System's POV
chapter-486

It took three hours for Thirteen and his group to reach the location of the Varesti Tribe.

Sharroc guided them to the shallow rivers where their wagons could traverse to the other side without much difficulty.

Along the way, several Lizardmen Hunting Party noticed their approach, but no one blocked their path.

Sharroc was well known in the Varesti Tribe, and many Lizardmen respected him.

The only thing these Hunting Parties did was gaze at them from afar as if assessing if these recent human recruits would be of use to their war against the Ratmen.

When they finally arrived at the village, the other Wanderers immediately noticed that there were other humans aside from them.

The majority of these humans were around the same age as them, so it was very easy to know who they were.

'Wanderers,' Sean thought as he looked at the humans that had some sort of mark on their foreheads.

It looked like a triangle with a dot in the middle, which probably symbolized that they were humans who belonged to the Varesti Tribe.

Perhaps, seeing that Sean and the other Wanderers were curious about the mark, Sharroc decided to explain it to them.

"It's a mark drawn by our Shaman," Sharroc explained. "It doesn't hurt them in any way, but it allows us to know their location, as well as detect if they are having bad thoughts regarding our tribe.

"All of you will probably have the same mark as well. This is also for your own safety just in case you come across other Lizardmen Hunting Parties that belong to other tribes. If you don't have this mark on your forehead, they will think of you as someone not affiliated with us, and they might capture or kill you on the spot."

Sean and the other Wanderers frowned. If a Shaman had drawn this, it meant that it had some other kind of enchantment that might take away their freedom.

Only Thirteen wasn't too concerned about this, knowing that such markings would not have any effect against him.

His Skill Ban would render this mark useless, allowing him to do whatever he needed to do without worrying about the consequences of his actions.

"I know that all of you might have concerns about the mark, but we have no choice but to follow their rules," Thirteen said in order to calm everyone down. "At least, they're not tying our hands and feet. This is a much better treatment compared to becoming their slaves."

Thirteen then glanced at some of the Wanderers who had ropes tied around their neck.

These were the slaves of the Lizardmen.

The markings on their heads were also different.

Instead of a triangle, it was a circle with a dot in the middle.

This meant that unlike the Wanderers who retained a bit of their freedom, these slaves couldn't do anything unless their Master gave them permission to do it.

"You're finally here," Vorel said as soon as Thirteen's group arrived in front of a cave, which was slightly bigger than the ones that they had seen in the Lizardmen Village. "The Great Chieftain wishes to speak with you, Zion."

Thirteen nodded before glancing at the other Wanderers.

"Stay here, and don't do anything reckless," Thirteen said. "We are safe as long as we cooperate with them. Please keep that in mind. Sherry, look after our people."

Sherry nodded. "Understood."

After giving his order, Thirteen followed behind Vorel and entered the cave together with him.

The cave was dark, but Zion could see the surroundings without any problems because he had Dark Vision.

This was one of the Unique Abilities that he had gained as a reward after completing his Thirteen Trials in Solterra.

Vorel, who thought that Zion would stumble in the darkness, was surprised. Not only were the young man's steps steady, but it also seemed that he could see through the darkness of the cave.

Finally, after walking for nearly five minutes, they arrived at a spacious cavern.

"Welcome, Zion Leventis," a Lizardman visibly bigger than the others said with a smile. "I was wondering what you looked like, but just as expected, you looked very young. Just like the other humans that our Tribe has captured this year."

"I greet the Great Chieftain of the Varesti Tribe," Thirteen placed his closed fist over his chest and gave the Lizardman in front of him a respectful bow. "I am Zion Leventis, the leader of the Humans who decided to fight alongside your tribe against the Ratmen."

"I like you, kid." The Great Chieftain chuckled. "You didn't show any signs of fear as you looked at me, and you didn't bow your head too low, which meant that you didn't think of yourself as a slave of our people.

"I've seen many of your kind, and the number of children who are able to keep their calm when they see me can be counted with one hand," the Great Chieftain, who was at least four meters tall, said with a smile.

"So, tell me, what kind of reward would you like to have after you completed your side of our agreement? You must want something in exchange for your services, right? That's what human mercenaries do after all."

Mercenaries.

This was the option Thirteen had chosen to deal with the Varesti Tribe.

He asked Sharroc to present themselves as Mercenaries who were willing to work with the Varesti Tribe against the Ratmen for a price.

"I want all the humans in the Varesti Tribe to be freed and put under my management," Thirteen answered.

"As expected." The Great Chieftain nodded. "Very well. If you can accomplish the mission that I will ask you to do tomorrow, I will grant your request. But if you fail…"

"I will not fail," Thirteen replied. "But if I do succeed, I wish to get better accommodations for my people."

"Hahaha. I thought you would say that if you succeed, I should free a few humans to become part of your group." The Great Chieftain laughed. "It seems that you intend to stay here in our tribe for a while, yes?"

"Yes, Great Chieftain," Thirteen replied. "That is my plan."

"Good." The Great Chieftain nodded. "I now give you the right to call me by my name. You will refer to me as Lord Vaess."

"Understood, Lord Vaess," Thirteen smiled faintly. "I look forward to having a good relationship with you and the Varesti Tribe from this day onwards.

After Thirteen had left the cave and returned to his people, Lord Vaess glanced at the Shaman beside him.

"Is he the one who cast the mind spell on my son, Sharroc?" Lord Vaess asked.

"No," the Shaman replied. "But he has the means to remove it."

"Hmm." Lord Vaess rubbed his chin. "That boy's mannerisms showed that he isn't afraid of me. Should I be concerned?"

The Shaman frowned. "Maybe the reason he isn't afraid of you is because his helper has the means to also put a Mind Spell on you. But since he didn't do it, maybe he has a reason for visiting our Tribe."

"It's the humans," Lord Vaess stated. "He wants to take them off our hands."

"Maybe you're right, or maybe he has other plans," the Shaman commented. "But I will tell you this—my appraisal ability didn't work on him. Also, he is accompanied by one of Death's Chosen. He's not a simple human."

"I agree." Lord Vaess frowned. "Make sure the symbol you place on him is strengthened. That way, we'll at least be able to know his thoughts. You can do that, right?"

The Shaman pondered for a while before reluctantly nodding his head.

"I'll do it, but don't expect too much," the Shaman replied. "Just remember. Be careful of him. Although you are very resistant to mind spells, it will not hurt to be extra careful around him. I have a feeling that if he wished for it, he could easily subdue our entire tribe by force."

"What a coincidence, I feel the same way," Lord Vaess narrowed his eyes. "So let's put him to the test. Let us give him THAT mission."

The Shaman's eyes widened in shock, but he soon regained his calm after a few seconds.

"Good idea." The Shaman agreed. "Not only will we know his ability, but if he succeeds, then the Ratmen will receive a very painful blow that we can take advantage of."

Lord Vaess chuckled. "Indeed. Since he wants to work for us, we need to put him to good use, no?"

Both Lizardmen shared a knowing glance with each other before looking at the red crystal inside the cave, which could change the tide of battle in their favor.

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A/N: I'm not fully recovered, but well enough to write today's chapters.