The negotiations had completely fallen apart. James and his friends had lost everything. Their team members had ruined their plan and sacrificed Mary to Afura. The plot was moving too quickly.
Mary was confused and nervous. She had never experienced such a situation. Afura, however, seemed to have no further intentions. She simply treated Mary as a warm pillow and fell asleep.
After waiting for a long time, Afura still didn't move. Mary turned her head and saw that the other party had already fallen asleep. She began to examine her mysterious roommate: her flawless skin, silky hair, delicate eyebrows, straight nose, and charming lips.
Mary almost got lost in her beauty but managed to pull herself together and shift her gaze to the dark stone wall. She eventually fell asleep.
The atmosphere at Clearwater Lake camp was strange. Humans and monsters were only thirty yards apart, staring at each other but living in peace. The wolf witch in the dragon's lair, upon learning of the situation, was helpless. The adventurers' incompetence had somehow deterred the monsters. The timing of the big fire was suspicious, as if controlled by some power. The wolf witch remained vigilant.
"Tie Ya, you go check it out," the wolf witch ordered.
Tie Ya roared in protest but eventually succumbed to the wolf witch's pressure. She led a group of thirteen jackals and a platoon of over sixty goblins to the scene. They found a charred patch of ground, smoky bark, and a few twisted bodies.
The jackals were furious, roaring angrily. The goblins, however, reacted strangely. They looked at the charred ground with excitement and worship, and began to whisper.
The jackals turned their heads. These large, intimidating goblins were still afraid of the half-foot-tall, 300-pound jackals. The goblins stopped whispering but continued to communicate with their eyes. Compared to the unruly jackals, goblins were more likely to submit to stronger races. They had always been in a passive position in their cooperation.
However, this charred land had created a rift in their relationship. Goblins preferred masters who could use fire, especially dragons. Moreover, this group of goblins stubbornly believed that their old master was not dead. When they saw the fire-burned land, they instinctively thought their master was back.
In the monster camp of Clearwater Lake, twenty strong jackals wearing chain mail shirts and holding heavy iron weapons isolated all other races. If any creature approached within three yards, they would be driven away. In the center was a large tent where five jackal chiefs were discussing their discovery.
A fierce quarrel erupted in the tent, and the surrounding jackals pricked up their ears to listen. "Those puppies are no longer reliable. We should make plans early." "Beat them up..." "Kill them..." "You fool, they have more people than us..." "Dare to scold me, kill you." The quarrel escalated, and someone seemed to be arguing with the leader.
A bone-cracking sound signaled the end of the quarrel. Four big jackal chiefs emerged from the tent, calling their subordinates. The leader also summoned his subordinates. More than twenty people crowded the tent. The leader sat on a chair covered in animal skin, with a bloodstained iron hammer beside him and a dead big chief at his feet.
"Find the person who set the fire and kill him. Whoever kills him will become the new big chief," the jackal leader announced, looking at the four big chiefs. "If you bring back the head of the person who set the fire, you will take over everything."
All the jackals in the tent became excited. They quickly left the tent, put on their armor, picked up their weapons, and hurried into the forest. "A group of fools," the jackal leader muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. "As long as that guy is killed, these goblins will continue to submit to me, and my position will remain unshakable."
The adventurers noticed the turmoil among the monsters but could only hold onto their camp. It was now night, and the camp was relatively safe under the moonlight. However, the forest was dark, and most monsters had dark vision, while the adventurers did not. They could only defend their camp.
There were a total of one leader, five big chiefs (one of whom was dead), over twenty small chiefs, and more than two hundred jackal warriors in White Tooth Mountain. They were generally seven and a half feet tall, with the small chiefs and big chiefs being more robust, and the leader standing at eight feet. Their strong bodies gave them great strength. A jackal warrior was comparable to a human knight, and their preference for heavy weapons made their attacks very fierce. Such a large number of jackals could only be resisted by a human regular army twice their size. They were undoubtedly the overlords of White Tooth Mountain. With their keen sense of smell, they could definitely find Afura's residence.
Afura sensed the approaching crisis. She sat up in bed, waking up Mary. "What's the matter?" Mary asked softly. Afura did not answer but stood up and felt the ground. A huge vibration was approaching, indicating a herd of animals or an army. Taking a breath, Afura said, "Get up, get dressed."
Afura woke everyone up. Thief Jack complained while putting on his clothes. Bane took out the five people's weapons and threw them on the ground, asking, "My lord, what's happening?" "There's a group of things rushing towards us, and there are quite a few," Afura replied. "What exactly is it?" James asked. Afura shook her head. "I'm not sure. It could be an army, a herd of animals, or monsters. In short, it's not safe here."