But to everyone's surprise, the priest of the Sea Tribe vehemently opposed any contact between the tribes and the outsider tribe. The Sea Tribe priest said that a group of people from the Sea Tribe had come before, offering many benefits. They also said they wanted to select some people from their tribe to work for them, but those people went with them and never returned.
He said that if any tribe dared to contact the outside tribe in private, that tribe would be forbidden from coming to fetch water from the stream again.
Undeniably, what the sea tribe priest said aligns with what the foreign tribes currently stationed on their coastline have said. The only difference is that the group that went to the sea tribe to select orcs didn't stay on the coast; instead, they left with the selected orcs.
Even if what the sea tribe priest said was false, in the hot summer, they could go without food, but they could not go without water.
Therefore, despite the temptation of meat, all the tribes along the coast still chose to listen to the coastal tribes and not to have contact with outside tribes.
The other tribes were in a better situation, as they weren't too close to the outsider tribe.
But the Fish Tribe was different. Every day, they could smell the aroma of meat wafting from the visiting tribes. Especially Fish Shell, Fish Mountain, and Wolf Sea, who had once drunk fish soup given to them by the orcs of the visiting tribes. In their extreme hunger, the aroma of meat was even more irresistible.
But their priest said they had to endure it, otherwise the Sea Tribe would not even give them the stream water from the three stone pots anymore.
In the past, they would have just endured it. They had no choice but to endure it. But this time was different. They had a choice: as long as they helped the visiting tribe, they could have enough to eat.
So what if there's no water to drink? The three stone pots of stream water that the Sea Tribe provides every day—who can drink that much in the summer?
Since we'll all eventually starve or die of thirst anyway, why not have a good meal before we die?
When the elderly and children were on the verge of starvation and thirst, they secretly ran away to a foreign tribe in the dead of night.
The priest of the fish tribe watched their stumbling, slow movements and finally sighed, deciding not to let the orc warriors give chase.
Shen Er is an android warrior and doesn't need sleep. When he heard the report outside the door, he was lying flat on the bed, playing the system's built-in match-3 game with his eyes closed.
"Captain, a few orcs from the Fish Tribe have arrived. They say they want to work here in exchange for meat, but they are mostly old people and children."
Shen Er sat up, straightened his fish-skin coat, and walked straight to the door. "Let's go take a look."
The orc who reported led Shen Er to a wooden hut. "Captain, they are so hungry they can't move, and their lips are chapped. They didn't have the strength to stand after they finished speaking."
As the orc spoke, he pushed open the door, revealing a floor littered with old people and children. Shen Er glanced at the emaciated, naked orcs on the ground and said expressionlessly, "Get them some fish soup first."
"Yes, Captain."
After a bowl of white and flavorful fish soup, the elderly and children felt revitalized. No wonder the aroma of such delicious food could be smelled throughout the fish-producing region.
Shen Er waited without changing his expression until the orcs from the Fish Tribe had licked the pottery bowl clean before saying, "The treatment for working here is three meals a day and accommodation. The requirements are that you must be clean, diligent, and honest."
The elderly and children are too weak to go out to sea. They can only work in the seafood drying team, where their task is to clean and dry the seafood.
Shen Er recounted the rules one by one, emphasizing the importance of showering and washing up every day. He also stressed the need to wear a fish skin suit when handling seafood and to wash hands frequently.
Just as they were talking about being honest at work and not stealing, an urgent voice came from outside, "Captain, a fish tribe orc has come to ask for help."
The elderly people and children from the fish tribe immediately got up from the ground. They wanted to go out and see what was happening, but they didn't dare to move. Only when Shen Er stood up and walked out did they dare to cautiously follow behind.
The orcs who had escaped from the Fish Tribe had most of their hair singed off, and their faces were covered in soot that their features were unrecognizable. Shen Er stood at the doorway and asked, "What happened to your tribe?"
The orc from the fish tribe seemed dazed, but the question calmed him down considerably. "The sea tribe attacked our tribe." He clenched his fist, trying to stop his hands from trembling, and recounted the whole story.
The whole incident was related to elderly people and children who were starving and came here wanting to work.
The fish tribe priest didn't order the orc warriors to chase after the old man and children who had run away, because he knew that in their physical condition, they would die after drinking seawater for only a few days. It was better for them to work for that foreign tribe while they were still alive, and at least have enough to eat before they died, than to starve to death.
The elderly and children ran away under cover of darkness, and the Hai tribe in the mountains are still unaware of this.
But once day breaks, the Sea Tribe will surely discover that their Fish Tribe elders and children are working in that outsider tribe.
The fish tribe priest racked his brains late into the night, trying to figure out how to explain to the sea tribe that their fish tribe had no contact with any other tribes.
He thought that if he spoke properly, the sea tribe would understand him.
After all, those who went were mostly elderly people and children on the verge of starvation; not a single orc warrior went. What could the elderly and children do? Especially since they were about to die. It was less like they were going to work and more like they were going to be a burden.
