Beast Taming Star Journey

Chapter 349 The Secret of the Plan to Secure Amnesty

The envoy from Jinda stumbled in, raising a gray trail of dust behind him. He was pale and breathing rapidly, as if he had just escaped a life-or-death situation. His sudden intrusion interrupted the previously excited atmosphere of the crowd, and the council hall fell silent instantly, with only his heavy breathing remaining.

The strategist's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal. He asked calmly, "Envoy Jin Da, what's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

The envoy from Jinda didn't have time to answer. He grabbed the arm of a beast tamer next to him and said urgently, "The water source... the water source has been polluted!"

These words resounded like a thunderclap in the council hall. Water pollution would be a catastrophe for any place, let alone in this world where beast taming is revered, where water is the very foundation of their survival.

Su Yao suddenly looked at me, her eyes filled with worry. I felt uneasy as well. The appearance of the Jinda envoy and the news he brought made me feel that things were far more complicated than they appeared.

"Pollution? How is that possible!" Jinxi, the Beastmaster, exclaimed incredulously. "The Dark Lord promised that as long as we accept his offer of amnesty, he will not invade our territory, much less harm our people!"

Jinbo, the strategist, immediately stepped forward to defend him: "Yes, there must be some misunderstanding. The Dark Lord has always been benevolent; how could he do such a thing?"

Su Yao snorted coldly, stepped forward, and her gaze swept across Jinbo strategist's face like a sharp blade. "Mercy? If the Dark Lord were truly merciful, why would he have invaded our territory and slaughtered our people?"

Her words were so forceful that even the beast tamer Jinxi was stunned. Su Yao continued, "Five years ago, the Dark Lord used the same tactic of appeasement to gain the trust of the Crimson Flame Tribe. And what was the result? All the beast tamers of the Crimson Flame Tribe were controlled, their people were enslaved, and their territory was turned into a mine by the dark forces!"

With each word she spoke, the beast tamer's expression grew increasingly grim. Although he was tempted by the terms of amnesty, he was not a fool, and Su Yao's words made him re-evaluate the current situation.

Su Yao turned to the still-shaken Jinda envoy and asked, "How was the water source contaminated? Did you see it with your own eyes?"

The envoy from Jinda nodded vigorously, his voice trembling as he said, "I...I personally witnessed the army of the dark forces dumping large quantities of black liquid upstream of the water source. The liquid emitted a pungent odor, and any plants it touched withered instantly..."

My heart sank. It seemed Su Yao's guess was right; a huge conspiracy was indeed hidden behind this offer of amnesty. The Dark Lord didn't genuinely want amnesty; rather, he wanted to gradually devour the Beast Taming Realm and eventually turn the entire Beast Taming Realm into his slave market.

"This...this is just your side of the story!" Although the Beastmaster was somewhat shaken, he was still unwilling to believe that the Dark Lord would be so despicable.

Su Yao ignored him and turned to look at me, her eyes filled with determination: "Nong Yu, we must stop them!"

I held her hand tightly and said firmly, "I am with you!"

Just then, the strategist Jinbo suddenly spoke up: "Gentlemen, do not be misled by this envoy's alarmist words..."

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the council hall, followed by a terrified voice: "The army of the dark forces... they're here!"

The atmosphere in the council hall froze instantly, filled with tension and fear. The news brought by the envoy from Jinda was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples everywhere.

"The army of the dark forces has arrived!" These words kept echoing in my ears, and my heart pounded wildly. I gripped Su Yao's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of her palm, which reassured me slightly. Her gaze was firm and brave, as if telling me that no matter what happened, she would fight alongside me.

"This...this is impossible!" Jinxi, the Beastmaster, said, his face ashen and his lips trembling. "The Dark Lord promised that as long as we accept his offer of amnesty, he will not invade our territory!"

“A promise?” Su Yao sneered. “Five years ago, the Crimson Flame Tribe also believed the Dark Lord’s promise, and what happened? Their territory was turned into mines, and their people were enslaved!”

“But…but the water pollution might just be an accident…” Jinxi the Beastmaster was still trying to defend the Dark Lord, his eyes filled with struggle and contradiction. I knew he wasn’t stupid; he was just blinded by the terms of the offer of amnesty and unwilling to believe that the beliefs he had always held were wrong.

I took a deep breath, stepped forward, looked into the eyes of the Beastmaster Jinxi, and said in a deep voice, "Beastmaster Jinxi, I know you still have doubts, but now is not the time to hesitate. The army of the dark forces is already at the city gates. We must unite to fight them!"

"Unity? How can we unite?" Jinxi, the beast tamer, shook his head with a wry smile. "Even our water source has been polluted, and our beast tamers are unable to fight. How can we fight against the powerful forces of darkness?"

His words sank my heart. Indeed, the contamination of the water source was a fatal blow to us. Beast Tamers need clean water to maintain their fighting ability, and now that our water source had been polluted by the dark forces, it undoubtedly cut off our escape route.

Su Yao gripped my hand tightly, her eyes filled with worry, yet also with a hint of determination. "Nong Yu, we still have hope. As long as we can find an antidote, we can restore the beasts' fighting power!"

Her words were a wake-up call. Yes, as long as we can find an antidote, we still have a chance! I turned to look at Su Yao; her eyes were full of trust and encouragement, which strengthened my resolve.

"Su Yao, you're right, we'll definitely find a way to detoxify!" I held her hand tightly and gave her a determined look.

Just then, the door to the council hall was suddenly pushed open, and a soldier covered in blood stumbled in, shouting in terror, "The army of the dark forces has breached the city gates!"

Chaos erupted in the hall; everyone was panicked and unsure how to proceed. I gripped Su Yao's hand tightly, my heart filled with unease.

The beast tamer, Jinxi, was pale-faced. He looked at me, his eyes filled with despair. "What...what should we do?"

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Don't panic, we still have a chance!"

My gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Elder Jin Hei, who sat silently in the corner. His head was down, and I couldn't see his expression; I had no idea what he was thinking.

"Elder Jinhei..." I had just opened my mouth when I heard a deafening battle cry from outside, and the ground began to tremble slightly...