Six-Armed Serpent Demon

Page 129

An awkward silence fell over the study.

"This is impossible!"

Gullarian-Ottocan was furious. "You shameless pirates, trying to deceive the great bronze dragon!"

Before he could draw his sword, the three paladins stared in disbelief as the goblin carefully pulled a sweaty bronze plaque—a badge of a lower-ranking paladin from the city of Fiery Earth—from under his armpit. The plaque bore the emblem of the bronze dragon.

"I swear by my immortal soul to the great bronze dragon."

The goblin Maui's furry face gleamed with a holy and devout light. "This badge has a perfectly legitimate origin. It belongs to the patrons of this city, and is the true ruler of this city."

Gullrian Ottocan and his family brothers looked at each other.

According to the laws promulgated by the Bronze Dragons, if a small town has already been conquered and protected by another Bronze Dragon's emissary, then they have no right to touch the town.

But to give up such a lucrative opportunity is truly unacceptable.

Gullrian-Otucan did a quick calculation of the daily trade volume of this small island port. This town, situated at the crossroads of several shipping routes, was incredibly busy with freight and could be described as extremely wealthy.

To revive the Ottokan family, marriage alliances alone are far from enough; money is essential.

Gullrian-Otukan glanced discreetly at the other bronze dragon paladin who had remained silent.

I wish everyone who came this time was from my own family.

If they cover for each other and find a pretext to kill this lowly goblin bear, they can smoothly take over this small town.

However, the Bronze Dragons are extremely strict in this regard and will not allow anyone to exploit any loopholes. Therefore, whenever paladins undertake diplomatic or negotiation missions, at least two families will be dispatched to supervise each other.

Just then, another bronze dragon paladin spoke up; it was Juan Gilelo: "Who is your protector, and who gave you this badge?"

The bear goblin proudly puffed out its thick, furry chest.

“Lady Ivy-Beate,” he said loudly, “Blacksail Town no longer exists. The island and the town are now called Beate. This is because our conqueror and protector is the holy warrior from the City of Flame, Lady Ivy-Beate with fiery hair.”

Chapter 169 Unexpected

Ivy Beatrice…

Upon hearing the name, Juan Gierello paused for a second, then his eyes lit up. He involuntarily tensed every muscle beneath his bronze armor.

He, who was originally dejected, now exuded an astonishing pressure, like a sharp blade that had been wiped clean of rust.

The Otucan brothers also realized what was happening.

The two looked at each other.

This name... refers to the former fiancée of their deceased family prodigy, Losquez Ottokan.

Ivy Beate, the heiress of the prestigious Beate dragon family, caused quite a stir in the city of Flame Earth after her engagement to the Otukan family. Her aesthetic sense clashed drastically with the dragon race's appearance, leading her to refuse the marriage due to her perceived ugliness. This enraged many dragon families, who united to ostracize the Beate family, ultimately resulting in its downfall. Ivy Beate herself was reduced to a low-level clerk in Fire Harbor.

However, the situation in the City of Flame then changed dramatically, with various events occurring one after another, leaving people bewildered.

First, someone summoned demons to wreak havoc in the lower city, causing a series of bloody massacres. The city then realized that the followers of Demogorgon had seized control of Fireport. Next, the two-headed evil dragon attacked, destroying Fireport. Losx-Otukan, under the guise of a pilgrimage to Fireport, went to eliminate the demon cultists, only to be killed in battle. Finally, even the matriarch of House Otukan, the High Priestess of the Bronze Dragon, was inexplicably murdered in the Lower City Theater by "Burning Scar," a Greenman and leader of the Lower City gang. House Otukan plummeted from this point on, and had it not been for its flourishing branches, it would have almost followed in the footsteps of House Beate.

Time has passed, and the name Ivy Beatrice and her past have long been forgotten. Unexpectedly, her name is now being heard on an island thousands of miles away from the City of Flame.

"I remember... she went out to sea to be a fisherman, and in her next life she lived for herself?"

Iren-Otucan muttered to his brother, Gulerian, "Your wife was full of praise for what she said before she left. What was it again?"

Gullrian Ottokan remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard his brother's question at all. He didn't want to say a word about his wife, Amiya Shafrey.

That blind guy, Iren Otucan...

Gulerian mentally unleashed a torrent of abuse on Iren, cursing all of Iren's female ancestors, finally feeling a sense of relief. Then he remembered that his and his brother's female ancestors were naturally the same… and he became so frustrated he didn't want to say a word.

Juan Gierello's words broke the silence.

“The world is so big, I want to go see it,” he said softly, his eyes gleaming with nostalgia. “That’s what she said when she left.”

