Over the next few days, the little female woke only to eat and slept again afterward. All they learned was that his name was Ajiu. For the time being, they had no way of knowing why he had fallen into the Chishui River or which tribe he belonged to.

During this time, the ice wall had been built much higher. Even the inside of the wall was buried with two rows of deer traps, and outside, Chen Qi had added his new invention—bombs. These were placed near the traps so that even if they weren’t strong enough to kill dragons, they could at least startle them into falling into the pits, which would still count as a success.

As the defensive works neared completion, the little female named Ajiu gradually recovered. However, because he had been soaked in the river for too long, his throat seemed injured. His speech became unclear and hoarse, so one had to listen carefully to make out his words.

Azhang had originally advised him to rest and recover before talking about his past, but Ajiu insisted on telling everyone what had happened to his tribe once he regained his voice. He knew this news was important to all beastman tribes and could not let his physical weakness delay it.

Ajiu’s tribe was located beside a small mound—not as sturdy as the rocky hill of the former Rock-Mountain Tribe, and poorly defensible, yet it was the best place they could find nearby. The tribe was neither too far nor too close to Qi Ze City. Ajiu had drifted down the river for nearly a week before arriving.

After hearing Ajiu’s account of how his tribe was destroyed, everyone felt deep sympathy—but also growing fear. Such a massive hyena-drake attack….. If they had struck Qi Ze City instead, could the city possibly withstand tens of thousands of them?

Impossible.

Everyone already knew the answer without needing to say it aloud.

“It’s enough that we know this for now. Don’t mention it to the rest of the tribe,” Azhang said darkly after listening. “Let’s finish raising the ice wall to its planned height over the next few nights, and complete the trap layouts outside as soon as possible.”

Everyone responded in unison.

Azhang reached out and gently ruffled Ajiu’s small head, brushing away the fur on his own face to reveal the child’s young, innocent features. To have gone through the destruction of his tribe at such a young age—perhaps being the only survivor—this child had endured far more than anyone imagined. “Ajiu, would you like to stay in our tribe?” he asked.

Ajiu, who had remained calm while recounting his story, suddenly burst into tears at those words. At first, he only sobbed quietly with tears streaming down, but soon he was crying uncontrollably, gasping heavily as though he might faint.

Azhang gently pulled him into his arms, patting his back again and again to calm him, afraid he might choke from crying too hard.

When Ajiu finally cried himself out, he nodded firmly. “You saved me. From now on, I’ll be a member of your tribe.”

“It should be our tribe,” Ake corrected.

Ajiu blinked, then nodded again. “From now on, I’ll be a member of our tribe.”

“Good. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll register you properly,” Azhang said, standing up. “Everyone else, let’s get back to building the defenses.”

Azhang sent Ake and Aze to deliver the news to the Lion-Wolf Tribe, asking them to help spread word to the other tribes so that all beastmen could prepare their defenses. After all, Qi Ze City had too few people to notify everyone on their own.

After working day and night, the pair, Aze and Ake, returned, and within a month, the ice wall and nearby traps were finally completed. The ice wall stood several meters taller than the original earthen one, completely blocking the view. Even from atop the old wall, one could no longer see the plains outside, so the guards were stationed atop the ice wall instead.

The four gates of the earthen wall were tightly shut, and a suspended wooden bridge made of ropes now connected the two walls. To reach the ice wall, one had to cross midair. At first, the beastmen found the feeling of walking above ground very strange and uncomfortable.

Looking at the gleaming, solid ice wall, the beastmen of Qi Ze City felt a renewed sense of safety. With two layers of walls to protect them, surely no kind of dragon could break through.

With the completion of the ice wall, life gradually returned to its usual calm rhythm.