I want to go too!

Chapter 221 I want to go too!

"Then it's settled." Ye Weian made the final decision. "I will personally go to the Swiftspear Clan's camp."

The moment the words were spoken, the slightly excited atmosphere in the council chamber was instantly overwhelmed by astonishment.

"No!" Morey was the first to jump in. "My lord, you are the lord! How can you risk your life in such danger? Even if those lizardmen are more reasonable than the Blackscale, they are still savage swamp tribes who eat raw meat and drink blood! What if the negotiations break down, what if they have malicious intentions?"

"My lord, please allow me to go in your place!" Volodya knelt on one knee, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his young face filled with determination. "Though I am not as wise as you, the people of the Sabassian family never fear battle! I swear on the honor of my family, I will not fail in my mission!"

"And me!" Orin stepped forward as well. "Sir, if you trust me, I, this old man, will go in your place!"

Even if those lizardmen turn against me, at least you can avenge me!

"Shut up, all of you." Ye Wei'an raised his hand and made a gesturing gesture.

The excited crowd instantly fell silent.

He looked around at the anxious faces, his gaze finally settling on Volodya.

"Knight Morey, I am grateful for your loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Volodya proudly puffed out his chest.

"You said you'd go in my place," Ye Wei'an continued. "Okay, then let me ask you, if you were the envoy, could you deal with the lizard?"

Do people communicate with each other?

Volodya was taken aback by his words, and finally shook her head: "I—I can't."

"And you? Can you?" Ye Wei'an looked at Aolin again. Aolin opened his mouth, finally managing to stammer, "Dogs—can't kobolds communicate with lizardmen? I can bring a kobold translator!"

"Kobold translators?" Ye Weian chuckled and shook his head. "Indeed, whether they're kobolds or lizardmen, they all speak Dragon Language, but there are differences between Dragon Languages—it's like everyone speaks a common language, but how much of the Sword Coast dialect do you understand?"

"—I can only understand a part of it."

"Then how can you think that kobolds and lizardmen can completely understand each other?" Ye Wei'an continued.

"Let me tell you, it's the same dragon language, but for lizardmen to hear kobolds is like you hearing Baldur's Gate people. Are you sure the kobolds you've found won't translate 'alliance' as 'declaration of war,' and 'dividing the hunting grounds' as 'submission and tribute'?"

Olin was speechless, his face turning bright red.

"But I can." Ye Wei'an held up a finger, a faint arcane glow emanating from its tip. "[Language Proficiency]"

This is a spell most mages know. With it, I can understand the lizardmen's hiss, and they can understand my every word. Within this territory, only I can ensure nothing goes wrong at the negotiating table.

The group looked at each other, and although they agreed with the reasoning, their worries remained undiminished.

“But my lord,” Lina couldn’t help but step forward, “even if you can communicate with them, what if they don’t want to talk at all? What if it’s a trap? What if they see you as easy prey? Then they’ll have to face a furious fire sorcerer.”

Ye Wei'an suddenly smiled.

There was no warmth in that smile, but the blue and white flames deep in his pupils suddenly blazed brightly, like two soul lamps lit in the netherworld.

He took a step forward, and the invisible magical field around him caused the candlelight to fall backward as if subjects were bowing their heads before a king.

"Besides Lucia, I am the strongest spellcaster in this territory. My very existence is a deterrent. Any leader of the Swiftspear clan who isn't stupid should understand that killing a human lord is easy, but enduring the revenge of a living mage is far more terrifying than withstanding the charge of a hundred knights."

At this point, his tone suddenly became more relaxed: "Besides, have you all forgotten that I know [Stealth Step] and [Advanced Invisibility]? If things really fall apart, and something unexpected happens—"

His figure suddenly blurred for a moment, like ink scattered by the wind, and the next second he was ten feet away.

window.

"—I run faster than anyone else." Ye Wei'an leaned against the window frame, turned around and laughed, "They can't stop me, and they can't catch me."

Having said all that, no one could offer any further words of dissuasion.

Morey opened his mouth, then finally let out a heavy sigh.

"—Your subordinate understands. But even for the sake of the territory's dignity, please take your most elite guards."

"Of course," Ye Wei'an withdrew the magic emanating from his body, his gaze softening slightly. "Now, is there anyone who wants to stop me?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Then, obey my orders."

