Chapter 430 206: The Name of My Lord

"I am under the command of the Master of the Undead, patrolling the world for my master."

A deep and powerful voice suddenly rang out in the minds of the Dogmen, giving them a start. One by one, they stared at the Skeleton Knight, their eyes filled with shock and uncertainty.

'This Undead can speak?'

'And if it can speak, that means it can communicate!'

Once they reached the level of a Skeleton Knight, their Soul Fire became substantial enough that their intellect was on par with, or even surpassed, that of Humans. They no longer relied solely on the Soul Network. To communicate, they could directly vibrate another's soul, allowing the other party to hear their voice and understand their meaning.

The Skeleton Knight's single sentence was packed with information. The old Clan Leader mulled it over. 'From the sound of it, they don't see us as enemies. They don't plan to kill us. In fact, they killed those Lizardmen on their Sub-dragon Beasts and saved us. So… does that mean they consider us people of the Undead Territory?'

'We're subordinates of the Undead?'

'When did that happen? Why wasn't I told?'

The Canine Elder Race Leader's mind went blank. He was suddenly at a loss, standing rooted to the spot in a daze.

The Skeleton Knight waited for a moment. When the old Clan Leader didn't move, its Soul Fire flickered twice as it asked with a hint of displeasure, "Why are you silent? Are you dissatisfied with my Master?"

Sensing the displeasure in the voice in his mind, the Canine Elder Race Leader immediately snapped to his senses. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, pressing his forehead into the dirt until his face was nearly buried. "N-No, we wouldn't dare," he stammered. "To be counted among the great Master of the Undead's subjects is our greatest honor."

This satisfied the Skeleton Knight. It nodded and said, "We are tracking those Dragon Lizard People. Do you know where their cavalry came from?"

Before they had set out, Li Ziyu had instructed the Skeleton Knights that the Tribes living in this Wasteland would be useful to him in the future. He ordered them not to kill indiscriminately. Their mission was to find the tracks of the Dragon Lizard Lord while also doing their best to protect the Tribes of the Wasteland.

That was the reason the Skeleton Knights had slaughtered the Dragon Lizard Knights.

Hearing the Skeleton Knight's question, a pained expression crossed the Canine Elder Race Leader's face. "I don't know either," he said. "Everything was peaceful, then they suddenly attacked our Tribe. We didn't even have time to react. Just look around… so many of our people are dead. How could we possibly know where they came from?"

The Skeleton Knight glanced around. The Dogmen's possessions were scattered about in a chaotic mess. Many huts had collapsed, and fires still burned in several spots. If the Undead had not appeared, the Dragon Lizard Knights would have slaughtered every last Dogman, plundered their supplies, and then likely burned the entire Tribe to the ground.

This was their standard procedure. On their way here, the Skeleton Knights had already discovered several Tribes in the same state. Any tribespeople who failed to escape had been killed and their bodies burned to charred skeletons.

Since the Canine Elder Race Leader didn't know the Dragon Lizard Cavalry's origin, he was no longer of any use. Unwilling to waste more time, the Skeleton Knight turned its steed to leave, but the old Clan Leader hastily rose and blocked its path.

"Mighty Undead Knight, please wait."

"Hm?"

"Are… are we now a vassal race to the great Master of the Undead?"

'This question had been circling in the Canine Elder Race Leader's mind. He couldn't figure it out. Today was the first time he had ever seen an Undead, so how had his Tribe suddenly become one of their subjects? What in the world was going on?'

The Skeleton Knight stared at the old Clan Leader blocking its path and spoke again in that deep, powerful voice. "This land, this entire Wasteland, is the territory of my Undead Race. The Tribes upon it, and the people within those Tribes, are all subjects of the Undead. Do you have any objections?"

After defeating the Alliance Army of the malignant Races, the Undead Race was now the strongest power in this remote Wasteland. No other Natives could stand against them. Therefore, wasn't it only natural that this land, and all the Tribes on it, belonged to the Undead Race?

Of course, Li Ziyu wasn't a complete tyrant. A Tribe could refuse to acknowledge his rule; that was fine. The consequences just wouldn't be very pleasant. Li Ziyu genuinely preferred not to attack the Natives unnecessarily and would coexist peacefully whenever possible. But if they didn't know what was good for them, tried to stir up trouble, and obstructed his plans, then they became his enemies. And Li Ziyu showed no mercy to his enemies.

He had dispatched the Skeleton Knights with a primary mission: find the Dragon Lizard Lord. Their secondary mission was simply to inform the Tribes on this Wasteland, "You all belong to me now. Consider this your official notice."

He had been busy with his research before and had let this matter slide. Now, he was rectifying that.

He didn't dare have any objections. The Canine Elder Race Leader was self-aware enough to know his place. Facing a Skeleton Knight who was even more powerful than the Lizardmen, he wouldn't dare say the wrong thing. If this being decided to class him as an enemy, his people would have a very quick death.

Compared to saving face, what the tribespeople needed was to stay alive. So-called "freedom" wasn't something many of the small and medium-sized Tribes actually cared about. Life was already hard enough. When you were short on food and clothes, who cared about face? Who cared about freedom? Finding your next meal and surviving—that was what mattered.

Submitting to a stronger power wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But the harsh realities of the Wasteland had taught the Tribes not to trust the strong. A powerful protector would not necessarily treat them well or guarantee they would be fed. More often than not, they would simply plunder their already meager resources, making their plight even more desperate.

It was the same principle as a destitute peasant seeking refuge with a local lord. The lord would bleed him dry with taxes and tithes, taking what little food he had. Then, when famine struck, the lord would just say, "Times are tough for me too! There's no extra grain in my storehouses. You're on your own."