Chapter 197: The Art Of Ass licking

Buzz!

Shocked glances immediately spread throughout the Halfling formation as the soldiers exchanged confused looks, uncertainty written across nearly every face. Some stared at Ka'z as though they had misheard him, while others looked toward Pumba as if waiting for their Chief Warrior to explain what was happening.

They had arrived expecting resistance. Their demands had been rejected for weeks, and the deadline had finally been reached. Most of them had prepared themselves for a confrontation with the Gnolls, perhaps even a bloody battle over the mines. The last thing any of them had expected was to arrive and find a young kobold standing before them, bowing respectfully to their leader.

Even Pumba stared at Ka'z with genuine shock.

He had expected the Gnolls to reject their demands and force the Halflings into battle. He had expected to negotiate, threaten, or perhaps fight. Instead, he had been greeted by a kobold who spoke to him as though they had known each other for years.

"Junior... Who are you?" Pumba asked calmly, although there was an edge to his voice.

Ka'z's eyes twitched the instant he heard the word. Thankfully, his head was still lowered, hiding his expression from the Halfling Chief Warrior.

'Who is this bastard calling Junior? I'll definitely get back at you for this insult!' Ka'z silently swore before forcing the irritation out of his mind.

He reminded himself why he was here, maintained the respectful facade on his face, and finally raised his head.

"Teacher, this Junior goes by Ka'z of the Vaal'kor Clan, stationed in the south. The one who led an army to the east to destroy the Ashmork Clan for the unjust murder of Prince Luther D' Lanthor!" Ka'z said with remarkable passion, his voice carrying the conviction of someone who genuinely regarded the dead prince as someone worth avenging.

Buzz!

The entire Halfling formation seemed to freeze.

Pumba's eyes widened.

Several soldiers exchanged horrified glances, while others instinctively tightened their grips around their weapons. The name Luther D' Lanthor carried enormous weight among them. The Halflings had maintained a close relationship with the Kingdom of Lanthor for generations, and Prince Luther had been one of the humans who regularly interacted with them.

He had visited their settlement multiple times during expeditions into the Evergreen Forest. He ate with them, spoke with their elders, studied their magic, and often spent time among their people before leaving with the rest of the Lanthor expedition.

To the Halflings, Luther had not simply been another human prince.

He had been someone they knew.

"How... How do you know Prince..." Pumba muttered, his voice suddenly lacking its earlier confidence.

"WHAT KIND OF TRICK IS THIS?!" A young Halfling suddenly shouted as he rode toward Pumba on a massive dire wolf.

His hair was black, and his crimson eyes were filled with suspicion. His hand was already resting near his dagger as he glared at Ka'z.

Pumba immediately raised one hand.

"Charles, you will remain quiet and only speak when you are given permission to. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Charles immediately pulled his dire wolf to a stop. His previously aggressive expression disappeared as he lowered his head.

"Yes, Father... My apologies."

Ka'z glanced toward him for only a moment.

'So this is his son.'

His dragon eyes briefly swept over Charles, and Ka'z immediately noticed the Silver Core within the young Halfling. It was considerably brighter and more developed than his own, indicating that Charles had likely spent years refining it under far better conditions than Ka'z had experienced.

Ka'z did not allow his gaze to linger. His attention returned to Pumba.

"Junior... How do you know Prince Luther D' Lanthor?" Pumba asked again, but his voice had become noticeably calmer. Even his gaze had softened slightly.

"As a child, I learned about the Prince, the Kingdom of Lanthor, and English from my clan elder Kong'gong. He was once an adventurer of the great kingdom in his younger days." Ka'z mixed the truth with his lies effortlessly.

Buzz!

This time, the reaction from the Halfling army was completely different.

The confusion disappeared.

Several Halflings exchanged looks of realization, while others stared at Ka'z with newfound respect.

There was a simple reason for it.

Nobody could leave the Evergreen Forest without passing through Halfling territory.

