Chapter 937: Garrett Thunder God''s Youngest Son, Nordmark? |
The priestess's expression quickly grew serious.
With a slight wave of her hand, the older Golden Eagle warrior who accompanied her stepped forward and reached out into the void. Several fragments flew into his hands, which he then offered to the priestess.
"Priestess Tetra, these items bear traces of the 'White Ghost's' power. I can feel it."
The snake god priestess named Tetra remained silent, staring fixedly at the fragments. She closed her eyes, opened them, closed them again, and then opened them once more.
In a daze, Garrett seemed to see her dark pupils elongate and turn vertical, emitting a cold green light.
"There are faint traces of resentment... clear marks of life and death..."
Priestess Tetra spoke in a dreamy, whispery tone, with a slight hissing sound at the end of her words.
She lifted her gaze, briefly glancing at Garrett. Her slender fingers intertwined, softly forming several strange hand gestures.
"Hmm... shh, huff, ha..."
In that instant, it felt as if something dark and cold, from the night or even deeper underground, had surged toward him, ready to devour him!
However, the sensation vanished as quickly as it appeared. When Garrett came to his senses, the night was still clear and bright, and the priestess stood calmly a short distance away, flanked by two warriors.
She lifted her gaze from the silver crown fragments and stared at Garrett.
"He hates you. The owner of these fragments—they hate you. You did kill them."
"So, we have a basis for negotiation."
Garrett spread his arms, palms forward, making a friendly gesture. However, the priestess changed her tone.
"But that doesn't mean you are their enemy. What if you just had a personal vendetta with these individuals? Or what if you were just enemies with their faction? What if you were an executioner within the 'White Ghost,' tasked with eliminating these people?"
With each guess she made, the faces of Cirilla, Bernard, and Mr. Baronessimo grew darker.
Seeing their employer suspected was as good as being insulted themselves. Mr. Baronessimo took a step forward, angrily exclaiming:
"Hey—"
"My name is Garrett Nordmark." Garrett raised his left hand, palm straight up, stopping the guide's outburst. He looked at the priestess and calmly said:
"Before I left the kingdom, I was ranked 198th on the Radiant Church's wanted list. If you have any priests or bishops from the Radiant Church, you can ask them if they've heard of my name. Or if they know who my teacher is."
The priestess listened intently to his words. She slightly lowered her eyelids, silently mouthing "Garrett Nordmark" a few times, then turned to the Golden Eagle warrior beside her.
"Traka, please send a message back and have them check. We do have some high-ranking prisoners from the 'White Ghost' in the secret prison, don't we?"
Traka showed some reluctance but couldn't resist the priestess's gentle urging.
"Please, this is very important for us."
The young Golden Eagle warrior grumbled a bit but eventually reached back, spreading his hand. A pair of small, lightweight, golden wings appeared in his palm.
He lowered his voice, quickly whispered something to the wings, then turned southwest, holding them high above his forehead. With a whoosh, the golden wings shot into the clouds, disappearing instantly.
As soon as the wings flew away, Traka's aura diminished significantly. Garrett watched passively from start to finish, not participating at all until they were done. Then he raised his right hand.
A silent illusion appeared, outlining the map of several continents:
"The 'White Ghost' you mentioned are clergy of the Radiant Lord or part of the Radiant Church's kingdom. They are here—"
The white area of the old continent radiated light. Seeing the priestess nod, Garrett pointed to an island next to the old continent:
"We are here. And you are here—"
The green Kent Kingdom, the red-brown New World, lit up in sequence. Next was the black area where the Plague Maiden resided, followed by the golden Eagle God's Kingdom.
"And the 'White Ghosts' occupy much of the Storm Islands and the New World besides their homeland." The white area quickly expanded, touching the borders of the Eagle God's Kingdom.
"These people are your enemies and ours. We can definitely join forces against them."
The priestess smiled charmingly. Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered, and her face turned slightly. The green malachite powder on the corner of her eyes sparkled with golden light.
"Very well. Then let us talk."
Garrett distinctly heard Cirilla snort heavily beside him.
With the priestess's statement, the situation moved from a combat stage to a negotiation stage. Of course, before negotiations, they had to verify the goods:
The statement "the 'White Ghosts' are our enemies" was provisionally proven by Garrett handing over evidence;
But the claim that "he helps our warriors resist diseases" needed to be witnessed. The priestess observed a group of seriously ill patients who had been recently cured and another group who had received the smallpox vaccine, nodding lightly and murmuring to herself.
Occasionally, she would flick her sharp nails at them. From her nails, almost imperceptible powder or dark miasma would silently move towards them.
"What is she doing?"
Cirilla asked quietly through the Mindlink. Garrett shook his head slightly:
"Testing if these people are affected by the plague. Don't worry, the low placement won't be immediately inhaled. Just use a Cleansing Spell..."
