Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"What a wonderful story of a cat replacing a prince," Daisy seemed to be quoting some allusion, her eyes falling on the snake-man skeleton that had lost its disguise, "but is this the end?"

"The Dragon Finger's illusion is... effective together," the Dragonborn lowered his head resignedly, "the snake man might come looking for us."

But it was of no use. The snake man was only slightly stronger than the two of them, but there were ten of them here!

"Not if all his senses weren't failing." Leslough snorted. There weren't any masters of stealth among them, so the chances of the other party not noticing anything unusual were slim to none.

And after discovering that the other side has far more people than themselves, the possibility of not evacuating is also very small.

The Bronze Dragonborn obviously agreed with this, and therefore accepted his fate of being a prisoner very smoothly, allowing Cindercrown and several other Dragonborn to tie him up and prepare to take him back to Hook Town for further processing.

However, when everyone passed by the place where the battle broke out between the Dragonborn and the Snakeman, a strange smell spread in the air along with the sound of the wind.

That atmosphere was filled with savagery, bloodlust, viciousness, and more importantly... the fear that came with it.

"Be careful, there's an ambush! There's an ambush!" The two Pixies were the first to notice something was wrong, but no matter how they flapped their wings, they could only reveal it to this extent.

As they finished speaking, the surrounding earth shook. Immediately afterwards, a gigantic snake broke out of the ground, its scarlet forked tongue emitting poisonous mist. Its huge orange eyes, like round windows, looked maliciously at the people it had trapped.

Chapter 211: The Snake Man Under the Illusion

"Where did this thing come from?!" Shanli was so shocked that even the keratin and scales on his head stood up. "What we saw before were not traces left by this thing!"

The snake tracks they had been following all along, no matter if their owners were snakes or snake-men, were only about two meters in size, but the one in front of them was probably a full twenty meters long!

"Snakemen are also shapeshifting creatures. They can transform into real large or medium-sized snakes with a single action..." Daisy muttered as she kept backing away, "But this isn't large or medium!"

"Is this monster probably always moving underground?!"

"Don't worry about where it came from - a fireball!" Jinmian clapped her hands, and a fireball the size of a head appeared between her palms. As she swung her arms, it drew a dangerous arc in the air.

"burst!"

The Red Dragonborn let out a low roar, and the flame that was thrown out immediately burst into a sea of ​​hot fire with a radius of more than ten meters, engulfing most of the snake's body!

Unlike mages who need to "pick out sentences", warlocks, who are also spellcasters, do not need cumbersome steps to manipulate the extraordinary power, and this will even become easier to achieve as they become more familiar with their own power.

However, such power is not "one's own" after all. Therefore, as the magic power in the blood is gradually developed, most warlocks who hope to make progress will eventually embark on the path of a mage.

"Hiss--" The huge monster snake had never expected that it would suffer such a powerful blow. It rolled over on the ground in pain. However, before the other dragon warlocks including Cinder Crown could celebrate, the huge snake body made a crackling sound in the flames, followed by the sound of flesh being torn.

Something is coming out from there!

A pair of dragon wings!

"——" Cinder Crown felt his jaw nearly dislocate and fall out. How could this be possible?! If Dragonborn and snakes were related, dragons were a completely different species! Snakes transforming into dragons was just a fantasy! And rebirth from the ashes? This wasn't a phoenix!

But this scene was actually happening right before my eyes? It was undoubtedly a dragon's wing! Dragonborn didn't have this structure or tail!

However, before Cinder Crown could finish her seemingly endless shock and fear, she saw the mercenary beside her suddenly move. Reslaufer raised his greatsword and rushed towards the nightmare of fire and snakes dancing together!

"Restlover, what are you doing?! Come back here!"

Angelita was startled, took out the long poem of Shouzhi, and subconsciously wanted to follow, but was stopped by Bella beside her.

Leslaufer heard what Angelita said, but he had no intention of stopping. On the contrary, when he rushed into the flames, he even ignored the tail of the giant snake that was undergoing transformation and was curling back at him!

The fear brought by the most primitive barbarism and bloodiness can even scare a timid person to death, but for Leslaufer, it is far from enough!

They saw fear, but Reslaufer saw only challenge!

