Ignoring the half-orc beside him, Lucas desperately yelled at the pigman elder as if he had just found his only hope of survival.
This pigman elder had once traded with him on behalf of the pigman tribe.
“You bastard! Shut up!”
The half-orc pinned Lucas to the ground. His immense strength nearly crushed Lucas's shoulder.
Lucas wailed in pain but still didn't stop shouting, which caught the pigman elder's attention.
“Lucas, it really is you.”
The pigman looked at Lucas, recognizing the human.
“Yes, it's me! It's me!”
Tears of pain welled up in Lucas's eyes, but he still nodded his head desperately in response.
“Beastkin warrior, let him go. He is harmless.”
The pigman elder said to the half-orc pinning Lucas.
“Yes, Elder.”
The half-orc warrior nodded in agreement and released Lucas.
The elders chosen by each race were the most prestigious or powerful entities among the monsters.
Even if an elder was not of their own race, the monsters would still treat them with respect.
After all, they all pledged loyalty to the same High Slime.
“Elder Pigman, where is this place? Can you save me? I'm willing to pay any price!”
Lucas, grasping at any straw to survive, did not know how long the pigman elder would talk to him.
So, he made his plea without hesitation.
“Mr. Lucas, this is the Slime Territory, and I do not have the authority to release you. Only the Lord can decide your fate.”
“The Lord?”
Lucas hurriedly spoke again.
“Can I meet the Lord?!”
“You're just a human captive! How dare you think you're worthy of seeing our great Lord!”
The nearby beastkin smacked Lucas hard on the head again.
“I'm a merchant! Perhaps we can strike a deal!”
“I can bring goods from the human world and trade with you long-term, Elder Pigman! Just like when I traded with your tribe!”
As a merchant, Lucas knew very well that if he wanted to survive at this moment, he had to prove his worth.
He had to show that the benefit he could create was far greater than the value of his death.
“Hmm, I will ask the Lord. Everything depends on the Lord's will.”
Lucas let out a sigh of relief, knowing this was the absolute limit of what he could achieve.
An opportunity to meet the monster lord, an opportunity to convince the monster lord to spare him.
“Is the Lord the Shadow Wolf King?”
The Shadow Wolf King, who commanded an entire pack of shadow wolves, was indeed qualified to rule over so many monsters.
But Lucas was still extremely curious about what kind of Shadow Wolf King could gather so many monsters of different races.
“Lord Dark Wolf is also merely a follower of the Lord.”
“What?!”
Lucas was incredulous, but at the same time, he felt that it made sense.
But still, a Shadow Wolf King leading an entire pack of shadow wolves—the most terrifying shadow killer in the Great Hera Forest—was actually just a follower, not the lord.
Just what kind of place was this...
“The elder has already left! Stop standing around like an idiot!”
The half-orc shoved Lucas hard, locking him and the bandits into a crude jail at the foot of the mountain.
Calling it a jail was a stretch; it was actually just a cell built around a natural cave at the foot of the mountain.
Outside the cell stood two robust half-orc guards.
Inside, there were only “beds” made of dry straw, and the cold at night forced everyone to huddle together for warmth.
And their food turned out to be goblin meat!
Suppressing his nausea, Lucas could only force down the goblin meat to stave off hunger.
The gamey stench and foul odor rushed straight up from his mouth to his brain, nearly making him throw up.
The once-arrogant bandits were now like frost-bitten eggplants, completely stripped of their bravado.
“Hey, Lucas, if you get to see the monster lord, please, save us!”
“We know we were wrong! We had our reasons too!”
“I really don't want to die, Lord Lucas! If you are willing to save me, I'll do whatever you want!”
“...”
In the dark and freezing cell that night, the bandits began “repenting” of their mistakes, hoping that Lucas, their only beacon of hope, would save them.
However, Lucas knew exactly what kind of people these bandits were.
A single description could sum up their evil deeds.
Human-shaped goblins.
The next day, having barely slept a wink, a haggard Lucas stared anxiously outside the cell door, waiting for a message from the monsters.
However, he received no response even by nightfall.
At this point, Lucas wondered if the pigman elder had completely forgotten about him.
On the morning of the third day, amidst his despair, Lucas finally saw a glimmer of hope.
He saw a pigman walk over and exchange a few words with the half-orc guards.
“Lucas, come out immediately! The Lord wishes to see you!”
“Yes, yes!”
Lucas scrambled to his feet, trying his best to make his filthy appearance look somewhat presentable. He then followed behind the pigman, passing through the cluster of buildings and walking up the mountain.
Unlike the bustling, noisy atmosphere where various monsters gathered at the base, it grew progressively quieter the higher they went up the mountain.
The pigman guiding him only stopped once they reached a cave at the summit.
However, Lucas stared at the side of the cave as if he had seen a ghost.
That was... a white dragon!
Why on earth is there a dragon here?!
“Awooo! What are you looking at? Stare any longer and I'll eat you!”
Vera noticed Lucas's gaze and turned to snap at him viciously.
Lucas quickly averted his eyes, his palms drenched in sweat.
He walked into the cave with trembling steps, unable to even begin to imagine what kind of existence this Lord was.
The inside of the cave maintained its natural, primitive state.
And sitting upon a circular stone platform deep inside the cave was a deep purple slime.
The stone platform was also draped with a layer of tiger skin.
No way...
“My Lord, the human merchant has arrived.”
Suppressing his fervor and excitement, the pigman spoke in as calm a voice as possible.
“Puji.”
“I see. You may leave.”
The deep purple slime displayed subtitles made of mucus.
A slime... a slime! How could it be a slime?!
Was this a High Slime? A rare High Slime... Ah, a High Slime...
Lucas's mind was in utter disarray.
Zoe looked at the dazed Lucas in front of him, doubting whether this human merchant was actually reliable.
“Puji.”
“Speak. How do you intend to prove that your life is worth sparing?”
Zoe displayed a new subtitle.
Lucas's merchant instincts quickly kicked in, allowing him to compose his emotions.
“I can bring you merchandise from human society, and I can also help you process various materials that monsters have no use for to trade for supplies you need more.”
“Such as high-quality equipment to arm your subjects, various types of grain, and some smaller items for your personal use that suit your noble status as Lord.”
Lucas wracked his brain, trying his absolute best to persuade Zoe.
After all, this was his only hope of staying alive.
The High Slime before him could easily decide his future with a single thought.
Furthermore, he truly felt that this was a brand-new opportunity.
This High Slime had actually managed to gather so many intelligent monsters deep in the Great Hera Forest, completely devoid of racial discord.
Under his command, he even had the loyalty of the Shadow Wolf King and a white dragon.
One could only imagine how vast the prospects of such a unique territory in the Great Hera Forest would be.
Countless struggling monsters throughout the southeastern region of the Great Hera Forest would gather here.
How immense were the business opportunities and potential here!
In the past, he had made decent profits just by trading with a few monster tribes in the southern part of the Great Hera Forest.
And if he could establish a trade route with such a massive monster territory...
Perhaps he could not only make a comeback but also reach unprecedented heights.
If he could also earn the favor of the High Slime in front of him, he might even gain a powerful backer in case he encountered danger in the southeastern Great Hera Forest in the future.
“Puji.”
“Can you provide what I want? Do you have that capability? Can you acquire everything I desire?”
“Can a ruined merchant like you satisfy my appetite?”
Rate on N.U.
