Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Thump...thump...

Heavy, slow footsteps came from the direction of the cliff, and with each step, the sand trembled slightly.

The sailors looked up blankly, followed the sound, and their expressions changed instantly.

Two enormous tree shadows slowly descended from the mountain path—two tree-like figures, each several meters tall, were walking towards them.

Between the two tree-men, there were two human-sized figures.

Is he the "master" that the dog-headed man is talking about?

Without the captain giving any orders, all the sailors instantly tensed up and gripped their weapons tightly.

People who make a living at sea are never short of courage; if things go wrong, they are always ready to fight to the death.

Captain Balga also silently gripped the rapier at his waist.

Even disregarding his identity as a captain, he was a renowned swordsman among the southern kingdoms.

Amidst the tense and anxious gazes of the crowd, the two figures emerged from the shadows of the cliff and stepped into the afterglow of the setting sun.

Their appearances were now fully exposed to everyone.

To their utter surprise, what appeared before them were, in essence, just two children.

One of the boys was only thirteen or fourteen years old, with a rather thin build. He wore a short coat made of animal hide and had shoulder-length black hair.

The other girl looked a bit older than the boy, dressed in the same animal skin tunic and with long, golden-white hair. The only difference was that the pointed ears peeking out from her hair gave her some elven features.

The two people had clean faces and calm eyes, without bloodthirsty gazes or ominous wizard robes.

They looked...like ordinary young men and women living in seclusion in the mountains.

But the two of them were walking right between the two tall tree-men.

The tree-man strode heavily, protecting the two in the very center.

The beach was deathly silent.

The sailors looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

First Mate Tom stood frozen in place, his throat dry, and he murmured unconsciously:

"...This...this is the 'master' the kobolds were talking about?"

"Two... teenagers?"

Captain Balga was also stunned, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

No, including the tree people, there are now three different kinds of monsters gathered here.

These two young people couldn't possibly be as simple as they seem.

Perhaps... perhaps it's some kind of magical creature that has mastered shapeshifting.

Legend has it that magical creatures like dragons sometimes like to take the form of humanoid races, and he had encountered this a few times before.

Barga was only slightly taken aback, not dwelling too much on the surprise of things not going as expected, but quickly thinking about how to communicate with the "owner of Sapphire Bay".

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly stopped.

Between these two people, which one is the "master" the dog-headed man is referring to?

Given the assumption that the "master" of Sapphire Bay was a magical creature in disguise, Bulga knew that dealing with such a being meant that any words or actions that displeased it could lead to annihilation.

In his experience, rulers generally use very obvious external features to distinguish themselves from those around them.

The two were dressed in very rough animal skin garments, despite their gorgeous clothes.

A unique positioning... The two stood side by side in the center of the tree, even holding hands.

His superior gaze and demeanor... The boy's eyes were calm, even making him seem somewhat approachable.

The half-elf girl beside him, however, had her eyelids slightly lowered, and her gaze sweeping over them revealed undisguised disgust.

Could it be that this girl is the true owner of this place?

"Dear..."

Just as he was about to speak, Balga caught a glimpse of a rusty red figure darting over out of the corner of his eye.

It's the kobold leader who speaks Common Tongue.

The dog-headed man darted between the boys and girls as quickly as a dog, and then stuck out his tongue to lick the boy's heel.

"Don't stick your tongue out!"

"Yes... Dragon Lord..."

The kobold leader's pitiful appearance almost made Bulga bite his tongue.

It turns out that this approachable young man was the true master of the kobolds!

Moreover, what does "Dragon Lord" mean?

Could he be a giant dragon in disguise?

Before Bulga could think further, the boy spoke up: "You're the leader of this group?"

"Yes, I am the captain of this fleet, Balga Kold."

"Hello, I am Allen, the owner of Sapphire Bay."

"Welcome to Sapphire Bay. Depending on your behavior, we will decide whether to accept you or expel you."

Allen smiled gently.

"Of course, if you are our enemies, we will not refuse to kill you."

……

A moment later, Barga followed Allen and Solina onto the cliff he had gazed at many times before.

Looking down from the cliff, the entire beach is laid out before you.

At this moment, several bonfires were lit on the beach, and the kobolds, under Allen's orders, brought meat and fresh water.

Although they didn't have the sailors' favorite wine, their stroke of luck in escaping a desperate situation was enough for the sailors to relax.

Of course, this is all predicated on being able to reach an agreement with the owner of Sapphire Bay.

Before entering the stone fortress, Balga had already noticed that the cliff was surrounded by tree people disguised as giant trees.

If they can't reach an agreement, he probably won't be able to go back.

The sailors could only put up a final stand under Tom's leadership.

—If resistance is useful.

One second ago, Barga was worried about the upcoming negotiations, but as he entered the stone fortress, his worries were replaced by amazement.

Barga has traveled all over the country for many years and has seen a lot.

Before entering the stone fortress, I thought it was just a temporary dwelling built of stones in the wilderness, and could not even be called a building.

But once he got inside, he realized something was wrong.

This building is absolutely meticulously designed.

Balga is an old swordsman and captain whose years of training have given him eyesight with a precision that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

Upon entering the stone castle, he discovered that although the interior was not decorated, it looked very comfortable.

This is a pursuit of aesthetic order that is ingrained in the instincts of intelligent life.

He observed carefully and found that the distances between the walls and the stone fortress were as if they had been meticulously measured, and were exactly the same from any angle.

The same principle applies to the main hall inside the stone fortress, where the distance between the pillars and the angle at which they are arranged are just right.

Barga recalled an aesthetic theory popular in the southern countries that everything in the world has a perfect angle of division.

He used to scoff at this, considering it nothing more than the idle whining of nobles.

But after seeing the stone fortress, he began to doubt whether the theory was true.

Barga shook his head; these things weren't really important.

The important question is, where in the desolate wilderness would you find a master architect?

Then, this architect's painstaking design turned out to be just a temporary stone fortress?

Moreover, the entire building is almost entirely constructed of stone, a feat that would likely only be undertaken by the most expensive stonemason guild in the South.

Barga found himself increasingly confused about things, and he increasingly hoped to get the answers from the boy in front of him.

Upon entering the hall, at Allen's prompting, Balga sat down at the long table, while Allen sat at the other end. Solina did not sit down but stood behind him.

"Alright, Mr. Barga, let's talk about your 'toll fees' and 'accommodation fees'."