The Edge of the Lake.
Enzo didn't rush into attack. Instead, he ordered his team members to stay about fifty meters away from the lake's edge.
He climbed a tall tree, over ten meters high, and stood in its canopy, overlooking the lake and the distance beyond. The water-blue surface of the lake resembled a mirror, reflecting the white clouds in the sky. Across the lake, several small hills of about thirty to forty meters in height dotted the landscape.
"This place isn't bad at all. It could serve as a new camp." Enzo muttered to himself.
He gazed at the small hills, noting their elevated positions and the flat plains beneath them. Further away lay a dense forest. Most importantly, the location was very close to a water source.
Enzo was highly satisfied with such a strategically advantageous location.
However, the current view was not accurate enough. To determine specifics, Enzo needed to finish clearing out the supernatural giant crocodiles from the lake and personally inspect the area after crossing it.
After a moment, Enzo climbed down from the tree.
Due to the arrival of the Battle squad, the animals that had come to drink water in this area had already fled, so there was no need to bother chasing them away. Enzo had his men carry up several deer that they had just hunted. Using a knife, he slit open the carcasses, then smashed the soporific flowers fruits and poured the juice inside over these deer.
The juice inside the soporific flowers fruits, unlike the blossoms, does not emit any scent.
In fact, it even carries a slight sweetness.
However, its effectiveness is extremely potent. According to Enzo's own tests, the juice from approximately one fruit can put two supernatural giant crocodiles to sleep.
To be safe, he used a total of six fruits.
After completing these preparations, Enzo ordered the others to continue retreating. He then concentrated a ball of totemic power in his palm and hurled it towards the lake's surface.
Instantly, the lake began to churn and boil.
Those enormous supernatural crocodiles are fighting each other, churning the lake water into a murky mess, with numerous fish being stunned and floating on the surface.
The first step of the plan, luring out the supernatural crocodiles, has been successful.
Enzo once again gathered a massive totemic power and infused it into these carcasses of deer, using them as bait.
Clearly, the supernatural crocodiles, despite their lack of high intelligence, were driven by their instinct to evolve, ignoring the danger and rushing ashore to devour these carcasses of deer.
One crocodile missed out, but Enzo was not stingy.
He smashed a soporific flowers fruit and, as the crocodile opened its mouth, he threw the fruit directly into it.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
Half an hour later, as the juices from the fruit took effect, the battling crocodiles began to slow down, gradually lying down on the ground in a drowsy state.
Witnessing this scene, Tia cheered first, "The plan worked!"
She led the Battle squad over.
Clara also approached, but her expression was less enthusiastic. Pointing at the sleeping crocodiles, she remarked, "Their scales are too tough. Ordinary stone knives won't break through."
Enzo was taken aback. Indeed, this posed a problem.
He drew out his dagger, crafted from pure steel for its strength, and attempted to cut through the crocodile's armored scales. However, his efforts failed. The supernatural crocodile's scales only bore a faint scratch. Penetrating them seemed impossible.
But at this stage, giving up was not an option.
Unable to breach the crocodile's armor, Enzo decided to attack from within.
He directed the others to pry open the crocodile's jaws and swiftly retrieved several seeds from his pocket. After infusing these seeds with ample totemic power, he hurled them into the crocodile's mouth.
In the next instant, the seeds rapidly grew inside the crocodile's belly.
Within moments, they burst open the crocodile's insides, releasing a tangled mass of vines.
The supernatural crocodile writhed in pain, but it was too late.
However, such an operation drained Enzo's totemic power severely. After dealing with the second crocodile, he had little energy left to continue.
Regrettably, he could only say, "Let's leave it at that for now."
After giving orders, he commanded several members of the Battle squad to stand guard while the rest rested.
As time passed, evening arrived quickly.
They lit a fire, smiles spreading across their faces. Today's harvest yielded a total of seven supernatural crocodiles. Though the ordinary members of the team were unsure what supernatural creatures meant, each crocodile was seven to eight meters long, providing enough meat to sustain the tribe for some time.
