Amber Sword

The guest was naturally someone Brando knew well—the Gray Fin Naga. The pearl in his hand was sent to him by the Naga Queen Hanlu through the hands of Sani’er, a kind of magical tool used for communication among the Naga. Unfortunately, its production is limited; otherwise, he would have given one to each of his important associates.

As soon as the black pearl emitted a glow, Brando immediately realized that Sani’er had arrived. But it was the sentry post set up by the outer White Lion Guards that first reacted. The young men from Tonyger naturally recognized the Naga group and directly led them over.

The first thing Brando saw was the burly Sani’er, a head taller than the average person. Beside him was a female Naga. The female Naga was charming and alluring, yet ultimately not human in appearance. They have pointed, webbed ears, smooth skin, and three thin gill slits above their collarbones. Like the male Naga, they have a serpentine lower body from the navel down.

Brando was initially puzzled as to why Sani’er hadn’t joined up with Antitina to travel to Tonyger by sea. But upon seeing the female Naga, he understood—he knew her too. It was Brigitte, a major female priestess by Queen Hanlu’s side.

In the Naga Clan, positions overseeing rituals and wars are all held by women. While Sani’er, despite being a warrior, is merely a frontline soldier. Although he later by chance came to lead the Gray Fin Naga Clan, that was an exception. Generally speaking, the Naga remain a matriarchal clan society.

A female Naga of noble birth like Brigitte appearing in the army usually serves the role of an accompanying priestess, essentially acting as a supervisor.

Brando quickly understood that they intended to form an alliance with him. This also explained the question of the Harbor Guard’s whereabouts at Ampezel Port. It seemed from the beginning the Naga Clan was determined to participate in this war.

And as soon as they spoke, it confirmed his suspicion:

"Lord, we have come under the Queen’s command, adhering to the ancient sacred covenant, to fight alongside the human allies." Brigitte’s Kruz Language was impeccably fluent, almost indistinguishable from that of a native Naga speaker, without Sani’er’s kind of low and coarse accent.

When she mentioned the Queen, she slightly bowed her head in a salute to Brando. It was more a gesture of respect to their Queen than to Brando himself.

A glimmer flickered in Brando’s eyes. As a player, he was exceptionally perceptive and well-versed in Naga customs. It seemed that Queen Hanlu intended to engage with him as an equal; otherwise, they wouldn’t go this far. However, he didn’t believe in talk about some sacred alliance—the notion that if a sacred covenant was truly effective, there wouldn’t be any holy wars among the Four Great Sanctuaries.

What a clever move, beneath the grandiose pretense lies blatant political investment. But what aspect of him caught the Queen’s interest? On the surface, he was just a minor lord of Tonyger.

After Brigitte finished with the pleasantries, she fell silent, clearly not giving him the chance to satisfy his curiosity. Sani’er likely wouldn’t know those details, either, as he wasn’t quite a big shot in the Gray Fin Naga.

However, Brando was never one to dig too deeply. Having reinforcements was naturally better, and he gladly accepted them. After all, he could consider it a favor owed to the Queen, which was probably her intention, and with his abilities, he wasn’t worried about repaying it.

The arrival of the Gray Fin Naga also caused quite a stir among the others. Once it was known they were allies, the commotion quickly spread among the young people. Ou Fuwei’er couldn’t help but jokingly call Brando a robber lord, with his followers being bandits and pirates, though this was a jest, as Sir Wolf only saw admiration.

There is a vast difference between only cultivating private soldiers and forging connections with various powerful figures. Most of the nobility in Erune, even those as inept as Gruding, would keep private soldiers, a natural instinct learned effortlessly by the nobles. But forging connections with various powers not only requires inherent strength but also a certain degree of personal charm.

The problem was that Brando’s range of influential contacts was unusually wide—Druids, Naga—groups that ordinary people would hardly encounter in everyday life. In the presence of these groups, human identity meant nothing. To Druids, there was no difference between a noble and a civilian, and to Naga, nobles were akin to fat sheep.