Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Under the guidance of the Twin-headed Ogre Braska, Yang Ling and his army successively conquered five other Ogre tribes in only a few days. He not only expanded the heavy infantry army of Ogres to fifteen hundred men, he also obtained more than three thousand strong laborers.

When the Ogre laborers began arriving in Wissen Town in groups, Goode became incredibly busy. He not only had to order the people to scout for mines around them, he also had to look for wood to build temporary buildings. In addition, he had to set up a relief team to provide Yang Ling with supplies, as well. Luckily, Yang Ling’s storage ring could hold many items; otherwise, just the transportation of rations and expended arrows would have required a large amount of manpower.

The snowy winter was not ideal an ideal time for building houses, but in order to settle the increasing number of immigrants, Goode had no choice but to find ways to build simple wooden houses. As long as they could last the next few months, they would be able to cut enough rock from quarries to build more stable houses when the weather became warmer.

With the continuous support from Wissen Town, Yang Ling continued leading his army and clearing the tribes scattered around the Ladak Mountain Range, hoping to secure enough manpower for the coming spring.

According to his plan, he needed to conduct large scale developments on resources such as timber and metal ore next year, and he needed to build a large port where the Donau River met the sea. He also needed to open a path from Wissen Town to the Aila Mountain Pass. All this required a large amount of cheap labor.

There was not enough time left. He had to finish his preparations by spring!

In this period of time, despite the lack of action from the Banto Empire or the troops and adventurers in Wissen Town, Yang Ling did not dare let his guard down.

To the southwest of Wissen Town, after a vast nothingness, was the Banto Empire. Their attitude toward Wissen Town was still unclear. Even though Yang Ling’s army could defend themselves against a large scale attack by their enemies by stationing themselves at the Aila Mountain Pass, doing so would leave Wissen Town with no exit on land if an enemy sent a large army to surround the Aila Mountain Pass.

South of Wissen Town was a vast ocean. It was rumored that there were countless pirates in the ocean, seafolk who would kill without blinking an eye. Even though Harribell had promised to build a large harbor and provide sea charts, even she was not sure if she could open a safe passage.

The next year was critical. Whether or not he could consolidate his control over his land and build a base from which he could explore this world would depend on the results of the next year. But before any of that, he had to obtain a large amount of cheap labor by spring. Otherwise, all of this was empty talk.

This day, after moving his army for half a day, Yang Ling instructed his troops to rest by the side of a valley. Their target this time was a Beastmen tribe ten miles away.

“Beastman” was a generic title, covering all of the humanoids who had beast-like characteristics. There were Bullmen who had horns growing out of their heads, Foxmen who had tails, and even Swanmen who grew wings on their backs.

Legend had it that there were no Beastmen on the continent a long time ago. A few thousand years ago, after humans rose to power with the help of the Church, they got into a tug-of-war with the Orc Empire, with both parties capturing many captives. Slowly, different races gradually sprang up.

A few thousand years ago, the Beastmen were not recognized by the humans, nor were they approved by the Orcs. Even though they had large numbers, they did not even have an independent territory, much less an empire or a country. They did not have status or respect, and they were the main source of slaves on the continent.

“Sir, according to the report of the scouts, the Beastmen tribe in front of us has about three thousand Beastmen of various kinds!” Yang Ling had just sat down when a scout hurried toward him and reported loudly.

A Beastmen tribe with various kinds of Beastmen?

Yang Ling was a little curious, so Argus began to explain. The Beastmen had various abilities: some were immensely strong, and some were good at calculations but had little physical capability. Because of their similar circumstances, many of the Beastmen lived together, forming tribes of various different kinds of Beastmen to improve their chances of survival.

“Sir, the scout noticed the tracks of Dogmen in the tribe, so we have to be careful when we act. Otherwise, they’ll discover us easily!” Argus creased his brows. The Dogmen had keen senses and agile movements. They were natural hunters in the forest. Yang Ling’s army might have to spend a little effort in order to conquer this tribe.

“Send the Horned Bee Beasts to finish off their scouts. We act according to the plan. Let’s go!” Yang Ling said as he leapt onto the Unicorn.

The Dogmen were unique amongst the Beastmen. Even though their physical abilities were not exceptional, they had keen senses and moved with blind speed. They were the ideal candidates as scouts and spies. Yang Ling believed that it would definitely be beneficial to his future plans if he managed to subdue an entire tribe of Dogmen.

Under the guidance of the scout, the army drew close to the Beastmen tribe an hour later. As a precaution, Yang Ling ordered the group to hide behind some low lying thickets. He sat cross-legged, prepared to order the Horned Bee Beasts to deal with the enemy’s hidden scouts.

