Chapter 48

At the river outlet of the Dark Scale Tribe.

A continuous plopping sound came one after another; Dark Scale Tribe warriors dove into the river like dumplings being dropped, swimming toward the outside of the outlet.

These warriors entering the water were mainly Gray-scaled Dragonfolk, Swamp Snakefolk, and Lake Frogfolk.

No need to elaborate on the first two; Gray-scaled Dragonfolk are a high-ranking monster race, Swamp Snakefolk a mid-ranking one, both peoples that produce powerful warriors.

Even without training, merely using their bodies in a crude way, they can easily fight off double-digit numbers of armed adult humans.

Lake Frogfolk are much weaker, merely a low-ranking monster race, on the same level as goblins and dog-headed folk.

But the Lake Frogfolk have a peculiar trait: when a female gives birth to more than five offspring, one of them is inevitably a giant frog monster.

The giant frog monster is a near-relative ancestral form of the Lake Frogfolk, as large as a tank; an adult giant frog monster can reach Second Rank, making it a formidable and troublesome frog-like magical beast in water.

Even Gray-scaled Dragonfolk and Swamp Snakefolk are reluctant to provoke such giant frog monsters.

Yet the weak Lake Frogfolk can nonetheless ride and control these giant frog monsters for battle and hunting.

Ribbit, ribbit.

Lai Ang and Diugus stood to the side, watching as more than ten Lake Frogfolk warriors riding giant frog monsters leapt into the water, sending up great splashes, with hundreds of Lake Frogfolk warriors clutching short spears in their mouths following behind these frog-monster knights. Lai Ang casually said, 'I see you just instructed the black-furred jackalfolk and other monsters to set out from the land through the secret passage. You plan how to conduct this war?'

Facing the master's question, Diugus gave a fairly detailed explanation: 'The Gray-scaled Dragonfolk, Swamp Snakefolk, and Lake Frogfolk—three monster races with an advantage in water warfare—as the vanguard can hold back the main force of the Large-toothed Fishfolk army.'

Then I sent the black-furred jackalfolk and swamp giants out from land to ambush along the retreat route of the Large-toothed Fishfolk; there is a several-hundred-meter stretch of land they must pass, where the fishfolk cannot dive into the river. When the time comes, the ambushing jackalfolk and giants will suddenly rush out, shatter and cut off the rear of the Large-toothed Fishfolk army, and then over two thousand goblins and dog-headed folk, these auxiliary troops, will follow together to charge and disrupt the fishfolk formation, maximizing the battle's results.. If the frontline vanguard cannot match the enemy, this will also be a surprise force that can charge in from behind to throw the Large-toothed Fishfolk army into utter confusion.

Unless their top strength far exceeds ours, the enemy will surely suffer a crushing defeat and retreat!

After hearing Diugus's plan, Lai Ang glanced at his retainer with some surprise.

I didn't expect that after not seeing each other for years, Diugus would have honed the bearing of a commander-in-chief.

'Not bad; compared to five years ago, your growth is truly great,' Lai Ang praised.

But Diugus, feeling a bit embarrassed, shook his head and said, 'Master, the layout and scheming of this war were thought up by my friend Huo Ge; I myself don't have such a flexible mind.'

'Is that the black-furred jackalfolk who was about to break through to Fourth Rank just now?' Lai Ang asked curiously.

'That's right, it's Huo Ge. When I first invited him to come with me to Fish Spirit Marsh, he agreed without a word and has followed me these years. Huo Ge has led warriors in hunting and fighting, safeguarding the Dark Scale Tribe's safety, and has subdued many wild jackalfolk, forming an elite corps of jackalfolk hunters; he has slain many monsters, while I remain stationed in the tribe, handling its few internal affairs and cultivating to grow stronger.'

Diugus spoke frankly, adding that he had not exaggerated at all just because Huo Ge was his friend.

'That too is a kind of monster genius.' Lai Ang narrowed his dragon eyes, clearly showing a spark of interest in the black-furred jackalfolk named Huo Ge.

Among humans, the capable are called talents; among monsters, the capable are naturally called monster geniuses.

Around Fish Spirit Marsh, a river bubbled up with large amounts of gas.

One by one, ferocious green fish heads with sharp teeth protruded from beneath the water surface. At a glance, the entire river channel was packed densely with green fish heads, looking quite disgusting and shocking.

This Large-toothed Fishfolk army is divided into three tiers.

The weakest, those not ranked, the fishfolk servants are the most numerous, about three to four thousand; their weapons are crude short spears made from a kind of aquatic ink bamboo that has been cut, sharpened, and roughly fashioned, advantages being light, sharp, and possessing a certain toughness.

The downside is heavy wear; after a somewhat intense battle they must replace the ink bamboo spears, making them consumable weapons.

The second tier consists of Large-toothed Fishfolk warriors, whose strength is generally at First Rank, their physiques little different from ordinary humans; in water, these warriors are swift and powerful, and several of them joining forces can easily encircle and slay Second Rank land monsters that have fallen into the water.

Lastly are the Large-toothed Fishfolk guards protecting the Purple-scaled Fishfolk chieftain; each is stout, about two meters tall, wielding bone weapons forged from the hardened bones of monsters, faintly glowing with the residual elemental power of the beasts in life.

As large numbers of fishfolk servants surged out of the river channel, they reached the land.

Behind them, sturdier fishfolk warriors drove the servants forward, swiftly crossing this stretch of land to reach the final river before their destination.

With a splashing sound, water continually flowed to both sides as a giant catfish over ten meters long thrust its head out of the river channel.

The giant catfish slowly twisted onto land, using its slippery body and the sturdy fins beneath it to begin wriggling across the ground at a not‑slow pace.

The Purple-scaled chieftain seated on the giant catfish's back came to the ground, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

In water, the strength of the Large-toothed Fishfolk is at its peak; on land, although they can still move normally, the exertion of their power is affected.

Thus the Purple-scaled chieftain basically stays underwater.

But this time is different; the Purple-scaled chieftain's fishfolk scouts unexpectedly discovered a hidden valley, where they also saw large numbers of mixed‑species monsters living together.

What is especially important is that, in this valley, the fishfolk scouts also found traces and the scent of Lake Frogfolk.

Why is this especially important?

Because the Large-toothed Fishfolk's favorite food is Lake Frogfolk.

Their meat is delicious, they reproduce quickly, and aside from the frog‑knight giant frog monsters among them being somewhat troublesome, the individual strength of other Lake Frogfolk is quite weak.

'Once we catch those Lake Frogfolk and raise them in captivity, we'll have plenty of tasty frog meat to eat. This time, we must make sure not to eat them to extinction.' Thinking of the future good life, the Purple-scaled chieftain's sticky, foul‑smelling saliva kept dripping down.

The Large-toothed Fishfolk are cruel, warlike, and especially fond of eating.

Going to war for delicious food is not unusual.

After several thousand Large-toothed Fishfolk troops had passed over the land and entered the lush‑vegetated river ahead,

Six black and one white, seven young dragons also poked their heads out from the rear waters, gazing with eager anticipation at the fishfolk army whose rearmost silhouettes were still visible.

In the black dragon's menu of tasty fare, Large-toothed Fishfolk rank fairly high.

(End of chapter)