Chapter 350: Silver Mask Deceiver, Troll Queto,

Backstabbing Blow

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Deceiver?

Ji Chen racked his brain, trying to recall when he had crossed paths with these people, but came up empty-handed.

However, it was clear that this group of deceivers had planned this encirclement in advance.

There was no way they could have gathered so many trolls and driven over a dozen marshland dragons here without prior knowledge. This led him and his troops to walk right into the trap.

As he pondered this, Ji Chen’s heart sank.

He quickly reviewed the events and details from his memory, trying to connect the dots.

When he had obtained information about the marshland dragons, he had done so under the identity of Zhao Liangchen. Only Luo Yang, the Monkey Gift Duo, and himself knew about this. Could they have leaked this information?

As for his role as Ji Chen, only the elven military officers Brett and Kris were aware of it, but they only knew that Ji Chen was coming to this location, not the specifics of his mission.

In theory, there was no reason for the elves to exert such effort or carry out such actions.

Would they really tear up the agreement with the Ocean Crown right after reaching a deal? Is that even possible?

Therefore, it’s highly likely that the elves didn’t leak the information.

But if it were Luo Yang and Monkey Gift Duo who leaked the information, then how did they know about the relationship between Zhao Liangchen and Ji Chen?

The Illusory Mask had almost completely transformed his appearance. Even if these deceivers had the ability to see through illusions, he doubted they could pierce the deception of the Illusory Mask, a 7-star artifact.

Despite the numerous questions swirling in his mind, Ji Chen had to put them aside and refocus on the immediate situation.

After a brief hesitation, he raised his left hand and ordered the troops to retreat into the underground chamber.

With the trolls having completed their encirclement outside, breaking through such a formidable wall of trolls would be no easy task.

“Everyone, fall back and defend at the entrance of the underground chamber!”

As soon as he gave the order, the Crown of the Ocean’s troops displayed remarkable coordination. They split into groups and retreated, with the Naga Berserkers standing their ground for a moment before gradually withdrawing. In the narrow entrance, less than fifty meters wide, they formed a defensive line with their bodies.

Ji Chen positioned himself behind the defensive line, standing on a large stone, and observed the movements of the trolls and the masked deceivers through the entrance.

His expression was cautious.

It seemed that the trolls had already completed their encirclement, and they didn’t appear to be in a hurry to attack. Leading the trolls was a monstrous chieftain, who seemed to be engaged in conversation with one of the masked deceivers, their faces obscured by silver masks.

“I’ve followed your instructions and surrounded this Lord of Glory with my warriors. It’s time to fulfill your end of the deal,” the troll chieftain said, staring with his large bronze eyes, as he lowered his head to look at the figure before him.

The figure was completely wrapped, making it impossible to determine if it was male or female, and spoke in a low, resonant voice.

Beneath the silver mask, a harsh, almost hundred-year-old voice emerged, “Of course, Your Excellency Queto, you know we are very committed to our contracts. This is the promised evolutionary elixir.”

With that, the Deceiver in the silver mask, with bandages covering parts of their body, reached into their clothing and casually tossed a bottle containing a blood-red liquid over.

Queto carefully caught the bottle, pinching it with his fingers, and watched the liquid sloshing inside with a hint of fanaticism and excitement in his eyes.

This was a potent alchemical elixir capable of transforming trolls. A small bottle like this was enough to allow over a thousand troll warriors to evolve into even more powerful Troll Berserkers. This would be a significant advantage in the ongoing war between the trolls and the humans of the Maple Principality.

The Deceiver behind the silver mask chuckled dryly, “Your Excellency Queto, we’ve been working together for so long. It’s time you had a little more trust in us. After all, our enemies are the same, at least for now.”

He paused and added, “At least, for the time being.”

Queto pursed his lips, unable to deny it.

As a troll, he had a natural aversion to these peculiar individuals who dared not reveal their true faces.

However, he had to admit that the trolls had received substantial support from them, starting from more than a decade ago when these Deceivers had suddenly visited the Alvin Mountains and reached an agreement with the Troll King. Since then, they had been providing assistance and supplies, including various elixirs, weapons, and equipment, turning the mountain trolls into a significant threat to the Maple Principality in a short period.

Despite the long-standing collaboration, the trolls knew nothing about these Deceivers. They only knew that the Deceivers seemed to hold a deep grudge against the God-Choosers, a divine lineage.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons why they were willing to help the trolls, as trolls were a notorious outcast race, inherently disliked by many.

These Deceivers supplied weapons and armor that were only slightly inferior to those forged by dwarves. They also provided large quantities of food, elixirs, and various supplies.

Nobody knew the true depth of their power, and their ability to provide specific military information and troop deployments of the Maple Principality’s army was eerie.

With such a powerful yet mysterious ally, even the fearless trolls couldn’t help but be cautious.

They always felt that these Deceivers were plotting some sinister scheme to drag the trolls into something they didn’t fully understand.

Nevertheless, wary as they were, they couldn’t afford to reject the support they received.

Seeing Queto remaining silent, the silver-masked Deceiver continued, “Next, I need you, Your Excellency Queto, to launch an immediate attack and deplete their forces and stamina..”