Chapter 36 War Reparations
Chapter 36 War Reparations
One of the bearmen shouted in the same tone as the golden wolf head, “Is anyone here alive?”
The snakeman waiter had just placed the first two dishes on our table with a loud clang. He turned around and walked toward the newly arrived customers, asking impatiently, “What do you want?”
The bearman said, “Bring us something to fill our stomachs. Be quick about it. We’re in a hurry.”
The snakeman immediately judged that they had little money. Rolling his eyes, he said curtly, “Wait here,” before turning toward the kitchen.
I was already a little hungry. I picked up a piece of food whose origin I could not identify.
The moment it touched my tongue, I spat it out immediately and began coughing uncontrollably.
The Wolf God burst into laughter.
The golden wolf head said, “Why are you in such a hurry? Eat slowly.”
After struggling for a moment, I finally regained control of myself. Sitting upright again, I gasped, “What the hell was that? Disgusting! Not only is it insanely salty, it’s also unbearably spicy.”
The golden wolf head said, “Really? I think it tastes good.”
As he spoke, he continued eating piece after piece. I had no idea how he could swallow it so easily. He even gestured for me to try another dish.
For the sake of my stomach, I refused. Instead, I asked the waiter for plain water. Then I took out the rations Wolf had given me earlier and began eating them. The taste was mediocre, but at least it was edible.
Meanwhile, the snakeman kept bringing plate after plate to our table. Each dish contained chunks of dark, unidentifiable ingredients. They all looked and smelled equally disgusting.
The Wolf God ate happily.
They’re truly hopeless.
I wonder how they would react if they tasted the cuisine of the Dragon God Empire.
Halfway through our meal, the group of bearmen began complaining.
“Waiter!” one of them shouted.
The snakeman waiter slowly finished serving the final dish on our table before strolling over. His small bulging eyes rolled around as his tongue unconsciously flicked over his lips.
“What is it?” he asked disdainfully.
The furious bearman slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang. The old wooden table creaked and groaned under the force.
“Why haven’t we been served anything?” he demanded. “We’ve been waiting a long time. What’s your excuse?”
The snakeman waiter crossed his arms and said coldly, “Your food? Wait a little longer.”
“Don’t you understand the principle of first come, first served? They arrived before you, so naturally they eat first.”
“You only ordered a few dishes anyway. What’s the rush?”
The bearman suddenly slapped the table and stood up. The fragile table shattered into splinters with a loud crack.
“You look down on people because they’re poor? I’ll kill you, you bastard!”
The foxman beside him quickly grabbed his arm and spoke softly.
“Don’t get angry. Let it go.”
Then he turned to the waiter and said calmly, “Bring our food quickly. We will compensate for the table.”
The snakeman waiter showed no gratitude whatsoever. Instead, he spat contemptuously onto the floor.
“So you outsiders come to Sasi Territory and try to act important?”
“I’ll show you why so many outsiders come here and never return.”
He raised his head and blew a long whistle.
The foxman’s expression immediately changed.
“There’s no need for this,” he said quickly. “We’re just travelers trying to make a living. There’s no need to resort to violence.”
The snakeman waiter sneered.
“I don’t care what you do for a living. If you cause trouble in Sasi Territory, we snakemen will not treat you kindly.”
“Coincidentally, our Nine-Headed Sage happens to be in need of food.”
“You two would make a fine offering.”
Hearing that, I knew the situation could no longer be resolved peacefully. These foreign Beastmen were in serious danger.
The Wolf God continued eating without the slightest concern.
I had come here with a purpose. There was no need to involve myself in unnecessary trouble.
I lowered my head and continued eating my rations as if nothing were happening.
A large group of snakemen suddenly rushed into the restaurant and surrounded the outsiders.
The snakeman waiter shouted, “Brothers! These outsiders humiliated me and insulted our holy Lord Snake God!”
“What should we do with them?”
I glanced over discreetly. These snakemen were all commoners. None were high-level warriors, though there were many of them—around thirty or forty.
