Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 178
Chapter 178
A few loud bird calls rose and fell. The giant wolf-god looked at the sky and saw two more little red dots. “These little things are very useful. They have already found traces of beastmen so quickly.”
After leaving the large tribe behind, it was these persistent messenger eagles that discovered the two small tribes. After realizing the usefulness of the messenger eagles, no one knew how the hyena-drake leader managed it. Now, the messenger eagles circled around the hyena-drakes every day, searching for traces of the beastmen. Because of these eagles, they no longer needed to detour as before; as long as they walked toward the forest, they were not afraid of losing sight of the beastmen.
Seeing that the hyena-drake leader surprisingly ignored him, the giant wolf-god tilted his head slightly in puzzlement. The hyena-drake leader walked forward with an elegant pace, eyes fixed straight ahead. Following the hyena-drake leader’s gaze, the giant wolf-god saw, through several tall trees, a square white shadow standing on the snowy plain in the distance.
The giant wolf-god was not unfamiliar with this abrupt ice wall appearing on the snowy plain; in fact, this was the third time he had encountered it. He raised his eyebrows slightly and then lowered his eyelids, withdrawing his gaze.
The hyena-drake leader seemed very interested in this structure. He looked back at a hyena-drake walking half a step behind him. That hyena-drake, receiving the leader’s gaze, howled toward the sky. The previously slow-moving herd suddenly quickened its pace.
After hearing Aze say to wait, the beastmen had all hoped that the hyena-drakes would bypass Qi Ze City and leave. However, with a roar from the dark herd slowly approaching from the horizon, any hope of luck in their hearts was dispelled.
Chen Qi did not return to hide in the tribe. Besides him, Ye Huo, who had been helping to make weapons, was also present. The two of them were the only males guarding the city’s ice walls. No one knew more about the use of siege crossbows and catapults than they did.
Azhang handed command over to Chen Qi. He was used to leading the tribesmen in close combat and was not skilled in this method of long distance warfare.
“How can there be so many hyena-drakes?” Chen Qi looked at the dark herd. There were thousands, maybe over ten thousand—impossible to count.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Aze reached out and held Chen Qi’s hand. Chen Qi looked back and saw the worry between Aze’s tense brows. He gently squeezed Aze’s hand and whispered, “Don’t worry.”
“En.” Aze responded softly, but his expression did not relax. “I will protect you.” The last words were spoken very lightly, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps affirming a solemn oath.
The beastmen of Qi Ze City had rehearsed responses to hyena-drake attacks many times in the past days. At this moment, they stood quietly behind the battlements, tense but not impatient.
Azhang licked his slightly dry lips. Even at his age, he had never seen so many hyena-drakes. “Are these the hyena-drakes that attacked your tribe?” he asked Achu in a low voice.
Seeing the massive leader of the hyena-drake herd, Achu nodded.
“I can’t imagine how you escaped from them,” Azhang whispered, “and without a scratch.” The hyena-drakes that attacked the Rock-Mountain Tribe were probably less than a third of this number, and they almost wiped out the entire tribe.
Achu smiled. “It’s thanks to you. If Qi Ze City hadn’t taught many things to our females, we wouldn’t even be standing here now.”
Azhang patted Achu on the shoulder. “From now on, we’re one tribe.”
When the hyena-drake herd arrived, they did not rush forward immediately but slowly spread toward the main entrance. When they finally stopped, Chen Qi realized that the hyena-drakes had surrounded Qi Ze City. Were they worried that the people inside might escape?
Azhang noticed this as well. After discussing with Chen Qi, they followed the prior rehearsal plan: he and Achu would each defend one side of the wall, while Ahxu and Axu took command of the last wall.
The hyena-drakes observed the walls from afar. Apart from the taller watchtowers and partially covered siege crossbows, the battlements blocked their view, preventing them from quickly gauging the number of beastmen inside, unlike when they encountered the Lion-Wolf Tribe.
Chen Qi frowned. The position where the hyena-drakes stood was just outside the trap range and also beyond their archery range. If the hyena-drakes did not move first, the traps and defenses would be ineffective. Of course, they hoped the hyena-drakes would retreat without any action. No one wanted to face such a massive group of hyena-drakes.
