Chapter 247: From Fighting Under the Covers to Fighting in the Lair with the Sharptooth Tribe

Even in a magical world, replenishing energy is also life's most basic and most important need.

Thus the first thing Yue Lis thought of was to quickly seal the news of the granary fire, at least not letting the tribesmen know that the stored grain had been burned to nothing!

But it was too late; countless tribesmen had already been awakened by their firefighting shouts, now flying in the air, looking at the blackened grain storage cavern and discussing heatedly.

"Heavens, they have no boxes in their hands—could it be that our winter food has already been burned to nothing, with nothing left to salvage?"

"Mother, if we have no food, what should we do?"

"Shh, don't you see the general? The general will surely think of a solution for us."

Think of a solution?

What do I have to think of a solution with!?

He secretly cast an ice spell, Yue Lis pinched the cold ice in his hand, forcing himself to calm down.

Perhaps the tribesmen still have some leftover food; going out to wander a bit could also yield some snacks.

But no matter what, even if you add it all up, it definitely won't last through this winter—that's the premise.

And now it is already deep winter; supplies related to food and warmth are becoming ever more precious, so even the Pioneers, who love doing business the most, are beginning to hoard what they have.

Therefore, through purchasing, borrowing, and other conventional means, it is absolutely impossible to gather enough rations for thousands of people—that is a fact.

So, facing the survival of the Sharptooth Tribe, it seems only one last road remains……

He made up his mind; Yue Lis refused his subordinates' accompaniment, flapped his wings, and flew alone toward the tribe's largest cavern.

Even if they are a group of 'cave wall people,' since they can form their own civilization, the bat people naturally also have their own culture.

Thus, in the Bat King's palace, everywhere are various decorations carved from marble, including stone carvings on the rock walls.

No piece of land can be obtained for nothing; although this rock wall cavern is basically unusable for many races, it backs mountains and faces water, possesses natural defenses, and can also be considered a fine 'land of dragon's rise.'

Thus the murals record exactly the Bat King's deeds in his youth: he led the previous generation of bat people here, fighting bloody battles for many years, before finally establishing a foothold among the many tribes.

It's a pity that so many years have passed; even if he was once incredibly wise and mighty, commanding the winds and clouds, he is now old and feeble, able only to rest year-round in……

"What?"

Yue Lis surprisingly discovered that the Bat King was not lying weakly as usual on that soft velvet bed, but was sitting steadily on the throne.

Just as when he was young, the first time he saw the king's appearance.

The Bat King's voice was somewhat hoarse, like metal scraping against metal.

"Have you come?"

"... I have come."

Yue Lis instinctively bowed, completely forgetting that his arrogant self had stopped doing so ten years ago.

"Food, burned to nothing?"

"Burned to nothing."

"Methods, also gone?"

"None."

The old bat's face was hidden in shadow, his words half-smiling.

"Then, child, what are you thinking?"

Yue Lis's breathing gradually grew heavy, his claws clenched tight.

"Your Majesty, I can't think of any other way; we probably have only one road left!"

He knew that the king, who had always regarded tribal honor as more important than anything, would absolutely not accept his shameless suggestion.

But for the tribe's survival, he didn't mind personally killing this king who, having grown old, had lost his vigor and become muddled and incapable!

Thus, in this vast cavern where for some reason only the two of them were present, the atmosphere instantly became tense and on the verge of conflict.

Until a light laugh came from the throne.

"Child, want to make a move?"

Yue Lis gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"Want!"

But before his words even finished, the old bat burst into a series of extremely hearty laughs, as if he had heard an extremely funny joke, slapping the armrests.

???

Could it be that this old scoundrel still has some trump card!?

Yue Lis was frightened into looking left and right, yet then he heard that smile abruptly cut off.

"You little beast, you're ruthless enough, ruthless enough!"

"Funny, I was just as ruthless back in my day!"

"Exactly, since we can't continue as civilized people, we should become bandits, become barbarians! Because only those who survive are truly civilized!"

Saying that, the Bat King raised his palm and flung the letter pressed beneath him far toward Yue Lis.

Because he was shocked, Yue Lis almost failed to catch it.

