In the Crimson Star Tribe camp.
Enzo noticed something unusual about Priest Lucy and asked with concern, "Priest Lucy, have you found something?"
Lucy calmly responded, "The Chew Bone Tribe is hiding in a valley. However, when I attempted further observation, my spiritual connection with those insects was severed. Someone in the Chew Bone Tribe possesses supernatural abilities related to the mind."
This news was far from comforting.
Last night, when Heru described his battle with members of the Chew Bone Tribe, Enzo had already begun to suspect something, and Lucy's confirmation now solidified his concerns.
Psychic supernatural abilities typically lack direct destructive power.
But these abilities are indeed very powerful in terms of reconnaissance.
This meant that direct confrontations with the Chew Bone Tribe would be necessary, rendering traps and ambushes futile as they would be easily detected.
Enzo found himself troubled by this realization.
The Crimson Star Tribe's greatest advantage would be neutralized.
At that moment, Lucy suddenly spoke up, "If you want to deal with the Chew Bone Tribe, the Venom Tribe can assist. However, I will need priority in choosing the spoils."
Enzo blinked slightly, his eyes narrowing.
His intuition told him something was amiss. During their recent reconnaissance, Priest Lucy might have discovered something else but chose to conceal it, not divulging the full details.
Furthermore, the Chew Bone Tribe was not a group to be underestimated.
How could Priest Lucy be so confident in handling them? Was she hiding something more?
Or was it just arrogance?
After pondering for several moments, Enzo responded, "Agreed."
He was curious about the possible treasures within the Chew Bone Tribe, but compared to treasures, the stable development of the tribe was obviously more important. The Vanguard squad was mostly killed by the Chew Bone Tribe, which also caused significant damage to the tribal fire and brought fear to the ordinary tribe members.
This could be seen from the mental state of the tribe members today.
In short, the Chew Bone Tribe must be eradicated.
Enzo did not want to live in fear and worry about sudden attacks from the Chew Bone Tribe. Since Lucy volunteered to help, although with some ulterior motive, it did not conflict with the interests of the Crimson Star Tribe, so there was no harm in agreeing.
Upon hearing Enzo's agreement, a smile appeared on Priest Lucy's face.
Upon learning about the Staff of the Barren Mountain, her mood clearly improved. She continued, "Below the Venom Tribe's swamp, there are three supernatural-level Golden Leeches. Among supernatural creatures, they may seem relatively weak, but they could be quite effective against the Chew Bone Tribe."
Enzo's eyes lit up as he understood Lucy's confidence.
Supernatural Golden Leeches may not possess great power, but they can feed on blood and their greatest ability is their immortality—they can survive even if cut into pieces, making them incredibly difficult to deal with unless they are burned with fire.
However, with Enzo and his group's cooperation, such a method was obviously impractical.
With Priest Lucy's assistance, Enzo felt a significant reduction in his worries. He took out the seeds obtained from the ripened soporific flowers and cautiously asked, "Priest Lucy, do you know what the fruits of soporific flowers can do?"
"The fruits of soporific flowers?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
She looked at the soporific flower fruit that Enzo presented. The fruit was brownish and had a hard shell with several black, twisting lines on its surface, giving it an extraordinary appearance.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lucy asked, "How did you come across these?"
Enzo casually fabricated, "I stumbled upon them by accident."
Lucy clearly didn't believe Enzo's explanation, but she didn't press further. Instead, she responded, "Soporific flowers require a consistently warm environment year-round to have a chance of fruiting. The fruit you have in your hands is quite unusual, not like what typically grows naturally."
"However."
Priest Lucy paused for a moment, then continued, "that won't affect its effectiveness. You just need to crack open the shell to extract the juice, which has a strong hypnotic effect. It can even induce supernatural beings into a deep sleep. For those suffering from insomnia, it's an excellent remedy."
Enzo picked up the fruit, his mind formulating a plan.
