Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Allen hurried down the cliffside path, and before he even reached the beach, a heavy, salty smell wafted up towards him.

At the bottom of the cliff, Flintclaw, leading a squad of strong kobolds, faced off against a group of giant crabs, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Looking into the distance, Allen saw countless crabs squatting on the damp sand.

Their shells are mostly bluish-brown and dark blue, shimmering in the sunlight.

Allen walked onto the beach and looked closely. They were short and stocky with broad shoulders and thick backs, and their pincers were folded in front of their chests like two small, polished warhammers.

What's amazing is that you can vaguely see human figures under their huge crab shells!

They didn't roar or make a fuss; they just lay quietly on the beach.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

【Name: Fiddler Crab Man】

[Race: Fiddler Crab]

[Character Template: Standard]

[Level: Underwater Warrior lv3 / Laborer lv5]

[Alignment: Lawful/Neutral]

Status: Normal

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Fiddler crab people?

Looking at the information on the character panel, Allen realized that these crabs were not monsters, but humanoid creatures similar to small groups like kobolds.

He just doesn't seem to have very high intelligence.

What are they doing? Sunbathing on the beach?

Just as Allen was wondering, a Fiddler crab, a size larger than its kind, stood up in the center of the Fiddler crab group.

It slowly walked to the front of its kind, heading straight towards Allen, seemingly holding something in its two tomahawk-sized pincers.

Allen noticed that this fiddler crab had a thicker shell, so it must be the leader of this group of fiddler crabs.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

【Name: Sharp Armor】

[Race: Fiddler Crab]

[Character Template: Elite]

[Level: Tide Speaker lv4 / Underwater Warrior lv8]

[Alignment: Lawful/Neutral]

Status: Normal

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sure enough, on the character panel, this crab not only has an elite template, but also a special [Climate Speaker] class.

As the approaching leader of the Fiddler crabs drew near, Allen, whose instincts were highly sensitive to hostility, did not give any warning and did not rush to retreat, but instead quietly watched its movements.

Sure enough, when it came to Allen, it did not attack or hiss, but respectfully lowered its body and gently offered its pincers to Allen.

He held a piece of light gray animal hide between his fingers.

A thought struck Allen, and he reached out to take it.

He quickly recognized the origin of the animal hide; it was from the animal hide on the robe that Solina had sewn!

It was the same garment that Allen had draped over Ilarice that night.

So, are these the Fiddler Crabs sent by Ella?

Allen noticed a bulge in the middle of the animal hide and realized there was something inside.

He gently unfolded it; inside were no jewels, no gold coins, only a white and blue conch shell.

The snail's body is engraved with fine, water-ripple-like patterns, and its surface emanates a faint water elemental magic, making it clear at a glance that it is no ordinary object.

The moment my fingertips touched the conch shell, a faint yet clear surge of magical energy entered my mind.

Allen sensed the magic and roughly understood how to use the conch shell.

This is a gift from Irène.

Allen held the shimmering white conch shell in his fingertips, and the cool, warm water elemental magic flowed gently through his palm.

The magic left behind by Ellalis has taught him how to use it.

He took a deep breath, brought the conch shell to his lips, and blew on it gently.

"Waaah..."

A deep, resonant sound, like the ebb and flow of the tide, slowly spread across the bay.

The sound waves rippled outwards, like invisible ripples, touching the shells of every crab-man.

The next moment, the entire beach shook violently.

The densely packed fiddler crabs moved in unison—their massive bodies knelt in neat rows, their thick shells pressed against the wet sand, their pincers flat against the ground, their heads bowed low, and even the slightest tremor disappeared.

Allen understood that through this conch shell, he could summon the Fiddler Crabs to obey him.

Ellalis even thoughtfully sent the Tide Crab leader, Sharp Armor, who possessed the ability of a Tide Speaker, so that he could easily understand his thoughts through this conch shell!

This way, Allen can give more complex and specific instructions to the Fiddler Crabs.

Allen let out a deep breath.

Ella, you've given me a wonderful gift.

Allen temporarily ordered the Fiddler Crabs to retreat underwater and hunt fish for him.

He wanted to see the fishing and hunting skills of the Fiddler Crab People.

The [Fishing and Hunting Hut] is not yet completed, and its function as a territory building is not yet active. However, it seems that this building, which was originally placed at the end of the building sequence, needs to be moved forward.

After all the Fiddler crabs retreated underwater, Flintclaw eagerly moved close to Allen:

"Great Dragon Lord, your majesty has once again subdued a new group of followers!"

As it spoke, it squeezed out a tear, looking pitiful.

"But Flint Claw will prove that we are your most loyal subordinates. Please, Dragon Lord, do not forget us!"

Allen shook his head helplessly. Ever since Flintclaw became the [Kobold War Cryer], he had become increasingly glib.

"I wasn't intimidated; it was a gift from a friend..."

Allen thought for a moment and realized there was no need to explain in such detail to Flintclaw, since he didn't know what Alaris was planning that night.

"In short, Flintclaw, these fiddler crabs will help us hunt for fish from now on. I'll have them put the catch in a designated location, and you can send the kobolds to collect it regularly."

"Once the food problem is solved, the kobolds will have more manpower, right? Let's adjust the construction order and build the 'fishing and hunting huts' by the sea first."

"...Don't lick it!"

"Hiss... Yes, Dragon Lord!"

……

Allen played with the conch shell and returned to the stone castle in a rather pleasant mood.

Ilarice's gift came just in time to solve his immediate problem.

Moreover, if handled properly, the catch can be pickled directly in seawater.

Although the taste isn't great, it can be preserved for a long time after being pickled.

This way, food reserves for winter will be secured.

However, the kobold is clumsy; I wonder if he can learn how to process fish.

Perhaps I should set aside some time to properly teach those kobolds.

Speaking of which, Allen remembers that besides directly pickling with seawater, sun-drying is also a pickling method.

All you need to do is clean the fish. Whether you choose to sun-dry it or hang it to air-dry, it seems you can successfully make dried fish.

Allen hadn't done much of this himself in his previous life, so he planned to try it himself in the future.

As Allen was thinking about the catch, he returned to the stone castle and found Solina waiting at the door.

"Weren't you supposed to be visiting Viola in the Tree People's Forest these past few days? Why are you back so soon?" Allen asked.

"I was just about to tell you, there have been some changes on Viola's side, I think you should go and take a look."