body, sits steadily on Soukei's shoulder, looking exceptionally adorable.

Cangying was a little confused and asked out of curiosity.

"Lord Gransta, you summoned me here specifically because you have a task to assign me?"

Faced with Cangying's question, Gransta did not answer directly, but instead stretched out her small hand and casually pinched a crystal-clear ice flower.

He fiddled with the ice flower in his hand while looking thoughtfully at Cangying.

"Haha, haven't I been staying in the village for too long? I've come out to cause some trouble for someone."

Gulansta said with a helpless smile.

In fact, Gransta had become so fed up with Torene's harassment in the village that he decided to come out and do something serious.

He planned to deal with the clown who was pulling tricks behind his back before his final battle with the Pig-Headed Emperor.

"Looking for trouble?"

Cangying asked in confusion.

"By the way, Cangying, did you remind that old chieftain of the lizardmen? This is going to be quite a show!"

A sly glint flashed in Gulansta's eyes.

Although Cangying was still somewhat puzzled, he answered respectfully.

"Lord Gransta, rest assured. As you instructed, I used my mind to convey Gavil's condition to the old lizardman chieftain before I left."

Gransta nodded in satisfaction, secretly praising Cangying's competence and reliability.

"Well done, Cangye. Having you by my side really makes things much easier for me."

"Haha, that's good. It's just a pity we won't be able to witness a father and son killing each other. But it's fine this way, so the lizardmen won't suffer too many losses."

Gulansta smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied with the result.

Cangying gazed at the smile on Gransta's face, a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including a touch of melancholy) welling up within him. His master seemed quite interested in such noisy matters!

"Lord Gransta, so you've come here in person to cause some trouble?"

Cangying couldn't help but ask another question.

Gulansta didn't keep her in suspense, but answered directly.

"Um."

Then, Gransta continued to ask questions.

"Cangying, is that clown demon you were asked to keep tracking still within your surveillance range?"

Upon hearing this, Cangying instantly understood.

"Sir, are you perhaps planning to cause trouble for that clown demon?"

Cangying stared sharply at Gransta, seemingly wanting to get confirmation from the adult's eyes again.

Sure enough, when he met Gransta's affirmative gaze, Souei already knew the answer in his heart.

Cangying slowly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and used his powerful magic to establish a connection with his shadow clone, who was far away.

Time is slowly passing by.

Finally, Cangying suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise flashing in them. He then turned to look at Gransta, who was sitting on his shoulder, and spoke respectfully.

"Sir, I have just confirmed the location of that clown demon."

A hint of surprise flashed in Gransta's eyes. He nodded slightly, indicating that Cangying should continue.

Cangying took a deep breath and then reported.

"This demon's strength is a bit strange. I can't sense his magic power level even with my magic perception and detection skills."

"Not only that, I could even sense that the clown-like demon had already noticed my presence, and it was deliberately leading my shadow clone in circles through this forest."

When Cangying finished speaking, a hint of shame appeared on his face.

After all, it's quite humiliating for an experienced tracker to be discovered and humiliated by the target during a mission.

"Lord Gransta, I failed in my duty this time. Please punish me."

Cangying bowed his head and apologized.

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Gransta began to speculate about Laplace's strength.

"No wonder Souei's shadow clones were discovered..."

Gransta patted Cangying on the shoulder and laughed nonchalantly.

"What's there to blame? It would be strange if the other party, whose magic power is higher than yours, didn't notice your shadow clone."

"Come on, take me to see this arrogant guy!"

Cangying paused, seeing that his master hadn't blamed him, but he secretly resolved that he must never disappoint his master again.

"Yes, sir."

"[Shadow Movement] activated!"

Cangying's figure gradually blended into the darkness, carrying Gransta as they stealthily moved through the shadows of the forest.

It was incredibly fast; from a distance, its shadowy form could be seen appearing in the trees one moment and in a corner of the jungle the next.

With each flash, the distance traveled increases slightly.

"That Cangying guy is practically a born stealth stalker..."

Gransta saw that Cangying was using the [Shadow Movement] skill so skillfully, especially when combined with his [Shadow Clone] and [Thread Control].

There is also the attack ice magic bestowed upon him by Gransta, which makes up for the lack of attack power and lethality.

In the darkness, he was like a king of shadows.

Gransta couldn't help but have an idea: it seems that after the Pig-Headed Emperor incident is over, he should establish an organization specifically for collecting intelligence and assassinations, and leave the leadership to Souei.

Gransta and Cangying's figures flashed continuously in the forest, and none of the nearby monsters noticed the two darting shadows.

"Lord Gransta, that clown demon is just ahead."

"oh."

Gransta didn't expect to find it so quickly; it seems the other party didn't even intend to hide!

Gransta immediately activated his magical perception. On a hill not far ahead, a clown-dressed demon was smiling and looking in one direction.