"What a coincidence."

Ellen Otukan couldn't help but complain: "Thinking about it, this noble lady's refusal of marriage led to the decline and destruction of her family; her trip to Fire Harbor resulted in the appearance of the Demon-Faithful Port Master; Losques Otukan's pilgrimage to Fire Harbor was probably also meant to show off in front of her, right? And then he never returned, and the Great Red Dragon of the Northern Federation just happened to arrive, burning the port to the ground... Wherever this young lady goes, corpses pile up like mountains; she's practically a walking jinx..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sudden roar from the side.

A tremendous force slammed Iren-Otukan's back against the wall, and before he could react, a gleaming sword pressed against his Adam's apple.

The sword hilt was firmly held in Juan Gielello's hand.

He stared intently at Iren, his eyes as fierce as a wounded lone wolf.

Guller-Lian Ottocan was stunned by the inexplicable infighting among his companions.

Juan Gielello, his wife's former fiancé.

After spending some time with him, Gulerian-Otucan felt that Juan was more like a gentle, melancholic scholar than a paladin. But he never expected that this seemingly harmless young man would suddenly erupt like a raging lion, and that the target of his outburst would be Iren, someone he had little contact with before.

What is all this?

At that moment, Iren's mind went blank. He was completely confused, only knowing to raise his hands for Juan to see, indicating that he had no intention of being his enemy.

Meanwhile, the acting governor of the Beate territory, who was sitting opposite, had already scurried under the table at top speed—a surprisingly large goblin. Only the acting governor's half-ogre bodyguard remained standing there dumbfounded, staring blankly at everyone, completely bewildered by the situation.

After a full ten seconds of stunned silence, Gulerian Otucan finally broke it: "Relax, Juan... Iren is my brother, our comrade, he, uh, he..."

Gulerian wanted to say "he meant no harm," but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that Illen hadn't done anything to Juan-Gierlo, and he didn't know what to say. After saying "he" several times, he finally said dryly, "Uh, he will apologize for his rudeness."

Juan didn't even look at Gulerian; he stared straight at Iren under the sword, his gaze sharper than the blade itself.

"Take back what you said."

The paladin Juan said, enunciating each word clearly, "She is not someone you can judge."

"I take it back."

Iren had no idea what he was saying; he just mechanically repeated, "I take back what I just said. I apologize. Please don't be impulsive."

Juan stared at him.

A few seconds later, the sword began to slowly retreat.

Just then, the half-ogre bodyguard suddenly roared, "Ah!"

Juan was startled by the shout, his hand trembled, and his sword nearly slit Iren's neck.

Then the bronze dragon paladins heard the half-ogre say gruffly to the exposed backside of the bear goblin under the table, "They seem to be fighting, boss."

Juan sheathed his sword, released Iren, and resumed his previous melancholic youthful expression. Everyone except the half-ogre bodyguard breathed a sigh of relief.

Even the goblin Maui got back into his chair from under the table.

“Ivy-Beate,” Juan looked at the goblin, “is she your protector?”

The goblin said respectfully, "Yes, Holy Knight."

"Where is she now?"

“She,” the goblin swallowed, “she won’t let me say it.”

He wanted to brush it off by saying "not on the island" or "don't know," but looking into the eyes of the bronze dragon paladin, he couldn't bring himself to say it. The paladin seemed quiet and shy, but his eyes were filled with fanaticism and determination that terrified the bear goblin.

The paladin Juan suddenly burst into laughter, feeling completely relaxed, as if he had suddenly let go of his worries.

“When did this happen?” asked Juan the Paladin. “I mean, when she became your protector.”

The goblin hesitated before answering, "A few months ago... about seven or eight months ago?"

If we calculate it this way, it was roughly that night after she said goodbye to herself and left Fire Harbor…

Juan the Holy Knight thought.

Guller-Lien had been listening silently, but when they fell silent, he asked Juan, "Do you know Ivy Beatrice?"

"We once..."

The paladin Juan hesitated, unsure how to describe their relationship. After all, he had only guided Ivy Beatrice a few times…

He simply stopped answering Gulelian's question and turned to ask the goblin bear, "Back then, this place must have been a pirate stronghold, right?"

The bear goblin nodded.

"Lady Beate defeated the Serpent People and the Casta Lizardmen pirates, conquered the town, and then she examined the crimes of each of us, killed all the pirates with blood on their hands, declared the island to be her territory, ordered the banning of piracy, and allowed us, the remaining people, to rebuild our territory and develop it into a trading port."

Juan Gierello was both surprised and incredulous.

"Just her alone?"

