Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 180
Chapter 180
The explosions came and went quickly. Although most of the dragons had been frightened by the blasts—falling into pits or shot down by arrows—some ironshell-drakes still managed to cross the final barricade and reach the base of the ice wall.
The first ironshell-drake, relying on its hard shell, charged straight into the ice wall without hesitation. The longest, sharpened bamboo stake collided with its shell—though it absorbed part of the impact, it could not withstand the tremendous force and snapped in half.
Unfortunately, buried alongside that bamboo stake was another sharp iron rod forged from the shell of a fallen ironshell-drake. After repeated hammering, the iron rod had become even harder than the creature’s original exterior and actually pierced straight through its shell. Unable to withstand the force, the ironshell-drake was thus impaled against the ice wall.
The ironshell-drake let out a low, pained scream. Its short limbs could not reach the wall, and when it tried to pull back, the barbed iron rod tore at its flesh, sending waves of searing pain through its body. In the end, two hyena-drakes came up from behind—one on each side—and bit into its hind legs, yanking it free.
Seeing this, the ironshell-drake behind no longer dared to crash forward recklessly as before. Their shell was sturdy, arrows caused them little harm, and their bodies were larger than the hyena-drakes’. They began to cluster together, shielding the hyena-drakes behind them.
Another group of ironshell-drakes and hyena-drakes emerged from the rear, their numbers greater than before. The path to the city wall had already been cleared by the earlier wave of dragons. The ironshell-drakes again protected the hyena-drakes beneath their bodies. The siege crossbows’ bolts dealt little damage to them, so this group advanced through the cratered road almost unscathed.
“What do we do now?” Azhang leapt down from the nearby battlements, slung his wooden bow over his back, and hurried to Chen Qi’s side to ask.
“Wait a little longer.” Chen Qi’s expression was grave as he watched the second wave of dragons draw ever closer.
The hyena-drakes’ claws were sharper than those of the ironshell-drakes. They dared not crash directly into the wooden stakes and iron rods buried in the ice wall, so after pacing at its base for a while, they began scratching at the frozen surface under the ironshell-drakes’ cover.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
At first, their sharp claws left only shallow scratches. But once they found a method, the hard ice on the wall began to peel away piece by piece.
The beastmen on the wall grew anxious at the sight. Though they had not yet received further orders, they kept their composure and held position. A few impatient ones fired arrows in harassment, but every shot was blocked by the ironshell-drakes below.
Under the tense gaze of the beastmen, reinforcements arrived. The new wave of dragons clustered tightly at the base of the wall, where there were no pits or traps. Once the hyena-drakes confirmed the ground was safe, they lined up, preparing to widen the breach in the wall.
Several hyena-drakes, escorted by ironshell-drakes, reached the only city gate. The gate’s outer layer was sheathed in iron and studded with sharp spikes. The dragons dared not ram into it. Their claws could only scrape out unbearable screeching sounds without doing real damage. Seeing that the hyena-drakes attacking the wall were making better progress, they abandoned the gate—which stood out awkwardly from the icy fortress—and returned to the main assault.
“Now! Pour the grease,” Chen Qi said, nodding slightly to Azhang beside him.
Several large pottery jars filled with bubbling hot grease were tipped over the wall, spilling onto the dragons below. Then, flammable wood chips mixed with gum fruit and dry vines clung thickly to the ironshell-drakes’ bodies. A rain of flaming arrows followed. In an instant, the ironshell-drakes that had been shielding the hyena-drakes were set ablaze. The stench of burning flesh mingled with their agonized screams as the fire spread.
The ironshell-drakes scattered in panic. Some, desperate to douse the flames, rammed into the icy wall, trying to cool their bodies or scrape off the burning debris.
The wood chips mixed with gum fruit had been specially chosen—they burned easily, endured flames well, and reached higher temperatures than normal wood. This same wood was used as fuel in forging iron armor.
Because the gum fruit made them sticky, the ironshell-drakes could not shake the burning fragments off merely by thrashing. Given the wood’s endurance, it could burn steadily for half an hour without issue.
Without the ironshell-drakes’ protection, the hyena-drakes were once again exposed to a rain of arrows. Unfortunately, they pressed too closely to the wall for the siege crossbows to aim properly. In that time, they had managed to dig a small gap into the wall. The stakes there had been knocked askew by the earlier chaos, and as the second wave of grease and wood chips poured down, the digging hyena-drakes slipped halfway into the opening.
“Hyena-drakes have breached the wall,” reported Axu, who had been watching their movements. Because of the angle, the first hyena-drake that squeezed into the gap was shielded by those behind it and managed to dig further in. By the time the burning ones fell, it had already disappeared completely into the breach.
