Chapter 36: The Mercenary Contract from the Lizardmen

Gavin's guess was correct; there was indeed a graveyard of wagons here. Some of the wagon skeletons were quite fresh, likely discarded only a few months ago.

Some were half-sunken in the mud and half-decayed, covered in various types of fungi. These had basically no restoration value; they were even too difficult to light as firewood.

Others had been stripped, leaving nothing but a skeleton. It was unclear whether they had been scavenged for parts by other caravans or dismantled by nearby lizardmen to be used as fuel.

A rough estimate suggested there were at least a hundred large wagons with restoration value.

Gavin's eyes suddenly narrowed. He took a sudden step forward, shielding Anna behind him. With one hand gripping his hand cannon and the other resting on his longsword, he shouted toward the distance, "Who's there? Come out!"

"As expected of a Hero, your alertness... *hiss*... is so high. Please do not misunderstand, *hiss*... I mean no harm!" A voice rang out from deep within the wagon graveyard. The Common Tongue was very clumsy and carried strange syllables; one could tell at a glance that it did not originate from a human.

A figure slowly emerged. He was covered in dark green scales, which were slightly lighter on his chest and abdomen. A thick, long tail swayed incessantly behind him. On his lizard-like head, there was no hair, only a tuft of sideburns growing upright like golden flames, interlaced with red and gold.

This person looked more like a bipedal large lizard than a human.

The lizardman appeared somewhat aged; his body was more hunched, his scales were duller, and his gaze was softer than other lizardmen, shimmering with the light of mature wisdom.

"If you mean no harm, why were you following us?" Gavin would not judge by appearances and showed no intention of lowering his weapons.

"Following? No... no... 'searching' would be more appropriate... *hiss*, I came specifically to find the caravan... of the Great Hero... They said you had come this way... *hiss*, so I followed... *hiss*, I did not expect to cause a misunderstanding," the lizardman explained hurriedly.

Gavin made a rough calculation. Given the direction from which the creature appeared, he found himself believing him somewhat. When they had traveled here, they had taken a somewhat circuitous route to avoid areas that looked like traps. As residents of the swamp, the creature naturally knew the terrain better and might have arrived a step ahead of them.

"What do you want with us?" Gavin had more or less guessed the creature's intent.

"Employment! I wish to employ... you Heroes, to help resolve... *hiss*... my tribe's troubles... *hiss*..."

Gavin wore an expression of "just as I thought," then rejected him bluntly: "Sorry, we are not the kind of mercenaries you are looking for. We do not take extra missions. Please find someone else!"

The lizardman said urgently, "*Hiss*... I know the rules of you Heroes... I will prepare a heavy reward..."

"It is not a matter of money or not." Gavin's attitude was equally firm; he did not want to invite unnecessary trouble.

"Two Heroes, why not listen to my request first?" As the lizardman spoke, his gaze lingered on Anna, as if he believed she would be easier to talk to than Gavin.

"Sorry, not interested. Anna, let's go." The lizardman's tactic had backfired, directly provoking Gavin's resentment. He grabbed Anna and began to walk away.

"Oh!" Although Anna's eyes and expression betrayed her intense interest in the matter, seeing Gavin's firm stance, she did not dare interrupt and followed obediently behind him. In her eyes, Gavin was a kind and powerful adventurer; if he acted this way, he must have his reasons.

The lizardman initially wanted to follow, but seeing Gavin's cold gaze and the longsword that looked ready to be drawn at any moment, he wisely stopped in his tracks and watched them walk away.

"Mr. Gavin, why didn't you accept his mission? Aren't you adventurers?" Anna finally could not suppress her curiosity.

"First, if a problem cannot be solved by an entire tribe, it is certainly not a small matter. Our current strength is still weak, and we might not be able to help them. Second, we do not know their tribe and cannot judge if he is telling the truth. Furthermore, the swamp environment is unique; once we go deep, if we find the mission far exceeds our capabilities, we won't even be able to run away."

Gavin lectured her earnestly, "Being an adventurer does not mean ignoring all danger and charging forward blindly. You must assess the danger of every mission against your own strength. Never touch any mission that exceeds your capabilities, because it could lead to total annihilation, and no one will be there to save us then."

There was another possibility that Gavin did not mention.

The mission itself was a trap, and they were the prey.

This didn't even touch upon the darkness of human nature, because they weren't human to begin with. In the eyes of many lizardmen, humans were merely food, no different from cattle or sheep.

This was not something that could be explained in a sentence or two; Anna would have to realize it for herself in time.

Anna listened intently and nodded repeatedly, but she couldn't help asking, "Then why not at least listen to what kind of difficulties they are facing?"

"Since we have already decided not to take the mission, why listen? If you hear a tragic story that you are unable to help with, wouldn't that just increase your psychological burden?" Gavin was certain that the old lizardman would undoubtedly have a tragic story to tell; it was a standard tactic.

"I see." Anna nodded, but she couldn't help looking back at the old lizardman who had already vanished. Being kind-hearted, she felt uneasy at the thought of being unable to help someone in need, even if the other party was not human.

"If you truly want to help him, it won't be too late to come back once you have grown strong enough." Fearing Anna might cause trouble, Gavin gave her a piece of advice that was essentially a way to deflect her.

"Okay, I will definitely become strong as quickly as possible." Anna's mood finally brightened significantly, and she squeezed her small fists tightly.

With her pure heart, she did not consider any other possibilities.

Time moves forward; by the time she became strong enough, the plight of that village would either have been resolved or the village would have been completely destroyed because of this matter. The possibility of it waiting for her was minuscule.

These were not things Gavin concerned himself with. Life cannot always go as one wishes, even if one lives it a second time.

Over the next few days, Gavin kept a close eye on Anna's movements, fearing the silly girl might get a sudden burst of misplaced courage and run off to help the lizardman.

Fortunately, she was merely kind-hearted, not brainless; she at least knew her own limits. Without Gavin and Vic, she wouldn't be able to help at all.

The cunning old lizardman had approached Anna privately and told her the tragic story of his tribe.

Because Anna turned around and immediately told Gavin about it.

Near the old lizardman's tribe lived a Gatu Swamp Monster. Before he took office, it frequently used the tribesmen as food. After he took office, he came up with a solution: actively feeding the Gatu Swamp Monster. By providing a fixed amount of fish, livestock, and other meats every month, as long as its basic needs were met, the monster would no longer harass them.

This peaceful coexistence lasted for several years. The problem was that the Gatu Swamp Monster had disappeared for a while, and when it returned, it was pregnant. It soon gave birth to offspring, and in its lifetime, it would have three litters.

(End of Chapter)