CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 180: WISHING YOU SUCCESS IN TAKING DOWN BLOOD CROWN MOUNTAIN_1

Fifth Order Werewolf... Fifth Order Werewolf...

Chief Qiao She felt as if his head were spinning, his ears filled with the endless chants of "Fifth Order," "Fifth Order"...

Why had werewolves wandered from Orc powers to swamps, and why were they bullied by Lizardmen everywhere in the swamp, if not because of their inherently low initial ranks? Now someone had told him that Fifth Order Werewolves existed; how could he remain calm?

At this moment, Chief Qiao She had completely forgotten his original purpose for coming here. He grabbed Olaf’s arm and asked, "How did you become Fifth Order Combat Werewolves?"

Olaf replied, "That question, you can ask my Lord. Please follow me, and do not keep my Lord waiting."

"Quickly, let’s go... quickly," urged Chief Qiao She.

When Chief Qiao She bought the slingshot, he knew that the werewolves on the southern edge of the Thunderous Swamp had sworn allegiance to a human domain—Eternal Domain. The Lord of Eternal Domain was a Knight named Yan Xing. Consequently, when Chief Qiao She met Yan Xing, he wasn’t surprised to see a human.

No sooner had he seated himself on the stool than Chief Qiao She impatiently inquired about the Fifth Order Combat Werewolves.

Yan Xing had arranged his tent in the style of an ancient Chinese general’s quarters and sat grandly in the commanding seat. He said to Chief Qiao She, "Regarding the Fifth Order Combat Werewolves, it’s actually quite simple. Within my domain, there are lands designated for training werewolves and for their rank advancement. To train a First Order Werewolf up to a Fifth Order Combat Werewolf, it requires 200 God-given gold coins. As long as you can pay the training fee, my Eternal Domain is willing to train higher-ranked Werewolf Warriors for any Werewolf Tribe."

Eternal Domain’s recruitment fee for Combat Werewolves was 100 Gold per person, and to recruit a First Order Werewolf, it was 20 Gold per person. Therefore, the fee to train a Werewolf into a Combat Werewolf came to 80 Gold per person.

Yan Xing made an exorbitant demand for a training fee of 200 God-given gold coins, netting him a profit of 120 God-given gold coins per werewolf.

Of course, one must not be too unscrupulous, so Yan Xing did not charge extra for food and living expenses during the training. After all, the food consumption during rank advancement training was quite substantial.

The price of 200 God-given gold coins to train a Fifth Order Combat Werewolf jolted Chief Qiao She back to his senses.

The werewolves deep within the Thunderous Swamp lived better lives than those on the fringe, but not by much. The prosperity of Werewolf Tribe territories was generally not high, and naturally, the God-given gold coin income from that prosperity wasn’t much.

Would 200 God-given gold coins be more practical for recruiting ten First Order Werewolf Warriors, or training a Fifth Order Combat Werewolf? Or perhaps for recruiting two Poison Flies at 100 Gold each? Or maybe for exchanging for one-fifth of a unit of Rare Alchemical Resources?

The sobered Chief Qiao She realized that, though Fifth Order Combat Werewolves looked appealing, they weren’t essential for the Werewolf Tribes at the moment.

It was better to talk about the slingshots... Perhaps it was possible to obtain some better weapons from the Eternal Tribe, thus making our success in attacking Blood Crown Mountain virtually guaranteed.

"Honored Knight Yan Xing..." Chief Qiao She composed himself, striving to appear as a well-cultured werewolf. "I apologize on behalf of all the Werewolf Tribes who owe you a debt, and I thank you for selling me the slingshots that have improved our lives.

"This war was not incited by us. It was the provocations of the Lizardmen that forced us to resist. You have seen the present state of the war. With slingshots, we suppressed the Lizardmen’s Archers, allowing us to defeat the Lizardmen who have long oppressed us, even with equal forces.

"Blood Crown Mountain is now within our reach, and the werewolves have shown unprecedented unity. I believe that since you represent the Eternal Werewolf Tribe, it is only fitting for you to contribute to the werewolves’ control of the Thunderous Swamp. Support us with weapons and join us with your troops in the war to eradicate the Lizardmen. A Thunderous Swamp ruled by werewolves will undoubtedly bring you many benefits."

Chief Qiao She spoke to Yan Xing of ideals, not money. Clearly, he was thinking about reneging on the debt.

Yan Xing’s offer to the Werewolf Tribes deep in the Thunderous Swamp was a slingshot for 300 kilograms of food, or something of equivalent value. The Werewolf Tribes had collectively bought ten thousand slingshots from the Eternal Domain. Coupled with the equally expensive steel balls, this had left each tribe with a huge debt. Now they were to purchase a large number of slingshots for the war against the Lizardmen, another debt that seemed impossible to repay.

Chief Qiao She was thinking of using some privileges to offset the debt since they couldn’t pay it back. Of course, Yan Xing’s help was needed to win the war against the Lizardmen in order to get those privileges.

However, Yan Xing looked down on such paltry handouts.

The Thunderous Swamp could not be dominated by the werewolves alone. Only if the werewolves and the Lizardmen checked each other could the Eternal Domain keep both in line.

So Yan Xing bluntly said to Qiao She, "Chief Qiao She... my territory lies outside the Thunderous Swamp, and the Eternal Werewolf Tribe does not wish to gain any advantage from your war with the Lizardmen. I have no interest in the Thunderous Swamp; I’m only concerned about when you can pay me the money you owe. You are currently at war with the Lizardmen.

"If you lose... I suppose my money will probably be lost as well. That’s why I came to Blood Crown Mountain personally.

"As long as I get paid, you can take away all the slingshots I brought immediately. Then I, too, can take my people back to my territory. Every day in the swamp is torture for me.

"If it wasn’t for the money you owe me, plus the fact that you’re at war with the Lizardmen, I would probably be in Nuta City dating noble ladies right now."

Yan Xing’s words left Chief Qiao She unsure how to respond.

Indeed... Humans do not like swamp environments. The benefits he promised were virtually no different from having none at all to a human. But to provide so much food or equivalent goods was truly beyond his capability. However, they must get their hands on this batch of slingshots; otherwise, the outcome of the war with the Lizardmen was indeed unpredictable.

After pondering for a moment, Chief Qiao She said to Yan Xing, "Knight Yan Xing... you should know that beneath Blood Crown Mountain lies a gemstone mine with an incredibly vast reserve. It’s currently controlled by the Lizardmen. If you help us defeat the Lizardmen and take Blood Crown Mountain, we can use gemstones to pay for the goods we owe you. We could even sell you gemstones at a lower price."

Sell gemstones at a lower price.

Yan Xing scoffed internally at Chief Qiao She’s lowball offer. He said expressionlessly, "Chief Qiao She, I will restate one last time: I do not wish to get involved in your dispute with the Lizardmen. Blood Crown Mountain is a sacred site for the Lizardmen, and they will defend it to the death. If you aren’t completely confident you can take Blood Crown Mountain, don’t make promises you might not be able to keep. Let’s be realistic. Give me the money or something of equal value, and I will leave with my men. I sincerely wish you success in taking Blood Crown Mountain."