However, the outsiders were clearly not weak.
The leopardman standing at the rear appeared to be their leader.
“Make it quick,” he whispered. “We’re leaving.”
The bearman at the front roared and lunged at the snakeman waiter. It seemed he had been waiting for this opportunity.
The two sides immediately clashed.
Ping! Bang!
The restaurant was quickly reduced to chaos.
I transmitted a message through qi to the Wolf God.
“Finish eating quickly. We’re leaving. Don’t cause trouble here.”
The silver wolf head said regretfully, “Isn’t it a pity to ignore such an interesting situation?”
I frowned.
“What did you promise me on the mountain? We have important matters to deal with.”
“If you want to cause trouble, you’ll have plenty of chances later.”
The silver wolf head sighed.
“Fine. But during the battle with the Nine-Headed Worm, you must fight with your full strength.”
“We’re done eating.”
The Wolf God stuffed the last pieces of food into his mouth. I placed several gold coins on the table and walked out of the restaurant first.
Although the fight inside was growing more intense, it had no effect on us. We rushed past the combatants in a flash.
By the time we stepped outside, the battle had almost ended.
The outsiders were extremely strong. After killing more than a dozen snakemen, they threw aside the corpses and rushed out.
A large group of snakemen chased after them.
The fleeing Beastmen ran directly toward us.
I pulled the Wolf God aside and let the six remaining outsiders rush past.
Moments later, the pursuing snakemen caught up.
They carried no weapons. Their claws and poisonous fangs were their natural weapons.
When they noticed us standing there, they stared suspiciously.
The golden wolf head said casually, “What are you staring at? They’re about to escape. Aren’t you going to chase them?”
One of the snakemen suddenly shouted, “There are two more outsiders here!”
“They must be with them. Kill them!”
More than ten snakemen immediately rushed toward us.
The golden wolf head sighed.
“It’s not that we wanted trouble. These fools just don’t value their lives.”
In truth, their unreasonable behavior had already angered me. If I weren’t here to secure Sasi Territory, I would have acted earlier.
I spoke coldly.
“I’ll give you one chance. Disappear from my sight immediately.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
“I’ll tell you this—we are friends of the Nine-Headed Sage.”
The snakemen halted immediately.
One of them asked suspiciously, “Do you have proof that you’re friends of the Nine-Headed Sage?”
The golden wolf head laughed.
“Of course we do. We’re on our way to visit him right now.”
“We even brought him a gift.”
Hearing that, the snakemen’s suspicion weakened slightly.
“You weren’t with those outsiders just now?” one asked.
“Of course not,” the golden wolf head replied. “If we were, wouldn’t we have helped them earlier?”
“You should hurry and chase those people who disrespected the Nine-Headed Sage.”
“We’re on the same side.”
I nodded coldly.
“If our meeting with the Nine-Headed Sage is delayed because of you, you will bear the consequences.”
At that moment, a snakeman with red scales and black stripes leapt forward from the crowd.
He appeared older and stronger than the others.
“Why aren’t you chasing the outsiders?” he shouted angrily. “What are you all doing here?”
“Village Chief,” one of the snakemen reported quickly, “these two outsiders claim to be friends of the Nine-Headed Sage. They say they have gifts for him.”
The village chief looked us over carefully.
“What gifts are you bringing for the Lord?”
I replied coldly, “That is none of your concern.”
“These gifts must be delivered personally to the Nine-Headed Sage.”
“If something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?”
The village chief was left speechless. His face turned red with anger, but under the authority of the Nine-Headed Sage he dared not lash out.
“The tribe leader’s residence is very close,” he finally said.
“Since you have gifts for the Nine-Headed Sage, we will escort you there.”
I was slightly surprised.
Since when did these fools develop some intelligence?
Still, the few of them posed no threat.
“Do as you like,” I said coldly. “We’re leaving now.”
“If you can keep up, then follow.”
I gathered strength in my legs and leapt into the air.
The Wolf God laughed and followed.
