Inside a plain room, a solemn atmosphere enshrouded two men and a black scale. A faint lime green ray shot out from a ring on Mora's index finger, trying to make a hole in the scale.
After a few moments, the ray could not penetrate it. Instead, he gradually felt an invisible solid force that prevented the ray from causing any damage.
Therefore, he clenched his fist. Immediately, the ray changed into a web of energy that spread on the scale's surface.
After spreading it for a while, the web shrunk, and Mora finished the appraisal.
Smirking, he said. "Sturdy but it doesn't have a unique strait for higher material. It's suitable for an additional substance in totem, keep it."
Wang did not ask further; he trusted his master wholeheartedly too.
Besides, he knew a thing or two about higher material that Mora meant. One of the straits was its unique characteristics, the power that the being had when it was still alive.
For instance, if a lion could make the whole forest tremble by roaring, it would have had a similar aura when it's dead.
Mora looked at Wang with a hint of disappointment because he made a big fuss over a scrap. He asked, "so, what's the real matter?"
Wang hurriedly explained. "I saw a herd of Robust Bison. At least there are 500 of them. More than ten cackles, some Shadow Panthers at my level."
"That's plausible. We can retaliate." Mora sat, listened to Wang with an uninterested expression.
"I also found a trace of wolf's den, spiders, and apes in the group." Wang lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Isn't that what beast tide about?" Mora frowned. "What was so special about it?"
"I'm ashamed I can't gather more information because I feel a very ominous aura deep inside the black side." Wang sighed.
Realized something amiss, Mora canceled his plans for the next hours and decided to listen to the full report from Wang.
From the moment he met a cackle of hyena, stroke the black scale, until chasing Robust Bison and Shadow Panther which eventually led him deeper into the forest.
At the edge of a cliff, the Robust Bison ran down to meet its herd.
However, there was a massive army including the bison's herd, which based on Wang's estimation, could be more than ten thousand beasts, that lived and gathered in one place harmoniously.
He walked more and found the wolf's den, spiders, and apes in the process. Just as he was about to investigate further, an ominous aura with a death smell caressed his neck, followed by a long silence that suffocated him.
The rest of the story was about him escaping from the forest.
The room filled with silence before Mora spoke. "Inform Sapa now, just be frank with everything."
Wang nodded. He saw beads of sweat on Mora's face, immediately understood the severity of this situation.
"I'll go with you. If he asks you why you go to the dark side, you know what to do."
"Sightseeing." Wang nodded with a tacit understanding.
They quickly prepared themselves and went to Sapa.
***
The next day at Yolk's house.
Nature was always kind. A breeze entered the house as Lena was cooking, gently moving the fresh air as if it greeted her.
Ziya yawned. She sat on a chair as she was busy swinging her wooden tube, controlling new toys from her aunt. It was a simple wooden house and three wooden dolls.
"Hey, Uncle Wang gives me a coconut on the way back." Yolk entered with a coconut, he grinned at Ziya.
Ziya deactivated her wooden tube, rushing towards Yolk to snatch the coconut. She grinned. "Mine!"
Yolk smiled and gently patted her head. "How's your body?"
"It's all fine. I am strong." She lifted her tiny arm and posed like a muscular man flexing his bicep. Although some veins that were overtaxed the other day were still visible.
"Haha, I am stronger." Yolk played along and posed as well.
Lena watched this and subconsciously, her eyes become teary.
Although the blood treatment went horrible, their current health was beyond words. After they slept for a night, they have never been in better condition.
It was impossible to recover from such injuries in one night.
On the contrary, they felt that they recuperated too fast, especially Ziya. It could be due to the infamous pill that they consumed, the red leaf of soul-revitalization pill. But, they couldn't be sure about it.
Lena and Yolk had done a simple check on themselves and had come to one conclusion: The blood treatment, not only did not cost their lifespan, but it also didn't reduce their attainments.
They thought the treatment was a failure; the blood was too strong that even their attainments could not be reduced because it was not qualified to.
But, the treatment was considered successful, which made them unease.
Generally speaking, the executant of blood treatment would sacrifice something. In this case, they couldn't identify what did they sacrifice besides their blood and herbs.
Yolk put this matter aside and asked Lena about the scene that he saw when the vicious energy erupted. Apparently, Lena saw it, but she saw a very short scene; only when two giants grabbed a white stone.
Just to be sure, they asked Ziya, which already left the field at that time, about the scene. Ziya denied if she saw one.
"Uncle Yolk, are you there?" Someone shouted in front of the house.
"Yes, come inside. We are having breakfast." Yolk replied.
"I'm sorry to bother your breakfast time. Chieftain wishes to see you." The man entered with an apologetic face.
"I see. I'll go now." Yolk stood up, smiled wryly at Ziya.
"Take care," said Ziya. Her eyes locked onto the coconut all this time...
It was not something new if people looked for him. Lena and Ziya had used to the situation, so they continued their breakfast.
***
Inside Village Hall.
Ten men gathered including Sapa, Yolk, and Mora with his companions. This meeting was attended only by important people. Their face was solemn.
"Thank you for sparing your time. This is an urgent matter related to our survival."
As Sapa opened the meeting with survival as the diction, people's faces stiffened. They knew their Chieftain would not use the word 'survival' lightly.
"I'll get to the point. Wang took a walk near the border of Wilderness. He followed a bison that led him to a place which most likely becomes a beast tide."
Suddenly, all eyes were on Wang. He nodded in approval.
"Unfortunately, I returned earlier. I only inform one person in town about this matter," said Yolk with a hint of regret.
Among three weeks of his trip outside, the last week originally planned to get reinforcement against the tide. This was the storm that enshrouded the village's safety.
After all, it would take two weeks to request a meeting because the people whom he should meet were important, busy figures.
"Could you tell me to whom you ask for support?" Mora asked.
"To The Keeper of The South and Fang Family."
The keeper of The South referred to Guan Lin, the town guard in charge of the south gate. He was the closest to the village and had a good relationship with it. His battle prowess could not be trifled with either.
However, it was not his individual power that lifted his name but the great leadership he displayed on the battlefield, leading thousands of armies to victory in the past.
As Yolk mentioned Guan Lin, Mora furrowed his brows.
Unlike a mere guard, Guan Lin had duties to be fulfilled and the area he was responsible with was the town.
So, the possibility of dispatching the guards was zero to none. If the regent was lenient and approved the dispatch, he would send an army of one thousand men at most.
One thousand who were solely loyal toward Guan Lin had to spare their sweat in this rural area?
Prideful guards. In Mora's thought, this was merely wishful thinking to invite Guan Lin over.