Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 512 Passing by
Mitchell was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, his hair and beard bristling as he shouted, "What did you say?!"

“I have made myself very clear,” the serpent shook its neck, making a low clattering sound as its scales clattered, “I want a demigod, a living demigod. You can choose whoever you want; this is already a result considering the limits of your abilities. Otherwise, I would have specifically asked for Lucia Sanx—do you understand?”

Norn stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and roared, "Do you even understand what a demigod means? If we respect you, we call you Your Majesty; if we don't, you're a heretic, no different from those wild gods who died under the sword of Katopera during the Resurrection Era. And you dare to harbor such lustful thoughts towards a demigod?"

"Of course I understand what demigods mean!" The serpent's cold, vertical pupils stared directly at the two. "They are the chosen ones of heaven, possessing the bloodline of true gods, born kings and deities, capable of cultivating all the powers in the world without any constraints or bottlenecks—"

"I also understand that the reason why such monsters are born in this world is the result of mutual restraint and compromise among those beings called gods, kings, and deities. What I want is such a seed that is unrestricted and has unlimited potential. Do you understand?"

“Impossible!” Mitchell said coldly. “All of you are the offspring of our King Radagan and Marika. If you have the ability to take down Luciasanx, that’s fine, but none of the other demigods are worth sacrificing!”

“Then there’s nothing I can do,” Egret blinked her enormous, cave-like snake eyes. “I’ve already been lenient enough to allow you to choose one of them at will. To put it bluntly, all three demigods of Kalia are now your enemies. What can’t be sacrificed? Even if you can’t bear to part with those three, what about those two crippled cripples, Michaela and Malenia, and that idiot Grek who’s causing trouble for everyone? You can’t bear to part with them either?”

Mitchell slowly suppressed his anger, narrowed his eyes, and exhaled slowly, saying, "Your Majesty's request has exceeded the limits of what we can give. As for what to do next, Your Majesty, you should take care of yourself."

"Norn, let's go."

"Yes."

Watching the two secret envoys leave in a huff, the giant serpent shook its head mockingly, then stretched out its terrifying body and plunged back into the sea of ​​lava, leaving only the muffled roar of surging fire waves.

The return journey was similar to the one they had taken. The snake-man guards, clad in white robes, remained as silent as zombies. Norn, however, paid them no heed. He endured the journey until they reached a mountain path outside the cult's territory, where he finally spoke angrily: "This damned snake is truly ungrateful. How dare it ask our dynasty for a demigod as food? What's wrong with its brain?"

Mitchell was no longer as composed as when he arrived, his brows furrowed as he said, "The cult of the Serpent God has been based in the volcano for a thousand years. Originally, whether we came or not, they would have had to fight the ancient dragon army anyway. The higher-ups only promised Egret some benefits and lent a hand, as a way to reassure him and let him fight freely, to drag it out as long as possible. But now it seems that he has something else to rely on, which is what puzzles me the most."

Norn thought for a moment and said, "He said that if we can't get either Falsanx or Lera to leave, he will run away with the followers. Could it be that he has been digging tunnels deep in the mountains all these years so that he can escape in case of an emergency?"

"If it was just about escaping, he should have fled when the false god Marika defeated the Queen of Death and ended the War of the Gods. There was no way he would have signed that contract with Marika. Since he did sign it, it means he was unwilling to hide in the gutter like other heretical sects and be a stray dog ​​for the rest of his life. With this intention to stand on the surface, how could he be willing to give up the foundation that the volcano has built up over thousands of years?"

Norn was also puzzled, and then asked cautiously, "In your opinion, how does the Volcanic Serpent compare to Fulsancus and Lera? Could it be that it has made progress in recent years, which is why it dares to be so arrogant?"

Mitchell pondered for a moment and said, "In a one-on-one situation, Egret has the home advantage and should be able to fight either of those two to a standstill. But if the two of them team up, plus Ingwell, who is on par with Lords Ordovician and Silyuya, humph, he'd be lucky if he didn't get beaten to a pulp!"

Norn stumbled, speechless, and exclaimed, "My lord, you're always so upright and serious, how could you suddenly utter such foul language?" "Everyone has their temper," Mitchell spat onto the mountain path. "I'm not good with words, but this old bastard who's lived for over a thousand years has gone too far. It's one thing to be disrespectful to Prince Greik, that's barely true, but he even dared to call Princess Michaela and Princess Marlenia useless! Doesn't he know his own limitations?"

“Speaking of which, there are more than just a few demigods,” Norn said thoughtfully. “It’s a pity that those two ‘princes’ are not in the capital right now, otherwise this matter could still be discussed.”

"Watch your words!" Mitchell glared at his subordinate, reminding him, "His Majesty doesn't want to recruit this viper, but rather to buy him enough time to create opportunities for our next plan. Don't let short-term gains cloud your judgment. Even a defiled prince stripped of his royal status is not someone a heretic or evil god can lay a finger on. Understand?!"

This question was a wake-up call, and Norn was shaken to his core. He immediately bowed his head and agreed.

"My lord, what do we do next? The negotiations have fallen apart. Should we return the promised aid? Or should we just let Fulsanx and Lera attack the volcano together?"

"The material aid we discussed earlier will naturally not be provided. I will report the matter of sending troops to Karen and Pelum Fortress to my superiors. I estimate that they will still have to lend a hand, otherwise, if this snake dies too quickly and the preparations there are not completed, the consequences will be unimaginable. As for what happens next, let's take it one step at a time."

"Your Majesty, it is clear."

The two muttered to themselves and disappeared into the mountains. Less than half an hour later, Mongot and Monger led the ominous signs to appear behind the ridgeline on the other side.

"Ptooey—" Monger spat out a few mouthfuls of dust he'd ingested along the way. His bloodshot eyes, swollen from days of travel, were now filled with excitement. Gazing at the cult buildings so close at hand, he smacked his lips and said, "Finally here! By the way, brother, can you smell a dead rat in the air? Hmm, it smells like home—"

"What, are you regretting not keeping you in Rodel to watch the sewers back then, Lucia?"

"How could that be? I still prefer the Far East Islands. The fish there are much tastier than the cursed frogs, and there are beautiful women, especially hybrids and dragon-human hybrids—each one is more stunning than the last."

"Shut up." Montgomery tapped his brother on the back of the head with his tail mallet with practiced ease, then raised his binoculars to carefully observe the movements on the other side of the mountain.

Soon, the scouts sent out earlier returned and reported: "Your Highnesses, apart from the inside of the mountain, the total number of enemy troops outside is estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000. However, more than 70% of them are currently concentrated on the twelve outer peaks for defense, and the fortifications are all being built facing the main force of the Priest of Fur. Our army has no more than 2,000 enemy troops in front of us, and less than one in ten are armored."

"Good!" A glint flashed in Montgomery's eyes as he turned and said, "Give the order to execute the first plan: the entire army advance!"

(End of this chapter)