Our speed was far beyond their reach. In the blink of an eye, we disappeared from their sight.
The silver wolf head said, “Lei Xiang, you have remarkable patience.”
I glared at her.
“They were no threat to us. Killing them would bring no benefit.”
Then I looked ahead and raised an eyebrow.
“This is the third time we’ve encountered them today. What a coincidence.”
Ahead of us, the same six Beastmen were once again surrounded by snakemen.
More than a dozen snakemen pressed them from all sides.
Three high-level snakemen were among them.
The six outsiders stood back-to-back, desperately resisting.
It was obvious they could not hold out much longer.
The silver wolf head said, “Meeting them three times in one day must be fate. Let’s save them.”
The golden wolf head scoffed.
“Since when did you become so kindhearted? Do you even know how to save people?”
“Why not?” the silver wolf head snapped. “I’m in a good mood today.”
“These people look decent enough.”
“Why shouldn’t we help them?”
The golden wolf head was about to argue again, but I interrupted.
“Aren’t you two tired of fighting each other?”
Then I looked at the silver wolf head.
“You really want to save them?”
She nodded.
“They don’t look like bad people. It would be a shame for them to die to these brutal snakemen.”
I scanned the surroundings carefully and circulated qi into my ears.
Within three hundred meters, every sound was clear. Aside from the battle and ourselves, there were no other living creatures nearby.
I looked at the Wolf God.
“Move now. End the fight quickly.”
The silver wolf head let out an excited wolf howl.
Silver qi erupted around the Wolf God’s body as she rushed forward.
I followed immediately behind.
Our sudden arrival shocked the snakemen.
One of the high-level snakemen opened his mouth to speak—but the silver wolf head’s kick struck him first.
His reaction was fast. He opened his mouth wide, trying to bite her leg.
If his fangs pierced her skin even slightly, the venom would be deadly.
Of course, I had no need to worry about those two lunatics.
Her leg struck his mouth—and before he could celebrate, violent silver qi exploded.
The snakeman was instantly blown apart.
Does that woman have any sense of elegance at all?
She’s even more violent than the golden head.
Golden qi erupted around my body as I stepped forward, locking onto the positions of the remaining snakemen.
My right foot struck the ground.
This was my improved Hurricane technique. I no longer needed to smash the ground with all my strength. As long as I poured Mad God qi into the earth, I could launch attacks against anyone within a certain radius.
The ground beneath the snakemen suddenly exploded. Dust, shattered rocks, and Mad God qi erupted violently upward, annihilating them in an instant.
After reaching the fourth tier, my Mad God Arts had advanced another step. This Hurricane, using only seventy percent of my full power, had already resolved the entire battle.
The Wolf God had just eliminated two snakemen. Seeing the pile of mangled bodies on the ground, the golden head shouted at me, “Leave some for us, you greedy bastard!”
I barely glanced at him.
“That’s your own fault for moving too slowly. You clearly have the power but insisted on playing around.”
The six surviving Beastmen stared at us in stunned silence, unable to speak for a moment.
I stepped forward and asked, “Did any of you get wounded by the snakemen?”
One of the foxmen replied respectfully, “Benefactors, thank you for saving our lives. None of us are injured—only a little tired.”
I waved my hand.
“Don’t call me a benefactor. We simply happened to pass by.”
“I suggest you leave Sasi Territory immediately. The snakemen here are extremely vindictive.”
The Wolf God walked over.
Jin said, “Lei Xiang is right. Do you people have nothing better to do? Why come wandering into a snake’s nest? Leave quickly.”
The foxman sighed.
“Benefactors, it’s not that we wanted to come here. We truly had no other choice.”
“We used to serve in the military. Our units belonged to different divisions. You must have heard about our recent defeat in the war.”
“During the war, I served as a quartermaster responsible for communications with the Demon Race.”
“The demons constantly made things difficult for us. When the war finally ended, they accused the Beastmen Race of dragging them down and causing heavy losses.”
“So they demanded compensation.”
I was shocked.
“Compensation?”
