The eldest Old Priest Lizardman spoke, dispelling some of the oppressive atmosphere in the wooden hut.
Sarius Xaxia remained silent. He knew that even as the Tribal Chief, in such special circumstances, the Old Priests of the Elder Council speaking up would be more effective in stabilizing morale.
"They've… they've been settled."
A Black-Skinned Lizardman warrior, sitting in the corner of the hut, subconsciously looked up and stammered, "There are 50 people who fled from the Little Fang Tribe."
"Among them are 30 female Lizardmen, 15 children, and five older male Lizardmen."
"Those fleeing from the Dragon Fang Tribe are still being received, so we haven't counted them yet."
The Lizardman warrior was tense at first, but as he continued to speak, he became more fluent, and even a hint of excitement entered his tone.
The Lizardmen present naturally knew why.
Because those who fled were mostly female Lizardmen from the two major tribes, with pitifully few male Lizardmen.
To ordinary Lizardmen, this was good news, but in the eyes of everyone present, it conveyed a very terrifying message.
"This isn't normal," the Hunting Chief Lizardman rumbled in a rough voice.
Of course, it wasn't normal!
Sarius Xaxia shifted his leg, which was crossed on the ground. His scales clinked against the weapon at his waist, making a soft 'clack' sound. The cold chill that came from it made him pause his attempt to speak, suppressing the irritation in his heart.
It was a pale weapon, emitting a faint glow, like a combination of a blade and a trident, and it was their Lizardman race's most treasured 'Frozen Fang'.
"No matter the situation, women and children are always the easiest to kill."
As the Tribal Chief, Sarius Xaxia propped himself up with his thick tail, straightened his upper body, and paused briefly, "At least the strong Lizardman warriors should be easier to escape, but there were none!"
"The opponent truly showed mercy—"
When he said the words "showed mercy."
Sarius Xaxia clenched his fists. Along with his anger, an inexplicable chill welled up deep inside him.
From the current situation, all the Lizardman warriors of the two major tribes should have died in battle. And there was only one possibility for such a strange situation.
That mysterious human's strength was greater than described in the intelligence, precise enough that not a single Lizardman warrior escaped.
To the point of showing "kindness" by sparing the weak women and children.
Displaying strength?
Or simply not caring?
Whatever it was, it was not good news for them.
"The opponent should be a Chanter using Third-Tier magic. He can summon two angelic demon beasts at once," a Priest Lizardman added, his voice trembling.
Among the priests present, the strongest Old Priest Lizardman only had Second-Tier strength.
"According to the currently known intelligence, the opponent has only shown this one ability. It's very possible he has other unknown methods."
Another Priest Lizardman spoke, "Especially since the people from the Dragon Fang Tribe mentioned that their tribal warriors continuously killed several angelic demon beasts, yet they were still overwhelmed by the constantly replenished angelic demon beasts."
"It is speculated that that human possesses a relatively vast amount of magic power."
As one piece of intelligence after another was thrown out, much of the panic they felt towards the unknown dissipated.
The Old Priest Lizardman saw this and said softly, "After all, the opponent is only one person. Although a Third-Tier magic Chanter is powerful, he is not impossible to deal with."
"The Little Fang Tribe and the Dragon Fang Tribe had no intelligence and quickly collapsed under a sneak attack. Now that we have intelligence on the opponent, it won't be difficult to formulate a countermeasure."
After he finished speaking.
Before anyone could rejoice, Sarius Xaxia, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Precisely because the opponent is only one person, is it possible that he is stronger than the intelligence currently suggests?"
The atmosphere stiffened!
"It's not your place to speak here, traveler!" The burly Hunting Chief Lizardman glared at him, almost roaring.
"I'm stating a conjecture," Sarius Xaxia said expressionlessly.
"So—even if he's stronger, are you going to run away?!" The Hunting Chief Lizardman glared.
"Are you an idiot? If the opponent's strength is greater, the current countermeasures probably won't work. We need to make more thorough preparations."
"The Crimson Eye and Sharp Tail Tribes also need to be notified. We must ensure that we kill that human and not let him escape due to negligence!"
Sarius Xaxia retorted loudly.
"Enough!!"
The Old Priest Lizardman looked at the two who were still arguing and roared.
The room fell silent.
"Tribal Chief, what are your thoughts?" The Old Priest Lizardman looked at Sarius Xaxia.
"Sarius is right. The opponent is only one person. If he escapes, that will be the real disaster. We must ensure we deal with him in one go."
Sarius Xaxia raised his head and said seriously, "This is not just a matter for our tribe."
As the matter was settled.
The entire Green Claw Tribe began to mobilize. Two Lizardman teams set off towards the Crimson Eye Tribe and the Sharp Tail Tribe respectively.
This time, it concerned the destruction of two major tribes. No matter how strained the relationships between the various tribes were, in the current situation, the tribal leadership knew what to do.
Meanwhile, the Green Claw Tribe mobilized all its Lizardman warriors for day and night vigilance, guarding against a surprise attack from that human.
On the other hand, a hunting party was cautiously dispatched to the destroyed Dragon Fang Tribe to investigate for news.
Personnel from the three major tribes began to gather.
In this chaotic situation, within the Green Claw Tribe.