And when he tore open the seal and took a close look, his eyes widened again.

"This……"

"Kid, the Sharptooth Tribe was built by me alone; even if it is destroyed, even if a price is paid for it, that should be done by me personally—it's not your place to act, kid!"

Yue Lis simply couldn't believe his own ears.

"But… but what about your reputation in this lifetime?"

"Reputation? Hahaha, the dead don't need reputation! The dead…… only need a promise."

Saying this, the Bat King, seeming mad, suddenly lowered his voice.

"In a certain winter, when the weather was extremely cold, the Sharptooth Tribe's stored grain was exhausted by a fire; hearing the news, the Bat King suffered a rush of blood to the heart, and on his deathbed he summoned General Yue Lis, ordering him to plunder the remaining tribes' stored grain to survive the winter; although Yue Lis was angry, he could only accept the order with resentment, bearing no grudge, and promised to take good care of the Bat King's many offspring……"

"Can you take good care of them?"

Yuelisi couldn't speak, only managing to squeeze out two sounds.

Sure.

Then I'm satisfied, satisfied! Finally I can go see my old brothers and old sisters!

Supporting his body, he walked down from the throne; the Bat King giggled, staggering back onto the bed.

Right, remember to watch out for the person beside the pillow.

He lay down with his back to the cave mouth, uttering that line without thinking, then remained still.

He stood dazed for a full ten seconds before Yuelisi finally drew a deep breath.

This old man is too ruthless, damn too ruthless!

As for the person beside the pillow… where would I, Yuelisi, have someone like that?

Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed; that notorious priestess is merely a tool for my climb.

And now I have reached the peak; I need no assistance!

Feeling the fire rising in his heart, he rubbed the hilt of his sword at his waist and walked toward the outside of the palace.

Endless, the strategies he could only ponder in his imagination began to surge incessantly in his mind.

——Now I can finally bring them to life with my own hands!

But just then, he suddenly sensed a killing intent coming his way.

It turned out that a large group of bat people had gathered outside the door at some point, all unfamiliar, definitely not his own subordinates.

But it didn't matter; the general wouldn't fear these worms, he only let out a cold snort and issued a deafening shout.

This is a vital part of the palace; what are you lot doing blocking the place? Get out at once!!

But since they dared to come here at this time, how could they possibly leave just because of his words?

Instead, they all stepped forward, forming a completely impenetrable human wall.

And within the crowd, a figure he knew extremely well gradually appeared.

"Bolina, how are you here?"

But unlike her usual flirtatious and fawning demeanor, today the priestess looked extremely stern, even bearing some bloodstains.

Because in her hand she was dragging a string of heads strung together with rope!

Her usually compliant, melodious voice also carried a hint of tremor and madness as she spoke loudly.

"General Yuelis, in desperation you rebelled, plotted to kill the king, and slaughtered the princes and princesses to the point of being beyond description; your crimes are unforgivable!"

Hearing those words, Yuelisi's myriad thoughts condensed into a single sentence.

"Damn!"

He cursed angrily and was about to draw his sword.

"You bunch of worms, you think just by banding together you can…"

But just then, the warmth inside him suddenly turned scorching, making him feel his insides swelling, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Priestess, you…"

"Hehehe, it seems my secretions aren't the only thing you drank last night."

After chuckling lowly a few times, Bolina's voice suddenly rose.

"Kill him!"

Although the general was strong, at this moment he was poisoned with a deadly toxin.

And ultimately, a lone hero can't withstand four hands; he actually died at the hands of a few nameless bat people, becoming a traitor in place of the traitor.

"Ah, we were husband and wife after all; I never expected it to end like this."

While lamenting, she beheaded Yuelisi and walked into the palace.

"Your Majesty, have you slept?"

"Your Majesty, are you still there?"

"Your Majesty, you couldn't be dead, could you?"

She slowly approached the bed, not daring to touch it herself, but ordered her subordinates to go check.

"Priestess, Your Majesty… Your Majesty really is dead!"

The turned-over Bat King lay with eyes peacefully closed, his mouth still hinting at a faint smile.

Thus the smile began to shift, the priestess's expression gradually stiffening into astonishment.