“Do those Demon Race officials even understand how poor the Beastmen Kingdom is?”
“We can barely feed ourselves. What exactly are we supposed to compensate them with?”
The foxman smiled bitterly.
“They want gold coins.”
“They’re demanding five million gold coins.”
“Five million gold coins might not mean much to the Dragon God Empire, but for the Beastmen Kingdom, it’s an enormous sum.”
“We just returned from the Demon army camp. To report this to His Majesty as soon as possible, we had to travel through Sasi Territory to reach the Beastmen Imperial City faster.”
“But we never expected to encounter this situation.”
Yin said, “Why didn’t you use your identity as soldiers and reason with them?”
The foxman shook his head.
“What use is our status? Maybe it would matter if we belonged to the Behemoth Legion or His Majesty’s Wild Lion Corps.”
“But small officers like us?”
“Do you think these people care?”
“If we fail to handle this matter properly, we’ll all be in serious danger.”
Jin cursed angrily.
“Damn it! The Demon Race is going too far.”
“It’s not like the Beastmen lost the war alone. Why should we be the ones paying compensation?”
My expression darkened.
“This matter is extremely serious. You must return as quickly as possible.”
“Let us escort you. Once you leave Sasi Territory, you should be safe.”
“I am the Vice Pope of the Beast God Religion.”
“Our faith exists to protect the Beastmen and help them live peacefully on this continent.”
“When you return, tell His Majesty this message:”
“We must prepare thoroughly. The Demon Race are wolves who devour everything and leave nothing behind.”
“Tell him that Lei Xiang sent you.”
Jin suddenly snapped.
“What do you mean wolves who devour everything? Are you saying our wolf tribe is evil?”
I scratched my head awkwardly.
“Sorry. That was just a slip of the tongue.”
Then I continued seriously.
“Wolf God, escorting them out of Sasi Territory is more important. We’ll postpone meeting that Nine-Headed Worm.”
Jin nodded.
“That’s fine. The Nine-Headed Worm won’t run away.”
“I also hope nothing happens in the Beastmen Kingdom.”
The Wolf God and I escorted the six quartermasters toward the Beastmen Imperial City.
Five days passed before we returned to Sasi Territory.
During those five days, we had no idea that a major incident had already occurred.
Jin pointed ahead.
“Lei Xiang, look. The city ahead is the largest city in Sasi Territory.”
“That pitiful worm with nine brains lives inside the Nine Sage Palace.”
I looked at the city before me.
It was far from magnificent.
The circular city wall was only about forty feet tall. Its size was perhaps one-fifth that of the Beastmen Imperial City.
What stood out most was the ring of water surrounding the city—a lake about fifteen hundred meters across.
The entire city sat on an island in the middle of the lake.
The clear water served as a natural defensive barrier. Trees grew thickly along the shoreline.
It seemed the snakemen did care about their city.
I asked, “Jin, do all snakemen like water?”
He nodded.
“Yes. Once they enter water, they become far more dangerous.”
“But wars on this continent rarely take place at sea. Otherwise, a snakeman navy would definitely become famous.”
Yin interrupted impatiently.
“Enough talking. Let’s go in.”
It was obvious the Wolf God took the battle with the Lernaean Hydra very seriously. Their eyes flickered with excitement.
When we arrived at the pier, more than ten ferries were docked there. Several snakeman soldiers stood guard.
I stepped forward.
“Which ships go into the city?”
A large, muscular snakeman soldier approached us, examining us from head to toe.
When he noticed the Wolf God wrapped in a cloak, a hint of hostility flashed through his eyes.
“You want to enter the city?”
I nodded and slipped him a silver coin.
“Please help us.”
He tossed the coin in his hand and said casually, “You may enter the city.”
“But weapons are forbidden.”
He pointed directly at my Black Sable.
I frowned.
“This sword is my life.”
“If you want more money, we can discuss it. But I cannot leave this sword here.”
The soldier’s expression hardened. He threw the coin back at me.
“This is the rule of the snakemen.”