The Halflings were the ones who granted outsiders safe passage through the northern region, and anyone who had spent significant time traveling to the human kingdoms would have inevitably crossed paths with them.

And Kong'gong was not an ordinary traveler. He had once worked as an adventurer for the Kingdom of Lanthor.

The Halflings knew him.

"You are a kin of Brother Kong'gong?!" Pumba muttered in utter shock.

His expression changed completely.

When Kong'gong had reached the northern region decades ago, Pumba had still been an up and coming soldier within the Halfling army. He remembered the old kobold clearly. Kong'gong had been one of the few outsiders Pumba had met who genuinely wanted to see the larger world beyond the Evergreen Forest instead of remaining trapped within the ancient traditions and beliefs of his people.

Pumba had admired that about him. To him, Kong'gong had represented curiosity. And now, standing before him was a young kobold claiming to have been taught by that same Kong'gong.

"Yes, Teacher." Ka'z nodded firmly.

Pumba stared at him for another moment before his face suddenly split into a wide smile.

Then he laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

The elderly Halfling jumped from his brown bear and landed effortlessly on the ground before walking straight toward Ka'z. Before Ka'z could react, Pumba grabbed him and pulled him into a powerful embrace.

The sheer strength behind the hug stunned Ka'z. Pumba lifted him completely off the ground as though Ka'z weighed nothing.

Ka'z's body stiffened. 'If I fought this man, I would be dead in three exchanges or less!'

He kept his expression composed through sheer willpower as Pumba finally placed him back on the ground. The elderly Halfling kept one hand firmly on Ka'z's shoulder, his face still filled with a bright smile.

"Child, what brings you all the way to Galoria?" Pumba asked.

This time, he spoke in English. Ka'z immediately understood what was happening.

A test.

He smiled faintly before answering in the same language.

"My village was approached by the Gnolls two weeks ago, requesting help and sharing with us your demands. So I took it upon myself to come up here and educate their Chieftain on why they must not stand in your way, especially when your efforts are for the sake of the Kingdom of Lanthor. It took me three days, but I eventually convinced them. Now all the mines are open for your people."

Buzz!

Pumba's smile disappeared for a moment. The Halfling soldiers were equally stunned.

Not only had Ka'z answered in fluent English, he had apparently traveled all the way from the southern region simply to convince the Gnolls to cooperate with them.

Several Halflings glanced beyond Ka'z toward the Gnoll warriors standing behind him.

They had come unarmed.

Even Bao, the legendary Chief Warrior of Galoria, carried no weapon.

Pumba slowly turned toward Wolvrac.

"Is it true you people have decided to surrender your mines?" Pumba asked.

The old Chieftain stepped forward.

His expression was solemn, and although the words were part of Ka'z's carefully constructed plan, Wolvrac delivered them with enough sincerity to make them believable.

"Yes, Great Warrior. My people were informed of the greatness of the young kobold. How can we possibly stand against such a mighty force? We only ask that you make our loyalty known to the Kingdom when you get the chance. We, the Gnolls, wish to submit to the Kingdom of Lanthor as well."

Pumba's eyes widened.

He slowly turned toward the Halfling warriors behind him.

They were just as shaken.

Nobody had expected the surrender of the Gnolls to come from a people who had refused their demands for so long. More importantly, none of them had expected it to happen because of a young kobold they had never heard of.

For a moment, Pumba simply stared at Wolvrac, then he looked back at Ka'z.

The realization slowly settled in.

He had arrived expecting to force Galoria into submission. Instead, he had achieved one of the greatest diplomatic victories of his entire military career without drawing a single weapon.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Pumba threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

His laughter echoed across the hills of Galoria as the Halfling soldiers gradually began smiling among themselves.

To Pumba, this was victory.

A major source of conflict had disappeared without bloodshed, and the valuable mines would soon belong to the Kingdom of Lanthor.