Chapter 438: The Beast King

The Beast King nodded. "Indeed, Moral, what you say has merit!"

"Since we can't be certain, why not just find the man and ask him directly?"

"Over the past two days, I've had my people confirm it—the man named Willard is likely a cabinet official from the southern region of the Griffon Kingdom."

"I heard he has a grudge against the minor nobles Mil and Gervas, so it's not hard to trace."

"Moreover, he's close to a Solit, a scion of the Shatterstone Clan, and the area where that messenger left the city last night was precisely where the Shatterstone Clan was on guard duty!"

Moral hadn't expected the Beast King's speed—he'd already uncovered the identity of the man behind the message.

Yet, the monarch had placed many spies among the humans; with intent, such information wasn't hard to uncover.

"Your Majesty, if this is their scheme, they probably won't dare show themselves!" Moral worried.

"Then find a way to lure them out—say we've captured Gervas, and ask them to come verify if it's really him."

"Lindongcheng is sealed off now; they can't judge whether this news is true or false. There's a good chance we can trick them out!"

Moral had nothing to say after hearing this, but there was still one most important matter he hadn't asked about.

That was the Karle Baron's Castle.

Those humans had killed thousands of beast warrior champions; unless they were slain, Moral could never swallow this humiliation.

"Your Majesty, what shall we do about the humans at Karle City? They killed so many beast warrior champions…"

"Once we confirm the matter of Willard, take a large army to deal with them. No two-legged sheep that stains itself with beast warrior blood walks away unscathed!" The Beast King's eyes glinted with coldness.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

…

"By now, the beast tribe's forces should have reached Karle Baron's Castle, right?"

"No, Overseer Willard. According to the timeline, the beast army should already be returning in triumph!"

"Really? So the boy Gervas must be dead by now, then?"

"Of course—he's definitely dead this time. If they can't even manage this, the beasts are no better than pigs. What right do they have to besiege us… Pah! I never imagined I, a scion of the Shatterstone Duke's family, would be reduced to eating coarse black bread full of bran."

Hearing Gervas was dead, Willard's mood lifted instantly. "Solit, don't complain about this black bread—now even the Commander-in-Chief eats it. And given the current situation, in at most a week, we won't even be able to make black bread anymore!"

Solit understood the logic, but eating food meant for commoners still felt distasteful. "I wonder when Lindongcheng will fall. I hope it's soon—so we can leave the northern frontier faster."

The two men, holding the bone tiles, felt no fear of the city's fall; in fact, they now most desired the beasts to break through—so they could escape their suffering sooner.

"Overseer!" Just then, a voice called from outside the door.

"What is it?"

"Overseer, a nobleman just arrived outside the camp. Says he's your friend. Left you a letter and asked me to deliver it."

"Friend? Who?" Willard was baffled.

"Overseer, I don't recognize him!"

Though this seemed odd, Willard still ordered his subordinate to bring the letter in.

The letter bore a wax seal but no signature. Willard's brow furrowed deeper.

After dismissing the messenger, he opened the letter.

Yet, after reading only a moment, his body jerked violently—as if he'd seen a ghost.

Solit had deliberately kept his distance.

Noticing Willard's reaction, he asked, "Overseer Willard, what's wrong?"

"You… look for yourself! Damn it, how could this happen? How did they find me?"

Solit frowned, but as he picked up the letter Willard had dropped, his expression changed instantly.

"A beast letter?"

It was indeed a letter from the Beast King. First, it thanked Willard for his intelligence.

It stated that Gervas had been captured and asked Willard to come outside to confirm whether it was truly him.

Second, the Beast King wished to meet Willard personally, since Willard was now considered a friend of the beast tribe.

Therefore, the Beast King had prepared a lavish banquet to honor Willard and express his gratitude.

"How did these beasts find me? The kingdom has so many nobles—how could they pinpoint me by just a name? Solit, what do we do now?" Willard's face was filled with dread.

Though he had contacted the beasts twice, he never wanted deep ties with them.

Now that they had uncovered his true identity, only fear remained.

Solit, however, remained far calmer. After a brief shock, he regained his composure.

The beast letter expressed gratitude—even called them friends—and invited them to a personal banquet by the Beast King.

As a man who valued only self-interest, he saw this as an extraordinary opportunity.

"Willard, what are you afraid of? Isn't this good? The Beast King treats us as friends—how many nobles would beg for such favor, especially while we're besieged?"

"But Solit, if the Commander-in-Chief finds out…"

"Willard, if the Commander-in-Chief finds out, we're dead anyway. So there's no point in worrying anymore!"

"But if we establish contact with the Beast King, we'll be guaranteed safe passage when we withdraw in two days!"

"Besides, don't you want to see what Gervas looks like after he's captured?"

Willard still hesitated.

"Fine—I'll go with you," Solit said, unwilling to let this chance slip away.

Though there was some risk, it was worth the reward.

Hearing Solit would accompany him, Willard finally felt slightly reassured.

Soon, it was the next night.

The two appeared again on the city wall.

During the day, Solit had visited the Shatterstone Duke, claiming he wished to leave the city again.

His excuse: Gervas had been captured by the beasts, and they were invited to confirm his identity.

The Shatterstone Duke, of course, had no objection.

But he still gave Solit the same warning as before: assume full responsibility for any consequences.

With the help of Shatterstone Clan guards, the two reached the city's exterior.

Then, heading straight for the beast encampment, they moved stealthily.

"Who goes there?"

As with the previous messenger, the patrol beasts detected them before they could get close.

"Beast brothers, we are guests invited by the Beast King!" The two turned pale with fear, but reacted swiftly—pulling out white bone plaques.

The beasts paused, examining the plaques closely. "Ah, it's you. The Beast King did mention you tonight. Follow us—he's waiting."

The two exhaled in relief and followed the beasts toward the encampment.