Chapter 54 { Elf Village }

  Fear.

  What was the human lord afraid of?

  - Ian’s mysterious power—how did he manage to know about the village in the north (Titan Village)? When He didn’t!!

  - Ian’s wealth—those Fish Eyes, how did he obtain them?!

  - Ian’s confidence in leaving the elements behind and departing.

  - The idea of the campaign succeeding, where one side would obtain a Third Level beast and a future power at the Fourth Level.

  - The campaign failing—how could he miss the chance to catch all the fish at once?

  Simply put, there was a lot of fear.

  Many things forced the human lord to accept the deal.

  He had to go.

  More dangerous than all of that was the fact that he himself wanted to go deal with that Third Level beast that was like a knife at his neck. It was closer to him than all the other villages, yet he could not.

  With a simple calculation: A First Level can deal with 3 at Level 0.

  A Second Level can deal with around 15 at the First Level and kill some of them.

  A Third Level can defeat 40 at the Second Level and kill roughly half of them.

  The gaps between levels grew higher and higher with each advancement, even though these numbers are by no means precise and do not fully apply under normal circumstances—let alone special circumstances where there are individuals with legendary talents like Chris… or a hero like Yassin.

  And let us not forget skills, bloodlines, professions, and elements. All of that only increased the gaps rather than reducing them.

  The Lord of Elau Village possessed around 10 at the Second Level, which meant that if the Wind Dragon came here, it would raze the entire village, kill half of its men, and escape without a scratch.

  Elau Village was too weak to face this danger, but with two other villages and that mysterious merchant, anything was possible—or rather, this was the Lord of Elau’s last chance to escape a potential fate of death and the knife hanging above his neck.

  >>>>>>>>>>>

  Elf Village.

  Flowers and vines formed a natural wall that protected the entire village, along with towers made entirely of gigantic flowers.

  What was even stranger was that these towers were combat towers, not mere watchtowers. That is, they had specific orders to engage targets and kill them before they reached the wall.

  On the wall, there were patrols of elves.

  They were similar to humans in everything, except that they were nobles by nature—aloof from the rest of the races, as if they were the kings of the world, even though reality was not so.

  They had long ears, terrifying beauty shared by both men and women—especially the women—long lifespans surpassing most races, excellent skill in archery, and a strong affinity with the elements.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Ian reached them.

  A Second Level orc leading four Second Level humans.

  They did not receive the same welcome they had in the Human Village. After all, orcs and elves were natural enemies. But Ian did not care. The orc was merely a disguise to keep his identity away from his own Titan Village—nothing of real value. Yet, if calculated in terms of value, it was the perfect disguise.

  At the very least, it would guarantee dominance when dealing with Elau Village, and reduce suspicion when dealing with the Elf Village. Why? Because orcs were straightforward, not treacherous like humans.

  As for why he did not disguise himself as something else, it was because there were no other races in the surrounding area except Goblins—and Goblins did not guarantee the same dominance and power as orcs. They could even attract hidden dangers when dealing with humans or elves.

  The orc was his only solution.

  “Stop right there,” a strong female voice said.

  Ian did not stop and kept moving.

  Whoosh.

  An arrow flew toward him like light.

  Ian raised his hand and easily deflected the arrow.

  Then he grasped Sword Number One and swung it horizontally.

  “Sword Flash.”

  Whoosh.

  The sword’s radiance flew forward, shattering the ground in front of him across a length of ten meters. Then Ian returned the sword to Number One, which trembled from the sheer power.

  “Now, is there a chance to talk?” This was not a question—it was an order from a lord.

  “Who are you?” the elf sentry replied coldly.

  “A merchant… I have a big deal with you.”

  “We do not deal with ‘savages’ like you. Leave,” she said coldly.

  “Really?” Ian sneered. “Destroy these damn walls.”

  The bandits trembled. “My lord, we—”

  “Do it, or there will be no antidote for you,” Ian said indifferently.

  Death was the only thing—besides profit—that truly affected this group of individuals and every single bandit among them.

  The expressions of the four tightened.

  Their power was fake, and the moment they moved it would be exposed—but Ian was not a fool. No battle would happen at all.

  “I told you to stop!” the woman shouted. At that moment, the defensive towers turned toward him, and large buds began to form within them, ready to bombard Ian and those with him at any moment.

  More than 200 archers drew their bows.

  Swallow.

  The bandits swallowed and trembled for a moment.

  Ian sneered and stepped forward to stand at the front, blocking the sun from them. Ian stood at nearly three meters tall, with a powerful, muscular physique. He grasped the great sword* on his back. “You want a fight to the death? Then let’s begin. I came to trade, not to kill—but when it comes to killing, I know how to make blood flow.”

  {Great Sword / Massive Sword}

  “There’s no need for a fight to the death,” a small voice said, “but we still don’t know the reason for your visit.”

  Everyone turned to see a figure who looked about thirteen years old—distinct, elegant beauty, wearing noble garments.

  “The noble,” everyone bowed.

  The girl waved at them, then looked toward Ian.

  “Is this how deals are discussed—from such a distance?” Ian gestured at the space between them.

  “We do not like visitors in our land,” the girl said, then leapt down from the wall.

  “Noble!” the female elf from before cried out.

  “Calm yourself, General… he will not harm me,” the girl said.

  The General’s expression hardened, and she descended with her. Five individuals at the Second Level descended as well.

  All of them were at the Second Level—seven against five.

  “Now then, what deal did you come with?” the noble asked.

  “A Third Level dragon. I have already reached an agreement with the Human Village in the north and the other Human Village. Now it’s your turn. We will combine our strength to fight it,” Ian said.

  “And why should we agree?” the General said coldly.

  The noble waved her hand and said with a smile, “Three villages don’t work Against A level 3 presence. The core is far stronger than the pillars.”

  “I know. But the dragon is injured and on the verge of giving birth. We will only attack at the moment of birth, which guarantees the greatest profits,” Ian said.

  “What will we obtain?”

  “The loot,” Ian said. “The loot will be yours. Think about it—what do you say?”

  “And what about the corpse and the egg?”

  Ian shook his head. “Do not concern yourselves with that. There are four parties, and everyone must receive a share.”

  “And of course, you—the one with the information—will pay nothing and take everything.”

  Ian nodded. “I will take the egg. But I am the one who gathered everyone, and at the same time, I gathered the precise information about the time of birth.”

  The noble shook her head in refusal. “That is too little. The loot will not compensate for my people’s losses, and I also do not use them for personal gain.”

  “I know. But what if I told you that the moment the birth succeeds, the dragon’s first enemy will be you?” Ian said, smiling with obvious malice that he did not hide.

  The noble was startled. “Why?”