Before Ang could speak, Yasi continued with a grave expression, "And every day, they're adding new Lizardmen eggs to that giant ovary. It doesn't seem like they plan to stop."
Ang frowned deeply and fell silent for a moment.
Looking at the especially prominent area marked on the map, he said quietly, "You've worked hard during this time. Go back and rest for a few days. Get yourselves back into shape."
As he spoke, he took a flat blackwood box from his Magic Waist Pouch and handed it to Yasi.
Yasi carefully accepted it and opened it. Inside lay a finely carved bracelet that glimmered faintly.
His eyes lit up at once. "This is... a Magic Sense Guard Bracelet?"
"That's right." Ang nodded. "It'll be of great help to you."
"Thank you, my lord!" Unable to contain his excitement, Yasi gripped the bracelet with both hands, a boyish smile spreading across his face.
He gave a solemn bow, then quickly left the council hall.
Ang remained where he was, his gaze returning to the area crowded with red markings on the map. He murmured, "If we want to deal with the Lizardmen once and for all... we can only proceed on both fronts at once."
Several days later, the atmosphere in the council hall was noticeably tense.
"Wizard Temple has sent word back." A messenger hurried in and handed a secret letter to Ang. "The Lizardmen have begun sending squads to their respective tribes to seek reinforcements. They're scattered and moving quickly."
After reading it, Ang spread the letter across the table for all the officers to see. "They've split into more than a dozen groups. Their destinations are obvious—they're gathering reinforcements."
"They're returning to their respective tribes to summon troops?" a young officer asked with a frown.
"That seems