The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 1312 Lost And Found Lizards.

[I can help with this.] Leo suddenly announced, startling everyone, as Karl carefully cleared the rubble of a destroyed apartment building.

The newborn turtle didnʼt leave his space, he simply waved his flipper and all the broken bricks lifted off the pile and moved to the side. Underneath was another cellar stairwell, the standard hiding spot of the Redwood Sprawlʼs residents.

This one was also filled with terrified demons, but they also recognized Karl as soon as they saw him.

”Oh, youʼre the healing treeʼs friend. Thank you for the rescue. I take it that we can come out now?” One of the demons asked.

”You can. The attackers are all gone, except the ones hiding in the ruins. Just make your way toward our Guild House, and youʼll find more help,” Karl recited, using his standard response for those looking for assistance.

”Thank you, Guild Leader. We will check a few more homes, in case our friends are still nearby.”

Karl nodded. He was using thermal vision and soul sight to spot hidden people, so he wasnʼt likely to miss many, even if he couldnʼt smell or hear them. But the more, the merrier when it came to looking for survivors.

Karl was clearing buildings when he noticed a small group of Mythic Rank auras in front of him. They were too small to be frogs, so they were most likely from one of the other portals.

The problem was, he didnʼt know whether they were hostile or not.

So, he knocked on the wall of the collapsed building that they were hiding in, and tried conversation first.

”Are you alright in there? We have aid stations set up for the wounded.” He tried.

If they were going to pretend that they were locals, who had been injured or trapped in the invasion, this was their best chance.

But it was a few seconds before anyone answered.

{Uhm, we donʼt speak much Demon. Do you speak Serpent?} One of them asked in the Serpent tongue.

Definitely not locals, if they didnʼt have the system translating for them at Mythic Rank.

Remi came out, and poked her head through the remains of the door.

{I speak serpent. Did you come here through one of the portals? Weʼre not going to attack you for ending up here.} She offered.

A small lizardfolk woman came forward in what looked like a defensive

position, trying to block her group from Karl, while talking to Remi.

{We did. Weʼre not runaways, I swear. The portal just opened and we fell through.} She pleaded.

{This city doesnʼt keep lizardfolk as slaves. As long as youʼre here, youʼre free people. No matter what your Rank. Well, the very weakest arenʼt allowed in the city without paying, but there are no Immortals in this place.} Remi offered.

{No Immortals? Like none on the whole world? Are we in the Mortal Realms? Or is this a farm planet?}

{This is the Mortal Realm. And there are Immortals, plus a Supreme Ranked guardian on the planet. I just meant that there are none in the city right now, and they donʼt bother us.}

The lizardfolk woman moved further into the light, and Karl noticed that there was a collar around her neck with a number on it.

[Slave Collar] Marks unit 184532105 as property of Oobleck, Void Tier Immortal. Please return to owner if found.

Karl tried not to laugh at the ʼlost petʼ type warning tag on the item, which was an Immortal Rank binding collar. The wearer wouldnʼt be able to disobey orders from the controller of the item, and the item could be used to shock or even kill them at will.

Truly nefarious in practice.

”How about I remove those for you? I will keep the collars as compensation for my work.” Karl suggested.

{I donʼt think thatʼs possible. If you try to force them off, we will die.} The lizardfolk woman panicked.

Karl looked it over again. ”No, itʼs fine. My technique will remove them without harming the wearer.”

Remi moved right next to the womanʼs neck and inspected the collar, then nodded in agreement.

{I just need to cut the needles, or block them with a plate, and then Karl can remove it.}

There were poison injectors on the inside of the collar, which would plunge into the skin and deliver an unknown toxin if the collar was opened. It was a physical device, not magical, so it should activate even if Karl [Nullified] the spell locking it to their necks.

One of the others stood, an older woman, with her leathery skin wrinkled by years of hardship.

{If it works on me, you all can do it too. If it doesnʼt, then I die free. What more could we ask for?) The old woman insisted.

Remi dug through her stuff and found a thin sheet of Immortal Rank metal that she could stick between collar and skin, and then gave Karl the thumbs up.

[Nullify] made the gems on the collar go dim, and Remi carefully clicked the latch open to remove the offensive item.

The needles clanged into the metal plate with a solid impact that sprayed toxin, but [Cleanse] took care of that, and the collar was tossed into Remiʼs space for

safekeeping.

Which gave her a great idea.

Next time, she wouldnʼt open it, just take it. Once it was deactivated, it was freely removed, and it was only the physical opening that made the needles poke the skin. If she took the item without activating it, she could study the toxin they used and work on a proper antidote.

That would likely sell very well.

Karl nullified the next one as soon as Remi had the plate in place, and the collar vanished without the impact of needles on metal.

{Keep coming forward, we will remove them all, and then you can join the refugees on the other side of the city for dinner. How do you feel about rice and beans?) She asked.

{Dragon Cleric food? Thatʼs good stuff. Slave pens with a Dragon Cleric always

eat well. Way better than the rest of us. But Master Oobleck usually kills them when it finds out theyʼre Clerics.}