Defeat the Murlocs, Liberate the Kobolds!

Shawn felt like he was going insane.

Old Grian, this fellow, how could he be so incredibly versatile? Not only was his skin thicker than a city wall, but his lips were thinner than foam. One tale after another, sentence after sentence; his ability to fabricate stories was ten times better than his own. In the blink of an eye, he had spun over a dozen yarns and dragged a dozen people through the mud...

Yes, Shawn did not believe a single word out of Old Grian's mouth.

Yet, deep down, Shawn had already begun to sigh.

Although everything Old Grian said was false, it was all within the realm of possibility.

Shawn was, after all, a kind-hearted ordinary person.

Even if it was just for the people of Westfall, for those familiar faces, for Old Saldean, he had to do something. As long as he remained cautious, he wouldn't necessarily end up losing himself.

Though Old Grian would stop at nothing to achieve his ends, he truly was looking out for the people of Westfall!

After a moment of thought, Shawn interrupted Old Grian and nodded.

Just as Old Grian assumed Shawn had been successfully hoodwinked and was about to spill his heart out and hand over all his trump cards, Shawn spoke up.

"Well, Lord Grian, if I find a way to make the Kobolds and Murlocs fight each other... what's in it for me?"

Looking at the sincerity on Shawn's face, showing not a shred of shame for his words or actions, Old Grian was filled with admiration and respect for this half-elf youth.

To be able to demand benefits so brazenly—the thickness of this little guy's skin... was at least half of his own!

After a moment of thought, Old Grian held up a finger.

"Half of all the profits?" Shawn's heart was filled with beautiful fantasies.

"Kid, you're overthinking it." Old Grian wagged his raised middle finger in front of Shawn's eyes. "Ten percent. Ten percent of the profits from the Jangolode Mine, settled annually. I'll handle the mining operations, you just collect the money. How about that? Generous enough, right?"

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Generous? How is that generous? How about I handle the mining, and I give you ten percent?"

The annual ore output of the Jangolode Mine, while far inferior to the Deadmines, was still the second-largest mine in Westfall. The annual gold yield was absolutely an astronomical figure. Otherwise, why would Old Saldean and the others have agreed to cough up five thousand gold coins just for a forty percent share of the future gold profits from Jangolode and forty percent of the spoils from Gold Coast?

Truth be told, ten percent of the Jangolode Mine's profits was not a small amount. But right now, Old Grian was the one begging for his help; he had to squeeze out every bit he could. Otherwise, if he regretted it later, there would be no medicine for regret to buy!

Hearing Shawn's words, Old Grian shouted, "Shawn! Ten percent of the profits, and you still think it's too little? You have to realize, all those farm owners like Old Saldean only have a forty percent share combined. On average, they get far less than you! Shawn, listen to your uncle's advice: be content with what you have!"

Shawn curled his lip. "Old man, I am very content. Ten percent of the Jangolode Mine profits, no problem, but I want it settled every week. Also, after this battle is won, I want all the magic items among the spoils!"

Shawn had seen through the trickery immediately.

Settled once a year?

In his dreams!

The key was that Old Grian was the one in charge of the mining! Who knew what kind of shady business would go on? What if the profit was ten thousand gold coins, but he insisted it was only one thousand? Who could he go to for justice?

Therefore, a weekly settlement was the only way to be safe. Because the timeframe was only one week, it would be much harder for Old Grian to cook the books. Secondly, if Old Grian really did falsify the accounts, he would discover the problem in a week—better to find and solve problems early.

Furthermore, the share of the Jangolode Mine was a long-term trickle, but the spoils of this battle were the big payout he could get right now. So, no matter what, Shawn had to secure this portion.

When Old Grian heard Shawn's demands, he immediately knew that this black-bellied little fox had seen through his plans. There was no choice but to agree. He was definitely going to cook the books; at worst, he would just find someone who knew the trade to do it better so the little fox wouldn't notice...

As for all the magic items among the spoils...

Old Grian thought about it and finally nodded in reluctant agreement.

There was no helping it; the kid's demands were reasonable and fair!

As the only spellcaster participating on their side in this great battle, and someone who would make an irreplaceable contribution, asking for all the magic items was perfectly justified!

Because he couldn't come up with a reasonable argument to refute it, Old Grian could only be led by the nose by Shawn.

The negotiation concluded with a complete success in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Shawn and Old Grian held an in-depth discussion on their future long-term cooperation and exchanged heartfelt wishes for the deep friendship between the two parties.

Afterward, Shawn and Old Grian parted ways, one heading alone toward the Jangolode Mine, the other straight for Gold Coast.

This was also one of the terms negotiated by both sides.

Shawn would use his own methods to make the Kobolds of the Jangolode Mine raid the Murlocs of Gold Coast, but the methods and steps involved had to remain absolutely independent and secret. Old Grian was not to steal the unique skills belonging to Shawn in any way, or the agreement would be voided immediately.

Shawn didn't trust Old Grian's promises at all, so he decisively adopted the simplest and most effective way to avoid it.

Shawn rode his Domesticated Wild Boar, galloping at full speed.

Yes, the simplest way was to reach the Jangolode Mine and get the Kobolds to launch their raid on Gold Coast before Old Grian could even think of or take any action. In this way, any schemes or plots would have to bow before absolute strength.

One had to know, the charging speed of a Domesticated Sow was far faster than an ordinary warhorse!

Arriving at the Jangolode Mine once again, Shawn felt exceptionally calm, not just because he was familiar with the path, but because his overall strength had increased by an unknown magnitude.

Picking up the Kobold War Horn and striking a pose he thought was quite dashing, Shawn blew the war horn, luring out the Kobolds guarding the Jangolode Mine as well as the large number of Kobolds deep within the mine. With several hundred Kobolds gathered before him, Shawn felt like he was giving a speech in a school auditorium.

Holding the war horn, Shawn began his pre-battle mobilization.

The intelligence level of Kobolds was extremely low, not even as good as a toddler. It was very easy for Shawn to mobilize them, stir up their emotions and enthusiasm, and tell them that Murlocs were the eternal enemies of Kobolds; only by completely wiping out the Murlocs could the Kobolds live a happy and prosperous life.

Seeing that the duration of the war horn was about to end, Shawn hurriedly finished his mobilization, kicked the boar's belly, and charged toward the direction of Gold Coast.

Following closely behind, hundreds of Kobolds shouted, "Down with the Murlocs, liberate the Kobolds," and charged toward Gold Coast.

These were all the Kobolds of the Jangolode Mine, but they were not all the Kobolds in Westfall.

After the last battle, to prevent revenge from the Murlocs, a large number of Kobolds had been sent out to camp near Gold Coast, acting as vanguards and scouts.

As Shawn and the Kobold army passed by, those scattered Kobolds all gathered together.

Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

By the time they arrived at Gold Coast, the force of several hundred had grown to over a thousand.

And the battle, at this moment, finally began!