After Lucy and her group had departed, Enzo gathered the Battle squad and Clara once again, preparing to venture back to the lake to hunt down the supernatural giant crocodiles.
This time, however, Enzo had eight soporific flower fruits in hand. Unlike last time, he planted soporific flowers in a cave, ensuring that their scent did not spread out and cause others in the tribe to fall asleep. Nevertheless, the cave where the soporific flowers were planted was now restricted from entry.
With everything prepared, Enzo declared, "Let's go!"
...
Nestled amidst the mountains, in a secluded valley.
Mog, the leader of the Chew Bone Tribe, was instructing his followers to tally the captured members of other tribes. Suddenly, he paused, noticing the unusual expression on Madeline, a woman cloaked in animal hide. He asked, "Madeline, what have you discovered?"
Madeline possessed the ability of psychic perception, capable of sensing life within a radius of a hundred meters.
She also served as the deputy leader of the Chew Bone Tribe.
Upon hearing Mog's inquiry, Madeline replied, "Someone was spying on us, but unfortunately, they escaped."
"Spying?" Mog's lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "This sacrifice will be the last and most important one. There absolutely cannot be any mistakes!" he declared. "Madeline, we must not allow anyone to disrupt this sacrifice!"
Madeline nodded firmly. "I understand." she affirmed.
She then glanced towards the water-blue gemstone scepter inserted into the ground, her eyes filled with fervor.
The other members of the Chew Bone Tribe shared her intensity.
According to the sacrificial stone tablets they had obtained from the Barren Mountain tribe's legacy, completing the sacrifice would grant them full control over the scepter, enabling them to wield unimaginable power.
At that moment, they would be akin to gods walking among mortals!
To achieve this goal, the sacrifice of others was deemed entirely worthwhile.
This principle was a primary factor in the birth of the Chew Bone Tribe, as plunderers were exceedingly ruthless, showing no mercy even to their own companions. They were able to come together not only because Mog was strong enough, but also because of this common goal.
At that moment, the counting of the numbers was completed.
One of the Chew Bone Tribe members reported, "Lord Mog, we currently have only nine hundred and twenty people. We still need eighty more."
Mog's face displayed dissatisfaction as he roared, "Then continue to capture people! Crue, which nearby tribes are still intact?"
Priest Crue of the Chagga Tribe responded, "The Crimson Star Tribe and the Timberwolves Tribe."
Mog nodded and commanded, "Good! Crue, you are familiar with this area. It's your responsibility. Choose some people and ensure we have one hundred suitable candidates for the sacrifice by tomorrow."
Crue nodded firmly, "Yes, Lord Mog!"
After receiving his orders, Crue selected a group of Chew Bone Tribe members and departed from the secluded valley, heading towards the Crimson Star Tribe and Timberwolves Tribe.
However, once he left, Madeline suddenly spoke up.
She looked at Mog and cautioned, "Crue isn't trustworthy."
Mog chuckled in response, "I know. In fact, no one in the Chew Bone Tribe is trustworthy. Of course, Madeline, you're the exception. Once this sacrifice is completed and we harness the power of the scepter, we can begin our new plans. This savage land is quite tiresome."
Madeline remained silent, reflecting on her past.
Initially, she and Mog were not plunderers but Totem Warriors of the Gold Oak Tribe. However, they were expelled from the tribe and even had their totemic powers revoked due to a mistake during a mission.
Such a punishment was undoubtedly a death sentence, but luckily... they discovered the miraculous scepter.
With the scepter's power, Mog and Madeline regained their totemic abilities.
Their hatred for the Gold Oak Tribe was then redirected towards all other tribes, leading to the infamous birth of the Chew Bone Tribe.
Yet, Madeline couldn't shake off a sense of unease now.
She felt things wouldn't continue to go smoothly. This wasn't just intuition but also a warning from her own abilities.
"Let's hope everything goes well." she hoped quietly to herself.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Enzo and his Battle squad arrived once again at the edge of the lake.