"clang!"

The greatsword swooped up, clashing with the serpent's fangs. All the terrifying illusions were shattered by the incessant clash of metal. Where was the twenty-meter-long snake? Where was the dragon on the verge of metamorphosis? It was just a half-man, half-snake monster, nearly half-scorched in flames, wielding twin swords!

The fireball of Cinder Crown did not hit the target at all, and all the scenes just now were just illusions!

"This isn't...possible!" The monster snake with a strong humanoid torso and arms spoke Inassus in a strange voice, but the two swords in its hands could effortlessly dance into a barrier at the same time, blocking Leslaufer's giant sword from advancing.

"How did you see through my power?"

The snake man should have said these words in an even more shocked tone, because in his perception not long ago, this team of thirteen people (including the Dragonborn and two Pixies) was just "fresh meat" and could not pose any threat to him at all.

However, the facts proved that he was wrong. There actually was dragon blood power among those dragonborn, and this human seemed to be able to see through his spells?

It was a pity that when the snake people abandoned humans, they had already discarded all unnecessary emotions like shedding dead skin. This was a loss, but for these evil creatures, it was more of a blessing.

This allowed him to always display his full strength in the most brutal situations. Even when fighting against a Doppler like Reslaufer, he could hold his own, and even... he was fighting for the advantage.

Reslaufer noticed this. The other party's martial arts were very different from those of humans, or even most humanoid races. The twin blades in his hands and his whip-like tail were both deadly weapons, and Reslaufer also had to be careful to deal with the dangerous snake kiss that constantly made a hissing noise.

Not only was the poison as bright as the scimitar, but when the snake man suddenly sprayed a mouthful of poison at Reslaufer who was moving too far forward, it almost melted his entire face!

Leslaufer suddenly retreated backwards, but the snake man did not pursue him recklessly. He just stayed where he was, maintaining a vigilant posture.

He was no match for this monster. Reslaufer immediately formed a conclusion in his mind—even if the other party had just taken advantage of the situation and pursued him, this conclusion would not have changed.

But that doesn't mean you'll lose. You just need to be... more cautious.

"Old Lei!" Everyone was almost shocked by the fierce fight just now, especially when they noticed that the always invincible Leslough was actually at a disadvantage - this was simply unimaginable!

Daisy ran over in a panic and tried to heal Leslaufer with healing magic.

"Keep it, it might be useful later - if you're lucky." Leslaufer pushed the bard away with his shoulder, staring at the snake man in front of him, not daring to move his eyes even a little.

In such a fierce fight, the winner may not necessarily be injured, but the one who will be injured will definitely be the winner.

"I haven't encountered an opponent like you in a long, long time. I must admit, you are a 'threat,'" the snake-man said, spitting out his forked tongue and making a noise. In the snake-man's worldview, "threat" is something different from "snake-man" and "fresh meat." "But we don't have to be enemies."

"Go on." Leslaufer didn't dare to relax at all.

"Give me back Ushas's body, and we'll go our separate ways." The snakeman's narrow eyes glared coldly at the captured bronze dragonborn. If conditions allowed, he should have demanded the handing over of this daring young man, but now he didn't want to create any more complications.

"You will eventually become food for us, but not now."

Chapter 212 Just click it

"If you didn't know, you would think we were the ones who were going to die here!"

Cinder Crown looked at the snake man angrily, with the flames in his hands flickering, while the other members of "Fa Scale" also took fighting stances.

The terrifying giant snake just now might have been despairing, but what was before our eyes now wasn't just a snake man?

"They may be young, but magic, like a sword, is just as deadly in the hands of a baby." Reslaufer raised his greatsword again and used a standard stance to make his position clear. "Then you have no right to make demands now."

Anyone else might have used the fact that the snake-man's bones had been guarded by a pixie and that the snake-man before him had stolen them as part of his argument, but Reslaufer often chose more pragmatic reasons.

So pragmatic that even the snake people who have lost their human emotions cannot refute it.

"...There are other snakemen, some are weaker than me, but some are stronger." The snakeman was silent for a moment, "If I can't return with the items, they will continue to act."

"quantity?"

There was a silent hiss in response to Rathlough's words.