A somewhat thin-looking Lizardman, carrying a fish basket, occasionally greeted the Lizardman warriors patrolling the streets,
and walked towards the outside of the village.
The current situation was not suitable for leaving the tribe.
However!
For Lizardmen who liked to eat raw food and sought fresh fish, obtaining food was also a big deal.
Fortunately, the tribe was built near a lake.
The Lizardman quickly arrived at the nearby lake. After quickly observing that there were no other Lizardmen around, with a "splash," the Lizardman jumped into the lake.
A black figure swiftly swam in the lake, heading towards the deeper parts.
When the Lizardman swam out of the lake again, his originally somewhat robust body began to shrink at a visible speed. The rough black scales on his forehead began to recede, and sharp, thorn-like protrusions emerged.
In just a blink of an eye!
The Lizardman had shrunk by half. From a distance, he looked like a miniature Lizardman.
No!
The opponent was not a Lizardman at all, but a rare Cave Lizardman residing in the upper lake region deep within the Great Wetlands.
The thorn-like protrusions on his head were proof.
The Cave Lizardman raised his slender hand with sharp claws, on which a ring emitting a dark, eerie glow was worn.
This was a magical item!
He relied on these magical items to disguise himself as a Lizardman and live within their tribe.
"A bunch of simple-minded fools, the Lower Lake Wetlands should belong to us."
The Cave Lizardman sneered in a low, hoarse voice, with a hint of hope in his eyes. He cautiously observed his surroundings and quickly headed towards the depths of the Upper Lake.
Compared to the suitable and safe environment of the Lower Lake Wetlands, the Upper Lake Wetlands contained a large number of dangerous demon beasts, as well as the equally annoying Frogmen.
Soon.
The Cave Lizardman passed by the periphery of a Frogman territory and immediately saw Frogmen similar in size to Lizardmen.
They were lazily sprawled in the mud, occasionally rolling around. Not far away, several other Frogmen were doing the same. These Frogmen obviously spotted the Cave Lizardman immediately, but after a glance, they lazily averted their gaze, completely unconcerned.
"Damn it!"
The Cave Lizardman cursed inwardly, but he acted very cautiously, quickly passing through the area, not daring to have any contact with any of the Frogmen.
Unlike the very xenophobic and rigid Lizardmen, the Frogmen were not xenophobic, and they would not show much hostility towards passing wild beasts, demon beasts, or other creatures.
Were Frogmen friendly?
No!
These were a group even more cold-blooded than the rigid Lizardmen.
These Frogmen seemed friendly, but in reality, their race naturally had no concept of hierarchy, nor did they possess the concept of friendliness.
They just weren't hungry at the moment!
Of course, the prerequisite was that the creatures passing through their territory posed no threat; otherwise, these Frogmen would also react with frenzied actions immediately.
Whether Lizardmen or Frogmen, in the eyes of the Cave Lizardman, they were all fools. They were so intelligent, yet they occupied the smallest territory.
The environment of the deep wetland jungle began to become more complex.
However, the Cave Lizardman moved swiftly and skillfully, quickly arriving at a spot covered in strange vines and moss, hidden in a faint mist.
Deep within the forest, in front of an abandoned ancient castle about three stories high.
Upon arriving here!
The Cave Lizardman's face immediately showed a look of awe, and even his movements became cautious.
"Hehe, what do I see?"
"A cute little lizard."
Suddenly, a somewhat eerie and strange low laugh came from behind the Cave Lizardman.
Yet, there had been nothing behind him just a moment ago.
The thought flashed through the Cave Lizardman's mind, but his body moved faster than the thought. He immediately knelt on the ground, burying his head deep down.
"Great master, something has happened with the Lizardmen."
"Oh, what happened?"
"I hope it's something worth my attention," the strange, charming laugh became ethereal.
As the Cave Lizardman recounted the events.
"Indeed interesting. Now, begone."
Hearing this.
The Cave Lizardman kept his head down, not daring to look up at all, turned, and quickly left.
At the entrance of the deep ancient castle, a slender figure appeared, but its shadow on the ground split into two.
"You heard it, didn't you?" The strange, charming laugh came again.
"I'm not interested in such boring matters. You've already wasted too much of my time. You'd better pray that the recent results satisfy me."
A calm voice came from the third floor of the ancient castle.
Click!
The rotting window was pushed open.
In the shadows, a black-robed man with a hooked nose and a cold face was revealed.
A human!
Perhaps no one would have imagined that humans existed deep within the Great Wetlands.
The debris and dust falling from the rotting window frame were directly shaken away by the magical fluctuations emanating from the black-robed man.
Just standing by the window.
An invisible pressure and magic power began to spread outwards, imbuing the surrounding air with a sense of terror.
"Angels? People from Theocracy?"
"I hope they don't disrupt my plans." The hooked-nosed mage's light brown pupils looked deep into the jungle, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Dragon Fang Tribe.
Lyle put down a scroll in his hand and rubbed his temples.
He had been studying the magical knowledge and techniques passed down by the Lizardmen during this time. Fortunately, he had specifically kept one Priest Lizardman alive.
"Two days have passed. I wonder what the Lizardmen are doing?"
Lyle straightened his back, stretched, and reached out to stroke the head of the Ghoul Hound lying next to him.