Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 209
Chapter 209
After the first snowfall, the great migration of animals across the plains began in full force, and the scenes of various predators surrounding and attacking hyena-drakes gradually disappeared.
The enormous pit dug between the two walls of Qi Ze City had also been fully reinforced after the first snow. During this period, the Lion-Wolf Tribe’s messengers came twice—once bringing news of a fierce battle between the wolf packs and a small group of hyena-drakes, and once reporting that pterosaurs had appeared on the plains.
Pterosaurs were somewhat similar to vultures—scavengers who preferred easy food and carrion, and rarely hunted anything on their own. Moreover, they feared heat and could not stay long under the direct sun. With the long summer days and the plains lacking shade, seeing pterosaurs here at this time of year was highly unusual.
Compared to the reports from the Lion-Wolf Tribe, the situation on the forest side remained fairly normal. All kinds of herbivorous dragons still wandered near the forest edge, and many hydrochoerus dragons had once again gathered there to forage—everything looked much the same as before.
While the migrating herds on the plains clustered densely together, the beastmen of Qi Ze City organized a large-scale hunt. They even managed to capture several animals alive and moved them into the greenhouse. In addition, Azhang led a group to the Chishui River to catch a large haul of fish, which they released into the moat. The moat had been renovated in the summer, now much wider, and raising a few fish posed no problem.
Aside from stocking up on meat, the second batch of crops planted earlier in the year had begun ripening one after another as winter approached. The planting area was large, and it took the beastmen several days to finish harvesting everything.
During an earlier patrol along the forest edge, the team had collected some willow seeds. Chen Qi had them planted along both sides of the moat. They had only just sprouted, and no one knew whether they could survive the harsh winter. But Chen Qi had saved a portion for planting next summer, so he wasn’t too worried about whether this batch would make it.
As the great migration on the plains grew denser, the black pterosaur’s pace also slowed. After parting ways with the hyena-drake leader, it had easily hunted several groups of predators using its newly acquired subordinates. But after the first snow ended, and faced with herds numbering ten or even a hundred times more than its own group, even the black pterosaur had no choice but to avoid direct confrontation.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
They took shelter beneath a small, abandoned rocky hill. The black pterosaur perched atop the peak, coldly watching the endless mass of animals moving like a dark tide in the distance.
Several pterosaurs descended from the sky, wings flapping as they landed meekly beside their leader. One by one, they reported their findings. As the black pterosaur listened, its eyes lit up. It ordered the hyena-drake pack to remain on standby while it followed the scouting pterosaurs into the sky, soaring across the vast plains toward their destination.
This settlement was unlike any other the black pterosaur had ever seen. There were many beastmen—far more than in ordinary tribes—and they moved nonstop along the red-brown city walls. The black pterosaur hadn’t visited the plains last winter, but it had heard the hyena-drake leader speak of a tribe protected by reddish-brown walls.
The towering walls encircled the entire beastmen settlement. From its high vantage point, the black pterosaur could see everything clearly. With such fortifications blocking the way, hyena-drakes alone would struggle to break through.
The black pterosaur narrowed its eyes and swept its wings, planning to fly closer for a better look—
“Whoosh.”
A sharp, slicing sound tore through the air. An arrow skimmed past the black pterosaur’s forehead. Startled, it halted its forward motion and beat its wings twice, lifting itself higher. Fixing its gaze on the city wall, it saw beastmen fiddling with some kind of strange device.
Seeing that the arrow had missed, the beastman who’d been aiming clicked his tongue softly. Axiang looked at the pterosaurs hovering in midair and gave the order to the beastmen who were already lined up and ready.
“Continue.”
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”
Over a dozen siege crossbows mounted along the city wall unleashed volleys of arrows toward the pterosaurs. This time, the black pterosaur was prepared. With the distance so great, the arrows had already lost much of their force, and the dragon twisted lightly through the air, rolling up and down to evade them with ease.
But the pterosaur that had flown closest to the wall wasn’t so lucky. An arrow struck one of its wings. With a pained shriek, its body wobbled, lost balance, and plummeted.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
It hit the ground with a thunderous crash, flattening a patch of grass. The black pterosaur only cast it a faint glance. Ever since it had followed the hyena-drake leader onto the plains, perhaps because the hyena-drake numbers were so overwhelming, the few beastmen tribes they encountered had been wiped out with almost laughable ease. It had all been too simple—so simple that the black pterosaur had grown bored.
It hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an interesting beastmen settlement now.
Gazing at the mass of beastmen along the wall, the black pterosaur suddenly felt the emptiness in its belly. It had not eaten in some time. It forced down the instinct to dive in and feast, rose higher with the remaining pterosaurs, and only after confirming that those strange arrows could not reach it did it begin circling round and round above the Lion-Wolf Tribe.
