Chapter 729: Conspiracy
After all this hardship, a glimmer of hope finally appeared. Even the most ordinary tribe member would cling to this final lifeline. Now, anyone who dares to touch this outsider will face more than exile—the best outcome would be to be reduced to ashes in the flames...
This person must not be touched for now. Absolutely not.
The Third Elder clenched his fists, hatred gnawing at him. He wanted to skin Leon alive, to torment him to death—but at a time like this, he dared not make a move.
But Jairus was blinded by rage, unable to listen to reason. He still believed, even now, that his last defeat was just carelessness—a sneak attack, nothing more.
“Father, that damned outsider is definitely a spy. The only way he could know so much is if Elsa, that wretch, told him. Our tribe has searched for the Life Sigil Crystal’s artifact incarnation for years and found nothing. How could an outsider possibly find it? The God-Demon Dominion is too vast, too complex. We’ve searched for a hundred years and come up empty...
How could an outsider find it so quickly? If you ask me, he’s stalling for time. If he spends twenty years searching and still finds nothing, he’ll just say we spent a century and couldn’t find it either—so it’s only natural he failed.
When disaster strikes our tribe, he’ll slip away unscathed. Jeremy’s grudge cannot go unavenged!
Father, you saw how that damned outsider treated you. And now, with Uncle lost in the Shadowdream, when he wakes and learns of this, what will he think of you?
An outsider, just a mere ninth-rank mage, a disgrace who only knows how to sneak attack—after hurting Jeremy, he dares swagger into the Dark Elf tribe, and you let Jeremy’s enemy go unpunished! You didn’t avenge Jeremy at all!”
Jairus lost control for a moment and began to accuse his father.
The Third Elder barked, "Enough! What do you know? That outsider is not so simple. Not only can we not touch him now, but he himself is far from ordinary."
Jairus was momentarily stunned, then muttered disdainfully, "What’s so special about him? He’s just a ninth-rank mage. I saw him myself—he was still reading first-level spell incantations, and he couldn’t even figure those out. If I hadn’t been careless, how could he have succeeded with a sneak attack…"
Jairus was dismissive of his father’s caution. Old age just makes you too careful. If you weren’t so cautious, you’d be more than just the Third Elder by now…
But Jairus only dared to mutter this in his heart; he wouldn’t dare say it out loud.
The Third Elder’s expression was grim as he explained in a low voice.
"You underestimate that outsider. He may only be a ninth-rank mage, but I’ve seen him cast spells—his speed far surpasses that of ordinary ninth-rank mages. For a human, even his instant-cast spells are powerful, on par with our tribe’s first- or second-rank titled mages."
And his companions are even more extraordinary. I had someone investigate in secret: that woman is actually a thirty-eighth rank Frost Dragon. You’ve heard of how formidable Frost Dragons are in our tribe—you’re no match for her. Add to that the Beastman Sword Saint, the Alchemical Golem, and the outsider’s True Spirit Artifact—they’re all extremely powerful…
This person must be a highly valued junior from some major power outside. He’s definitely not simple. If we act rashly, there’s a good chance we won’t be able to kill them, and we might even expose ourselves. Then we’d be betraying the tribe…
Jairus looked incredulous. "What? A dragon? That damned outsider actually has a dragon at his side? Father, are you saying you can’t kill them either? No, we just need to kill that damned outsider!"
Yes, that’s it. As long as we kill that infuriating outsider—what was his name, Leon?
His followers may be strong, but he himself is weak. Kill him, and his followers will naturally leave. Let’s just kill Leon—killing him will be easy.
Jairus’s face broke into a slight smile.
Father, that damned outsider is too weak. His followers can’t protect him forever. You could wipe him out with a single high-level spell. As for his followers, if they survive, it doesn’t matter. As soon as Leon dies, his stalling tactics become pointless, and the tribe won’t care.
The Third Elder shook his head.