A wave of Cleansing Spell silently swept through. The priestess seemed unaware, walking forward with light steps. Her waist was soft and graceful, like a snake sliding on the ground. She suddenly turned back, raising her eyes and smiling meaningfully at Garrett.
After her inspection, the priestess raised no objections. She led the two Golden Eagle warriors, several tribal chiefs, and high shamans, along with Garrett's group, to sit at the colorful seats in the temple.
With a twinkle in her eye, the priestess took the lead, smiling and saying:
"Dear guests from afar, I acknowledge your ability to resist plagues. I, Tetra, high priestess of the snake god, sincerely invite you to join us in fighting against the 'White Ghost' and the Plague Maiden..."
As she spoke, the two Golden Eagle warriors maintained serious expressions, remaining silent. The tribal chiefs and high shamans also held their breaths, making no sound.
In the large temple, apart from the priestess's clear voice, only the whistling wind and the crackling of the torches on the walls could be heard.
"...That is the situation." After about five minutes, the priestess concluded.
"We hope you can join us in fighting our common enemy. Of course, this has taken up your time and posed unnecessary risks for you. We will surely offer compensation..."
The chiefs and high shamans breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Especially the chief of the Red Hawk Tribe, who had rushed forward out of a sense of duty and anger, fighting the elite warriors. Now, receiving treatment from the high shamans, he felt a bit of lingering fear:
Their tribes would not fully obey the Eagle God's Kingdom, but they would usually cooperate on minor matters. Directly opposing them, or even outright hostility, would be disastrous if the Eagle God's Kingdom attacked in full force...
Twelve Golden Eagle warriors and countless 'Snake Women' could easily destroy the Red Hawk Tribe!
Thank the gods, they turned foes into friends!
Dozens of eyes focused on Garrett without blinking. Garrett sat confidently, facing the priestess, smiling slightly:
"We are naturally opposed to the Radiant Church, and fighting a common enemy is no problem. But before that, I must ask: Do you have the authority to decide on an alliance with me? And how much authority do you have to decide the compensation?"
"The authority is certainly there." The priestess smiled, but it was the older Golden Eagle warrior beside her who explained:
"The power in the Eagle God's Kingdom is decided by three groups: one is the Tlattoani, which you can understand as 'those who speak'; the second is the Golden Eagle warriors, the military leaders of the nation; and the third is the 'Snake Women,' who are the sages and guide the nation's internal affairs."
He respectfully nodded to the priestess:
"Priestess Tetra is one of the 'Snake Women.' Her decisions are naturally acknowledged by the Eagle God's Kingdom."
Garrett looked around, seeing the chiefs and high shamans nodding slightly in agreement. He no longer questioned and casually waved his hand. A smallpox vaccine floated on a disc, gently landing before the priestess:
"First, let me clarify that we are just a small group traveling here. We cannot directly confront the Radiant Church or the Plague Maiden but can support from behind. I can make your warriors immune to the plague."
"Just with this?"
The priestess raised an eyebrow. Garrett's expression remained unchanged:
"Just with this. I have known how to use this powder to fight smallpox for years. In Nevis, the Mage's City, and the Kent Kingdom's settlers in the New World, everyone has used it and is immune to smallpox for life."
"How much do you have?"
"I have enough samples for fifty people."
"That is not enough." The priestess shook her head decisively:
"We need at least a million doses—even just for the warriors, at least 200
,000 doses!"
Thank the gods, finally a clear count of their forces. Garrett silently praised, deciding to withhold the other 2,000 doses for now:
"To produce more, we need to contact the Mage's City and have them work hard on production. By the way, it took me over ten days to travel from the eastern coast of the New World to here, running at full speed across the ocean. A single trip is at least a month and a half, and to produce 200,000 doses of vaccine..."
He was still calculating if it would take three months or six months when the priestess shook her head quickly:
"That is too late. The Plague Maiden will attack once the weather warms up. Is there any other way?"
"Then we need to research here...I need enough resources to try to create more..."
Both sides bargained for half a day about the required resources—manpower, cattle, spell materials, and spell energy. Finally, the priestess raised an eyebrow, her dark green eyes flashing with gold:
"How can I trust you can create it?"
"You have to trust." Garrett pointed at the smallpox vaccine vial and then at the distant patients:
"Or you can urge your side to see if they've found any prisoners who can confirm my identity."
The priestess glanced at another Golden Eagle warrior. The older Golden Eagle warrior reached back and produced a pair of small golden wings. Soon, the wings floated up, gently flapping, and emitted a solemn, grand voice:
"Garrett Nordmark, a seventh-level mage, the youngest son of the Thunder God. In their realm, he has an alias, 'Plague Lord.'"
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