Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 196
Chapter 196
Loya Forest.
In the middle of a mountain hollow, a massive hyena-drake slowly walked into an icy pool. Around the pool, hyena-drakes lay sprawled or crouched—densely packed, stretching far beyond the edges of the basin.
This was the heart of the forest. In addition to the ones already resting quietly here, more hyena-drakes continued to arrive from all directions. Their unusual gathering made even the stegosaurus—the forest’s ruler—shudder in unease. Many dragon species that originally inhabited this region had migrated elsewhere after the stegosaurus left, completely yielding the area to the hyena-drake horde.
“All of you wait here.” The hulking hyena-drake spoke to those on the shore before sinking its enormous body fully into the cold pool.
Several hyena-drakes who often followed their leader bowed their heads obediently, showing their respect.
The hyena-drake leader cast one last look back, then disappeared completely beneath the water.
A burst of bubbles rose to the surface—then the pool fell still once more.
Even with their leader gone, the hyena-drakes did not disperse. Most had replenished themselves during the previous winter; not eating for the entire summer posed no issue. Despite the enormous number of beasts gathered, the basin remained eerily silent. Not even birds dared fly overhead.
No one knew how long had passed when the frantic flapping of wings suddenly echoed from above. A flock of fiery-red messenger eagles circled anxiously in the sky. Upon noticing a dark, cloud-like mass approaching from afar, the eagles immediately quieted and scattered in all directions.
A pterosaur clad in black, metallic scales landed first at the water’s edge. Its feathers were unlike any other pterosaur’s—sharp, metal-sheened, catching the sunlight and reflecting a cold gleam.
The rest of the pterosaur flock followed, landing one after another. Once they folded their wings, their bodies were smaller than hyena-drakes, but the ground was already packed. Those unable to find space had to perch on nearby branches. The basin was now not only filled with hyena-drakes—every tree was crowded with black-winged pterosaurs.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
One hyena-drake standing near the cold pool shifted aside to make room. The black-winged pterosaur strode forward without hesitation, taking its place. Unlike the other pterosaurs, which crouched low, it stood straight, as if ready to take flight at any moment.
Not long after, an ironshell-drake lumbered forward from behind the hyena-drakes. It was smaller than the typical ironshell-drake, but still enormous compared to the hyena-drake. Its presence immediately stood out among the beasts. A hyena-drake instinctively gave way, and another one lying by the water pulled back to let it through.
The black-winged pterosaur only spared it a brief, indifferent glance before looking away. The ironshell-drake likewise acted as though it didn’t exist. Of all dragon species, it despised pterosaurs the most—those creatures were notorious for stealing others’ prey.
Near dusk, the surface of the icy pool finally stirred. At first, only a handful of bubbles rose. Then the entire pool began to churn as though boiling. Every creature around the basin stood up, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the water.
A bronzed hand suddenly broke through the surface. The black-winged pterosaur involuntarily fluttered its wings, brushing against the ironshell-drake beside it, though the ironshell-drake didn’t seem to mind. It lumbered forward a few steps, stopping just before the water reached its feet. Its breath came heavier—two white puffs escaping its nostrils—clearly showing its excitement.
Once the bubbling calmed a little, a dark head emerged. First, just a small portion, then gradually more—a cascade of long, wet black hair, a bare chest. When the figure finally rose fully from the water, he tossed his drenched hair back, revealing a sharply cut, striking face.
“It really did take human form.” The one speaking was the black-winged pterosaur. Unlike its appearance, its voice was sharp—like a blade scraping across glass—harsh enough to make one’s ears ache.
The man stood quietly in the water with his eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them. The fading sunset reflected in his blood-red pupils, giving them an eerie, bewitching glow. He looked down at his own hand, curled his fingers lightly, then relaxed them again, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.
His cold eyes swept over the dragons gathered around him. He had never felt his mind so clear before; even the bloodthirsty impulses in his veins seemed greatly diminished. Long legs cutting through the water, he strode toward the shore. Strange markings rippled across his bare skin, and in the next instant, a layer of gleaming silver scales grew over his body. By the time he stepped out of the pool, he looked no different from the beastmen of the plains.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
A hyena-drake padded up to him. The man extended his hand. The hyena-drake sniffed his palm, then lowered itself reverently to the ground.
“Chief.”
“Can we take human form too?” The ironshell-drake hurried forward. Its voice was hoarse—likely from lack of practice—and even speaking so “quickly,” its words came out painfully slow. One had to listen carefully to understand.
“Of course.” The man smiled at it, walking barefoot as he spoke.
“Come. It’s time we took back what belongs to us.”
For a heartbeat, all the dragons fell silent. Then an earth-shaking roar of excitement erupted, echoing through the mountain hollow long after the man had already walked out of it.