“Follow it or get lost.”
A surge of killing intent erupted from me.
The air around the pier suddenly grew heavy with murderous pressure.
The snakeman trembled slightly.
“W-what are you planning to do?”
He fired a signal flare into the sky.
A streak of red light shot upward.
Within moments, snakemen began rushing toward us from every direction.
My patience was gone.
Jin grabbed my arm and shook his head.
I circulated the Heavenly Demon Art, using its cold dark energy to suppress my anger.
If I slaughtered them now, there would be no chance of reconciling with the snakemen tribe.
More and more soldiers gathered.
These were regular army snakemen wearing leather armor marked with the character “Vicious (凶).”
In a short time, nearly a thousand soldiers had surrounded the pier.
I desperately searched for a solution.
Beside me, the Wolf God remained completely unconcerned.
“Ha… Ha… Ha…”
“Who would have thought it was only that two-headed mongrel.”
“What’s wrong? Still dissatisfied after losing last time, so you came back for revenge?”
The voice thundered across the lake.
The surface of the water rippled violently.
All the snakemen soldiers immediately prostrated themselves on the ground and began praying devoutly.
Jin tore the cloak from his head.
“Bah! You nine-headed worm!”
“If you have the courage, come out and fight us!”
“What kind of coward hides in the water?”
The lake began vibrating more violently.
Ripples turned into waves.
“Watch out!” I shouted.
I leapt into the air, leaving the pier instantly.
The Wolf God followed a moment later.
A towering wave crashed onto the dock behind us.
Though it couldn’t harm us, being drenched before facing the Lernaean Hydra would have been humiliating.
We landed a hundred meters away.
Yin roared angrily.
“Nine-Headed Worm! Come out!”
“Are you only capable of attacking while hiding?”
The enormous wave had swept all the snakeman soldiers into the lake. Fortunately, they could swim easily.
They crawled out again and immediately prostrated themselves in worship.
Their arrogance had vanished completely.
“A defeated dog still dares bark in my domain.”
“Fine. I’ll show you my true power.”
The lake began to boil.
At the center of the water, enormous bubbles rose to the surface.
Then nine massive snake heads emerged.
Each head was as thick as a grown man’s torso.
Five central heads were different colors: purple in the center, blue and yellow to the left, red and green to the right.
These represented the four magic elements and one venom attribute.
Four additional armored heads surrounded them, covered with spikes and constantly swaying.
Yin transmitted her voice to me.
“Be careful, Lei Xiang.”
“This is the strongest form of that Nine-Headed Worm.”
“You’d better transform into that red form.”
“If we can’t defeat him, none of us will leave alive.”
At that moment I realized the Wolf God had exaggerated earlier.
There was no way they had ever fought this creature to a draw.
Even if I transformed, victory would not be certain.
Anger surged through me.
All the anger I felt toward the snakemen—their arrogance, brutality, and irrational behavior—rose to the surface.
But transforming into a Fallen Angel in front of so many people was impossible.
If the Beastmen discovered I possessed Demon Race power, how could I ever face them again?
My only option was to enter Berserk Transformation.
The central head of the Lernaean Hydra sneered.
“Two-headed mongrel, you have courage.”
“I spared your life last time, and you still dare return.”
Then it looked at me.
“So you brought a helper.”
“This little fellow seems somewhat capable.”
“You want to fight?”
“I hate being disturbed during my bath.”
It burst into manic laughter.
At the Hydra’s command, the surrounding snakemen retreated and began cheering for their sacred serpent.
The Wolf God howled furiously.
Their cloak shattered as powerful qi erupted from their bodies.
Golden and silver fur appeared.
Their body expanded rapidly.
Moments later, they transformed into a gigantic wolf nearly ten feet tall and thirty feet long—half gold, half silver.
Under the pressure of the Lernaean Hydra, the Wolf God had no choice but to reveal their true form.
The Hydra mocked them.
“What? Are you gambling with your life now?”
“You pathetic loser.”
The most frustrating part was that I still couldn’t enter Berserk.