"No no no… how could this old fox have no backup at all?"

Her gaze wandered around, finally landing on the string of heads in her hand.

According to the future Sheldon described to her, she should have left one or two of the king's descendants as puppets.

But now all who could contend with him are dead; the one who can lead everyone to full bellies is the new king—why bother with those roundabout schemes?

So she simply went down the list of heirs and killed them all without exception!

Eldest princess, second prince, third prince…

She didn't even find it disgusting, trembling as she counted each one by hand, until the last, the head belonging to the young prince Ashley.

Perhaps because as a priestess she is sensitive to cosmetics and adornments, the more she looked, the more she felt something was off about this head.

After a vigorous kneading, she extended her nail and dug in hard, actually peeling off a layer of skin from this head.

But beneath this mask lay a stranger's face.

"This… this isn't Ashley! Where is Ashley?"

She let out an angry roar, shaking every nearby subordinate with her blood‑soaked hand.

"Go look, hurry! He'll ruin all our plans!"

Too bad you count me, I count you; in the end there can only be one winner.

While her subordinates were hurriedly searching everywhere, Ashili had already left the Sharp Fang Tribe.

But standing on a barren plain, the surviving little prince had only two guards left beside him.

Originally there should have been three, but one of them pretended to be him in order to let him escape...

"Prince, we can't stop; this place is dangerous, we still need to flee quickly!"

After all, he was just a child, and Ashili's face showed bewilderment.

"Flee, flee toward where?"

The old guard took out a letter from his bosom; it was a secret letter from the Bat King.

If he could, he would also want to save all his offspring, but who can say what happens after death?

Therefore, to be safe, the Bat King could only choose to save one of them.

Among his many descendants, Ashili's strength is not the greatest, nor is he the most ambitious, but in terms of talent and ability he is absolutely the most promising; investing in him, perhaps the Tribe still has a chance to be salvaged.

Thus the chosen "fortunate one" is Ashili; no matter what happens in the Tribe, good or bad, the guards simply take him and run first, talk later.

But the premise of all this is that he can grow up, and he needs a sufficiently strong backing.

Therefore, after the Bat King's selection, he chose the one among the many Tribes that is most laid-back and also capable of protecting Ashili.

— — Iron Hoof Tribe.

But after the Pioneers market caused a disturbance last time, the relatively more amicable Iron Hoof Tribe has reached a deeper alliance with the Underground City.

So when Ashili arrives at the Iron Hoof Tribe and reports this to Agesi, it's essentially reporting to the Underground City.

The granary was burned, the general rebelled, the old king died, the priest rose to power, the prince fled, and the siblings all perished...

They have all received nine years of compulsory education and read history; these chaotic events piled together, behind them there's no hidden truth that even a dog would believe!

Especially after hearing that the Sharp Fang Tribe spent a large sum of money and successfully bought grain from the mercenaries, the players directly assumed the mastermind behind all this to be the mercenaries.

But the case isn't that simple; everyone is civilized, and if they want to accuse someone of being the culprit, they need to lay out the facts and present evidence.

If one just sends heavenly troops to smash, loot, and burn whatever they dislike, wouldn't that make them barbarians?

However, the players' council held an emergency meeting and discussed that they still couldn't let the mercenaries get too arrogant.

Thus, after a heated discussion, they came up with a strategy akin to "draining the pot to remove the firewood"—cutting off the source.

Since they are all heroes of the underground plain, Agesi and the Bat King are naturally old acquaintances, so Ashili, in order to cling to a powerful thigh and curry favor, simply calls him "uncle."

"According to this, Lao Niu, isn't this child now your nephew?"

"Given our relationship, we've already drunk three rounds together—shouldn't we also count as the child's elders?"

"Since we are the child's elders, and the child has suffered injustice from outsiders, shouldn't we help him seek an explanation?"

Chunai Lao Niu was dazed by the players' veiled words, and could only nod foolishly.

"It seems, it seems that's the reasoning..."

Thus, when Bolina sent envoys, while presenting grand gifts and requesting that Agesi return Prince Ashili, what they saw was a large group of enthusiastic humans.

"Hello hello hello, we are the child's grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters..."