The black-winged pterosaur flapped its wings and shot into the sky. More pterosaurs followed, forming a vast, dark cloud that swallowed the already-dimming sunlight—like sudden night falling upon a Moonless Day—stretching from the basin outward into the distance.
Several messenger eagles that had been hiding trembled uncontrollably. After circling anxiously for a moment, they couldn’t resist trailing behind the hyena-drake horde. Their feathers shed as they flew, bleaching of color and releasing a peculiar scent—marking the path the hyena-drakes would take.
“What is it?” The man stopped, glancing back in confusion at his companion.
The white giant wolf-god had halted before a towering mountain peak. After nearly an entire winter of travel, they had reached the edge of the plains—yet today, strange sounds drifted out from the forest.
Hearing its companion’s question, the giant wolf-god shook its head. “Nothing. I must have misheard.”
“Stop! No Azure Dragons allowed beyond this point!”
A deep, booming shout thundered from the foot of the mountain. Two white figures soon appeared before the man and beast. They looked humanoid but not fully transformed: one still bore a beast’s tail, the other a beast’s ears—half-formed beastmen who could not complete their transformation.
Their fingers were entirely in beast forms, their clothing simple furs. Upon seeing the man beside the giant wolf-god, both bared their teeth, looking ready to lunge at any moment.
The man quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Wait, wait—I mean no harm!”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Azure Dragon, get out of our territory.”
The beast-tailed man ignored his attempt to appease them. If the man dared resist, he looked more than happy to rake his claws across his throat.
The giant wolf-god rolled his eyes and stepped between them. “He is my friend. He came here with me.”
At those words, the beast-tailed man froze, surprise flickering across his face. His anger faded considerably. “You… can speak?”
“I’ve come to meet your elder.” The giant wolf-god ignored the question entirely, stating his purpose plainly.
The beast-tailed man stepped forward a few paces and bent halfway down to sniff at the giant wolf-god’s neck. His expression shifted several times, and after taking a few steps back, the wariness on his face did not lessen—in fact, it intensified.
“Why would the king of the Sanchen River clan come to our territory?”
“I’m no longer the king,” the giant wolf-god said with a light chuckle. “Besides, there’s no longer a Sanchen River clan.”
“What do you mean?” The beast-eared man, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward, his eyes now tinged with a hint of anger at the giant wolf-god’s words.
The giant wolf-god did not answer him, merely repeating his previous words, “I have come to see your elder.”
The two half-beastmen exchanged looks. The beast-tailed man finally pointed at the man behind the wolf.
“You may enter—but the Azure Dragon must get out.”
“All right.” The wolf agreed without hesitation.
“Hey, you sure know how to burn bridges quickly.” Although the man muttered in complaint, he didn’t insist on following. Instead, he took a few steps back and only stopped after leaving the territory they had marked out.
“This is karma,” the giant wolf-god snorted, no longer paying him any mind as he followed the two half-beastmen down the path.
The giant wolf-god gazed at the looming mountain ahead, the light in his eyes flickering. He had once believed he would never set foot here in his lifetime. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon… and he suspected those within would not welcome him.
The giant wolf-god lowered his gaze and continued forward obediently.
Behind the mountain lay what they called the sea—salty water, salty air.
The man known as the Azure Dragon sat cross-legged on the ground. Once he made sure he was truly barred from entering, the beast-eared guard slipped back to his hiding spot in the grass, concealing his presence so thoroughly that even the dragon would not have noticed him if he hadn’t already known he was there.
The Azure Dragon plucked a blade of grass and bit down on it, his rugged features tinged with helplessness. Ever since the day he hunted the giant wolf-gods living near the headwaters of the Dosa River, he knew this tribe would hate him. Even if he had saved those half-beastmen, they would never allow him near.
He had never regretted it. Even with another chance, he would still dye the Dosa River red. His only regret… was that he could not save his one and only mate.
Spitting out the bitter grass, he rose to his feet. With a long, resonant roar, the tall man standing on the wasteland transformed into a colossal dragon—its body clad in silver-white scales, its golden eyes devoid of emotion. A breeze swept past, sending his twin whiskers streaming behind him. The dragon bent its legs slightly, then launched into the sky with a powerful leap.
But even then, he honored his promise: he did not cross into the half-beastmen’s territory. Instead, he circled the towering mountain, reached the shoreline, and plunged headfirst into the sea that had birthed him—a sea he had not returned to in centuries.
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.
Oh my god, I read the 196 chapters I one go and I can’t believe I catched up QAQ I need to know the rest! Omg omg QAQ
Thank you for reading! We are almost at the end!