For some reason, it had become harder to trigger it deliberately.
Perhaps the continuous growth of my Heavenly Demon Art had changed something.
Without Berserk, I couldn’t risk transforming into a Fallen Angel.
I transmitted my voice to the Wolf God.
“I can’t enter Berserk right now.”
“You go first.”
“I’ll join when the opportunity appears.”
Jin did not answer me. With a furious roar, the golden fur behind his neck stood upright. He opened his mouth and shot a massive fireball toward the venomous head of the Lernaean Hydra.
The fireball grew larger as it traveled through the air. Even from where I stood, I could feel the scorching heat radiating from it.
One of the Hydra’s blue heads swayed forward and spat out a large sphere of water to intercept the attack. The two spheres collided in midair with a sharp hissing sound. White steam billowed upward where fire and water met.
The Lernaean Hydra laughed.
“You two-headed mongrel, you fool. There is water everywhere here and you still attack me with fire? Take this!”
The Hydra’s massive body shifted, and the four outer heads lunged toward us. Three of them attacked the Wolf God, while one rushed straight toward me with its jaws wide open.
I remained calm. I focused my mind on Black Sable and raised it above my head. The sword flickered with a brilliant yellow light as it awaited the incoming attack.
When the snake head saw that I was not retreating, it accelerated toward me. The moment it came within three meters, I suddenly bent my legs and leapt into the air.
“Heavenly Berserk Mode!”
Mad God qi surged violently into Black Sable as I gripped it with both hands. A three-meter-long yellow blade of energy burst from the sword and slashed downward toward the gigantic snake head.
This was the first time I had witnessed such a reaction from Black Sable. It was also the first time I had used its full power after reaching the fourth tier of the Mad God Arts.
I never expected such a powerful effect.
The opponent was only one snake head connected to the body, and it could not dodge in time. The blade of energy struck directly down the center of the head.
The Lernaean Hydra and all nine of its heads let out a simultaneous roar of pain.
Blood sprayed violently from the wounded head. However, its defense was astonishing. If a Behemoth had taken that attack, its head would have been severed completely. Yet the Hydra’s head was only severely injured.
The Wolf God naturally would not miss such an opportunity.
Both wolf heads roared at the same time.
“Golden Yin Coiling Dragon Storm!”
The enormous wolf body spun at lightning speed. Golden qi formed the outer layer while silver qi swirled within. A tornado-like shockwave erupted outward with tremendous force.
The Lernaean Hydra had not expected the Wolf God to risk everything so quickly. Under the violent shockwave, the three attacking snake heads suffered heavy damage. One exploded instantly with a loud bang, while the other two were torn open and began gushing blood.
The Hydra had underestimated them and failed to unleash its full power, allowing them to seize the opportunity.
The four heavily injured snake heads hung limply to the sides. Massive amounts of blood poured into the lake, staining the water red.
The Lernaean Hydra convulsed violently in the water as it withdrew the injured heads.
After a furious scream, the five central heads launched their attacks simultaneously.
A storm of ice spikes, wind blades, and fire projectiles filled the sky and rained down toward us.
The two wolf heads quickly began chanting spells. Three layers of magical defensive barriers appeared in front of us, blocking the Hydra’s attacks.
Yin giggled as she controlled the barriers.
“This time that stinking worm is going to suffer badly. He never expected us to improve so much. We destroyed one of his heads right at the beginning. Our chances of winning are much higher now.”
Jin, however, had lost his earlier playfulness.
“Don’t get careless. This guy is not easy to deal with. Haven’t you suffered enough losses already?”
Then he spoke to me.
“Lei Xiang, if necessary, transform into a Fallen Angel later. That sword strike just now was incredibly powerful. Even without transforming, you managed to injure one of his heads.”
I could feel the Mad God qi within my body surging violently, eager to burst forth. A powerful desire to continue fighting rose inside me.
“Jin,” I said, “how about I fight him for a few rounds?”
Jin immediately shook his head.
“No. It’s too dangerous.”