Chapter 496: Finally Convinced
This is my true purpose. I suspect the other three families, like the Sh, might have hidden methods to spirit people away. After all, they’ve lived here for so long, and the Moon God isn’t a secret, so they must have researched some escape routes.
“You mean you want us to help secretly smuggle that doctor out?” the Merfolk High Priest said darkly, feeling as though he’d been trapped.
“No, I didn’t say that. If you want to be more secure and are willing to help, I’d be very grateful. But if you can’t help, please don’t hinder us. This is for everyone’s benefit.”
My words were very skillful. First, I didn’t force them, so they could choose whether to come or not. If they didn’t come, I’d assume they couldn’t help. Then, I’d pull a moral card, stating it’s for everyone’s good, implying anyone who opposes is an enemy of the town.
After saying all that, I felt incredibly impressive. If they weren’t all watching me, I would have put my hands on my hips.
“Heh, little sister, you speak very eloquently, and indeed, we have no reason to refuse,” the Matriarch said with a smile, having understood my implied meaning.
They must have all understood, but as mentioned before, they had no choice. If Amelia, this harbinger of disaster, wasn’t sent away, everyone would be doomed. Now, they had to find a way to fight back.
“However, you must offer us some benefits. We can’t work for nothing. Although I don’t know how you convinced Shaien to let the doctor go, you must have obtained sufficient compensation. We should at least receive a fair reward,” the Matriarch continued with a smile.
Although called Matriarch, she was actually very beautiful. At this moment, her alluring smile and seductive posture were captivating.
Moreover, this woman was truly cunning and never suffered a loss. From the start, she had been trying to gain benefits, and in the end, she was still trying to gain some profit. However, the target of extortion had changed from the Queen of the Insects to me.
If she had directly stated that help came with a price, I might have politely refused under the guise of a greater cause. But by framing it as fairness—Shaien received benefits, so we should too—I had no reason to refuse.
She was also very smart, knowing that this matter could not be stopped. Whether it was discussing with the Queen of the Insects before or talking with me now, she never truly intended to prevent it or to have the talks break down. She only wanted to negotiate terms.
This way, she wouldn’t offend anyone and could still gain benefits for herself, a win-win situation. Truly an old fox.
“Alright, what do you want?” I asked, deciding that as long as her request wasn’t too excessive, I would agree. After all, I wasn’t entirely confident myself. I genuinely wanted to help Amelia escape the gaze of the gods, as the risk was quite high.
“I want the blood of that young man. May I?” the Matriarch asked, looking at Jayad. Why were they all targeting Older Brother Jayad’s blood again? Were they that greedy for his blood?
I recalled that in the merchant caravan, there was a woman called Madam who also drank Older Brother Jayad’s blood and then went into seclusion for advancement. Even the Vampire Banshee, who was just freeloading, seemed to have undergone a transformation.
Madam must have reported this matter to the Matriarch before going into seclusion, so it was normal for her to want a taste of such magical blood.
“Okay, I promise,” I said. Even before I could speak, Jayad had already agreed. I looked at him with concern, but Jayad simply nodded slightly at me, “It’s fine, they’ve already drained me once before. One more time won’t make a difference.”
I didn’t know what else to say and looked at the other two. The Wolf King and the High Priest had remained silent until now. Their silence had effectively meant their agreement. But conversely, if I agreed to the Matriarch’s benefits, they also had to propose theirs. This was what equal treatment meant.
I was waiting for them to state their conditions. The Wolf King thought for a moment and spoke first, “I heard from Fabes that you have a very good gun. Can you give it to us?”
“A gun? Of course. But that gun was created by my memory manifestation technique, and it will shatter after a while. However, I can tell you its structure,” I replied.
“That’s fine,” the Wolf King nodded. So, I manifested a Mosin-Nagant on the spot and showed it to him, disassembling it and explaining its construction.
The Mosin-Nagant wasn’t complicated, and I already fully understood its structure. The internal components were replicated exactly, and it wouldn’t fall apart even when disassembled.
If a gun manifested by someone unfamiliar with its structure were taken apart, it would shatter. According to the rules of the Dream World, such a manifested item would be considered damaged and unable to maintain its integrity.
The reason the guns issued to the townspeople were so difficult to use had several factors. Firstly, being isolated in this Dream World for too long meant they had lost touch with reality and were unaware of current technology.
Furthermore, in the past, they lacked a defensive mindset, believing that the military might of the Four Great Families could easily defeat any attacking enemies, making guns unnecessary, let alone issuing them to villagers.
Unexpectedly, a group of Nightmares who could instantly kill in close combat appeared. It was then they realized they couldn’t withstand them relying solely on their own strength, and their once-proud physical abilities were useless. They needed ranged weapons and had to issue guns to villagers to form a town guard.
It was at this point they discovered that the few remaining Dreamers in the town didn’t understand guns. They could manifest good guns, but they didn’t understand the internal structure of those guns. It was fine for them to make one for themselves, and if it broke, they could just make another. But issuing them to others was impossible—a gun that shattered in a minute had no practical combat value.
In the end, among the few guns that could be used for an extended period, they chose that strangely shaped rotary hunting rifle. It could only be said that it was the best among the worst, a measure of desperation.
It was also quite amusing that the reason that particular Dreamer understood the internal structure of the rotary hunting rifle was because its design was too unique, even somewhat bizarre, which had piqued the Dreamer’s interest for a period of research.
Compared to the rotary hunting rifle, the structure of the Mosin-Nagant was actually very simple. After disassembling it, even the Wolf King could clearly memorize it. Coupled with my explanation of each part’s function, he could likely build one himself by gathering materials, without even needing a Dreamer.
Although the Matriarch, the Queen of the Insects, and the High Priest were standing nearby, I didn’t try to hide it from them. However, they were all gentlemanly and lady-like, refraining from peeking or eavesdropping. They valued their spells more. Unlike the Wolf King, who relied solely on physical strength, they placed greater importance on weapons.
Speaking of which, the Sh had a powerful psychic gun, which shone brightly during the recent battle against the Nightmares. I was curious why they didn’t issue that gun, wondering if it was truly a secret of their race, never to be shared.
However, when I casually asked, the Queen of the Insects told me that the psychic gun could only be used by the Sh; it became scrap metal in the hands of others.
