Chapter 622: The Meeting of the Mao Mao Teams, Preparing to Depart for the Return Journey

That same evening, Yongqi Maomao and its group arrived from the Forward Camp.

During the day, the Mao Maos were drowsy and in poor condition—at least, Yongqi Maomao and its group, who always kept a regular schedule, were like this; whereas the group of long-haired lynx Beastmen living in the sunless Mine had a schedule roughly similar to that of Humans.

When the nocturnal Yongqi Maomao group caught up, following the tracks left by Bataer and the others along the way, the two groups of Mao Maos finally met face-to-face in front of everyone.

At first, they were shocked by the other's presence, followed by intense vigilance.

It was a display of vigilance far greater than when facing Humans; one by one, the Mao Maos raised their tails, crouched their low bodies on the ground, and emitted hissing, threatening sounds from their mouths. Jier had never seen either side act like this, and for a moment, he even considered stepping out to prevent a conflict between them.

But the situation did not ultimately turn out that way.

A leader from the more numerous opposing side and Yongqi Maomao stepped out alone to have a private conversation.

Interestingly, they actually used Human Common Language instead of the Mao Mao language.

Jier asked Yongqi Maomao about it afterward, and the answer made him feel it was ridiculous, yet all too realistic: there are accents and dialects within the Mao Maos. Yongqi Maomao's tribe lived in the longitudinal mountain range of the Southern Province near the Western Province, while the other tribe was larger and lived right here in the Southern Mountains. They were physically hundreds of kilometers apart and had never interacted before, so although it all sounded like "meow meow meow" to Jier's ears, their actual long-haired lynx Beastman languages were not mutually intelligible.

It was far less convenient than Human Common Language.

Therefore, they had no choice but to use Human Common Language to communicate, which was ridiculous.

Neither side spoke loudly, but Jier was not standing far away, and with his keen ears, he naturally heard the information exchanged by both sides.

The two sides first reported their tribe names and general locations, but did not specify the size of their respective tribes, as that was meaningless. Neither tribe was here, and anyone could lie about the size of their tribe, so since they were both clever Mao Maos, neither disclosed that information.

Subsequently, they cautiously explained the purpose of their respective journeys. Basically, both sides had left their tribes to obtain Human tools and metal materials, but their methods and experiences differed.

Yongqi Maomao and its group had initially entered Human villages, but were driven away by many ignorant Villagers who treated them as Monsters. They had no choice but to appear in Human towns that were more knowledgeable and "open," where they found a "decently" paying "job." But they messed it up—no, they were unluckily implicated. Those stupid Goblins—Yongqi Maomao cursed and swore, using Human profanity to berate the stupidity and audacity of the Goblins quite well.

Jier almost couldn't keep a straight face, because learning Human Common Language was troublesome, but when Yongqi Maomao used Human curse words, it was not only fluent and rich in vocabulary, but also spoke without stuttering. It must be said that when it comes to language learning, intelligent life forms are all much the same; Jier himself had started by learning the curse words of Kendall City citizens and used those curses to "defend" his own labor interests.

The "simple" and "honest" citizens of this other world had never seen an otherworldly visitor who had received years of education weave their curse words into such elaborate patterns; Jier had even once relied on profanity to make some young people cry.

That was a very interesting experience, and now that Jier thinks about it, he can't help but smile knowingly. Of course, the individuals who were cursed to tears probably don't want to recall those things.

Unlike Yongqi Maomao, one of the leaders of this tribe of nearly one hundred and fifty Mao Maos had already used certain means to obtain some Human metal tools from somewhere from the very beginning. With these rare items as initial gains, these Mao Maos had put their hearts and souls into helping Knight Hate and his Soldiers cross the Southern Mountains.

The alien Beastmen gave their all, using all their knowledge of the Southern Mountains to ensure that more Humans could pass through. But after all, long-haired lynx Beastmen are small in stature, agile and nimble in their movements, and have lived in the vast mountain forests for a long time, which is very different from Human Soldiers who like to act in groups, are full of curiosity, and are reckless and ignorant.

Knight Hate's team still suffered quite a bit while passing through the Southern Mountains, and more than ten Mao Mao Warriors died in the process of crossing the mountains. If the Mao Maos had been on their own, the losses would not have been so great.

Fortunately, the loss of a dozen or so Mao Maos was still within the acceptance of the Mao Mao team, and later, upon reaching this area and reactivating the Mine, the metal smelted on-site made all the Mao Maos excited to the point of madness.

They might obtain gains far beyond their previous imagination in this operation.

And with little risk?

But they were wrong; the risk was not only present, it was excessive.

