Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Chapter 29 The 'Master' of Sapphire Bay

Sapphire Bay, Stone Castle.

Under Viola's command, the tree people scattered and went to find suitable land to take root within the cliff area.

Only two tree-men remained behind Viola; this was arranged by Allen to be used to hold the fort later.

On the way back, Allen received a telepathic message from Flintclaw, informing him that three merchant ships had entered the bay.

After learning about the group's situation through the flintlock, he quickly made some arrangements.

Allen decided to meet these people.

Although Sapphire Bay's harbor is now completely gone, it remains a natural safe haven.

Since you plan to do business in the harbor in the future, it is necessary to understand the future market conditions in advance.

All Allen knew was that this bay was very prosperous during the time of the Kingdom of Ono.

He needed to find out how maritime trade was going and whether there were any other seaports nearby.

"Viola, can these two tree-men follow behind me? I don't need them to do anything else."

Allen knew that Solina and Viola were disgusted by humans and therefore planned to go alone.

"no problem."

Viola quickly gave the two tree-men a task, and they obediently came to stand behind Allen.

"I'll be back soon."

Allen led the two tree-men down the mountain.

But before they had gone far, Solina caught up with them.

"Viola will prepare dinner; I'll go with you."

"You don't have to force yourself."

"No, since we're going to build a seaport, I'll have to deal with humans sooner or later, right?"

Solina bit her lip.

"I can't let you always fight alone."

Before Allen could say anything, Solina spoke up again:

"Besides... Viola has worked so hard to get the tree people to join us, and as the older sister, I can't just stay at home forever."

"So, I want to go with you!"

Seeing that Solina spoke with such certainty, Allen stopped trying to persuade her.

Solina is right. If this place is to be developed into a seaport in the future, Allen will need a real right-hand man.

Major issues are not important, but small things will inevitably arise in the development of a port, and people will always need to handle them.

Solina and Viola, who have signed a contract with him and will advance and retreat together, will be his greatest help.

This is simply the result of rational thinking.

Emotionally, Allen knew how much the half-elf sisters loathed... even feared, humans, so when faced with this situation, he still instinctively wanted to protect them.

Now that Solina is willing to take on more responsibility, Allen has no reason to stop her.

After thinking for a moment, he took Solina's hand.

"If you can't hold back, just grab my hand and leave. We don't necessarily have to start now."

"Hmm...okay..." Solina paused for a moment before responding softly.

……

On the beach, the setting sun dyed the sea a somber dark red.

Three merchant ships lay askew on the shallows, their decks bearing the dents left by the giant pincers of the fiddler crabs.

The sailors sat slumped on the beach, their faces filled with worry and unease.

They had been trapped here all day, from dawn till dusk.

They were unrestrained and unguarded, yet they were still confined to the beach.

This is because a large number of kobolds are lurking in the bushes and jungles surrounding the beach.

Anyone who dares to enter the jungle will be attacked without mercy.

Although they couldn't see what lay beneath the surface of the sea, they knew that a large number of fiddler crabs were constantly lurking in the shallow waters, ready to launch a deadly attack on anyone who dared to step back into the water.

Unable to set foot on land, and unable to return by sea...

They were not imprisoned, but had nowhere else to go.

First Mate Tom leaned against the rocks by the sea, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper were being rubbed.

"Captain... I've sailed with you on over twenty routes, and I've never seen anything like this before..."

"The Fiddler Crabs and the Kobolds... they've actually teamed up to attack us."

The first mate's throat burned as soon as he spoke. He shook the water bag, but it was empty.

Having spent most of his life at sea, he wouldn't try to quench his thirst by drinking seawater like a cucumber, so he shook his head and continued to endure it.

"I've dealt with kobolds before; these monsters are incredibly cowardly and never come out during the day..."

"But not only did these kobolds come out, their fighting power didn't seem to have diminished, and they weren't afraid of death at all! They almost bit off my toes!"

Captain Bulga replied, "Didn't you notice that kobold who can cast spells?"

"You noticed it? It's twice the size of the other kobolds and can summon fire. If it weren't for it, these kobolds wouldn't have been able to stop us..."

"No, its power lies not in its spellcasting ability, but in its battle cry."

Barga recalled the scene he witnessed when the city was besieged that morning.

"After the kobold leader let out that strange war cry, the kobolds became fearless, stronger, and no longer afraid of the sunlight."

"yes……"

The first mate didn't pay much attention to it; he figured that no matter how amazing it was, it was still just a kobold.

It's just that his bloodline has mutated, and he's learned a little magic.

He didn't care whether it was the roar or the flames that were special.

He only cared about one thing: "Captain, what kind of monster do you think this 'master' it's talking about is?"

"I don't know. Kobolds are low-level monsters. They are born to serve the strong, and most powerful magical creatures can lead them."

Balga looked out over the jungle on the shore, knowing that the kobolds were still watching them from the shadows of the trees.

The words of the dog-headed man with the staff that morning still echoed in his ears—

"This is the 'master's' territory. If you wish to go ashore, you must offer sacrifices to the 'master'!"

It was precisely because the kobold leader unusually spoke in Common and conveyed clear commands that they did not choose to fight to the death and remain locked in a stalemate with the kobolds on the beach.

From a human perspective, Bulga would suspect this was a delaying tactic to reduce casualties.

This group of people lacked water and food, and the longer the stalemate continued, the more their physical strength would be depleted.

Then the kobolds can wipe them out with minimal cost.

Although the kobolds might use tricks...

However, it's unlikely that the kobolds would use trickery.

Moreover, this so-called "master" who can simultaneously command both kobolds and crabmen must truly exist.

On this day, Barga had already noticed a stone fortress on the cliff.

Judging from the appearance of the stone fortress, the people living here are most likely humanoid beings.

Is he a dark wizard?

He had heard that in the vast wilderness west of Dorne, there lived many reclusive dark wizards who sought the power of ancient magic.

"Thump...thump..."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly, and everyone looked around in confusion.

But soon, their attention was drawn to the huge shadow in the direction of the cliff.