“Hmm, she has quite a few followers, including a Medusa, a three-masted sailing ship and nearly a hundred sailors, and two…” The goblin didn’t know what an owlbear was, and after thinking for a moment, said, “And two little bears with bird beaks…”

Holy Knight Juan was even more curious: "She also has a three-masted sailing ship?"

"Yes, that was originally a Keogu ship."

Upon hearing the name "Kioku," the Otukan brothers exchanged a glance. They hadn't expected to gather intelligence about their visiting dignitary here.

“A meteorite fell into the sea around that time, causing a great storm,” the goblin said. “Lady Beate saved the ship, and the Keogu sailors on board all pledged their allegiance to her. Those Keogu sailors knew of this island, so they came here to take shelter from the storm and repair their ship. Lady Beate also came, and then she discovered that it was inhabited by pirates, so…”

The bear goblin shrugged.

Juan Gielello let out a long sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, Lady Beate had a self-awakening, gave up her public office to become a fisherman and live for herself. As a result, she first conquered a three-masted sailing ship of the Keogu people, then conquered an island, and thus transformed into the lord of a small harbor town... This self-awakening is truly outrageous.

A sudden impulse surged within Juan, the paladin.

Perhaps it's time for me to make a choice about my destiny... Awaken myself, follow my heart, live for myself, and strive to pursue my own happiness?

The thought of Lady Beatrice's stunning beauty and her crystal-clear blue eyes stirred a surge of passion within Juan Gillespie, the Bronze Dragon Paladin.

He felt his lost youthful energy return.

"In the name of the City of Flame."

Just then, Juan heard Gulerian say in a deep voice, "I, Gulerian-Otukan, a high-ranking paladin of the Bronze Dragon, command you, lowly goblin, to immediately inform us of the whereabouts of Ivy Beate!"

Juan Gierello immediately interrupted him: "This island already belongs to her, and you have no right to interfere with her rule!"

"Don't misunderstand, I acknowledge that she is the protector of this island and this city."

Guller-Ang Ottocan smiles.

“But don’t forget, Juan-Gierlo. Even before she eloped, Ivy Beat was just a low-ranking paladin. After returning to Fireport, she was stripped of her official paladin status and could only work as a low-ranking clerk at the docks as a reserve officer. As for now, she has resigned and doesn’t even have a public office!”

He walked up to Juan the Paladin with a smile, looking directly into Juan's angry eyes.

“As a high-ranking paladin of the Bronze Dragons,” Gullrian-Otukan said, “I have the authority to conscript and vet any civilian of the City of Flame that has an interest in the ongoing military operations. And Ivy-Beat is clearly in league with the Keogu.”

Ellen-Otukan, who hadn't dared to say another word since earlier, proudly picked up where his brother left off: "They also have the right to temporarily take over the property of any civilian in any of the Fiery Earth Cities, especially when their interests are involved in our military operations—this is a law established by the Great Bronze Dragonflight."

Chapter 170 "She doesn't have that ability"

Three humans wearing bronze skins were speaking a complex language at an unimaginable speed.

The half-ogre bodyguard stared wide-eyed at the dazzling yet utterly incomprehensible scene before him, his mouth half-open, baring his fangs.

A faint green light flashed in his chaotic brown pupils.

From atop the Tower of Four Symbols, Ivy Beatrice watched the entire farce through the eyes of her half-ogre bodyguard. She found herself completely unmoved.

Juan Gierello angrily demanded arbitration.

But Ivy Beat knew it was no use, and Juan himself probably knew that too.

This guy, who calls himself "Gulerian Otucan," is determined to take over the city, and his superiors probably share that intention.

Beiate Island is situated on several shipping routes and has a natural harbor, making its value immeasurable.

Previously, the Northern Federation's fleet was too strong, preventing other Dragon Kings' armies from establishing a foothold at sea. Now that the invincible fleet is history, if the Bronze Dragons were to build a naval port here, they would control the vital passage to the Western Sea.

The goblin Maui muttered to himself, actually asking, "Master, what should I do?"

If they want it, give it to them.

Ivy-Beate gave a brief command to the goblin via telepathy: "If they ask about my whereabouts, hand them the communication crystal ball I left you."

There's no need to argue with someone who's about to die; it's not worth it.

The bear goblin Maui obeyed.

An hour later, a new wartime takeover agreement was freshly produced.

The Beiat territory was transformed into the Ottokan territory.

Acting Governor Maui the Goblin has officially stepped down, and the new Governor, Iren-Otucan, has taken office.

When Gullarian Ottocan once again asked the "humble goblin" to reveal Ivy Beatrice's whereabouts, the goblin obediently stood up.