Chapter 2495: Girl

Manager Pi was taken aback. “Master, you don’t intend to attack the Fiend races’ resistance army anymore?”

The Monster Lord shook his head. “His words make sense. The Fiend races barely have a breath left in them. We can clean them up afterward. That person poses a greater threat to us.”

Manager Pi had a fair complexion, but the Monster Lord’s words left him even paler. He found the Lord of Slaughter much more terrifying than the Fiend races’ remnant army.

The War Priest looked worried. “Master, how confident are you in defeating that person?”

There was a prolonged silence before the Monster Lord replied, “If it’s a 1-on-1, my odds should be 40:60.” His true evaluation of his odds was closer to 30:70, but he inflated the number to inspire confidence in his aides.

The War Priest and Manager Pi were tactful enough not to ask who was 40 and who was 60. “Should we ally with that man and borrow his strength? That may further skew the odds in our favor.”

That mysterious man had left a deep impression on them. He'd easily neutralized the Monster Lord’s attack and safely escaped from their encirclement. His strength and wits were top-notch.

The Monster Lord shook his head. “We don’t know his motive. He could turn against us at a critical moment. We can’t use him.”

“What should we do? Once that person learns about Mojard’s defeat and begins investigating, he will quickly learn that we have replaced all his old subordinates.” The War Priest was fearful. If this matter came to light, the cruel Lord of Slaughter would bring terrible fates upon them.

The Monster Lord chuckled enigmatically. “Don’t worry. Sometimes, strength is not everything.”

...

Light suddenly distorted in a remote area of the barracks, and Zu An appeared out of thin air. Unlike what the Monster Lord thought, he didn’t escape right away. Having previously interacted with the Monster Lord, he knew how cunning the latter could be. He knew that the other party wouldn’t trust him easily. Still, it was paramount to take that trip to bury a seed in the other party’s heart. When the time came, that seed would sprout.

He made his way to another tent. Judging from its prime location, flags, and elegant decor, the tent hinted at its master’s extraordinary position. Zu An hesitated at the tent’s entrance, but he still entered it in the end.

The tent was guarded, though the security wasn't as tight as in the Monster Lord’s tent. There were still lapses in the defenses that Zu An could exploit. With his Myriad Transformations, he easily slipped into the tent and entered a courtyard.

A long sigh came from within. A girl sat on a swing, basking in the orange glow of the setting sun. She looked adorable despite the bits of scales on her body, though it was bizarre to hear a young child letting out an aged-sounding sigh.

The sight of that young but familiar face left Zu An in a daze. The girl was Salamay as a child. He had known beforehand that she was already born in this era, though she was still young. The first thing he'd done upon arriving at this barracks was to locate little Salamay before paying a visit to the Monster Lord.

Zu An wondered what would happen if the future Salamay saw her, though that was impossible. The future Salamay had been restrained and was currently under Princess Suolun’s watch.

“Who are you?” The girl noticed his presence and eyed him with curiosity.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Zu An asked in surprise. He'd been prepared to subdue her in case she panicked and called for her guards, but the latter merely looked at him with blinking eyes.

“Why should I be afraid?” The girl couldn’t understand the question. “Are you here to play with me? I’m bored.”

Zu An belatedly recalled that she was the Lord of Slaughter’s daughter, an exalted entity in the monster army. Given that the Monster Lord had yet to rebel, he had to treat her with the greatest respect. Salamay had never needed to fear anyone. On the contrary, it was others who had to fear her.

“Are you very bored, first miss?” Zu An noticed her frown and asked.

“Yup. My daddy went to some imperial tomb a few years back and I haven’t seen him since. Uncle Mojard has been missing since two years ago, and Uncle Monster Lord is too polite and busy to play with me.” The girl pouted. “Other people are too afraid of me. You are one of the few people who aren’t scared of me.”

Zu An sighed.

Salamay had a tough life. She never enjoyed happiness despite being the monsters’ first miss. Later, the Monster Lord usurped her father’s position, forcing her to go into hiding with his father’s old subordinates while plotting vengeance. No wonder her heart became so warped.

As much as Zu An pitied her, he wasn’t going to let it hinder him from doing what he had to do. “I’m not here to play with you, first miss. I’m a friend of the Incestuous King, and I came here to deliver news to you.”

“Uncle Mo?” The girl’s eyes lit up. She leaped off the swing and ran over. “Did you bring me a present from Uncle Mo?”

Zu An sighed before speaking with a heavy tone, “The Incestuous King and his army were ambushed in the East Sea Dragon Palace and were defeated.”

“What? That’s impossible! Aren't the Ocean races planning to surrender to us? How could they have the strength to defeat Uncle Mo and his army?” The girl was young, but she was no fool.

Zu An was surprised.

It won’t be that easy to fool her.

Thus, he explained, “It could have been a feint, and the Ocean races weren't planning to surrender in the first place. On top of that, I heard a mysterious expert has joined forces with the Ocean races.”

Little Salamay panicked. “Where is Uncle Mo now?”

“We don’t know whether he is alive or not, but the odds aren’t in his favor. That’s why I risked my life to come here to inform you of the matter, first miss,” Zu An said with sorrowful eyes.

“Risk your life?” Little Salamay stared at him in confusion, not understanding why it was dangerous for him to report this matter to her.

Zu An sighed. “The Monster Lord should have already heard about the Incestuous King’s defeat, but has he shared the news with first miss?”

Little Salamay’s eyes widened. Indeed, no one had informed her about this matter. Her earlier innocence vanished without a trace, replaced with grimness. “What you have just mentioned is too huge. I’ll have to verify it.”

“First miss, you mustn’t confront the Monster Lord!” Zu An exclaimed. “I came under the Incestuous King’s request. He told me to warn you about the Monster Lord if anything happened to him.”