But the Sea Tribe didn't give him a chance to explain.
The night was silent, but screams echoed from all around the fish tribe.
Upon hearing the sound, the fish tribe priest ran out of the cave and saw a raging fire burning everywhere he looked.
The orcs who set the fire did not leave. They stood in the sea of fire, looking down at the flames and warning, "This is the price the Fish Tribe pays for disobeying our Sea Tribe."
cost?
The fish tribe priest repeated the two words softly, only then realizing that the sea tribe had been secretly monitoring their tribe with orcs. Or rather, monitoring all the smaller tribes.
Because the Sea Tribe simply didn't believe that these small tribes would actually obey and not seek work from outside tribes in exchange for meat.
The fire that ravaged the Fish Tribe must have been prepared for a long time.
The Sea Tribe, hiding in the shadows, were just waiting to see which of their small tribes would be the first to make a move.
Whichever tribe makes the first unusual move, the fire will burn down that tribe.
The fish tribe priest slumped to the ground in despair. Water couldn't extinguish such a fire. He never imagined the sea tribe would go to such lengths to intimidate other tribes.
What exactly is the Sea Tribe afraid of? Is it really as the Sea Tribe priest said at the beginning, that they are afraid that their small tribe of orcs will not return?
The fish tribe's priest was filled with doubt. The screams of his people, the rising temperature in the air—the priest felt his mind was in turmoil. He instinctively grabbed a nearby tribesman, "Go and ask for help! Go to that outsider tribe and ask for help!"
Standing on the rooftop, Shen Er looked at the distant flames and black smoke, and asked Shen Nong on the system chat platform if she needed help. After receiving a positive reply, he leaped into the forest.
——
A crescent moon hangs in the sky, and the waves crash against the rocks.
The tribe not far from the sea was now engulfed in flames, and the screams of fleeing orcs filled the air.
Yu Bei held two babies, one on each side, whom she had just rescued from the cave. The children's faces were covered in soot and they were no longer crying.
She didn't know if her twin babies were still alive, and couldn't be sure. Fishbee stared angrily at the tribe engulfed in flames, shouting, "You dared to burn my tribe down!"
The orcs blocking the fish tribe retorted fiercely, "Who told you to disobey! The priest said you were not allowed to contact those outside tribes, but you secretly associated with them behind the priest's back."
Yu Bei snorted coldly. If it were before, she definitely wouldn't have dared to speak to the orcs of the large tribe like this. "That's your tribe's priest. Why should we listen to him? He doesn't allow us to have contact with those outside tribes, so does he provide our Yu tribe with food and drink?"
"Why should our priests feed and drink you?" the orc retorted angrily.
Fish Shell, unable to contain itself any longer, roared, "I want to ask that too! What right do you have to restrict us from trading with outside tribes!"
Behind them, flames roared and heat surged as the fish tribe's beastmen stared intently at the beastmen who had burned their tribe. They had heeded the sea tribe's advice and dared not trade with other tribes for meat to fill their stomachs.
As a result, the tribe was burned to the ground.
Enraged by the fish's gaze, the sea tribe beastman who set the fire roared and prepared to transform and pounce on the fish to tear it apart.
Fish Shell's beast form was useless on the ground; she could only carry her two infants and dodge around. Exhausted, Fish Shell heard a shout, and Wolf Sea burst forth from the sea of fire, "Fish Shell, come up!"
Sea Tribe.
Halfway up the mountain, two people stood. The muscular man had a scar that ran diagonally from his forehead to his chin. "Priest, the Fish Tribe has caught fire. Now we don't have to worry about those smaller tribes going to work for that outsider tribe anymore."
The thin, young priest looked indifferently toward the Fish Tribe. "That's not enough. Before those smaller tribes can react, send more orcs over under the pretense of putting out the fire. If they find any survivors from the Fish Tribe, kill them all. Remember, there can't be any survivors from the Fish Tribe. Then tell those smaller tribes that an outsider tribe destroyed the Fish Tribe. Only by completely driving out the outsider tribe can we be truly at ease."
"Priest, please! I'll take care of it right away."
Shark turned to go back to the tribe to call for help. As he passed a tree, he felt a breeze behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly felt a pain in his neck and fainted.
Shen Er ignored him for the time being and strode forward. The young priest did not notice anything amiss and continued to admire the firelight below the mountain with his hands behind his back.
When Shen Er knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck, he still had a smile on his face, seemingly quite satisfied with his masterpiece.
On the way back, Shen Er carried the unconscious Shark Sea on his back and ran towards the dormitory built by the Wood Tribe on the beach. Along the way, he didn't forget to leave a message on the system chat platform: "Priest, the person has been caught."
Chapter 97
nightmare
Wolf Sea, carrying Fish Shell and two children, broke out of the attack range of the Sea Tribe orcs, with the Sea Tribe orcs in hot pursuit.
“They haven’t attacked yet, they’ve just been chasing us, they definitely don’t have the extra strength to attack us,” Wolf Sea said confidently. “If I just speed up a bit, I can shake them off. Fish Shell, hold on tight, I’m going to accelerate!”
