Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Each of these eggs is the size of a basketball, with a crystalline texture resembling red crystal, making them look like oversized oval gemstones.

"That's all..." Liu Nian's sharp gaze swept across the entire cave and island.

Strangely, he did not see the terrifying [Salamander Mother Laghsha (LV.100 Lord)] that the giant leader Ymir had specifically warned him about.

The cave was unusually quiet except for the gurgling sound of churning lava; there wasn't even a lair guard in sight.

"Could it be... that the fire lizards here were also lured away by the commotion caused by Yun Xiangrong and the others?"

Liu Nian thought to himself, if there were no guardians, the mission would be much simpler.

However, he dared not be careless, in case there was something hidden around here or in the lava.

Liu Nian took out the [Mirror 3000 Self-Replication Robot] and summoned a clone that looked exactly like him.

As soon as the mirror image appeared, it jumped off the rock platform where Liu Nian was hiding without hesitation and entered the nest. It swaggered along the edge of the lava lake, deliberately making some noise, and even picked up some red stones and threw them into the lava lake.

However, no fire lizards appeared until the clone disappeared.

The entire lava lake was completely still and empty.

"Really no monsters?"

That would be a godsend!

Liu Nian felt this was a golden opportunity. Looking at the hundreds of shimmering eggs on the island, a thought suddenly popped into his head: "These eggs...could they be pet eggs? It's such a waste to just destroy them. If we could take some back, wouldn't we be rich?"

Never mind, even if there are monsters lurking around, as long as he gets to the island, takes the egg, and uses Endless Fury Teleportation to escape!

The thought crossed his mind, and he immediately took action, quickly descending to the lakeside and launching Unstoppable Force + Shadow Strike to rush onto the island in the middle of the lake.

Upon arriving on the island, he immediately went to the nearest egg, intending to collect it directly, but unexpectedly, a notification sounded:

[Ding! System notification: This item is a "Clan Breeding Egg," which cannot be collected directly. It can only be collected after being converted into a pet egg.]

"No way..." Liu Nian pouted, somewhat disappointed.

The system mechanism restricts this kind of loophole-exploiting behavior; otherwise, pet eggs would indeed be rampant.

"It seems the only option is to destroy it."

Just as he was about to make a move, a deep and magnetic voice suddenly rang out from the depths of his mind without warning!

"Intruder, how about we make a deal?"

Liu Nian shuddered violently, realizing something was wrong, and immediately activated [Fungal Vein Teleportation] to prepare to run away.

However, he discovered that the teleportation was frozen!

He was told that it was unusable in the current state.

What's going on? This legendary equipment is already a disaster on its first use?

Immediately afterwards, Liu Nian felt the entire "island" beneath his feet suddenly tremble!

"Boom—!"

Liu Nian was horrified to see that the "island" he was standing on was slowly rising!

Large swaths of the cooled lava shell covering the surface peeled away, revealing incredibly vibrant, fiery red scales that looked like burning blood!

It turns out this wasn't an island at all!

This is clearly the back of a huge fire lizard!

He was standing right in the middle of the bulging back of this enormous fire lizard!

As the creature emerged from the lava, countless eggs, densely packed on the giant beast's carapace, also appeared, probably numbering in the thousands!

Liu Nian froze on the spot, turned his head, and watched as the edge of the "island" in front of him slowly rose up. A huge head, comparable to a small hill, rose from the lava lake, and three pairs of scorching red-gold vertical pupils, like miniature suns, locked onto his small figure with a scrutinizing gaze.

【Salamander Mother - Lagersha (LV.100 Lord)】

No wonder there are no guardians here!

It turns out she had never left her lair.

She is the nest itself!

The enormous vertical pupils stared at Liu Nian, and the thought resounded directly in his mind once more: "You need not be nervous, you insignificant intruder. If I wanted to kill you, you would have turned to ashes the moment you stepped on my back."

Liu Nian forced himself to calm down, but cold sweat still soaked his back.

It was impossible for him to resist a level 100 lord.

"What deal?" he replied.

"I am Lagersha, the Mother of Salamanders!"

The giant fire lizard continued to communicate with him telepathically: "You're not the first adventurer to arrive here. Long before you, a group of short, green-skinned adventurers also arrived and made some agreements with me! However…" Her anger traveled through his mind, "Those were treacherous villains! Not only did they fail to fulfill my request, but they also used despicable means to capture my children, twisting and transforming them… into hideous war machines!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Nian immediately understood that it must be those goblin players!

They entered the area earlier, presumably to receive some kind of mission, but instead of completing it, they attacked the fire lizards, which angered the mother fire lizard.

Lagosa is still in communication:

"Because I need to procreate, my power is deeply bound to this lava lake, preventing me from straying too far from this space. And though my people are numerous, they are no match for their cunning traps!"

"If you and the forces behind you can help me, I will reward you handsomely!"

With a ding, a system notification sounded in his mind:

[Quest: Drive out the goblins]

[Mission 1 (Individual): Kill at least 10 goblin player poachers who have infiltrated the lair.]

[Mission Two (Guild): Unite the guild's forces to drive out the goblin player faction active in the second layer of the Underdark!]

[Quest 1 Reward: Ragsha's Favorability +1000, Perfect Hellfire Gem x1, and immunity to being attacked by Fire Lizards within their territory]

[Reward for Task Two: All guild members will unlock an additional pet slot and receive a fire lizard pet.]

[WARNING: This quest conflicts with the Frost Giants Horde quest "Burn the Nest and Destroy the Eggs!" Please choose carefully.]

Liu Nian was stunned.

This reward is pretty awesome!

Everyone who participates in the guild will receive a fire lizard!

Salamanders are naturally immune to fire and also have the talent to detect cloaking, making them invaluable helpers, especially since they don't take up a slot in your pet inventory.

Unless you have a special profession, each player only has two basic pet slots. Now that you can get an extra one, it's definitely a great thing.

The problem is, this quest conflicts with the Frost Giants' quest...

What should we do?

Liu Nian immediately gave Wu Zhan a brief account of the situation.

Wu Zhan remained silent for a few seconds, clearly weighing the pros and cons quickly.

"...Liu Nian, this is a bit of a dilemma. In the long run, the Frost Giant storyline is very important, but giving each person an extra pet slot and a pet... that's a huge boost! Sigh, but these two factions are mortal enemies, and we can only choose one side..."

Liu Nian interrupted Wu Zhan: "President, there's really no choice. If I don't agree, I might not be able to leave here."

Wu Zhan's body trembled upon hearing this.

Yup!

Liu Nian is still standing on top of the boss!

"There's no other way," Wu Zhan said. "Alright, then don't hesitate, just accept it! I'll have everyone evacuate from the giant tribe, in case the shadow giants suddenly attack us if the mission is canceled..."

"That won't be necessary," Liu Nian said. "Actually, I have an idea: I can leave the guild!"