He turned to Lina: "Go to Sword Valley and have Kane send over a kobold who understands the habits of the Swiftspear lizardmen. The most clever one."

"yes!"

"Morey, you're in charge of choosing the guards."

"clear."

"Silas, go and select some weapons, jewelry, etc., which I will give to the Swiftspear Lizardman as a gift."

"Leave it to me, sir."

"Everyone else, meeting adjourned."

After the meeting ended, the officials left the hall in twos and threes to attend to their own business.

However, as soon as Ye Wei'an stepped out of the council hall, someone blocked his way.

It's Ellen.

"Master," the maid said earnestly, "I want to accompany you on this mission."

"Of course, of course, when have I ever gone out without taking you with me?" Ye Wei'an waved his hand.

"And me too." Amarune suddenly emerged from the shadows. "You need the assistance of professionals to carry out this kind of negotiation work that goes deep into enemy territory."

Speaking of this, she was quite confident, "I'm good at direct negotiations, picking locks, gathering intelligence, and stealth. No one is more suitable for this kind of mission than me."

Ye Wei'an nodded: "Then count you in too."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two more figures emerged from around the corner of the corridor.

Naphora and Idhela were followed by several other magic apprentices.

"Teacher!" Flora stepped forward quickly. "We'd like to apply to go too! My magic is already quite proficient, it'll definitely come in handy." The other magic apprentices nodded in agreement.

"No." This time, Ye Wei'an refused, his tone leaving no room for argument. "This mission is too dangerous; you're not strong enough."

Flora became anxious: "But teacher, our territory's irrigation canal construction is at a critical stage," Yevian stopped her, "now we need you to stay at the Maloren Resting Place to help maintain the project."

"But the canal is almost finished!" Flora argued indignantly. "The earthwork is basically done, and we don't need to use [Soil Shaping Technique] to dig anymore! Teacher, let us go, we promise we won't hold you back." "What happens after the digging is done?" Ye Weian countered. "You should have seen what they've been doing at the canal outlet these past two days. Before the main canal is completed, they need to build a cofferdam at the outlet to drain the water inside, so they can repair the outlet and install the gate chamber and flood control gate."

"Then what does this have to do with our work?" Idhaila asked.

"Building a dike requires drainage equipment, but we lack that in our territory. You can't expect them to use manual water-retaining methods, can you? That would require kilns..."

"Until when?" Ye Wei'an explained, "Therefore, I need you to use [Water Manipulation] to divert and drain water to keep the cofferdam dry, and to be present throughout the construction period in case of any accidents."

"this----"

"Flora, Idhra, and you all, you're quite proficient in [Clay Shaping], but I suppose you haven't yet mastered [Water Manipulation]. Take advantage of this construction period, it's a good time to practice on the job, and master these basic tricks. It will be beneficial for your future studies of higher-level spells."

"yes----"

The apprentices responded in hushed tones.

"Work always needs to be done by someone; if you don't do it, someone else will."

Seeing their disappointed expressions, Ye Wei'an softened his tone.

"Yes, the glory won on the battlefield and in adventures is most tempting, but the work of building up territory is also noble. Leaving you behind isn't because you're unimportant; on the contrary, it's because you're so important. Understand?"

Flora opened her mouth, as if to say something more, but meeting Ye Wei'an's expectant gaze, the girl ultimately swallowed her words.

She lowered her head, kicked the floor in frustration, and muttered, "—I understand, teacher."

Idhai tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Let's go, Flora. The lord is right—wait until we..."

"A bit stronger."

The two left dejectedly.

Seeing that even the two most favored classmates had failed to qualify to accompany them, the other magic apprentices had no choice but to leave as well.

After persuading the apprentice to leave, Ye Wei'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as they left the castle, they were stopped again.

No, strictly speaking, what stopped him wasn't a person, but a huge owl-bear.

Lucia was panting heavily, with a few fallen leaves still clinging to her brown feathers, clearly having run all the way here.

"I heard! You're going deep into the swamp to find the Swiftspear Lizardmen? I want to go too!"

"Lucia, this is a military mission, not a picnic," Ye Weian reminded her.

"I know!" the druid complained, raising his chin. "But I'm stuck in the territory all day, either using [Turn Mud to Stone] on the irrigation ditches or practicing druidic spells with those kids. I haven't been out in ages, I feel like I'm going moldy!"