The tribe of Beastmen was situated in the middle of a forest, with only a small, heavily guarded path in and out of the lair. Other than the hidden scouts, the forest was also covered in long thorny vines. An average person would find it difficult to even plant their feet here.

Smart. It truly is heavily defended!

Through the fast flying Horned Bee Beasts, Yang Ling soon understood the distribution of the Beastmen’s forces. There were more than twenty scouts hidden around the forest, either lying under the withered leaves or in the treetops. If not for the keen senses of the Horned Bee Beasts, Yang Ling might not have been able to spot them in such a short span of time.

There were many hidden scouts in the perimeter of the forest, but the defenses were even stronger nearer to the tribe. As well as the hidden scouts, there was also a team of warriors patrolling the surroundings with hunting dogs. Their defenses were much stronger than those of the Ogre tribes.

Shall I lure them out and kill them all, or just send the Ogres to launch a strong offensive?

Yang Ling hesitated after learning the strength of the enemy’s defenses. The Beastmen were clearly much more intelligent than the Ogres. Sending the Gnomes to lure them out might not be worth it, and it might even alert them instead.

Just as Yang Ling was hesitating, a low signal suddenly sounded from within the Beastmen tribe. Warriors emerged from within the wooden huts, quickly getting into formation, all fully ready to take action.

“Guests from far away, we do not have any food stores in our tribe. May I invite you to look elsewhere!”

Soon, under the guard of a bunch of warriors, an elder with soulful eyes walked out with large strides. He had a black staff in hand and a tiny bushy tail behind him. It looked like he was a Foxmen priest. From his words, it seemed that he thought that the group were aborigines trying to rob them.

Yang Ling had no idea how the Beastmen had noticed them, but he could no longer hide. He stood up.

“A team of merchants was killed near this area a few days ago. Might I know if you have any news about that?” After being exposed, Yang Ling continued, calm and composed, “I am the leader of Wissen Town. I will reward you greatly if you can provide us with accurate information!”

Seeing that he would not be able to defeat the Beastmen’s heavy defenses easily, Yang Ling decided to approach this from another angle. Many times he could obtain more of what he wanted on the negotiations table than on the battlefield. He did not have to attack all the time.

This was like America back on Earth, solving most of their problems through global negotiations using their powerful politics, economy, and military. Other than the Gulf War, they had not truly engaged in war in recent times.

The Leader of Wissen?

Seeing the composed Yang Ling and the bloodthirsty Magical Beast army behind him, the elder was shocked. His expression sank even more after he discussed with the warriors around him and learned more about Yang Ling’s identity.

The scouts in his tribe had seen Yang Ling in person in Wissen Town, and considering the horde of Magical Beasts around him, this was definitely the real Yang Ling. But why had this man suddenly led a large army to his tribe?

As an elder of a fox tribe, the elder had encountered countless hardships over the years, but he had never been as nervous as he was today. Even the ten thousand elite troops of the Banto Empire were not a match for Yang Ling. The outcome would be disastrous if Yang Ling had come today with the motive of attacking the tribe.

The fox elder knew that his tribe was heavily guarded and a dangerous opponent to the aborigines who pillaged for a living. But he was definitely no match for Yang Ling, whose abilities were unfathomable.

Seeing the elder’s pale face and creased brows, Yang Ling was expressionless, but he knew that his plan had already half-succeeded.

Recalling the Magical Beast army and signalling for the warriors behind him to lower their weapons, Yang Ling said, “Do not be nervous, we’re just passing by. Even if you have no news of the culprits, we might be able to cooperate in some other areas!”

After allowing the elder to understand his status and abilities, Yang Ling quickly tried to show that he wasn’t hostile. It was sometimes necessary to threaten your opponent, but if you went too far, they might become desperate and resort immediately to violence.

“Sir, I am the elder of the fox clan. Welcome to our tribe.” After seeing Yang Ling voluntarily recall his army, the fox elder heaved a sigh of relief and instructed the warriors beside him to open a path.

Ordering Argus to lead the army somewhere outside the forest, Yang Ling led a few Ogres into the forest under the invitation of the fox elder. Soon, they arrived at the Beastmen tribe.

Along the way, he saw many small kids running around, playing with each other. To the east of the tribe was a row of wooden huts used to rear animals, and a few women were feeding the livestock. It looked like with the intelligence of the Beastmen, the tribe should still have a decent amount of rations, much better than the Ogres and Gnomes.

“Sir, please sit!”

The fox elder brought Yang Ling to a large wooden hut, his attitude respectful and welcoming. He had become more at ease after understanding that Yang Ling had not come for his tribe, and he was secretly thinking about how he could use this opportunity to collaborate with Yang Ling. After all, even though Wissen Town was not large, it was the only human territory in a thousand mile radius. Maintaining good relations with Yang Ling would definitely be beneficial for his tribe in the future.