Not to mention the scales from these crocodiles.
If clothing had been made from them, wouldn't it have been able to withstand the bites of those fierce beasts?
As Enzo's tribe members emerged, they couldn't help but imagine how life had become more vibrant since Enzo took on the role of the priest of their tribe .
Meanwhile, Enzo and a few others were busy cooking roasted crocodile meat.
They couldn't deny that the flesh of supernatural creatures not only had a more satisfying chew but also tasted exceptionally delicious.
Of course, Enzo had already extracted the essence from the two supernatural giant crocodiles, similar to the essence from the Boar King—a palm-sized piece emitting a faint glow.
This piqued Enzo's curiosity: could the essences of other supernatural creatures be similar?
Unfortunately, for now, no one could provide him with an answer.
While lost in thought, Amy handed him a piece of roasted meat. "Lord Enzo, the meat is ready."She said.
Enzo took it and glanced at Tia and Clara.
Tia was devouring her portion hungrily; filling her stomach was a priority for her.
Clara was eating her roasted meat in a leisurely manner, which surprised Enzo. He approached her and followed her gaze towards the sky, asking, "Are you looking at the moon?"
Tonight, the moon was nearing full, allowing the ground to be clearly visible despite the darkness.
Clara nodded and then suddenly remarked, "I don't understand why Crue abandoned the Chagga Tribe to join the Chew Bone Tribe. It's quite strange."
Enzo paused for a moment. "What's strange about it?"
He was unfamiliar with the Chagga Tribe, and all he knew was what Clara had told him.
Clara leaned back with her hand behind her head and continued, "The situation in the Chagga Tribe is complicated. Initially, it was just a lone tribe hunting daily for food. But later on, the Chagga Tribe took in some outcasts, and everything changed. Some of these outcasts were extremely brutal, similar to plunderers. At that time, Crue wasn't yet the Priest. The tribe decided through consensus to expel these outcasts."
"Then, the Priest died, and Crue became the new Priest."
"No one knew how he acquired the Priest's legacy abilities after the Priest's death,, and at that time, about nine years ago, the Chew Bone Tribe hadn't even appeared yet."
Clara's words made Enzo furrow his brow.
If that was the case, Crue's actions did indeed seem suspicious.
Crue had been managing the Chagga Tribe for so long, wielding absolute power within the tribe. He had no reason to join the Chew Bone Tribe.
Unless there was something there that attracted him.
Enzo also thought about the deliberate concealment by Priest Lucy.
He couldn't help but wonder if Crue and Priest Lucy shared the same goals.
But like many things, this was also a question without an answer.
Enzo pondered for a moment before speaking, "Priest Lucy has promised to help, which will greatly relieve the pressure on the Crimson Star Tribe. Moreover, if the Chew Bone Tribe dares to provoke, the other tribes will not sit idly by. Also, by tomorrow, we will have dealt with the remaining supernatural crocodiles, which will add a few more totem warriors to our tribe."
Clara looked at Enzo with curiosity, "A few more? "
Becoming a totem warrior not only requires a piece of supernatural creature essence but also consumes the fire of the totem. According to Clara's estimate, it would take about five years for the Crimson Star Tribe to gather enough totem fire to produce just a strand.
But such waiting is worthwhile.
Becoming a totem warrior not only grants control over supernatural powers but also slightly extends one's lifespan.
This is the beginning of the path towards the supernatural.
Enzo noticed Clara's curiosity and smiled, "That's a secret for now. You'll find out soon enough, but for now, our tribe's totem fire is sufficient."
Clara nodded without pressing further, gazing back at the bright night sky.
Suddenly, Amy shouted, "Danger!"
Everyone instantly grabbed their weapons, turning their attention to the now tumultuous lake.
A small mountain was floating on the surface of the lake.