After Lang Hai finished speaking, he suddenly accelerated. The orcs of the Sea Tribe followed behind for a while before stopping and no longer moving forward.
Yu Bei sensed something was wrong. After looking around, she quickly told Lang Hai to stop, "Stop running! We're already surrounded by fire."
Wolf Sea was only focused on shaking off the sea tribe orcs, deliberately running towards areas without fire. Unexpectedly, because of this, he ended up running into a sea of fire.
Looking at the walls of fire on all sides, Wolf Sea was like a wild beast trapped in a sea of flames, his heart filled with rage, wanting to break free of its shackles, but powerless to do so. He belatedly realized why the sea tribe beastmen who had been chasing him had only pursued him, without truly attacking—"They deliberately forced me in here!"
"It's too late to say anything now." Yu Bei jumped from Lang Hai's back to the ground with her child in her arms. She looked up, wanting to see the starry sky again, but could only see thick smoke.
Yu Bei stared at a spot in the sky, feeling that the dark shape didn't quite resemble black smoke. She tugged at Lang Hai and pointed to a spot in the sky, saying, "Doesn't that look like a beastman from the Feather Tribe?"
Wolf Sea didn't deny it immediately, but he couldn't be sure if it was true either.
"Is anyone down there?" Eagle Mountain hovered in mid-air, hesitant to descend, fearing his enormous wings would fan the flames even more fiercely. He was also afraid that descending too far would alert the sea tribe's orcs.
When Shen Er went out to capture the chieftain and priest of the Sea Tribe, he asked the orcs of the Feather Tribe to help rescue them. He emphasized that they should try to avoid conflict with the orcs of the Sea Tribe. Therefore, the orcs of the Feather Tribe took advantage of the thick smoke and the screams of the Fish Tribe to cover their actions and did their best not to attract the attention of the orcs of the Sea Tribe.
Hearing the faint sound, Yu Bei was overjoyed. "Wolf Sea really is a beastman from the Feather Tribe!" She put the child down and waved her hand, calling out, "There are people here! Here!"
Hearing the sound, Eagle Mountain pinpointed the location. The Feather Tribe orcs possessed superior night vision compared to other orcs. Observing below and noticing no Sea Tribe orcs, he immediately threw down the rope, gripping one end tightly with his claws. "Quick, grab the rope and get up here!"
Ignoring everything else, Yu Bei and Lang Hai, with their two children, pulled hard on the lifeline and climbed upwards.
Meanwhile, the same scene was playing out in other parts of the fish tribe.
The fire was raging, and the orc warriors of the Sea Tribe were waiting in the shadows where the fire was small and had not yet spread.
It's impossible for them to risk their lives to rush into the sea of fire and kill the fish tribe orcs. Staying in these places is not only safe, but also ensures that they can block them one by one.
"Tiger Water, those orcs from the Fish Tribe know we're blocking this place, so they're not coming over anymore."
"If you don't come, then wait to be burned alive." Tiger Water chuckled and kicked the orc lying at his feet. The orc's neck had been bitten off by fangs, and there were bits of flesh all around. Tiger Water licked his fangs with the tip of his tongue, a look of regret on his face, and his tone was chilling, "What a pity, I haven't drunk enough blood yet."
Snake Wind hissed, "You still believe those orcs, thinking that drinking orc blood can quickly increase an orc's level? They tricked our tribe's orcs away, and we don't even know what they're up to. You're the only one in the tribe who believes those orcs."
“Every time I drink their blood, I feel full of energy. They weren’t lying to me,” Hu Shui retorted coldly.
Seeing that Tiger Water's expression was off, Snake Wind quickly stopped talking. Ever since Tiger Water started drinking blood, his temper had become increasingly strange, and he could go berserk at the slightest provocation.
There was a sea of fire ahead. He knew he was no match for Hu Shui. If Hu Shui threw him into the fire, he would be burned to death or half-dead. He didn't want to anger his opponent at this time.
Apart from the sound of the fire burning, there was no other noise around. Snake Wind's ears twitched, and he asked in surprise, "Why are these fish tribe orcs so quiet? There aren't even any screams. Have they all been burned to death?"
Snake Wind's change of topic was very successful, completely drawing Tiger Water's attention. He listened intently, and after a while, Snake Wind noticed that Tiger Water's face was growing increasingly grim. Terrified, he held his breath, afraid to make a sound, lest he attract Tiger Water's attention and be cleaved in two by a single claw.
Tiger Water stared at the dark figure obscured by black smoke in mid-air, and heard faint cries for help. Enraged, he kicked the fish tribe orc at his feet into the flames, then turned and transformed, running towards the sea.
Snake Wind's brow twitched. The direction Tiger Water was heading only indicated an outside tribe. Fearing Tiger Water would ruin the priest's plans, he quickly transformed and followed, "The priest said we shouldn't clash with outside tribes, hurry back!"