Obviously, the hyena-drake leader did not act as Chen Qi had hoped. After studying the unusually thick ice wall for a moment, several hyena-drakes stepped out from behind, nodded slightly to the leader, and then charged toward the ice wall.
Perhaps because they had previously attacked an ice wall and knew the beastmen on the wall could shoot from a distance, even as they charged, the hyena-drakes kept their heads lowered and eyes slightly shut, preventing any attack from hitting their vulnerable eyes.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
When these hyena-drakes began to charge, Ake leapt onto the battlements. He stood upright, back straight, with a quiver full of arrows on his back. The arrows’ tips were made of bone. From summer until now, he had polished them meticulously whenever he had free time, and he especially enjoyed collecting various animal bones to craft them. In addition to the large quiver on his back, several bundles of similar arrows lay at his feet.
Ake nocked an arrow and drew his bow smoothly. Seeing the charging hyena-drakes, a flicker of excitement crossed his eyes. Since being barred from hunting dragons in the forest, he hadn’t felt such a thrill in a long time. It seemed the blood that had been calm for so long was now boiling. He licked his slightly dry lips and kept his eyes fixed on the hyena-drakes’ movements. When the leading hyena-drake entered his attack range, he released the arrow without hesitation.
“Fwoosh!” The arrow sliced through the air and struck the hyena-drake. A crisp sound followed as it left a pink mark on the creature’s hard scales before falling to the ground. The hyena-drake winced in pain, its movement momentarily halted, and it was soon overtaken by its companions behind.
The struck hyena-drake quickly recovered, letting out an angry growl, and charged forward again.
Ake clicked his tongue and jumped down from the battlements, a hint of regret in his voice. “These arrows still aren’t strong enough. They can’t even pierce a hyena-drake’s scales.”
Chen Qi, who had been impressed by Ake’s skill at long range, gave him a complex look. At such distances, he thought, even his arrows probably wouldn’t touch a hyena-drake’s fur.
“Chen Qi, want to try these siege crossbows?” Ashu called eagerly from the other side.
Chen Qi shook his head. “These hyena-drakes are heading straight for the traps. They’ll fall in on their own.”
No sooner had he spoken than the leading hyena-drakes plunged into the traps one after another, followed by several furious roars echoing from the pit below.
The hyena-drake leader’s eyes flashed with surprise at the sudden disappearance of its comrades. Even the giant wolf-god seemed puzzled. He lowered a male hyena-drake and stepped forward to investigate, but the pit was too deep—nothing could be seen except for the angry roars.
Behind the leader, another group of hyena-drakes emerged, slightly larger than the first. They advanced more slowly, keeping a wider distance between each other. Even if they encountered a trap, they could adjust their pace and avoid falling as abruptly as their predecessors.
Chen Qi nodded to the waiting Ashu. Excited, Ashu raised his crossbow, already loaded, and aimed at the approaching hyena-drakes.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The crossbow had a much greater range than a wooden bow. Before the hyena-drakes reached the first trap, two arrows flew in rapid succession—one struck a foreleg, the other pierced a flank. Both bone-tipped arrows were stronger, shattering scales and sinking deep into flesh. Blood quickly stained the surrounding silver-gray scales red.
The hyena-drakes were unprepared for this sudden lethality. The one hit in the leg toppled to the ground. As it tried to raise its head to see what had struck it, another arrow shot straight into its eye. Pain overwhelmed it; it howled and rolled in agony before plunging into the exposed trap.
The hyena-drakes already in the traps didn’t expect a bloodied companion to fall in with them. Another roar erupted from the pit below.
Ake drew another arrow, releasing it precisely. As another crossbow bolt knocked a hyena-drake down, he repeated the process. Soon, two or three hyena-drakes collapsed, and the rest fell into traps that had not yet been exposed.
From the impact, all but the two or three innermost traps were now exposed, showing a series of deep pits along the path.
Chen Qi studied the traps filled with loud snarls thoughtfully. “Do you think these hyena-drakes are all running toward one place, as if testing something?”
Having shot several hyena-drakes, Ake no longer jumped from the battlements. Seeing no more hyena-drakes approaching, he sat cross-legged on the icy wall, unfazed by the cold. Hearing Chen Qi’s words, he paused. “No way?”
Aze, who had been silently observing the battle, finally spoke slowly, “They’re scouting the path.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 3 of 3 for the week.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