No, it won’t work. If I personally make a move, I’m sure I could kill Leon. He’s stronger than most mages of his rank, about equal to a newly advanced Title Archmage among the Dark Elves. But they’re outside the tribe now—I can’t leave. The tribe’s leaders all know I have a conflict with Leon, and the Fourth Elder keeps a close watch on me. I have no chance to act.
Jairus blurted out, "We could have someone else do it!"
The Third Elder shook his head. "No, it won’t work. The outsider’s followers are strong. There are only a few in the tribe who could be sure to kill them, and anyone weaker would have little hope of a successful ambush on Leon."
Jairus’s eyes shifted, as if he’d thought of something.
How could that damned outsider be so weak, yet have such powerful followers? Even a dragon! But so what if he’s protected by a dragon? If his own strength is lacking, he’ll be a burden in front of strong enemies. Even the dragon can’t guarantee his safety.
If there’s no one in the tribe who can do it, then find someone outside. Didn’t some Ashen Orcs come by before? If we use Ashen Orcs’ power, we can definitely kill that damned outsider!
“Father, didn’t an Ashen Orc emissary come to you before? Said they wanted to join forces against the Firerock Dwarves…”
As soon as Jairus said this, the Third Elder’s expression changed dramatically.
No, absolutely not! How could we ask those Ashen Orcs—filthy beasts with abyssal demon blood—to deal with an outsider? That would be betraying the tribe!
Are Ashen Orcs really trustworthy? If they were sincere, we’d have seen results by now. If we go to them, we’d be selling out the tribe.
The tribe has suffered enough over the years. If we sell out our interests, even if we defeat the Firerock Dwarves, we’ll end up weaker than the Ashen Orcs. My position would be at risk.
The Third Elder refused Jairus’s suggestion without a second thought.
Jairus was startled, but seeing only a refusal and no harsh words, he felt reassured.
Since Father only refused, without scolding me or mentioning tribal law, there’s room for negotiation…
If no one in the tribe can act, then outside the tribe—if that damned outsider runs into Ashen Orcs and gets killed, no one will blame us.
Besides, that outsider is so weak. If he happens to run into an Ashen Orc army and gets killed, it’s perfectly normal.
Father, how is that betraying the tribe’s interests?
Jairus retorted righteously, then, without waiting for his father to reply, continued explaining.
Father, allying with the Ashen Orcs is to deal with the Firerock Dwarves. Over the years, those red-skinned dwarves have grown stronger and taken more territory. Life has become harder for us. The Ashen Orcs may be filthy demon-blooded creatures, but using their strength against the dwarves would benefit the tribe.
The Third Elder’s expression softened, and after careful consideration, it did seem to make sense.
In the God-Demon Dominion, there are three great races: Dark Elves, Ashen Orcs, and Firerock Dwarves. The dwarves are the strongest. The red-skinned dwarves are masters of forging and rarely fight with the other two tribes, but the Ashen Orcs and Dark Elves have frequent conflicts.
Over the years, neither Ashen Orcs nor Dark Elves have grown much stronger, but the dwarves have quietly prospered, growing ever more powerful and benefiting from the conflict between the other two.
If this continues, the dwarves’ strength will far surpass the other two races. The Dark Elves, already the weakest, will be in danger.
Now the Ashen Orcs are ambitious and want to deal with the dwarves. Weakening both sides would be best.
Seeing hope, Jairus hurried to persuade further.
Besides, Father, we’re just dealing with the red-skinned dwarves. If an ally conveniently kills a weak outsider for us, it’s nothing. In fact, just mentioning it might prompt the Ashen Orcs to do it for us.
The Third Elder nodded secretly, finding Jairus’s argument persuasive.
That’s right, Jeremy’s grudge must be avenged. Otherwise, when my elder brother awakens, I won’t be able to explain. And that damned outsider really deserves to die.
Now I’m just dealing with the dwarves. If those Ashen Orcs—whose brains are full of magma—happen to kill the outsider, isn’t that perfect?
Not only have I not betrayed the tribe’s interests, I’ve even gained for the tribe—and gotten rid of that damned outsider. The best of both worlds.