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 hyena-drakes were not in a rush to break through the wall entirely. Instead, they kept digging outward. As the burning hyena-drakes collapsed one after another, the opening in the ice wall widened to nearly two or three meters, and several more hyena-drakes crowded their way inside.
It was unknown whether those ironshell-drakes did it intentionally or not, but when they fled in flames, they trampled over all the traps near the city wall.
With the wall itself as a barrier, the hyena-drakes that had broken through could no longer be attacked from above, so the beastmen on the ramparts shifted their focus to the dragons still within bow range.
The attack didn’t end until the few hyena-drakes that had forced their way into the wall completely broke through it. Only then did they finally bring down the last one still darting around nearby. Throughout this time, the hyena-drake leader neither sent in more beasts to attack nor ordered his charred subordinates to retreat.
Azhang led a small squad of beastmen, leaping down from the ice wall to finish off the remaining hyena-drakes.
Chen Qi instructed part of the group to return first to the inner city wall along the hanging rope bridge.
He hadn’t expected that even fire wouldn’t scare off these creatures. Their suicidal assault made Chen Qi frown deeply. Just a few hundred ironshell-drakes and hyena-drakes had been enough to breach the ice wall. And judging by the vast numbers still outside, would the remaining inner wall and traps really be enough to stop them?
Chen Qi lifted his gaze toward the dark, heaving mass of hyena-drakes beyond the wall—and unexpectedly locked eyes with something cold and piercing. At such a distance, it should have been impossible; with his eyesight, he could barely make out their shapes, let alone meet one’s gaze. But the sensation of being watched was undeniable. Chen Qi knew—the hyena-drake leader’s eyes were fixed on him.
Even though Chen Qi was wrapped tightly in animal furs, the freezing air outside still bit into his skin. Yet under that gaze, a cold sweat ran down his back.
“Chen Qi!” A panicked voice rang out.
Before he could react, a warm weight crashed into him, knocking him down onto the icy wall. They rolled several times before the person released him. A sharp whistling split the air, followed by the cry of a bird. Chen Qi looked toward the sound—just in time for a few drops of blood to spatter across his face. A fiery red figure shot upward.
A messenger eagle? But messenger eagles weren’t supposed to attack living creatures!
“Are you all right?” Aze asked anxiously after driving off the sudden attacker. Seeing no wounds on Chen Qi, he finally exhaled in relief.
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 heavy thud landed nearby, sending a gust strong enough to nearly blow back Chen Qi’s hood. Aze quickly reached out to press it down and leaned slightly to shield Chen Qi from the spray of icy shards.
Chen Qi looked toward the source of the wind. The flaming-red giant bird that had tried to attack him was thrashing weakly atop the nearby ice wall, a siege crossbow bolt buried deep in its body.
Axu released his grip on the crossbow controls and rushed forward. He stomped down on the bird’s still-fluttering wings, his sharp fingers slicing through its long neck in one motion. Then, with a flick, he hurled the messenger eagle’s head beyond the wall. He turned to Aze and Chen Qi. “Take Chen Qi back to the inner wall first. Leave this to me.”
Aze nodded, hoisted Chen Qi onto his back, and started toward the rope bridge.
“If the wall shows any sign of collapsing, pull back immediately,” Chen Qi reminded before leaving.
“I will,” Axu replied, returning to the crossbow he had just fired.
After the outer wall broke, the hyena-drake leader finally moved. Over half of the hyena-drakes surrounding the other three sides withdrew to the main gate. The leader tilted back its head and let out a thunderous roar that carried far on the cold wind—so far that even the beastmen hiding in underground cellars could hear it clearly.
A female who had been helping the males prepare food outside ushered them back into the cellar, quietly explaining the situation to Ali. Then he camouflaged the entrance and sprinkled a fresh layer of fig sap around the school’s perimeter.
No one noticed that the little wolf cub who had followed Ali out earlier hadn’t returned with the others. It slipped behind the school, out of sight, and crouched in a hidden corner facing the main gate of the tribe. It stayed there for over an hour, watching as more beastmen withdrew to the inner wall and reformed their defensive lines. Only then did the little wolf cub begin to take off its fur clothing.
Though the garment fit snugly, it came off easily. The pink, hairless flesh beneath was quickly exposed to the freezing air, making the little wolf cub shiver. Then it tilted its head back and howled. The sound was unlike the usual cry of a wolf—or any other beast. Though high-pitched from its youth, the tone carried a strange warmth, as if a gentle spring breeze had brushed across the hearts of all who heard it.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 2 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.
