With Solenne’s appearance, Mantis Town became unusually calm, and those causing problems were either killed or chased out of the town. For hours, the central street was covered in the thick stench of blood.

Few dared to step out of their inns, while the Mantis Men wore solemn expressions. For many years, this was the first time they had witnessed such brutal killing at the center of their town.

Most killings occurred outside of their town.

But with the number of humans increasing, the rare killing sight had somewhat become a common sight.

That realization made many Mantis Men uncomfortable.

They had always known the Crimson Dunes were cruel, but they had tried to keep that cruelty outside their homes as much as possible.

Now, blood had been spilled openly in their central street.

Now, many understood that the danger following Black Water was not something that could be hidden behind closed doors.

Under the tense atmosphere, the three moons dimmed lightly, marking nighttime. Inside the Crimson Arc Guild, Solenne sat behind her desk with a deep frown etched on her face. What happened today was a wake up call for her.

She knew this would not be the last time such a thing happened.

Sigh!

"Perhaps, I should not have agreed with Thoren’s plan in the first place," she whispered under her breath.

She never expected the allure of unlimited supplies would give her so many headaches.

She agreed to Thoren’s plan, believing many would not dare travel the treacherous desert just for a rumor that had not been confirmed.

But now, she was wrong.

People were in so much dire need that they ignored the danger in the desert. Just the promise alone was enough to keep them going.

Many were injured, and with healers extremely scarce, most awakeners depended on potions for survival.

Unfortunately, potions could only be made by Alchemists, and to find an Alchemist, one needed to join the powerful guilds. Even then, potions were not available to everyone.

Thus, many with little to no chance of survival risked everything to come to Mantis Town for survival. As for powerful groups or guilds, they all had one thing in common.

Greed.

They wanted the unlimited supplies for themselves.

And all this made Mantis Town’s situation extremely sensitive. It was like a ticking time bomb.

Lost in thought, Solenne’s thoughts raced rapidly as she tried to find a way to salvage the situation.

She hated being passive.

Due to her previous passiveness, she lost their only Alchemist, and now, it seemed the situation was about to repeat itself.

The thought made her stomach twist in fury.

She gnashed her teeth repeatedly only to sigh heavily.

She tapped her forehead, hoping to receive a sudden enlightenment out of her precarious situation, when a soft knock disturbed her train of thought.

Hmm?

She creased her brow, and slight traces of anger appeared on her face.

"Who is it?" she asked coldly.

"Guild Master, you have a visitor," a shaky female voice came from outside.

"Who?"

"An elder from the Mantis Men."

The moment Solenne heard it was a Mantis Men elder, her anger vanished, and she adjusted herself properly.

"Bring them in."

Creak!

The door was slowly pushed open, and a young woman led the Mantis Men Elder into the room. The little illumination coming from the moons could only allow them to see each other’s faces.

"Good evening, Guild Master. I hope I am not disturbing you," the Mantis Elder said in fluent human language.

"Not at all. You are always welcome in our guild anytime," Solenne responded with a light smile before she shot the young woman a glance.

Without being told, the young woman gave a light bow and hurriedly left the room.

After a few pleasantries, Solenne went straight to the point. "So, Elder, why have you come?"

The Mantis Elder stared at Solenne for a moment, his antennae shaking slightly. Slowly, he opened his mouth.

"The Council of Elders is worried about the state of the town," he began.

Unlike other Carapace towns, Mantis Town did not have a single ruler. They had a council of elders that governed them. This was why the intimidating atmosphere found in other Carapace towns could not be found here.

Also, this was why the Crimson Arc Guild could easily rule the town without using forceful means.

The Mantis Men were not naturally aggressive.

They valued stability.

They valued survival.

They valued the fragile peace that had allowed their people to continue living despite being surrounded by stronger and crueler clans.

When Solenne heard this, she did not have any change in her expression. She waited patiently for the Mantis Elder to continue.

"You must know, we are very much grateful for what you and your guild have done for our town for the past years. But the current situation is getting our people worried."

"This town might belong to us, but we are weaker than you humans. This is our only sanctuary, and we have nowhere to go if the town falls in battle. My coming today is because we hope you can settle everything as quickly as possible."

"Just like you humans are under pressure, we Mantis Men are also under pressure," he added, and his antennae twitched.

Hmm?

Listening to the last sentence, Solenne’s calm expression faltered.

"Pressure from who?" her voice was sharp.

She believed her guild had done its best in keeping the Mantis Men safe. Thus, she did not understand who was pressuring them.

"You might not know, but the Scorpion Men have reached out to us," the Mantis Elder revealed.

Scorpion Men!

The temperature inside the room seemed to drop instantly.

Solenne’s eyes narrowed, and the faint smile on her lips disappeared completely.

The Scorpion Men were not like wandering hunters or greedy human factions.

They were a clan.

A powerful clan at that.

A clan that had controlled many routes, oppressed weaker beastmen races, and treated nearby villages as if they were resources waiting to be harvested.

If they were reaching out to the Mantis Men now, then the meaning was obvious.

’This is bad...’ A sense of danger swells in her heart.