Chapter 4: It’s All the Great King’s Arrangement
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“Bang bang bang!”
As soon as Old Drill Wind saw Lin Nan, he immediately dropped to his knees, banging his head against the ground like it was the last game of his life.
Lin Nan, “……”
Heh, maybe it’s time you reflect on why, instead of signing treaties to maintain peace and stability in Chaos Forest, you decided to put on a dramatic show.
Scared that things wouldn’t escalate, you tried every trick in the book to ruin my little plan for survival. If it weren’t for your status as Cold Wind Cave’s elder, I would’ve sent you flying to the Pacific by now.
Old Drill Wind noticed that the Great King remained silent, clearly still brooding over yesterday’s spy fiasco. If he didn’t clear things up today, his chances of redeeming himself in her eyes would be toast.
Ahhh… what to do, what to do?
After all, everyone in Cold Wind City had seen the traitor among the forces. He couldn’t possibly turn the tide now.
Was he truly going to be done for today?
“Great King, I may not have earned any merits, but I’ve certainly put in my struggles. Please, consider my past loyalty and spare me just this once.”
It seemed Old Drill Wind still hadn’t come to grips with his mistake, so Lin Nan decided to give him a nudge.
“Why didn’t you follow what I instructed before? Why did you take matters into your own hands?”
Old Drill Wind’s heart dropped; the Great King was using this as an opportunity to let loose, and if he messed this up, he’d definitely meet his end.
“The Great King’s reputation is known far and wide. I never expected things would escalate to this point.
The small caves were routinely bullied by the Evil Merman Cave, and they’d long wanted to break free. As soon as they saw the Great King’s banner, they rushed to bow down, leaving me no chance to refuse.
I had no choice but to bring them along to sign the treaty with the Evil Merman Cave. But when we got there, surprise, surprise—the Evil Merman wasn’t home. The cave masters, who were already fuming with hatred, seized the opportunity and stormed in, burning the place to the ground before I could stop them!”
In just a few sentences, Old Drill Wind neatly wriggled out from under responsibility.
In short, it was all their fault; he had tried to stop it but failed.
Whether the Great King believed him or not, he sure did.
“So that’s how it was.”
Lin Nan had previously thought reasonably highly of Old Drill Wind; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent on a diplomatic mission.
After hearing his explanation, she was half-convinced and finally took his word for it.
However, it seemed this guy was channeling a bit too much luck—definitely not fit to deal with other monster clans anymore. Yet, credit where credit is due, Old Drill Wind had at least brought back nearly 3,000 defectors to Cold Wind City. In the eyes of others, that was a big achievement.
If things weren’t handled well, it could cool off people’s enthusiasm, so caution was warranted.
Just as Lin Nan pondered how to reassign Old Drill Wind’s role,
Old Drill Wind noticed Lin Nan had been quiet for a while and sneakily looked up to gauge the Great King’s expression. To his surprise, he spotted a young boy behind Lin Nan, clad in half armor and wielding a weapon.
He blinked his little green bean eyes, feeling like he’d seen this boy somewhere before.
Suddenly it hit him—wasn’t this the kid who escaped from the burning Evil Merman Cave unscathed?
What was he doing beside the Great King?
Old Drill Wind’s back broke out in a cold sweat.
There were so many people in the entourage; once they stuffed the boy into the embassy, he didn’t keep track of him again.
He initially thought he’d present the handsome young boy to the Great King upon returning to the city, but everyone in the delegation said they hadn’t seen him.
He was under the impression the kid snuck away during the night, regretting losing an opportunity to cozy up to the Great King.
Who would have thought he was standing right there, and looking all protective too?
Who… who was he?
Could it be that this kid was actually the person the Great King had placed in the Evil Merman Cave to keep tabs on everything?
In an instant, all the pieces came together in Old Drill Wind’s mind.
But then, his body started trembling involuntarily.
This was terrifying!
He thought everything was his own doing, not realizing the Great King had arranged everything perfectly before sending him off.
It must have gone like this.
As soon as the Evil Merman left the cave, the boy, acting as a spy, immediately reported back to the Great King.
Upon learning this, the Great King sent him to the Evil Merman Cave.
Though it looked like he was tasked with signing the treaty, the truth was, the Great King knew he would inevitably fail.
But why would the Great King arrange it like this?
Surely she figured him out, making him subconsciously show off his charm and people skills in the absence of any threat from the Evil Merman, effectively winning over all the cave dwellers without a single drop of bl**d shed.
In other words, he thought he had accomplished everything by himself, but really he was just a pawn in the Great King’s master plan.
And so far, the Great King had never mentioned any of this.
Without seeing that boy today, he might have gone to his grave clueless that the Great King was supporting him from behind the scenes, boosting his status in Cold Wind City.
And he had previously fantasized about leveling up to the position of the Second Great King or maybe even the Third Great King, when really anyone sent to the Evil Merman Cave would achieve similar results, all while the Great King entrusted him with the task.
So it struck him: the debt he owed the Great King was more significant than all of heaven and earth.
If the Great King were not present, he would’ve wanted to smack himself silly for getting so puffed up and cocky.
You’re just a dog under the Great King’s seat.
Only because your master feeds you can you eat.
Being loyal is your duty—after all, everything is within the Great King’s control. Just be a good prop; don’t think too much about anything else.
Otherwise, the day she finds you surplus to requirements is the day you meet your maker.
The Great King could squash you like a bug—easier than squashing an actual bug.
Originally, Old Drill Wind had high hopes for what the Great King would assign him next. Even with the traitor incident aside, he figured he was still a hero for Cold Wind City.
Yet now, even if the Great King told him to sweep the toilets, he would do it without hesitation.
Old Drill Wind was confident; even in toilet duty, he could do it spectacularly enough to impress the rest.
“With the population of Cold Wind City growing rapidly, it’s manageable to expand land, but some daily necessities are sorely lacking. Salt, sugar, and other basic seasonings are running low.
Given the deep misunderstandings between the monster and human races, it’s tough to get those goods flowing into Chaos Forest.
So this time, you’re going to the human world. You must find ways to open up trade routes and lay the groundwork for Cold Wind City’s continued development.
Remember, take it slow and steady; don’t be greedy or reckless. Don’t let the Immortal Gate catch on. Otherwise, whether the trade route stays open or not is secondary; your safety is what matters most.
Got it?”
Old Drill Wind declared resolutely, “Old Drill Wind will face torrents of fire and water without hesitation!”
You can count on me, Great King!
Leave this to Old Drill Wind; there won’t be a single problem!
P.S.: First update of the day! Please vote!
