Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2207: Reaching An Agreement

Seeing Grey fall silent, Sir Astarot spoke again.

”I can convince them to compensate you for your work.”

Grey’s expression shifted at once. ”Do they have anything good?”

”There is a lightning tree hidden in this forest,” Sir Astarot said. ”Letting the two of you cultivate inside it for a week should not be difficult.”

Grey raised a brow. ”Only one week?”

Sir Astarot let out a low chuckle. ”Don’t be greedy, boy, or you might bite off more than you can chew. You’ll understand once you see it.”

The way the old Dragon spoke made it clear the tree was far from ordinary. Grey’s interest sharpened. A place Sir Astarot described in that manner was unlikely to be simple.

”So?” Sir Astarot asked when Grey remained quiet for a moment. ”What do you say?”

Grey’s expression smoothed into a calm smile. ”I’ll do it. Even without any reward I would not simply stand by and let the Gnomes do as they please when I can stop them.” He paused, then added without the slightest shame, ”But if the Thunderbirds are willing to offer compensation, we will of course accept it.”

Sir Astarot looked pleased for the first half of the answer. When the second half came, he rolled his eyes and decided there was no point commenting further.

”What’s the current situation on the battlefield?” Grey asked, moving on.

Sir Astarot’s tone grew more serious as he explained. The Gnomes held a clear numerical advantage and had been steadily pushing the Thunderbirds back. By his estimate, the Thunderbird Clan had already lost close to half of their original territory. The only strange part was that over the past month the Gnomes had suddenly slowed their advance. If they had continued at their earlier pace, the losses would have been even greater by now.

Grey’s eyes narrowed. ”They slowed down?”

”Yes.” Sir Astarot sounded just as puzzled. ”We found it strange as well and tried to determine the reason. According to the Thunderbirds, there is nothing of particular importance in the land the Gnomes have already taken. That makes their sudden change in speed even harder to understand.”

He paused, then added, ”I believe there is something in that area they are after. We simply have not been able to identify what it is.”

Grey turned to the bunny leader. ”Can you send scouts?”

”There are Half-God Plane Gnomes present,” Sir Astarot warned immediately. ”Do not do anything reckless.”

Grey’s expression tightened. This was the first he had heard of Half-God Gnomes operating outside the territories they already controlled on the Azure Continent. Worse, there was more than one of them.

’What could be important enough to bring them here in person?’ he wondered.

Reynolds, who had been listening quietly, showed a clear reaction as well. ”Will those Half-Gods join the fight once it starts?”

Sir Astarot shook his head. ”No. They are still bound by the agreement. If they try to break it, we will stop them.”

The old Dragon’s voice carried quiet confidence. He was not concerned about Peak Sovereign Gnomes. If not for the restrictions of the agreement, he would have already swept the entire enemy force away himself. Instead he had been forced to watch the Gnome territory expand step by step.

Reynolds let out a slow breath, though the tension in his shoulders did not fully disappear. Knowing Half-God experts would be watching from the sidelines was still unsettling.

After a short silence, Grey asked, ”How many Peak Sovereigns do they have, and how many do we have on our side?”

Sir Astarot thought for a moment and then shook his head. ”I do not know the exact numbers. For that we will need the Thunderbirds’ latest reports.”

Grey gave a small nod. ”Fine. When we meet tonight we can decide the best approach.”

Sir Astarot studied him for a second. ”Why are you so concerned with the number of Peak Sovereigns?”

Grey met the old Dragon’s gaze. ”You know I can force Gnomes to stop using their puppets as long as I am present. But do you know the full effect it has on them?”

Sir Astarot considered the question, then shook his head. ”Not completely.”

”It leaves them completely incapacitated for a brief moment,” Grey said simply.

Sir Astarot’s eyes sharpened. The implications settled quickly. Forcing the Gnomes to abandon their puppets was already valuable. Rendering them helpless, even for a split second, turned the ability into something far more lethal. No wonder the Gnomes wanted Grey dead at any cost.

Grey continued, ”Now imagine we use that opening only against their Peak Sovereigns. They will not expect me to be here. If we can kill several of them at the very start of the battle...”

He did not need to finish the sentence.

Hot steam burst from Sir Astarot’s nostrils. His eyes flared with inner fire. ”We cannot wait until tonight. I will speak with the Thunderbirds now about your reward.”

Before either Grey or Reynolds could respond, the old Dragon turned into a streak of light and shot out of the tree, heading straight for the large orange-leafed tree where the Thunderbird leaders waited.

Grey and Reynolds stared after him for a moment.

”Why is he in such a hurry?” Void asked, tail flicking as he watched the Dragon disappear.

”It seems he wants this finished as soon as possible,” Reynolds speculated.

Grey’s expression turned dry. ”If you had to listen to that blue Thunderbird all day, you would also want to leave quickly.”

Void snickered at the reminder of his earlier comment. Like Grey, he held no goodwill toward the blue Thunderbird. If he had the strength, he would have already tried to take a bite out of the bird. The thought of how a Half-God Thunderbird might taste drifted through his mind, and before long a thin line of drool appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Grey and Reynolds didn’t notice the cat’s sudden daze and turned to a more practical discussion. They talked quietly about the lightning tree and whether a single week inside it would bring any real benefit. Both of them had previously soaked in a lightning lake for far longer periods, so they could not help feeling a little skeptical. Still, the way Sir Astarot had spoken about the place suggested it was not something ordinary.