Chapter 330 - 288: Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi (Part 2)

"This prophecy," Shire asked after a moment of thought, "who told it to you?"

'It couldn't be something like Forest Whisper or the will of nature stirring up trouble again, could it?'

"We don't know. The prophecy is ancient. We cannot leave the area around the Lake of Darkness," the Frogman said, glancing at the nearby hole in the ground. "We don't know when it began, but the prophecy has been with us ever since. Croak."

"You can't leave?"

The Frogman nodded, then stared intently at Shire with its two black, horizontally rectangular pupils. "Are you really the saviors from the prophecy? Why are your hands and feet so different from ours? Croak."

Shire was still observing the creature's clothing and the Stone Spear it had held. It was clear these Frogmen belonged to a very primitive tribe, capable only of defending themselves with crude tools. As for digging open that tunnel, it would have been impossible without Iron Tools and considerable strength.

But after hearing what the creature said, he immediately waved his hands. "No, perhaps we aren't the saviors, but our leader definitely is."

With that, he immediately stood up and quickly scanned the surrounding crowd, searching for a certain figure. Unfortunately, there was no one but goblins and Centaurs; no other Races at all. Finally, through a gap in the crowd, he spotted the Naga Prince resting against a tree trunk not far away.

Shire strode over. "What are you doing? It's your turn."

"My turn for what?" Pazani asked, startled. He put away the animal hide. "I figured since there was nothing for me to do, I'd just take a break and save my work for later."

"No more putting it off. You're up," Shire said.

Pazani glanced toward the crowd, then back at Shire, completely baffled as to what use he could possibly be here. Why was he up now?

Shire sighed and briefly explained the situation. "So, that's the gist of it. You and that Frogman are both aquatic Races. We'll follow your lead. You're the savior."

"Uh, why?" Pazani asked, fidgeting with his fingers uneasily.

"Didn't you say your people were short on labor?" Shire explained. "These Frogmen don't seem particularly intelligent. Your clan could probably put them to work. Having them join you should help ease your manpower shortage." There was another reason he didn't mention: the mission's insignia showed two crossed swords, which hinted at a possible battle. If they could establish good relations with the Frogman Race, they might be able to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

Shire had no idea what they would find on this expedition, or what the Frogman tribe possessed, but avoiding a fight and bloodshed was always a good thing.

"But I'm no savior," Pazani said, looking down at himself, instinctively wanting to reject Shire's suggestion.

"Think of your coming-of-age trial. You can be," Shire said, annoyed. "You have to complete this expedition. And also, three days. After you complete the trial, you'll get an extra three days off every week."

"The trial..." The Naga Prince frowned. A few seconds later, he puffed out his chest. "I am the savior."

"That's right." A corner of Shire's mouth lifted. 'Just as I thought. Nothing motivates the Naga Prince like the promise of more time off.' "Now, great savior, it is your moment."

"My moment... My..." Pazani repeated, then asked in a daze, "My moment... what do I need to do?"

"You..." Shire glanced at the "naive" Naga Prince and sighed. "Just follow me. All you have to do is strike a majestic pose."

He then led Pazani over to Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi. "He is our true leader. It was he who told us to open that tunnel."

The Frogman tilted its head back, looking the Naga Prince up and down. Its eyes grew wider and wider the more it stared.

"See? He's very strong, isn't he?" Shire's voice chimed in via Fulu's Mind Platform. "He's also quite like your kind—he even has webbing between his fingers."

Pazani played along, puffing out his chest. His towering frame looked exceptionally imposing next to the one-meter-tall Frogman. He even held out his hands, proving Shire's words were true.

"Savior?" the Frogman muttered. "Savior, what took you so long? We lost several of our kin just a few days ago! Croak."

"Er..." Shire was taken aback by Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi's words. 'Looks like there's something else in the cave.'

"A fish. A big fish. It eats us. Croak."

"A fish?" Shire glanced at Pazani. "Savior, show him your Ability. Give him a demonstration."

The Naga Prince understood that much, at least. He spread his five webbed fingers, and a blue-and-white Ice Spear quickly materialized in his hand. Pazani then hurled it forward. BANG! The Ice Spear Technique struck a rock near the cave entrance, shattering it to pieces and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"With the savior here, you don't need to fear any big fish. As long as the savior is here, you will be safe," Shire said with a smile, patting the scales on the Naga Prince's side. "Now, can you take us to meet your people?"

...

"I'm not going to blow my cover, am I?" Pazani whispered, leaning close to Shire with his head lowered.

Shire, still smiling, waved at Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi, who had turned to look back at them. Without even turning his head, he replied, "What cover? You *are* the savior. Once you lead all these Frogmen back to your people's lands, won't you have saved them? It's not like there are any other big fish in Darren Lake, are there?"

"No big fish. We ate them all a long time ago. Now we even have to assign clansmen specifically to raise fish."

"Exactly. So once these Frogmen get to Darren Lake, they'll be saved. And that makes you their savior, doesn't it?" Shire glanced sideways at the still-apprehensive Naga Prince. "Don't worry. Their prophecy only says a savior will lead them to a more peaceful body of water to live in. You just happen to look the part."

Shire figured the Frogmen's prophecy didn't point to any specific individual or demand any world-shaking deed. It was likely just the spontaneous hope for a better future born from a race living in hardship. A prophecy like that would naturally arise when the Frogmen couldn't break through the rocks and were suffering from some kind of threat.

Besides, the creature had a very "wise" look in its eyes. It was a look he had often seen in his past life on the face of a certain type of pet—the Husky.

At the head of the party, Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi trotted along, hopping and skipping, carrying his crooked Stone Spear. At one point the long shaft got in his way and tripped him flat on his face. But that did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. He just scrambled back up and resumed his bouncy, skipping stride as he led the way. ℴℴ𝘮

The cave entrance wasn't very large. Even Pazani had to carefully maneuver around several sharp rocks to squeeze through. As for the Worker Ants, their bodies were too massive, so Shire had to leave them outside under the care of the Ant Farmers. He also left some of his people behind to stand guard.

The tunnel descended in a straight line. After a long flight of stairs, they reached level ground. Shire then saw Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi run ahead, shouting loudly, "CROAK! CROAK! CROAK!"

Before long, a group of Frogmen who looked just like him came swarming out. They leaped down from black, oval structures stacked together like capsule houses, gathering around Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi.

Immediately after, Shire was met with a chorus of frog calls. The sound of "CROAK! CROAK! CROAK!" was incessant.

A few minutes later, Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi strode up to Shire and Pazani on his bowlegs.

"Our Clan Leader wants to see you."