Chapter 135: Just Who Is the Fox?

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

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The Spider Monster not only had powerful abilities, it could also summon countless spiders to do battle for it. If it managed to escape its imprisonment, the entire Taildon Valley, or even the entire Ladak Mountain Range would quickly become its territory. The Beastmen who had proliferated here for thousands of years were alone and helpless, with nowhere to go. They might once again be faced with the threat of extinction.

The Beastmen understood the Spider Monster’s weakness. They sought to ensure their future survival in the Ladak Mountain Range, and they wished to avenge the Heavenly Foxes. They decided to take a gamble. There were still about three days until the full moon. After they exited the cave, they took the time to discuss the next phase of their plan, committing all their forces to preparing for the battle.

The Ox Chief decided to send out a total of five hundred elite Bullmen warriors, and the Fox Elder was prepared to send out twenty Spellcasters and a thousand Dogmen warriors. Even the Medusas who did not have large numbers also sent out about three hundred brave warriors left in their tribe.

“Sir, might I ask how many troops you can gather from your territory?” After waiting for some time and seeing that Yang Ling wasn’t declaring a stance, the Fox Elder had no choice but to ask him directly. For the survival and future of the tribe, he was prepared to go all out. Of course, he needed Yang Ling’s full support.

“Elder, I am sorry, but faced with a powerful enemy like the Spider Monster, I have no choice but to prioritize the safety of the people in my territory.” After a moment’s deliberation, Yang Ling pretended to be put on the spot, and shook his head. He continued, “I have to return to Wissen Town immediately to set up defenses. At the very most, I can only leave behind a hundred warriors to assist you!”

Knowing that there was no way out for the Beastmen, Yang Ling decided to take a step back as a means of advancing. For the safety of Wissen Town and the rich resources in the Taildon Valley, he had to eliminate the powerful Spider Monster; but it was also indispensable that he take this opportunity to fight for greater benefits and gather all of the Beastmen within the Ladak Mountain Range into his territory.

The appearance of the Spider Monster was an unprecedented challenge, but it was also a rare opportunity!

He believed that as long as he seized the opportunity, he might be able to get the scattered Beastmen tribes to incorporate themselves into his territory in one fell swoop. He would also be able to obtain enough manpower and various supplies quickly.

Leave behind at most one hundred warriors to assist us?

Seeing Yang Ling’s serious expression, the Fox Elder’s heart felt icy cold. Faced with the powerful Spider Monster, they would not have any chance of victory if they did not have Yang Ling’s full support.

After a moment’s deliberation, the Medusa leader said, “Sir, if the Spider Monster was to escape from its imprisonment and summon many spiders to occupy the entirety of the Ladak Mountain Range, I would think that Wissen Town would not be able to survive either!”

Hearing that Yang Ling was prepared to recall his army, the Beastmen fell into discussion. Some sat on the ground depressed, and some teared up secretly, worried about the future of their clansmen. Some even glared fiercely at Yang Ling who was sitting cross legged on the ground. They wanted to draw their blades and force him to mobilize his troops. Only the Medusa leader maintained her usual calm.

“That’s right. If the Ladak Mountain Range were to be occupied by the Spider Monster, then Wissen Town would not be spared!” Yang Ling admitted, much to the surprise of everyone present. He then continued slowly, “But as a leader, I have to be responsible for the commoners in my territory. I have to think of the worst case scenario even before the battle starts!”

As Yang Ling spoke, the Fox Elder seemed to come to terms with something.

After a pause, seeing the Beastmen listening intently around him, Yang Ling continued, “I have a majestic castle in Wissen Town. I believe that the spiders would not be able to infiltrate it no matter their numbers if I have a team of elites guarding the castle. The rations I have in my castle are enough to feed everyone in the town for a full year!”

The group slipped into commotion. Even though they had heard that one did not have to worry about food and clothing in Wissen Town, no one could have expected Yang Ling to have such a large amount of rations!

An elite army, a majestic castle, coupled with sufficient rations…

The Beastmen now understood why Yang Ling was so reluctant to fight. But their hearts became heavier after the shock. As a leader, Yang Ling had sufficient resources to tackle the crisis. But what could the Beastmen who had been oppressed by the humans do?

The Beastmen had heavy hearts, all of them sighing. Only Goode understood Yang Ling’s intentions. There were indeed a good number of rations left in the Wissen Castle, but it was definitely not large enough to fit everyone in the town for a full year. It was clear that to Goode that Yang Ling had other intentions.

After swallowing with difficulty, the Fox Elder still felt wronged. “Sir, even if you are able to defend against the horde of spiders with the tall castle walls, what are you going to use to defend against the powerful Spider Monster? Aren’t you afraid that just the Spider Monster alone would be able to break your castle door?”

“Elder, to tell you the truth, I have spent much of my efforts on the castle. Even a Sage level might not be able to break into the castle within a short period of time, much less the Spider Monster!” Yang Ling gave a mysterious smile, then continued. “Furthermore, I have built a pier at the estuary of the Donau River. If I truly cannot hold on any longer, we could retreat by boat and return to my family’s territory.”

Yang Ling spoke as he picked up a small, sharp rock. He drew a simplified map of Wissen Town. He drew out the sections like the pier and farms even though construction for these areas had not even been carried out yet. He drew a large piece of territory for the Beastmen, much to the amazement of the tactician Goode. Goode admitted to himself that he was not as shrewd as Yang Ling.