As the conversation reached this point, the tail behind the Mao Mao leader lashed the ground in anger to vent its emotions. Yongqi Maomao, meanwhile, looked serious, trying hard not to show a mocking expression or demeanor to avoid a conflict between the two sides.

Although the Human Soldiers had traveled through the dangerous Southern Mountains side-by-side with them, and both sides had even fought together against some powerful Monsters.

This caused the Mao Mao team to misjudge the complexity of Humans.

They had been deceived, deeply deceived.

If it weren't for the powerful Human named Jier helping to point out where the lies were, they would have been deceived forever, until they became the stupidest batch of Mao Maos in the entire Southern Mountains.

The Metal Lumps given by the Humans as payment were not only not the best part, but were actually the worst part of the metal smelted in the tall Furnace, the kind from which no tools could be made.

This made the Mao Maos very angry, and they broke out in conflict with the Human Soldiers here. Later, the leader of the Human Soldiers, that powerful metal Human who exuded an ominous scent, even killed dozens of their brave and battle-hardened Mao Mao Warriors. (The Mao Maos did not understand the internal power struggles of the Humans and had always thought that Knight Hate held the management and control of the entire Human Soldier team; after all, during the crossing of the Southern Mountains, it was Knight Hate and Adjutant Piluo who communicated with them, and they were more familiar with Knight Hate.)

However, the friendly Human Jier stepped forward and helped the Mao Maos defeat that hateful Hate.

Now, they would wait for Jier and his group to leave, and then, after all the Humans had gone, carefully and cautiously move the "wealth" they had acquired.

Speaking of this, the conversing Mao Mao leader proudly took Yongqi Maomao to see the Metal Ingots in the wooden house. The Yongqi Maomao that came out afterward was exceptionally shocked, because the metal materials and tools they had obtained while busy in Jier's team could only compare in weight to a single Metal Ingot.

Even in terms of purity and versatility, they were far less convenient than Metal Ingots that could be made into various tools.

It was so envious that it could no longer control its expression. And the look of envy, jealousy, and hatred it revealed made the Mao Mao leader feel a bit better, barely able to alleviate the pressure and sadness brought about by the team's heavy losses.

They continued to talk, and when they heard that Yongqi Maomao mostly received Human coins for working for Jier, the Mao Mao leader kindly warned it to be wary of the cunning and shameless deception of Humans, not to be fooled by the various promises of Humans, and thus fall into the treacherous schemes of Humans.

Coins and the like could still be faked!

Nothing is better than heavy and solid Metal Ingots.

The next morning, before dawn.

Although some high-floating clouds in the clear sky had begun to reflect the sunlight from below the horizon, the mountain forest where the camp was located remained pitch black. Only the firelight from the campfires could bring some light and positive energy to this place where massive casualties had occurred yesterday.

The surrounding Forest was also silent; the Mao Maos' hunting trip the night before had already scared away a large number of birds in the vicinity. If they wanted to hunt birds again, it wouldn't be so convenient; they would have to walk a long way to find various birds temporarily spending the night in the trees.

Of course, the Forest was still a place full of treasures for the Mao Maos, especially since this unfamiliar mountain forest had no Mao Mao tribes settled in it, and everything was very primitive. Experienced Mao Mao Warriors could easily obtain everything they needed from various places.

Just by observing the growth of large trees, the Mao Maos could judge whether a tree had been eroded by termites, and the Mao Maos could use their long tails to get these little snacks living inside the trees out.

They would lie on all the fallen dead tree trunks, pressing their sensitive ears against the moss on the surface of the trunks, to accurately locate the fat larvae wiggling inside. By moving some damp Stones, they could also find some long, spicy-tasting, multi-legged little snacks.

If they were lucky enough, they could even encounter some larger forest animals. Obtaining meat was secondary; getting the thick fur of large animals allowed the Mao Maos to obtain rare leather materials.

These leather materials could be used to make simple, primitive Leather Armor, imitating the armor they had seen Humans use, which was then worn by the largest Mao Mao Warriors.

These Mao Mao Warriors wearing homemade Leather Armor found it difficult to hunt in the Forest, and their main task was to fight against Monsters in the mountain forest, as well as Mao Mao enemies from other tribes.

Yongqi Maomao, who had been talking all night, was somewhat disappointed and looked enviously at the Mao Maos of the other tribe who had obtained a large amount of metal materials. They had arrived late yesterday, and the battle had ended before dark; as a result, they hadn't managed to get a single Gold Coin as a reward for this final battle.

It really made Yongqi Maomao feel disappointed.

