Chapter 1057: Chapter 508: Why Is Your Name on My Sword?

Beyond the hill, Zhang Ze peered out from behind the rock, revealing his deer-like head, and took in the full view of Valley City.

Contrary to what he imagined, this place didn’t fit with words like grand or magnificent at all.

No market, no altar, except for the tallest splendid palace at the city center, everything else was shrouded in gray.

Gray bricks, gray tiles, gray walls; compared to here, a cemetery seemed vibrant, at least with offerings and tombstones with large letters.

Clambering up the rocks for a closer look, Zhang Ze soon saw a group of equally gray half-human creatures emerging from a windowless building resembling barracks.

They looked somewhat like dwarves, short and stout, but had no beards or any body hair, their entire bodies bald and glossy like tanned leather, emitting a disgusting odor even from afar.

And on their faces, at the cheeks, they had repulsive growths, somewhat similar to certain lizards in the desert.

These dwarves were surely the Crocodile En People Su La had mentioned.

Calculating with his little finger, Zhang Ze discovered that their height was only two-thirds that of Lily.

But although they were little dwarves too, they were certainly not as cute as the Half Deer Man or Lily.

Zhang Ze recalled Su La’s description of the Crocodile En People’s personality.

’Greedy and timid rats, accustomed to obeying orders, bullying the weak when in groups but extremely cowardly when alone, their long-term submission has twisted their personalities, becoming playthings for the strong is their greatest reward...’

Zhang Ze thought about it and the more he thought, the more it felt wrong.

"No, Lily doesn’t seem much better than these gray-skinned dwarves, aside from obeying orders, she matches them in every way..."

"Forget it, better stop thinking, it’s impolite to continue."

Shaking the image of Lily’s double ponytail out of his mind, Zhang Ze boldly walked down the hill.

As he approached the city, Zhang Ze was unsurprisingly blocked.

"Oi! Halt! Don’t move! One more step and I’ll kill you!"

The patrol leader of the Crocodile En People took the lead, raising his stubby spear, pointing it upward at Zhang Ze.

Zhang Ze looked down at this annoying little bald man and couldn’t help but retort.

"Kill me? Are you going to stab my knees with that short stick of yours?"

Like most creatures shorter than Lily, the Crocodile En People leader was unsurprisingly provoked.

His cheeks puffed up, and sharp explosions emanated from the growths on his cheeks, his subordinates quickly formed a circle, encircling Zhang Ze completely.

The tips of their stubby spears glowed with purple light.

Once the encirclement was complete, the leader mocked by Zhang Ze also unleashed his Integration skill.

Upon command, his two lieutenants fused waist to waist, stacking on top of each other, then topped themselves with the leader.

Just as the leader was about to give Zhang Ze’s head a hard knock, he suddenly changed tack.

The threats turned into flattery.

Because Zhang Ze had taken out the jade token.

"Now I ask you! Who’s taller?... Tall my foot, it’s you, sir, hey."

The Crocodile En People leader dropped his high-and-mighty posture, whistled for his men to disperse.

He then rubbed his hands, pouting and looking up obsequiously at the jade token.

"Master, what are your orders?"

Zhang Ze did not immediately respond to him, instead looked towards the city.

Having waited a long while, he saw no one approaching, besides the occasional appearance from the gray bald men atop the lookout towers, no one else paid any attention here.

’Have they all gone out? Is there truly no one else in this city besides these little bald men?’

For some reason, Zhang Ze felt something was amiss, yet he didn’t wish to forgo this opportunity.

Deliberating for a moment, he decided to explore the city.

"The Divine Envoy... The Divine Envoy forgot something at home and ordered me to retrieve it for him. You, lead the way, take me to the Divine Envoy’s residence."

Out of cautiousness towards that slight unease, Zhang Ze refrained from casting the Enchantment Spell on the squad leader, instead contrived an arbitrary excuse.

Zhang Ze’s reason was somewhat forced, but without loopholes.

The main reason being that the squad leader was groveling and eager to make progress, he didn’t need Zhang Ze to elaborate, he recognized through a mere glance to which Divine Envoy the jade token belonged.

No wonder he could be a squad leader.

On the way into the city, he was full of flattering talk, probing Zhang Ze’s situation, seemingly preparing for palace intrigue.

Always ready for intrigue to ascend the ranks.

"We’re here, we’re here, just at this place." The squad leader made a gesture of invitation, pointing to the house before him.

The house was equally gray, devoid of windows, resembling the barracks where the Crocodile En People resided, apart from being larger, it had no difference.

Before the door, the jade token in Zhang Ze’s hand flew up by itself, gave a light tremble, and the restriction on the door lifted.

In Pure Deer People guise, Zhang Ze bent over to push the door open, then immediately closed it behind him, leaving the lackey squad leader outside.

The squad leader, "..."

Cursing at the selfish deer under his breath, the squad leader could only begrudgingly guard the door, continuing to plan his palace intrigue.

Having purged five people, this one must be purged too!

...

Once inside, Zhang Ze paused again.

For the room’s furnishings exceeded his expectations once more.

Based on the intelligence he gathered, these Divine Envoys should be wooden-like characters, their liveliness merely the difference between old wood and new saplings. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Yet the reality was different.

Zhang Ze stood before an iron frame, observing the straps on it, and the hanging whips, as well as the suspicious paraphernalia beside the frame, he took a gentle step back.