Chapter 80

Carrying twenty-four nearly ten-meter-tall cyclopes still had a certain intimidating effect. At least, when the three elite crystal dragons saw them, their faces showed a hint of seriousness. But it quickly dissipated. Now, everyone was an ally. No matter how strong you were, would you dare to attack me?

Following the cyclopes were the minotaurs, then the diamond men, and walking in the middle were Old Bao and the others. Finally, there was the large group of various recruited troops.

This formation made Liu Siyi shake his head. It was truly lacking in any combat awareness. If he were to arrange the troops, at least one point was clear: the cyclopes with their powerful ranged attacks would never be placed at the front.

Of course, Liu Siyi wouldn't point out such shortcomings in front of everyone. It was better to discuss it privately after leaving.

"Lord Pipp, we request independence."

Just as Liu Siyi was thinking about how to arrange the troops, suddenly, the largest of the four ordinary crystal dragons, a blue one, said.

"Yes, Lord Pipp, I remember you once said that we newly born crystal dragons can leave at any time without any conditions," the second-largest black crystal dragon also said.

"Will we still have to pay the 50 crystals if we become independent now?" The smallest green crystal dragon's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked.

"We should still have to pay. After all, Lord Pipp swore by the name of the Dragon God, and we all agreed. If you don't pay, be careful of the Dragon God's punishment," the white crystal dragon said. He didn't want to discourage him, but if he didn't say it now, the damage would be even greater.

"Ah~ This time, we've lost everything." The green crystal dragon hung his head dejectedly, looking very depressed.

"Lord Pipp, what are you still thinking about? If you don't object, can we leave now?" The blue crystal dragon asked again.

"Where will you go if you leave now? Are you familiar with the surroundings? And what if someone wants to deal with you?" Pipp deliberately emphasized the word "someone" and glanced at Liu Siyi, the meaning clear.

"Please rest assured, Lord Pipp, and thank you for your long-term care and guidance." The blue crystal dragon first said a polite word, then continued, "The previous oaths were sworn by the gods of all parties, and the targets were us seven crystal dragons. I think, as long as we are in the Beastman Mountains, no one will dare to deal with us."

"Hmm, since you have thought it through, I won't stop you. I wish you a better future." Pipp's words were a bit heavy. After all, they had lived together for hundreds or even thousands of years, and there was always some affection. If it weren't for the unstable relationship due to the distribution of benefits, the crystal dragons would never have split up. If they were going to split, they would have done so long ago, not now.

"Here is our share. Please take care, my lords. We are leaving now." The four ordinary crystal dragons reluctantly placed their respective 50 crystals in front of them, then bowed their heads and respectfully stepped back.

Liu Siyi didn't know why the crystal dragons were having an internal conflict. Although they didn't fight, there was an argument, and now they were splitting up. He really didn't know what was going on. But their split didn't seem to benefit him.

Wait, Liu Siyi suddenly thought of a possibility. He began to look forward to what the four ordinary crystal dragons would do next.

Pipp, however, didn't think that much. Dealing with the current situation was already a headache, and he had to suppress all the crystal dragons to prove that he was still the strongest among them. Then, seeing the strength of the beastmen, the sudden request for independence from the crystal dragons below made him even more angry. But he had already said such things before, and it was hard to go back on his word. Without much thought, he agreed to the split.

The four ordinary crystal dragons moved to one side, then turned and rushed towards Liu Siyi.

"Prepare for battle!"

Wolf and the others knew about the previous oaths. Although they didn't think the crystal dragons would turn against them, they still had to be cautious. The uninformed cyclopes, under Els's loud command, gathered large stone balls in their hands, ready to launch a powerful attack at any moment.

"Stop!" Liu Siyi shouted, blocking those preparing to attack. His face was full of smiles. The content of the covenant not only prohibited direct attacks but also any methods to achieve the purpose of attacking. There was nothing to worry about.

At this moment, Pipp and the others, seeing the situation, already guessed what was about to happen. Their faces were long and their expressions very unpleasant.

"Lord Lewis, is it true that you said you would hire us to work for you, and all those conditions?" The blue crystal dragon asked.

"What kind of work do you need us to do?" The green crystal dragon also asked.

Seeing the four crystal dragons stop at a distance where no battle would occur, Liu Siyi's face was full of smiles. Everyone said that talent was hard to come by. Although in a few days, next Monday, he would have top-tier combat power no less than these crystal dragons, he wouldn't get the powerful ranged attack from the air. Although mantises also had flight capabilities, they were still melee units. Therefore, the crystal dragons were rare talents.

Liu Siyi was very curious about why the crystal dragons had an internal conflict, but he knew that some questions could be asked, and some could not. Asking the wrong questions might not only fail to get answers but also cause trouble.

In fact, when he proposed hiring the crystal dragons, he had already prepared several plans. The most likely to succeed was to reduce the 50-100 crystals the crystal dragons had to pay. Of course, these were all negotiable, and he couldn't reveal his bottom line right away. However, seeing the strong reaction of the four ordinary crystal dragons, it was unexpected. It seemed the conditions could be raised a bit.

"Of course, if all four of you are willing to work for me, the reward will be as previously mentioned, one crystal per person per week." Seeing the four crystal dragons very satisfied, Liu Siyi had an idea. Perhaps he could increase their workload. Thinking about this, even he couldn't believe it. He actually had the attributes of a tight-fisted boss.

"Since you are working for me, there are some things that need to be clarified. There are two types of work. Normally, it's transporting people and goods. When there's nothing to do, you can patrol the territory to maintain order. This will also increase your knowledge, and I believe there are many new and interesting things you don't know.

Another situation is when a battle occurs. There are three types of battles. The first is when our strength is much greater than the enemy's, and we can easily defeat them. In this case, you don't need to fight. The second is when our strength is about the same as the enemy's. In this case, you might need to fight, or you might not. Don't act rashly; just follow my commands. The third is when the enemy's strength is much greater than ours. In this case, we won't start the battle immediately but will negotiate first. If we have to fight, your job is to restrain the enemy."

Liu Siyi's attitude was very serious, and as he spoke, his tone became even more solemn. "Since you are participating in the battle, let's make it clear. Don't just go through the motions. If anyone doesn't do their job well and fails to restrain their opponent, disrupting the entire battlefield and causing us significant losses, you will have to compensate for all the losses."

"Lord Lewis, I have a question." Hearing this, the blue crystal dragon's expression was also very serious. He asked, "You said our goal is just to restrain the opponent, and there won't be any life-threatening danger. But if our opponent is much stronger, we might still be able to restrain them, but if they fight to the death, what should we do? Not fighting to the death might let the opponent escape, but if we do, how can you say there's no life-threatening danger!?"