Chapter 383 - 11: Western and Eastern Reconnaissance

Chapter 383: Chapter 11: Western and Eastern Reconnaissance

West of the territory, Kirkland Gordon’s reconnaissance work initially went very smoothly. The Beastmen paid no mind to the small animals they had transformed into, letting them run freely through their camps.

This allowed Kirkland Gordon’s Sharp Claw Druids to gather a great deal of intelligence on the borderland Beastmen.

However, this period of ease lasted only a few days. The situation changed with the arrival of a Half-beastman unit, sent as reinforcements from the interior.

On this day, a Half-beastman unit, with a beast pack in tow, arrived at the western border.

"Welcome, welcome! By the God of Wild Hunting, Beast Tamers of Mad Hunt Zeke, I’ve been expecting you for a long time."

Lizard Zeke, the Beastman Lord whose territory was closest to the World Tree Territory, came forward to greet them from his domain, which had been built into a fortress.

Lizard Zeke was a lord from the Wolfman Race. His domain was primarily populated by various types of wolf-clan soldiers skilled in raids and ambushes. He also commanded many who were capable of stealth, along with Mages from the Beizu Race.

At Lizard Zeke’s enthusiastic invitation, the Half-beastman unit—each member accompanied by a beast—entered the fortress.

This Half-beastman unit was under the command of Lizard Zeke’s kinsman, Mad Hunt Zeke. Unlike Lizard Zeke, Mad Hunt Zeke had constructed buildings related to Half-beastmen in his territory, creating a force of powerful Half-beastmen. However, most looked down on him for not building an orthodox Beastman Territory.

Lizard Zeke’s reconnaissance of the outer perimeter of Lin Yu’s World Tree Territory was progressing slowly. He had no choice but to ask his kinsman to intervene, dispatching a specialized team of Beast Tamers to handle the great horde of beasts in the abyss.

The Half-beastman team leader, Yue Li Yue, pointed to the Shadow Wolves standing in the woods outside the fortress and asked, "Lord Zeke, are those beasts outside your territory our target for this mission?"

"Them? Those wild wolves? Of course not. I asked you here to go into the enemy’s abyss and help us deal with the beasts inside."

"Then... aren’t you going to do anything about those enemy wolves?" Yue Li Yue asked, puzzled.

"There’s no need... Wait. Are you saying those wild wolves belong to the enemy?"

"Yes, My Lord. I have a passive skill that identifies friend from foe. Those Shadow Wolves are all glowing with a red light, which means they’re hostile creatures."

"Wouldn’t wild wolves also show up as red?"

"My Lord, a wild wolf pack might be hostile toward me, but with you present, I’m certain no wild wolf would dare show you any hostility."

The Wolfman Race possesses a natural affinity for and dominance over other wolf-kin. Ordinary wild wolves, and even common Extraordinary ones, will submit in the presence of a Werewolf; it is impossible for them to harbor any hostility.

"Damn it! Men, go capture those wolves and bring them back to me!"

At Lizard Zeke’s command, a troop of Wolf Cavalry charged aggressively toward the pack of Shadow Wolves in the woods outside the fortress.

Seeing their cover was blown, the pack of Shadow Wolves—actually transformed Sharp Claw Druids—didn’t put up a fight. Instead, they each changed into other swift little animals and scattered.

Amidst Lizard Zeke’s furious roars, more Wolf Cavalry poured out of the fortress, fanning out to conduct a large-scale search for the Shadow Wolves.

Kirkland Gordon, who had become a small squirrel, watched the Wolf Cavalry’s frantic search with great regret. It was a waste of effort. They had gone to great lengths to get close to the territory’s Werewolves, even covering themselves in their scent, only to be found out by the newly arrived Half-beastmen. Their stable source of intelligence was lost.

Despite the circumstances, Kirkland Gordon did not lead his subordinates back to their territory. Instead, he led the Sharp Claw Druids deeper into the lands of the Beastman Race.

By deliberately avoiding the Half-beastmen, they didn’t have another direct encounter, but they did run into other dangers.

Most of the Beastman Lords didn’t actively attack them. In fact, many lords wanted to capture them to be used as mounts.

Seeing the Druids, these lords would get excited as if on steroids, leading their soldiers to chase and corner them. Fortunately, none of them wanted to harm these "future mounts," so the Sharp Claw Druids used their shapeshifting abilities, always finding an unseen spot to transform into other small animals and escape.

Despite the close calls, they managed to gather a great deal of information.

The lords of this continent were all Beastmen from a planet under the dominion of the God of Wild Hunting, whom they all worshipped.

Basically all the Beastmen on the continent followed a branch of the Extraordinary path: the path of religious faith. Through faith in and sacrifices to their deity, they received divine boons, which in turn allowed them and their territories to become Extraordinary.

The few technological items the Beastmen used were all obtained from a tournament’s point shop in exchange for points.

Since the God of Wild Hunting is an enemy of the Empire, the Beastmen immediately sought guidance from their god after confirming that the lords of the Central Continent were of the Human Race.

Now, they were going all out, preparing to offer a grand sacrifice to the God of Wild Hunting.

Believing he had gathered enough information, Kirkland Gordon dispatched a few of his subordinates to carry the intelligence back.

He himself stayed behind in the Beastman Territory with his remaining subordinates, awaiting the next command from home.

...

In the east, Pela Tek led the Fierce Raptor Druids into the Eastern Continent, soon discovering a land unlike any other.

The vegetation on the Eastern Continent was sparse, a stark contrast to the dense foliage of the World Tree Territory. However, the plants on the Eastern Continent were exceptionally tall; each great tree stood hundreds of meters high, comparable to the trees in the inner circle of the World Tree Territory.