It was too high to see clearly, but it deeply enjoyed the feeling of staring down at its future food. It ordered one of the pterosaurs to go inform the hyena-drake leader of its discovery. After all, the leader had brought it out here; having found so many beastmen, it should at least report back.
“What do we do now?” Ayan looked up at the pterosaurs spiraling overhead, worry flickering in his eyes. Pterosaurs could fly—if one suddenly swooped down when no one was paying attention, grabbed a person, and fled, there would be nothing they could do.
“Move several siege crossbows down into the tribe. The moment a pterosaur shows any intention of diving in, we shoot it down.”
Ayan accepted the order and left to make arrangements. Fortunately, the pterosaurs showed no intention of attacking immediately. They circled high above for most of the day before finally departing. Even so, Axiang didn’t dare relax. After sending the news to Qi Ze City, he accelerated the tribe’s defensive preparations.
Compared to the Lion-Wolf Tribe—constantly stumbling upon hyena-drakes or being watched by pterosaurs—Qi Ze City lived in rare peace. Aside from waves of migrating herds passing near the gates, there were no signs of danger approaching.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
With about half a month left before winter, Qi Ze City finished stocking food and completing all the traps meant to defend against hyena-drakes. Aside from making consumables like arrows, the beastmen temporarily had no urgent work remaining.
During this time, the little wolf cub still went out every day to gather milk fruits for the little bun, but otherwise spent nearly all his time perched on the city wall. Chen Qi had no idea what he was always staring at; every day, he would simply see the little wolf cub absorbed in gazing toward the Chishui River. But Chen Qi had no time to worry about that. Ever since Azhang returned, the two of them had built a shabby little hut far from the residential area, and every day they hid inside with several older females, tinkering with gunpowder.
Quiet days passed quickly. Before Chen Qi realized it, the little Chen bun had already learned to stand—and on that very day, the first snow of winter fell.
The entire plain grew silent, no trace of life stirring. Qi Ze City stood alone, like a lone leaf-boat adrift in a sea of white, isolated and solitary.
Watching Azhang carefully bury the newly completed gunpowder charges into the outer ring of dried grass, Chen Qi tightened his fur coat. The temperature had dropped sharply at the start of winter, though this was far from the coldest period. He lightly patted the little wolf cub’s now-fluffed winter fur and gestured for him to head home. Everything that needed doing was nearly done; all that remained was to wait for the hyena-drakes’ arrival.
After months of nonstop labor, the sudden lull left Chen Qi feeling eerily calm. The little wolf cub walked ahead of him, leaping neatly down the wooden ladder from the wall. His four paws left deep imprints in the snow. After the next snowfall, when the snow grew thicker, they could rebuild the ice wall again.
Yet to Chen Qi’s surprise, even after winter had passed its midpoint—and the little Chen bun had already begun babbling “Dad” in a soft milky voice—not a single trace of hyena-drakes appeared near Qi Ze City. Instead, several herbivorous dragons wandered near the settlement and ended up becoming meals for the beastmen.
By contrast, the Lion-Wolf Tribe encountered the hyena-drake pack earlier than Qi Ze City—but this time, the hyena-drakes were led by a black pterosaur.
Ever since its previous scouting visit, the black pterosaur had been fixated on that strange beastmen tribe. Unfortunately, the hyena-drake leader seemed uninterested. But as soon as the migrating herds left the plains, the black pterosaur impatiently rushed toward the Lion-Wolf Tribe with its subordinates. It could hardly wait to enjoy its feast.
“Leaving?” The ironshell-drake leader stood up the moment the man moved. The heavy snow that had accumulated on its body overnight tumbled off. It shook itself vigorously, shedding the last clinging flakes.
“En. I’ll take you to see a very interesting tribe.” Thinking of last winter’s abrupt retreat, the man’s lips curled faintly. That foolish giant wolf-god had actually believed its own life could deceive him. The man suddenly grew curious—just what had the wolf been trying to hide?
“Then let’s hurry!” The ironshell-drake leader urged impatiently. They had stayed here for months. Earlier, it could at least wander the plains to torment the animals, but ever since winter began, everything had frozen into monotony except for the endlessly flowing Dosa River. The ironshell-drake leader had long grown sick of it. Especially after the black pterosaur delivered news of an “interesting beastmen tribe,” it had been itching to leave.
No matter how eager it was, it held itself back and waited until the hyena-drake leader began moving before following. The hyena-drakes and ironshell-drakes—who had lain still for so long they were nearly ice sculptures—rose to their feet as well. Once the two leaders set off, the entire formation marched in perfect order behind them. Birdlike cries echoed from above as a group of pterosaurs flew ahead, scouting the surroundings for the vast army advancing across the snow.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 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.
