Chapter 331 - 289: The Frogman Race’s Good Stuff

Shire had originally assumed the Frogmen were a race just like goblins. Judging by the "wise" look in their eyes, he had naturally categorized them as the "persuadable" type.

However, after learning the meaning behind Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi's name, he started to have his doubts.

The name meant this Frogman was the 23,571st member of the clan, something Shire found utterly incredible. He was amazed that these creatures, who stood only a meter tall—some even shorter—could count so high. Goblins, by contrast, could only count as high as the number of their own toes. If a goblin happened to be missing a few fingers or toes, it definitely wouldn't even be able to count to twenty.

In his subsequent conversations with Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi, he learned this was a Frogman naming tradition. In the past, Frogmen could lay many eggs at once. Even though the survival rate was very low in this sealed cavern, a considerable number of eggs still managed to survive. To keep track of the clan's members, they had simply given the newborn Frogmen these numerical names.

Furthermore, it seemed their only real Ability was in counting. Their development in other technologies and production methods was extremely limited, exemplified by the black structures Shire saw before him.

These elliptical structures looked like oversized capsules or giant eggs, but the space inside was tight; the total area was likely less than ten square meters.

Factoring in the crude Stone Spear that Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi had been carrying, Shire concluded that the Frogmen were probably still persuadable after all.

But first, he had to win over the Frogman Clan Leader in front of him.

"Outsider, I am the Clan Leader of this group. My name is Wawa One Four Four. Croak." The Frogman Clan Leader sat erect on a white stone platform, looking up at the Naga Prince before him.

He was looking up because the space inside the black, egg-shaped building was incredibly tight. After Pazani squeezed in, he had to curl his body and struggle to keep his head from hitting the ceiling. To make room for Shire, a small section of his tail was even left dangling outside the structure.

With a Naga and a goblin crammed inside, plus the Frogman Clan Leader himself, the structure felt incredibly awkward and tight. This, however, only bolstered Shire's confidence.

"Greetings, Clan Leader." Pazani grinned, his four fleshy whiskers twitching as he chuckled unnaturally. It was obvious he was quite uncomfortable.

Shire, on the other hand, simply sat down cross-legged, affecting the air of a mere follower.

"I heard about you from Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi. I never imagined someone would actually enter through the Egg-Birth Gate," the Frogman Clan Leader said, a faint, barely-there smile on his face. "So, what brings you to this place? Croak."

"We're here to..." Pazani hesitated, his eyes flicking to Shire, who was seated beside him. "We're here to explore."

"'Explore?'" The Clan Leader paused. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon Shire, who was examining the walls of the structure. A few seconds later, his tone of voice changed. "So that's how it is. It seems you are the true leader of this expedition. The one from the prophecy. Croak."

Shire stopped his inspection of the walls and met the Clan Leader's gaze. The leader's words were unexpected, but then he reconsidered. 'It does make sense, though. A Clan Leader, after all, is no small fry like Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi. He wouldn't be so easy to deceive.'

"I apologize for deceiving you earlier," Shire admitted freely. "It was only for the sake of making contact. Please, rest assured we mean you no harm."

He raised both his hands, showing that he was harmless.

"Then, tell me your intentions. Croak." The Frogman Clan Leader didn't seem to take offense, instead asking calmly.

This caught Shire by surprise. He had always assumed that the races of the forest were wary of all outsiders. The Dark Forest theory from his past life was sometimes a very real principle of survival in the Nightmare Forest. Yet, after this contact with the Frogman Clan Leader, he discovered the leader seemed completely unconcerned about whether or not his group of outsiders harbored malicious intent.

He thought for a moment, then glanced back outside the elliptical building. Fulu was floating there, venting little puffs of air. Because there was so little space inside, the provider of this "chat platform" had no choice but to work from the outdoors.

Seeing Fulu's eyestalks quiver twice, Shire knew no malicious thoughts were nearby, which put him at ease. "Clan Leader, we only discovered this place by accident," he said. "We came here to explore, with no intention of disturbing you."

"You're from the surface, aren't you," the Clan Leader said, raising a hand to show he meant no offense. "There's no need for that. You must be surprised that we are so unguarded. Croak."

Shire narrowed his eyes, studying the Frogman Clan Leader. This Frogman was clearly much older than Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi, but it was difficult to tell from his appearance alone. He had no beard and no white hair. Other than a certain listlessness in his voice, his skin was covered in wrinkles and seemed to lack the glossy sheen that Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi's had.

"I am glad you were able to open the passage of the Egg-Birth Gate. If you had come just a little later, you might not have been able to see this clan of ours. Croak."

"Are you planning to leave this place?"

"No. This clan will have died out. Croak."

Shire frowned, staring into the Clan Leader's somewhat murky eyes. 'How do I keep running into races on the verge of extinction?' he thought. "I'm sorry," he said aloud. "I didn't realize."