"I am a druid, and the Thun Swamp is my home turf. I can help you identify poisonous creatures, find clean water sources, and even communicate with the animals in the swamp—"

"So, you want to go out for some fresh air with me, right?" Ye Wei'an concluded.

"Yes, yes," Lucia pleaded, staring at him. "Please, let me go with you."

"Alright, alright, I'll take you with me then." Ye Wei'an finally agreed.

"Yay!" Lucia cheered, her massive body nearly knocking over the bushes beside her.

"But you have to promise me one thing," Ye Wei'an suddenly added. "What?"

"Once you enter the swamp, you must stay with the main group and not wander off."

Lucia paused for a moment, then giggled, "Deal!"

The day after the letter was delivered to Sword Valley, a group of dusty riders appeared outside the north gate of Maloren's Resting Place.

The lead knight's armor was still stained with mud, clearly indicating that he had been traveling at high speed without rest.

On his horse, a series of thin figures were tied with ropes, which drew the attention of the city gate guards. It was a dog-headed man, wrapped in a coarse hemp cloak that clearly did not fit him, and his long tail was pacing nervously against the horse's belly.

Yevian received the messenger in the castle hall.

When his gaze fell on the kobold, the creature seemed to be struck by lightning, suddenly curling into a ball and letting out a whimper.

"M-Master—" This kobold could speak Common Tongue, but its accent sounded like it was grinding stones. "This humble one—hiss—is Nath. Lord Zazus's—hiss—errand boy. Here to obey my master."

Ye Wei'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

He recognized the kobold—it was this very man who had provided information about the lizardmen when the Grak tribe was conquered.

"Get up," Ye Wei'an said gently, soothingly. "I remember you. Grak's personal guard, right?"

"Yes, yes!" Nass trembled even more violently upon hearing this, as if the word "remember" was more terrifying than any threat.

It cautiously raised one eye to peek at Ye Wei'an's expression, then quickly lowered it again. "Master—"

Hiss—eyes glowing, can see everything! I used to be a worm in the mud, offended my master—please have mercy, please don't let Nas burn—"

Seeing him trembling all over, Ye Wei'an didn't know how to comfort him.

In fact, to this kobold, Ye Wei'an was more than just a "lord".

He once slew the chieftain Grak and burned countless kobolds to ashes with cursed fire—to the kobolds who participated in that battle, Yevian was a symbol of nightmares.

If Zazus hadn't been a Scale Sorcerer with some knowledge, he wouldn't have fared much better when facing Ye Weian.

"I asked you to come here because I need your help." Ye Wei'an abandoned any attempt at appeasement and went straight to the point. "I plan to visit the Swiftspear Lizardmen and need you to show me the way."

Nas froze, and the tip of his tail snapped straight up.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a long time.

"What? You don't want to?"

"No, no, no!" Nas suddenly dropped to the ground, pressing his head tightly into the crack in the stone slab. "What the adults said—hiss—"

It's an order! Nass will obey, even at the cost of his life! But—"

It glanced at Ye Weian, "This little one—hiss—I've only ever seen them from afar before. I heard the Great Chief—no, that dead bald-tailed one—talk about those green lizards. This little one has never been to the green lizards' lair—I really haven't. I'm afraid of leading you astray, afraid that my master—hiss—will be disappointed."

"Don't worry, as long as you try your best, I won't punish you even if you can't find it," Ye Wei'an waved his hand. "But if you deliberately lead the wrong way—"

"I wouldn't dare! I absolutely wouldn't dare!" Nas almost screamed as he interrupted him. "My lord, please investigate! Nas's life—hiss—is yours! Nas would never dare to lie to my lord!"

"That's good." Ye Wei'an withdrew his gaze. "Go and rest. We'll set off tomorrow."

Nass felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he crawled backward out of the hall, almost tripping over the threshold.

Watching its hastily fleeing figure, Eileen muttered to herself, "Master, is this guy reliable?"

"It's easier to control someone who's timid," Ye Wei'an said calmly.

In fact, Nas was not like that in Sword Valley.

Even when facing the person in charge of the Sword Valley outpost, their supreme leader—Kane—he could speak normally.

The messenger said that this guy is actually the second-in-command of the kobolds.

It can only be said that Ye Wei'an's influence over the kobolds was still too strong.

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