Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

The torrential rain poured down, washing away everything on the earth.

Allen dared not turn around, only feeling a sharp blade pressed against the back of his neck, sending a chill down his spine.

"Don't attack me, I mean no harm."

Allen slowly raised his unarmed hands, indicating that he posed no threat.

Since the opponent possessed the ability to kill with a single blow but did not make a move, Allen knew there was still room for negotiation.

As expected, the other party did not make any further moves, nor did they make a sound, seemingly hesitating.

Allen mustered up his courage and turned around, seeing the girl up close for the first time.

The first thing that catches the eye is a head of long, deep blue hair, followed by clear, azure eyes, and finally, skin as delicate and white as mother-of-pearl.

Allen had observed from a distance that she was almost half-naked, and that was not wrong.

She wasn't wearing any regular clothes made of cloth or animal hides, only some "clothing" made of seaweed leaves, coral, and shells, which barely covered a few sensitive parts of her body, and she stood barefoot on the seawater.

Although she was also being battered by the wind and rain, the rain seemed to be exceptionally lenient towards her, not making her hair into messy clumps, but instead letting it float slowly in the wind like a flowing curtain.

The heavy rain that made it hard for Allen to open his eyes seemed to circle around her eyes, while his sky-blue eyes were fixed on Allen.

The girl looked as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale he had heard in his previous life, which made him take a second look at her.

But the ancient dagger she pressed against Allen's throat reminded him that this was not the time to appreciate the scenery.

"Hello, my name is Allen."

The girl did not answer, but hesitated, as if she was struggling with whether to kill the child who looked even younger than herself.

"Could you move the knife away? I meant no harm."

"No ill intent? Why are you following me?" The girl's Common Tongue wasn't very fluent, so she spoke very briefly.

"I live here."

"Impossible, you're lying!"

The girl pushed the dagger forward, seemingly annoyed by Allen's answer.

"I'm not lying, it's true..."

Allen quickly pointed behind her.

"Do you see that stone fortress on the cliff over there? That's my home."

The girl turned slightly to the side, still somewhat doubtful, and glanced in the direction Allen was pointing.

Using the flash of lightning, she indeed saw a small to medium-sized ancient castle standing on the cliff.

"See, I wasn't lying to you, was I? You suddenly appeared near my house, so I came out to check it out."

Allen dared not speak too fast now, for fear that the girl might accidentally puncture a hole in his throat.

Fortunately, I was still young and my Adam's apple hadn't appeared yet, otherwise, with that dagger pressed against me, I wouldn't have been able to speak.

Seeing the girl still looking back and forth between the stone fortress and himself with a shocked expression, Allen tentatively reached out and pushed the dagger in front of him.

The girl did not react excessively; after realizing Allen's actions, she put the dagger away.

"What's your name?"

Allen breathed a sigh of relief. Although he already knew the girl's name was Ilaris, they hadn't officially exchanged names yet.

What brings you here? Perhaps I can help you.

The girl glanced at Allen, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "Ilaris."

"I came here to search for... ancient magic."

"Ancient magic?"

Allen raised an eyebrow. Coincidentally, he had recently encountered something related to ancient magic.

"I know something about ancient magic; perhaps I can take you there."

Ilarice's eyes clearly changed, and she excitedly asked, "Really?"

"Really, but what compensation can you offer for this?"

"remuneration……"

Ella paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you want? Money, or jewels?"

"I live alone in the deserted wilderness, and what you're saying won't help me."

Seeing that Eralis didn't object to the reward, Allen, considering her mermaid identity, asked:

"I live here and really need some help. Are you from the sea? Maybe we can help each other for a long time."

"No!"

To Allen's surprise, Ilarice immediately refused his request with a look of horror.

"We can't stay here long... here..."

Seeing Ella's strong reaction, Allen could only shrug: "If you're just here temporarily, then you can decide on some compensation."

"Are you still willing... to help me?" Ella was taken aback.

"Of course, it's just a small favor."

"Thank you, I will offer you compensation, as well as the friendship of our people."

"I am honored."

"..."

"..."

"Will you let the water that's clinging to my feet get away?"

"Oh! Sorry!"

……

So Alan took Ilaris to the kobolds' former cave.

Now that they know where the ancient magic is, this deal is really a piece of cake for Allen.

He wouldn't need that magical creation for quite some time, so exchanging it for some short-term gains wasn't a bad deal.

Importantly, Alaris's background is clearly not ordinary.

Moreover, he could see that Elarice was actually very kind and wanted to build a seaport, and that she might be able to become an ally of the mermaid race in the future.

This is of great value to the long-term goal of establishing a seaport.

As Allen walked, he chatted with Ilaris.

The main purpose was to find out Elaris's purpose and to find out what the "Trial of the Gods" was.

Unfortunately, Elarice kept her mouth shut, not even revealing her identity as a mermaid, let alone the real reason she came ashore.

All Allen knew was that the god she worshipped had the titles of "Lord of the Sea" and "Voice of the Tides".

But Allen continued chatting, wanting to establish a connection with the merfolk, and the personal goodwill of this sea god priest was also very important.

Since we can't ask the older ones, let's ask the younger ones and try to get closer.

"I saw a strange light on the sea at night, so I came out to investigate. Was that light emitted by you?"

"……yes."

"I followed you for a long time without you noticing, how did you finally find out about me?"

"The sea and the tides have told me your whereabouts."

Allen nodded. Judging from Ilaris's ability to manipulate seawater, he could roughly guess why she had been discovered.

Why...do you live here?

This was the first time Alaris had asked a question in half a day.

"They came from refugees."

Allen had nothing to hide about this part.

"I used to be a slave, but then by accident I gained some magical abilities, so I escaped."

Allen snapped his fingers, managing to conjure a tiny spark, but it was instantly extinguished by the heavy rain, emitting only a hissing sound.

"I ran and ran and ran, spending several months fleeing for my life in the wilderness."

"We were very fortunate to escape many dangers and eventually came to this place called Sapphire Bay, where we settled down."

"Sapphire Bay..."

Ellaris kept repeating the name Allen had mentioned.

Allen sensed that she seemed to have something to say, but then swallowed it back.

So he took the opportunity to talk about his plans to build a home here, laying the groundwork for a future opportunity to invite her to cooperate.

He talked as he went, and the girl listened as she went. The two walked into the mountains and soon arrived at the site of the cave where the kobolds had been buried.