It could only hope that it would encounter some extra trouble on the road ahead. With trouble, they, these hired alien races, could show their skills and thus receive rewards.

The more enemies, the better.

Of course, not too powerful, lest their small team end up with the heavy losses suffered by the Mao Mao tribe's warrior team before them.

"Everyone up! Cook first, eat! Try to get everyone ready to set off before dawn!" Jier's loud voice woke up many Villagers who had finally slept soundly last night.

Yesterday's sleep was the best night's sleep almost all the Villagers had had in days.

Although it was far from their own beds, and they were still lying in the open on the ordinary ground covered with fine mine tailings. But without all kinds of pressure and oppression, the tense bodies of all the Villagers finally relaxed.

And the bowl of Wheat Porridge made from the plump grain seeds that appeared like a miracle before going to sleep at night made all the Villagers sleep soundly until now.

The wooden house where the corpses were burned was still burning. Jier didn't sleep last night; while patrolling the camp, he randomly dismantled the camp's walls, throwing thick, long tree trunks into the raging wooden house, adding a large amount of fuel to the flames, allowing the fire to completely incinerate the dead Human corpses, thereby avoiding some bad things from happening.

As for the captured Defeated Soldiers, they weren't given a single bite to eat; they were only fed some water, and then, after being controlled, they were guarded in scattered groups to prevent anyone from trying to escape.

However, these soldiers, stripped of their Soldier Armor and deprived of their weapons, had no thoughts of escape when faced with the hateful gazes of hundreds of people. They perhaps thought that as long as they were guarded by the Warriors under Jier, they might still live. But if they were to run away and be caught again, they would likely have to face the wrath of hundreds of Villagers all by themselves.

"Eat your fill. Although today's journey is not long, it is quite difficult to traverse. Everyone, confirm once more that your family and friends are by your side. Young children must have a Rope tied around their waists, connected directly to their parents! Don't think this is bad; this is the edge of the Southern Mountains, who knows what dangers we might encounter?"

Jier and Bata'er Jiaoshi loudly proclaimed several safety measures for the move, ensuring all the rescued Villagers were prepared to set off correctly.

Although the Villagers had walked this path once a few months ago, at that time there had been a troop of nearly a hundred soldiers guarding them, and over a hundred Mao Mao Warriors scouting ahead to drive away threats; even then, some unlucky Villagers had disappeared along the way.

At first, the Defeated Soldiers thought the people had run away, but after one of the Defeated Soldiers sent to search for them also disappeared, they finally remembered that this place was still the dangerous edge of the Southern Mountains in the Southern Province; who knew what dangerous things had already set their sights on them and were lurking in the shadows, watching like tigers eyeing their prey.

When Jier heard this news, he guessed that the appearance of so many people had likely attracted the Shapeshifting Monsters wandering here. The missing people were mostly taken away or lured off by the Shapeshifting Monsters, then attacked and eaten.

The two sentry Soldiers who had been silently replaced around the Yingdi were clearly not the first batch of Humans killed by those two Shapeshifting Monsters.

"Fortunately, I already eliminated them yesterday," Jier thought to himself.

But if two Shapeshifting Monsters could appear, no one could guarantee that more wouldn't show up.

"Everyone, stay in family units. Every head of the household must keep a close eye on their family members the entire time. Hear a cry for help? You are not allowed to leave the formation! Call for me and my Warriors immediately, and let us go investigate!!"

"Need to relieve yourselves on the road? Not allowed! Take care of these matters now. Once we set off, I will find suitable places on the road for everyone to rest while gathered closely together. At that time, everyone will only be allowed to relieve themselves under the protection of my Warriors! Do not leave the formation to relieve yourselves on your own! No matter how urgent! Anyone who leaves the formation without authorization will be treated as a Monster in the forest! You will need to come before me and Bata'er Jiaoshi to prove your identity again!"

Jier spoke quite sternly; he knew that whenever there were many people, there would always be some guys with different ways of thinking who would pop up. If he didn't explain and warn those guys in advance, these people with casual behaviors would cause quite a bit of trouble on the road.

Fortunately, he hadn't discovered anyone among the Villagers being impersonated by a Shapeshifting Monster over the past two days. Thinking about it carefully, since there were Defeated Soldiers who were easier and safer to impersonate, there was indeed no need to impersonate Villagers. Otherwise, they would have to go down into the Mine themselves and work hard at mining. Monsters were here to eat people; how could they have the same tenacious will as Humans, eating so little while working so much, suffering and being enslaved in the deep Mine?

Could those high-and-mighty Monsters endure that kind of hardship?

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