Chapter 403 - 197: Viper Snake Woman

"It’s true that I led the Undead here, but it’s not what you think. Call your people back. Don’t escalate this," Tas Tuling said calmly, looking at the Snake-man leader.

"Escalate this? You led the Undead here, and you expect us to just wait to die?" Despair filled the Snake-man leader’s heart, but his eyes glinted with ferocity. He had to carve out a path to survival for his people. He couldn’t let all of them die here. ’As long as the children live, the Tribe has hope.’

"I’d advise you to be smart about this. Don’t be ungrateful," a Minotaur behind Tas Tuling shouted at the Snake-man leader.

’What was so bad about the Undead? Ever since we Minotaurs came to the Undead Fortress, life has been looking up. The Undead don’t bother us at all. I really can’t understand why anyone would think the Undead are a bad thing.’

The Minotaur was completely baffled, having forgotten that his own people had once feared the Undead too.

The Snake-man leader flicked his forked tongue, his grip tightening on his Dual Swords. He stared daggers at Tas Tuling and the Minotaur who had spoken. The other Snake-men who had remained to cover the retreat silently fanned out, preparing for a fight to the death.

Tas Tuling frowned and shot a glare at the Minotaur who had spoken. He then turned back to the Snake-man leader and sighed. "Didn’t you bother to ask where you were when you came here? I didn’t lead the Undead to you. The entire forbidden Wraith Mountain Range is Undead territory. *You* are the ones who invaded their domain."

The Snake-man leader’s pupils constricted. He truly hadn’t known this entire area was Undead land. He had been so focused on rushing his people along that when they passed other Tribes, he had been too afraid of potential danger to approach them for information. As a result, they had wandered straight into Undead Territory. ’Doesn’t that mean I led my own people right to them?’

’It’s over.’

’Trespassing on their land is tantamount to declaring war. The Undead will never let them go.’

The more the Snake-man leader thought about it, the colder his heart grew. Suddenly, he realized something wasn’t right. His forked tongue flicked twice as he looked at Tas Tuling in confusion. "If this is Undead territory, then why are you here?"

The Minotaur who had spoken earlier slammed his Totem Pole onto the ground. He spread his hands and said nonchalantly, "That’s because we’re with the Undead, of course."

That single sentence nearly stopped the Snake-man leader’s heart, a deep chill spreading through him. The Minotaurs were with the Undead? ’And I foolishly had my people wait while he went to get reinforcements?’

’Ancestor, have you abandoned us Snake-men?’

The Snake-man leader glared furiously at Tas Tuling and roared, his voice a hiss, "Is what he said true? You tricked me!"

Tas Tuling turned his head again to look at the loose-lipped Minotaur. The Minotaur, realizing his blunder, cracked an awkward, foolish grin. Tas Tuling sighed, speechless. ’What can you do when you have a blockhead like this in your Tribe? He didn’t mean any harm. I guess I have to forgive him.’

’Li Ziyu and the Undead are getting closer, but the Snake-men are getting farther away. This won’t do. They can’t just run off. If they all get away, the Lord City Lord will be angry.’

Tas Tuling quietly lifted his Totem Pole. His gaze fell upon the Snake-man leader, his tone turning icy. "I’ll tell you one last time: bring your people back. Otherwise, the Undead will see this as a provocation, and people will truly die. You don’t actually believe you can escape the Undead’s hunt, do you? Do you want your people to live their entire lives as vagrants? A life without a home, without enough food to fill their bellies?"

His words extinguished the flames of anger that had just ignited in the Snake-man leader’s heart. A look of struggle and anguish surfaced in his eyes.

’If we could live in peace, who the hell would want to be a vagrant? Life as a vagrant in the Wasteland is no easy thing. It means having no permanent territory. It means you could be hunted down at any moment. It means having no sanctuary, not even a reliable source of food.’

’But what choice do they have? The Tribe is gone. All they can do is wander.’

’Things are already this difficult. If we get on the Undead’s bad side on top of everything else, it would be a complete catastrophe. Once the Undead declared their intent to hunt us, they probably wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. The surrounding Races would swarm us, hunting us down and cutting off our escape, all to curry favor with the Undead and ensure they weren’t attacked themselves.’

’Ever since the Undead accepted the Alliance Army of the three great scourge Races, they’ve become the most powerful—and most feared—force in this Wasteland. No one wants to see the Undead roaming the plains. Every Tribe is on edge, terrified that one night they’ll wake up to find the Undead at their doorstep.’

’If the Tribes of the Wasteland could trade the lives of my people for a promise that the Undead wouldn’t attack them, they wouldn’t hesitate for a second—including the three great scourge Races. When that happens, we’ll have nowhere left to run.’

Tas Tuling saw the emotion in the Snake-man leader’s eyes and breathed a small sigh of relief. What he feared most was the man acting recklessly. With only a dozen or so of his own men, he couldn’t possibly stop all the fleeing Snake-men. But as long as the leader hesitated, there was still a chance.

After a moment’s thought, Tas Tuling lowered his Totem Pole again and softened his tone. "Think about your people. Look at us. We’ve lived alongside the Undead for a long time, and we’re living well. The Undead aren’t as terrifying as you imagine. Bring your people back. Don’t provoke the Undead."

The Snake-man leader lifted his head, his expression a mixture of shock and suspicion as he looked at Tas Tuling. "You... you really live with the Undead? They didn’t kill you?"

Tas Tuling shrugged and pointed to himself. "Do I look like one of the Undead? I’m alive and well, aren’t I? Now, take a look at them."