Chapter 38: Poppy

When the radiance on the altar faded, everyone experienced another round of growth, though none more so than the two white-bellied sea eagles. Their increase was the greatest, and, based on the biological template of the white-bellied sea eagle, they officially advanced to become fierce beasts of the wild.

“Name: Storm Eagle”

“Rank: First Tier”

“Information: Evolved from the ordinary beast, the white-bellied sea eagle. As a large and ferocious bird, it fears nothing, can seize heavy prey, and is extremely dangerous.”

The two white-bellied sea eagles evolved into Storm Eagles. Their black and white feathers remained unchanged, but a few golden plumes appeared around their eyes and atop their heads, making them strikingly brilliant.

After evolving, the Storm Eagles’ size surged to nearly one meter ninety in height, with wingspans reaching around five meters. Their strength astounded Li Hongshen; he could not fathom how they managed to carry objects several times their own weight and still fly.

For now, only the younger tribe members could ride them, but Li Hongshen believed that, once the eagles advanced again, he would surely experience the thrill of soaring through the skies.

Setting aside these two battle pets, Li Liang and Cha lived up to Li Hongshen’s expectations, successfully awakening to the talents of spellcasters. Li Liang, remarkably, became a rare healing-type spellcaster.

He was able to perform the Rejuvenation spell immediately upon awakening, drawing the attention of Ma Wu, who praised him: “My apprentice Li Liang’s talent is outstanding, worthy of the Heavenly Sorcerer’s lineage.”

Though Cha’s gifts were more ordinary, Li Hongshen trusted that, with Ma Wu’s guidance, she would also become an excellent spellcasting unit.

If Li Liang hadn’t already had a wife, Li Hongshen would have considered pairing him with Cha. If a child were born of such a union, there was a high chance it would be an exceptional spellcaster.

Currently, including Zhao Yun, the camp had thirty-two warriors: one second-tier warrior, Zhao Yun, and thirty-one first-tier warriors.

There were three spellcasters, but only Ma Wu possessed real combat ability; the other two required time to study and practice.

Lastly, there were two first-tier Storm Eagles. They accompanied the hunting team on expeditions, helping transport the slain beasts back to the camp.

Previously, the hunting team would depart for three to five days. After slaying several fierce beasts, they had to transport the stored meat back to camp, lest it spoil.

Now, with the Storm Eagles serving as the transport team, the hunters no longer needed to store meat. After keeping the necessary food, they could airlift the surplus back to camp.

This enabled the hunting team to hunt much more conveniently in the wild, without wasting manpower guarding supply points, greatly increasing efficiency and saving time.

Once everyone finished awakening, Li Hongshen began restructuring the hunting team. He divided it into three squads, led by Li Li, Li Zhong, and Li Tianhua. Each squad had eight first-tier warriors.

Ke was reassigned to the patrol team as Zhao Yun’s lieutenant, while the remaining warriors stayed to defend the tribe. Naturally, these warriors would rotate with the hunters as needed—if anyone was injured, a patrol warrior could fill in.

The hunting expeditions, previously three to five days long, were extended to two weeks. Every two weeks, each hunting team would return for adjustments. The three teams’ schedules were staggered, ensuring two squads hunted outside every week.

A week had passed since the festival. On this day, Li Li rushed in from outside and sought out Li Hongshen.

“Chief, we’ve found the location of the Lang Tribe. It’s a bit different from what Ma Wu described, but thanks to the Storm Eagle, I managed to discover it.”

When Ma Wu joined the tribe and revealed his origins, Li Hongshen had asked him about the Lang Tribe’s location. Ma Wu had marked a rough area on the sand table, and Li Hongshen had continually ordered scouts to pinpoint the route.

“You didn’t expose yourself, did you?”

“Rest assured, I definitely didn’t. Whenever we got close to Lang, they would drive us away. This time, I had the Storm Eagle fly me higher. They would never expect someone overhead.”

Li Hongshen was bewildered—wasn’t it impossible to ride the Storm Eagle yet?

“How did you get the Storm Eagle to carry you? Don’t tell me you had it grab you?”

“Yes, I had it grab me. But don’t worry, I’m fine. I tied a rope around myself and secured it to the eagle’s talons. It was perfectly safe.”

Hearing this, Li Hongshen was moved. This simple-minded fellow knew that, if he’d asked beforehand, Li Hongshen wouldn’t have allowed such a risk. So, he went ahead and acted, using this daring method to gather intelligence.

“You blockhead, don’t do such foolish things again. If the Lang Tribe’s information goes undiscovered, it’s no big deal. But if you’re lost, that’s a real problem. You’re the hunting captain, a senior of the tribe—you must take responsibility for yourself and for the tribe.”

Li Li scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, saying nothing. Li Hongshen could only sigh at his demeanor.

“All right, enough pretending. You’re far more shrewd than that.

Come on,

Let’s head to the meeting hall. Show me the Lang Tribe’s location on the sand table. You’ve earned top merit this time; go get some fierce beast meat afterward. Your wife’s about to give birth—take good care of her.”

Li Hongshen summoned Ma Wu and Zhao Yun, and with himself and Li Li, the core of the tribe was assembled.

Looking at the three beside him, Li Hongshen spoke, “I’ve called you here because Li Li has discovered information about the Lang Tribe. Li Li, please share what you’ve found.”

“Yes, Chief. Everyone, please look: this green circle marks the rough area we estimated after several tracking attempts, based on their activity range.

It’s near the Fierce Beast Forest. We must reach the outpost in the forest, then travel another thirty kilometers west.

This blue circle is the location Ma Wu suggested. A few years ago, he tried sneaking into the tribe, but was forced back before he got far, so his estimate is somewhat off.

The red circle is the exact spot I saw from the air with the Storm Eagle—they’re actually inside the Fierce Beast Forest.

It’s a natural rift valley, easy to defend and hard to attack. There are patrols around the entrance, both visible and hidden.

Twice we tried to drive fierce beasts in, but were blocked and forced back. If we hadn’t had numbers and retreated quickly, there might have been a conflict.

If we want to attack them, we’ll either need to descend from above or use their secret entrance.”

“Let’s all share our opinions. We must act, but the key is how and when, and how to minimize our losses. Today, let’s draft a plan.”

Ma Wu stared at the circles Li Li marked on the sand table, lost in thought. Hearing Li Hongshen’s words, he coughed lightly.

Unfortunately, only one update today. I was dizzy from working on the school’s PHP project, and my brain is too fried to write more.

I’ll try to make time to write more tomorrow. Please vote, bookmark, comment, leave messages, and help spot errors.

(End of this chapter.)