Chapter 72: Chapter 70 Shock
"Y-Y-Your Highness..."
The Ratman Priest stammered as he recounted the origins of the red crystal.
It turned out that during one of his trips for food gathering, the Ratman Priest accidentally fell from a high mountain into a cliffside valley.
Luckily, he was fortunate enough that the branches and leaves cushioned his fall, allowing him to survive with only minor injuries.
While trying to find a way back from the valley, the Ratman Priest discovered a hidden, spiraling cave entrance nestled among the grass. Driven by curiosity, he entered the cave and discovered a spacious area inside.
Inside that space, there were several large stone tables covered with dusty, peculiar bottles and jars, and some sheets of beast-skin parchment. The corners were piled with white bones, making the whole space appear quite eerie.
The Ratman Priest was a bit afraid at that time, and coupled with his injuries, he randomly took a piece of glowing red crystal and left.
Later on, the Ratman Priest figured out how to use the red crystal and fooled a group of Ratmen, becoming the priest of the Ratman tribe.
"Oh, do you still remember the way to that place?"
Upon hearing this, Austin’s interest was piqued, and he hurriedly asked.
Falling off a cliff but surviving, discovering treasures in a cave, and thus embarking on a path to greatness.
This scenario... why does it seem a bit familiar?
"Uh, Your Highness, I remember, but later on, I went back to the valley intending to see if there were other good things inside. At that time, a Centaur Tribe occupied the nearby mountain range and settled around the cliff near the valley. I didn’t dare to risk going through several times."
The Ratman Priest answered honestly.
According to his observations, the Centaur Tribe probably settled near the valley for its favorable environment because he hadn’t seen any Centaur venture to the bottom of the cliff. If they had discovered the cave, things wouldn’t have been so calm.
This was sheer bad luck for him. After assessing the strength of the Centaur Tribe, the Ratman Priest gave up on the place entirely.
"Very good, from this moment on, you all belong to me, understand?"
Austin glanced at all the Ratmen lying on the ground, his thunderous voice echoing in the air.
"U-Understood..."
The Ratmen’s status in this world is similar to that of the Kobold, one of the lowest races of Beastmen on the Seta Continent. Assessing situations and taking appropriate actions are what they excel in.
"Stay here and tidy your belongings. Soon, someone will come for you, and as for you, follow me."
There were only about a dozen high-ranking Ratmen in the room. Due to the commotion caused by Austin’s strong landing, the surrounding Ratmen scattered everywhere, with even the braver ones shivering under the thatched roofs, staring at the massive shadow.
Austin wasn’t worried about whether these Ratmen would run away afterwards. He had already gauged their courage, and besides, the biggest value of the tribe for Austin was the red crystal and the information about the cave at the base of the cliff.
In comparison, the population of three hundred Ratmen was important, but the matter of the Ratman Priest was evidently more crucial.
The cave might just be a remnant laboratory of a Mage.
Austin extended his massive claw, and before the Ratman Priest could react, he was snatched up and held in his palm.
Then, spreading his wings, Austin took to the sky.
The massive membranous wings blocked the sky, generating a huge current, and his entire body soared into the air, leaving the Ratmen Tribe in growing panic below.
The fierce wind blew by his side as the poor Ratman Priest, clutched under Austin’s claw, was already scared limp in the high sky. Looking down at the distance, his little mouse heart was almost about to burst with fear, forcing him to keep his eyes tightly shut.
After about ten to twenty minutes, Austin finally descended from the sky.
The Dragon Nest Tribe, arrived!
"One-two-one, one-two-one... transform well, remake as Beastmen... serve His Highness..."
As the speed decreased, the Ratman Priest began to hear loud chants coming from below, one slogan after another rose into the air, even overpowering the sound of wind rushing past his ears.
Unable to hold back, the Ratman Priest opened his eyes, and his entire mouse head was stupefied.
Below, a vast field, piece by piece of land cleared by manpower, stretched orderly across the landscape. Green vines completely covered the area. Although the Ratman Priest didn’t know what it was, for the first time witnessing such human-altered nature, he felt like he was facing a tidal wave of an impact.
At the same time, on the open plains, Beastmen held their heads high, forming neat squares, marching, standing still, and practicing spear thrusts, with all sorts of drills going smoothly. The battle cries soared to the heavens. Even though the Ratman Priest didn’t understand, he could feel the mighty military aura rising fiercely.
In fact, what the Ratman Priest didn’t know was that many of the Beastmen training below were captives recently captured from other tribes.
With the mass reformation works underway, the clan members of the Dragon Nest Tribe had already found a series of methods to quickly and effectively reform the captives, teaching them basic commands and maintaining a proper military formation in no time.
The skies were clear, and looking down, the entire tribe was bustling with activity, teeming with vibrant life.
But all this wasn’t what shocked the Ratman Priest the most. The greatest surprise was the orderly and well-established village in the center.
Among continuous wooden structures stood a tall, two-story building constructed with "stone"!
A building made of such "stone," which the Ratman Priest had never seen since birth, but he knew that having a stone house was a symbol of a tribe’s wealth and strength!
At a rough glance, there were at least over a thousand Beastmen walking around near the village.
From the moment he opened his eyes to now, everything he saw had left the Ratman Priest with his mouth agape in shock.
Descending, Austin was naturally unaware of the Ratman’s thoughts. If he knew, he would only find it amusing.
Country bumpkin is truly a country bumpkin.
Those aren’t stones, just bricks that have been fired.
The Goblins assigned to the manufacturing workshop seemed to have unlocked some skill. Throughout continual production, their various crafts improved rapidly. Not long ago, they successfully fired bricks according to Austin’s description and used them to establish a "City Hall," which was the "stone" building that had such an impact on the Ratman Priest.