"Why has this corpse suddenly become so important? You should have taken it long ago."

"The snake people worship their own gods, and during a recent ceremony, the gods revealed a... change." Most of the snake people's gods are not real gods, but powerful entities. To the snake people, gods are more like emperors and kings who can replace them rather than beings of a higher level.

"The Holy Land," the Serpent People called the deep areas of the Dread Swamp, where the Serpent People truly lived. "A god is about to be replaced, and the corpse of Ushas may change everything."

"Give it to me, or there will be blood here, and after that, your town of fresh meat will be slaughtered too."

"He's talking about Fishhook Town..." a Pixie whispered, "I don't like this, none of us like this..."

"If the shadow of death must hang over something, perhaps they themselves are a good choice..."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. This snake man was more powerful than Reslaufer, and he also had the ability to cast spells, which meant that they were not sure of victory.

"Can you promise not to give it to the Dragonborn or a human named Dragon Finger Fidel?" Frostbone asked.

The snake man's snake eyes were filled with confusion. He had never heard of that name before. But after just looking at the bronze dragonborn who almost tricked him, he understood at least half of it.

"You will eventually become food for us, but not now. The Holy Land requires more effort," the snake man repeated. "Ushas's body will be sacrificed."

"Are you crazy?! These are snakemen!" Seeing the situation was dire, the Bronze Dragonborn immediately twisted and screamed, "Between dragons and snakes, you chose the latter?! When you tremble under the scales of these villains in the future, will you regret your decision today?"

"Let's wait until they can get out of the swamp," Vondar hit the Dragonborn on the head with the butt of his axe. "As for you, don't you know what you've done?"

"You should be thankful that we've lost a staid but brave fellow in our group. The rest of us are quite 'flexible,'" Leslaufer observed the snake-man's every move and waved back. "Just give him that thing—you owners shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"If someone who died a long time ago can save others from dying...that's pretty good, right?" The Pixies looked at each other. "That's pretty good. Jeff probably wouldn't mind."

"What can he say? In his eyes, twenty-six bass are more important than this snake man!" "That's true..."

"Is this fisherman of yours really any good?" the bard muttered. "Why is the snakeman he killed so popular now?"

"Because Ushas is the second child of the Most Holy Giant Snake. The giant snake wants to drag the entire world into the nightmare after its deep sleep, and the voice of mourning is devouring its flesh and stealing its power. Only the blood of the giant snake can awaken the giant snake..." The snake man spoke of the half-true and half-false myths of their race. Perhaps even he himself did not have any faith in it to ensure its accuracy.

But he still let Edward carry the snake-man corpse to its side, and temporarily relaxed his posture, trying to wrap his tail around it.

"Clang!" Reslaufer seized the opportunity and leaped forward, his sword hurling like thunder at the serpent man's fragile neck. However, the man reacted almost instantly, his upper body bending backwards almost ninety degrees. As he rebounded, his two blades, using the momentum of the deflection, forcibly deflected Reslaufer's two-handed sword towards the sky, while his fangs pierced the mercenary's chest!

In just a few blinks of an eye, the two monsters completed four dangerous attacks!

"Nice try! I wouldn't miss this opportunity if I were you." The snake man quickly retreated to the side of the corpse before anyone else could even figure out what was happening, and wrapped the snake corpse in his tail. "But success won't be easy."

"It would be foolish not to try," Reslaufer deadpanned, shrugging. "If I told you you'd get some compensation, would you be interested?"

"That Dragonborn?" The snakeman's pupils darted towards the bound bronze Dragonborn, who immediately cried out in panic, "I already have a corpse of one of their kind, but a living one would be nice too."

"Mr. Leslaufer, he is a Dragonborn after all," Shimmering Stone's brow moved, reminding him, "I think it would be best if—"

"Is he from your clan?" "No, like most of Dragon Finger's men, he should be..."

"Then do as I say." Soon, the living creature that was different from the corpse was dragged to the side of the snake man.

The latter subconsciously tried to restrain the guy, but the action stopped at the beginning. A magic hand condensed entirely by magic pulled the rope behind the bronze dragonborn, while the snake man stared at the eager Raslaufer with caution.

