Chapter 1342: Dangers In The Desert [Part 2] Since Thirteen had long informed Paimon that they would pass by, her preparations were finished by the time they arrived. The Wanderers were still journeying through the desert when she dispatched a group to welcome them, which was led by a Red Salamander called Jar Jar. They had even arrived at the Oasis, which Paimon had designated as their meeting place, three days before the Wanderers. In fact, it was not that the Wanderers were too late. After all, it took Paimon’s subordinates a month to reach the agreed location. The Samara Desert was simply vast. "Who among you is Zion Leventis?" Jar Jar asked as soon as the Wanderers stepped on the Oasis. "That’s me," Thirteen replied. "Are you Jar Jar?" The Red Salamander frowned upon hearing the teenage boy’s casual tone toward him. Truth be told, Jar Jar felt very unhappy with this mission his Mistress had given. Paimon had explicitly told him to treat Zion with respect, as if he were her. However, how could he possibly do that? In his eyes, humans and Wanderers were inferior species whose only chance at survival lay in obeying his mistress. Respecting Zion went against his belief, but since this was an order from his Master, he endured the dissatisfaction in his heart. "I am Jar Jar, and Her Excellency, Lady Paimon, has ordered me to guide you out of the Samara Desert," Jar Jar stated. "Since you have just arrived here in the Oasis, please rest for now. Tomorrow, we will start our journey." Thirteen didn’t find anything wrong with this arrangement, so he agreed with the Red Salamander’s proposal. "Rest up and drink up, everyone," Thirteen ordered. "Rocky, take out the wagons so we can refill our water supplies." The Hell Lord Bal-Boa emerged from the ground and gave the Red Salamander a side-long glance. Jar Jar frowned and was a little surprised because after sensing that the monster that appeared before him was a Rank 9 Sovereign. He was a Rank 8 Red Salamander and one of the Captains of Paimon’s Army. It was thanks to his high rank that he could live comfortably within his Mistress’s territory. Paimon had only assigned him and his subordinates to meet Thirteen because they were among the handful of her subordinates who could comfortably go on long journeys through the Samara Desert. On top of that, Jar Jar was also her territory’s diplomatic ambassador. Due to the nature of his position, he had already formed connections with his counterparts from the faction of the three Majin Princes whose territories overlapped his mistress’s within the Samara Desert. Although they had all agreed not to be hostile with each other, small skirmishes were rather inevitable on the borders of their territories. However, these skirmishes had never turned into full-blown wars. After all, if they were to really wage war against one another, someone would take advantage of their weakened state and claim their territories in one fell swoop. It was this belief that kept the fragile balance within the Samara Desert, a place that held many secrets and treasures yet to be fully uncovered until this day. "Tell me, Jar Jar, does your Mistress have trouble with her neighbors?" Thirteen asked. The Red Salamander eyed the human suspiciously before giving his reply. "My Master’s business is none of your business, human." "I see. So she’s really in trouble, huh?" Thirteen nodded. "Paimon is really shy. If she only asked for my help, I wouldn’t hesitate to help her fix some of her problems.’ Jar Jar clicked his tongue in annoyance. He felt disgusted at the human for daring to mention his Master’s name so casually. Had Zion referred to his Master as Her Excellency, Her Grace, or Lady Paimon, he might still be able to forgive the young man. But Thirteen simply called her Paimon as if they were close friends. "Human, if you want to live long, don’t meddle in the affairs of the Jinns," Jar Jar stated. "My Mistress is not so weak that he needs the help of a... human like you." The Red Salamander almost said inferior species, but he managed to catch himself in time. Thirteen could tell that Jar Jar didn’t like him, but that was fine with him. As long as Paimon’s subordinate did his job properly, the teenage boy wouldn’t care if Jar Jar hated him for life. The next day... As soon as the sun rose from the east, the camp of the Wanderers stirred, preparing their breakfast. Each had a role to play, and those who were proficient in cooking were tasked with handling this chore on a daily basis. As Thirteen, Roland, and Derek ate their breakfast, they noticed a dust cloud over the horizon. This wasn’t a sandstorm but a trail made by monsters making their way through the desert. When Jar Jar saw this, he immediately went to look for Zion and told him that they might be one of the armies of the other Majin Princes stationed on the Samara Desert. The other party must’ve noticed their group during the night. "Leave the talking to me," Jar Jar said. "No matter what happens, tell your subordinates not to cause trouble." Thirteen nodded in agreement and immediately passed the order. But just in case, he ordered Rocky to burrow underground and hide its presence. Rocky obeyed and disappeared from their sight. Tiona narrowed her eyes at the monsters in the distance, who seemed to number in the thousands. ’Master, they are led by a Rank 9 Sovereign Desert King Snake,’ Tiona said through telepathy. ’That’s good news,’ Thirteen replied. ’With you here, he won’t dare to do anything reckless.’ If it were another race, things might have become troublesome. However, Tiona had the power to command any type of snake, and her identity as a Domini Mortis was enough to make most monsters steer clear away from her. A few minutes later, the army that was at least two thousand strong arrived at the Oasis. "Jar Jar, I can smell your stink from miles away," the King Desert Serpent, Sharak, said in a teasing tone. "When was the last time you took a bath?" "How can you smell me when you don’t have a nose?" Jar Jar sneered, unfazed by the hostile words from the Rank 9 Sovereign, a rank higher than him. "Did you also smell your own fart on your way here?" Derek couldn’t help but give the Red Salamander a thumbs up in his heart. Jar Jar surely knew how to trash-talk. "Hah! It seems that you have bounced back after losing against Planax two months ago," Sharak said in contempt. "Does your butt still hurt after getting stabbed by his horn?" The Red Salamander’s face turned a shade redder after being reminded of that humiliating defeat two months ago. "Enough with the nonsense," Jar Jar stated. "What are you doing here?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 "Do you even need to ask?" Sharak replied. "I’m here because this is part of My Lord’s territory. Shouldn’t I be asking WHY you are here instead?" "What nonsense, this place belongs to my Master’s domain!" Jar Jar growled. "You’re the one speaking nonsense," Sharak hissed. "This Oasis might have belonged to your Master half a year ago, but times have now changed. My Master owns it now, so get out of my sight! Also, leave half of the humans here. I will give them the honor of becoming my Master’s slaves." "In your dreams," Jar Jar replied. "They are my Master’s guests, so none of you can touch them under my watch!" Although Jar Jar didn’t like Zion and the rest of the Wanderers, he was very loyal to Paimon. Since the Majin Princess had given him a task, he planned to fulfill it to the best of his abilities. More importantly, their faction had been pressured by their neighbors as of late, so he couldn’t show any weakness here. The moment he showed them an opening, their rivals would not hesitate to crush them until the number of factions within the Samara Desert drops from four to three.