“For the future of your tribe, you Beastmen are willing to go all out, unafraid of death. I admire this about you greatly!” Seeing the Beastmen deep in thought around him, Yang Ling then continued, “But you have not spared a thought for the old and injured in your tribe. If you were to fail, or the tribesmen that you had left behind to defend your tribe encountered a group of bandits or Magical Beasts that were out seeking food, what would they do?”

After bringing over all of the warriors from the tribe, the rest of the tribesmen would definitely die if they met with any accidents!

Even though the Fox Elder, Ox Chief, and Medusa leader had once considered a similar problem, they felt even more uneasy now that Yang Ling had reminded them.

The cold harsh winter meant that tribes who were accustomed to snatching the food of others as well as starving Magical Beasts would take the risk and attack every tribe they came across. Even if they triumphed over the terrifying Spider Monster, their remaining tribesmen could meet with accidents. It would not do to lose them all.

“After bringing over all of the brave warriors from the tribes, it is best that we gather all of the old and weak from several tribes and defend them all together!” Looking at the Fox Elder, the Medusa leader, and the rest, Yang Ling continued sincerely, “Of course, if you don’t mind the trouble, you could perhaps move the tribesmen who are not going to battle into Wissen Town temporarily.”

After a pause, Yang Ling continued, “I cannot guarantee anything else, but I can at least make sure that their basic needs and personal safety are looked after. Even if you were defeated in the battle here at the Taildon Valley, and the Spider Army escaped from its imprisonment, I would have enough time to get them to the boats and move them somewhere else to avert disaster.”

The Beastmen were made up of many races. There were not only the powerful Bullmen and Medusas, there was also the fox race that produced many Spellcasters. It was also rumored that there were several smaller tribes with various abilities, each with their own use.

Furthermore, because of the intentional attacks and pressures from various parties, all of the Beastmen existed in scattered tribes, unable to form an independent faction. If Yang Ling could find a way to absorb them under his rule one by one, then the abilities of Wissen Town would improve by leaps and bounds. He would not only be able to obtain a large amount of cheap manpower in a short span of time, he would also obtain many talents of various kinds.

No matter what, Yang Ling was not going to miss out on this opportunity to strengthen himself. He believed that as long as he could move the old and injured clansmen of the Beastmen into Wissen Town, then it would not be long before the few Beastmen tribes before him would submit to his rule!

Because of the precarious situation, coupled with Yang Ling’s effortful invitation and temptation, the Beastmen decided to move their clansmen into Wissen Town after a moment’s discussion. This was so they could head into battle without worry and put all their effort into dealing with the Spider Monster deep within the cave. They did not know that they had unintentionally gotten onto Yang Ling’s carriage one step at a time!

Without the worry in the back of their minds, the Beastmen felt their morale boosted, and they grouped quickly together. The Fox Elder took out his precious Black Pulp Melon, the Bullmen put on the heavy armor that their predecessors had left for them and carried their heavy totem poles. As for the Medusas, they brought all of the snake venom that they had accumulated over the decades to the Taildon Valley.

The poison techniques of the Medusas were as renowned as their blade techniques. Their poison-coated twin blades were a trauma that the humans and Orcs could never forget. It was rumored that even the most elite Knights of Holy Light from the Church had been unable to scatter the formation of a group of Medusas holding their poison-coated twin blades.

Even though the Medusas were powerful, their numbers were unfortunately roughly the same as the Bullmen, or even less. That was the reason they were unable to lead the Beastmen to a true victory and set up a powerful independent Beastmen empire despite all of the great wars.

In order to fight in close combat, the Beastmen decided to set up an outpost right outside the cave. With Yang Ling’s help, the land outside of the cave soon became littered with tents. The Beastmen did not have to sleep on top of the thick snow like they had before.

After getting people to move the rest of the clansmen to Wissen Town and removing the worry in the back of their minds, the group once again gathered together to discuss the next step of their plan.

“Three days. Time is too tight!” The Fox Elder let out a sigh. “If we had a dozen days, we could not only gather the rest of the Beastmen tribes in the Ladak Mountain Range to do battle with us, we could even gather the scattered Beastmen in the large wilderness outside the Aila Mountain Pass to aid us in battle!”

“No, Elder, there’s no need for us to wait three days before we attack!” After taking a sip of rum, Yang Ling said softly, “Even though the abilities of the Spider Monster would decrease greatly after three days, it is far from enough. We have to attack immediately!”

Hearing Yang Ling say this, even the Heavenly Fox Yuna was confused, much less the Fox Elder, Medusa leader, and the rest. In that instant, no one understood Yang Ling’s intentions.

“It is simple; when faced with the Spider Monster whose abilities are imperceptible and deep, we have to try our best to exhaust its abilities. Send brave warriors to enter the fray in waves and launch continuous attacks. Even if they are unable to directly heavily injure the Spider Monster, they will at the very least be able to destroy many of the spiders that it summons. Force it to continuously summon spiders to aid it in battle, indirectly exhausting its stamina, Magical Energy, and mental energy!”

According to the explanation of the Heavenly Fox Yuna, there was a white fog at the exit of the hall, and there was no way that the Spider Monster could charge out. If that was the case, the group would be able to attack if they advanced and defend when they retreated as long as they occupied the exit of the hall. They could have the army form several groups and take turns entering the fray to attack, continuously exhausting the abilities of the other party.

Yang Ling knew that his plan had already half succeeded after he got the Beastmen to willingly move their elderly, women, and children into Wissen Town. Following this, as long as he planned it well, he might be able to successfully complete his entire plan without having to wait too long.

Then, he would no longer have to personally lead an army to clear the insurgents. Instead, he could devote more time and energy into training, as well as free up more time to work on a plan for the rapid development of Wissen Town.