"You're not planning on coming again, are you?"

"There is no chance, what a pity." Doppler licked his lips. The mental tension made the water in his body dissipate rapidly.

"Sabelmon."

The snakeman made no response to Reslaufer's undisguised intentions. He simply commanded the mage's hand, swept up the crucial corpse, and swam slowly away. Only when he was nearly fifty meters away from Reslaufer did he turn his upper body and suddenly utter a strange syllable—perhaps his name.

"I have a feeling we'll meet again."

Chapter 213 Backup Plan

"This is what you call 'elite'."

Longzhi leaned against the doorframe of a shed, his expression grim. Around him, the chiefs of several Dragonborn clans, both large and small, hung their heads in silence. While some of the ordinary Dragonborn further away were indignant, facing the ironclad facts, no one could refute Fidel a single word.

"Two experienced hunters, both armed with my pre-planned strategies, went to steal a centuries-old corpse, and yet one ended up dead and the other captured?" Fidel couldn't help but raise his voice. Spellcasters always protected their throats, but now he was clearly furious. "Disgusting! Simply (Western Inassus slang) disgusting!"

"'The blood of the dragon will return to the world with the Dragonborn.' Are you still planning to continue arguing that the protagonist of this prophecy is the Dragonborn with dragon blood? You can't do anything! You are a race born to be enslaved. Even if a thousand or ten thousand years pass, nothing will change!"

The powerful dragon vein sorcerer wantonly belittled every creature present, but would not receive any punishment. The failure of this action, which should have been no difficulty, almost broke the backbone of this part of the dragonborn.

"Now, you should know who is the boss."

Dragon Finger Fidel finally ended his emotional outburst after more than ten minutes. The inheritance of the dragon had changed his life a long time ago, his strength, his arrogance, and his rage.

"...I have nothing to say." A black dragonborn, larger but older than the others, sighed, shaking the axe-blade horns on either side of her head. She was the matriarch of the Daldanjullien clan, and the one who united the clans that had broken away from the loose alliance of dragonborn.

"But what should we do next, Your Excellency? Do you want us to give up and return to the Alliance to hear their decision?"

"Stop being so sarcastic, Mescala! Do you think you'll actually do what I say if I nod?" Fidel's eyes suddenly transformed into a terrifying golden vertical pupil. Even the leader of the Dardan Julian clan had to bow his head before him. "The prophecy will surely come true. We all know that."

"Everything will tremble equally under the dragon's blood, but the dragon's blood refers to something that has not yet been attributed. Under equality, some beings can be more equal than other creatures - this is what we are doing."

"Surrender? I have no objection. Dragon blood flows in my veins. Even if true dragons rule the world again, my situation won't be too bad. But you, you will only become slaves among slaves, because you once dared to covet a position that doesn't belong to you."

"Anyone want to 'surrender'? Leave, I won't stop you, because you are useless, you are useless at any time - not even in terms of weakening our power!"

The Dragonborn were in an uproar; such an insult was beyond their capacity to endure. However, beneath those eyes, as if cast from gold, the commotion eventually subsided.

So humiliating.

"Snake people also speak Dragon Language. I thought those creatures would have some empathy and could be persuaded and driven," Fidel sighed, his words softening slightly. "But those vicious reptiles rejected the invitation. Even if they were truly subjugated, the cost of management would probably exceed my expectations. In this respect, the current situation may not be a bad thing."

"But our forces are still not replenished," said Meskarla, "perhaps we should choose a smaller target instead of the Kingdom of Latour..."

"That's why, even though you have the greatest influence here, I'm the decision-maker," Fidel sneered. "We could attack a knighthood, barony, grand barony, or earldom, and expand based on that. But I have to say—that level wouldn't be enough to please any Dragon God!"

"And if we can't satisfy the gods, what's the point of our success? The prophecy won't be imposed on us! Our achievements will become capital that others can easily obtain! If that's the case, I would rather let the prophecy not come true!"

"But don't worry. This incident has given me some inspiration," Fidel said slowly, pacing. "Facing a powerful enemy, is there any way to win without strengthening yourself?"

"I think I understand..." "That's not a question." The warlock interrupted Meskra rudely.