Chapter 9 Prey
Three days later, a team of nearly a thousand beastmen set out from the rear of the training camp in the deep mountain canyon to the deeper part of the Cordillera Plateau. This team, in addition to the nearly 300 young Bimon this time, also had hundreds of relatively strong mouse people carrying a large amount of grain and luggage carried by horses, as well as fifty Bimon guards, with the same guard leading the team.
Liu Yu, Ivan, and Fei Te all wore black clothes, holding a long spear in their hands, with an axe hanging from their waists, carrying a large bag of dry rations and simple clothing on their backs. The other boys were also dressed in the same attire.
Compared to three years ago when Liu Yu and the others left the Earthfire Fortress for the training camp, all the young men had grown up a lot. Although there was still some greenness on their faces, they had gained a few more mature feelings. Walking in this narrow valley, Liu Yu quietly observed everything around him.
This time escorting them is far different from three years ago. Because the Beamon clan has a system similar to conscription, all Beamons must join the army after coming of age at 16, with men serving for four years and women for two years, after which they can return to the Earth Castle to prepare for marriage and childbirth.
However, due to the frequent wars between the Beastman Kingdom and the First Empire of Fanoth, males like Mong have a duty to accept the kingdom's conscription at any time, while females like Mong generally do not enter the military after their initial service, only needing to receive some militarized training in the special training camps within the Earthfire Fortress from time to time to maintain their combat effectiveness as reserve troops.
Liu Yu and his team were in a training camp, where every generation of Xiao Bi Mong would receive training. The guards at the camp were all rotated from the front lines and had powers of around fifth rank or higher.
"Ivan, go ask your uncle how much longer we have to wait." Fitter asked Ivan with a tone of annoyance. Over the years, the three had developed a deep friendship. And the captain of the guards happened to be Ivan's uncle, Marlan Perhago.
As the martial arts instructor of many Bimon, Malan had also gotten along quite well with these kids over the past three years. So when Fit mentioned him, he was less resentful than before and seemed more casual.
The Kordila Plateau is a barren land compared to other parts of the continent, with towering mountains and harsh climate, where only a few shallow weeds can grow in many places, and the number and variety of living creatures are far less than those outside the plateau. However, Liu Yu still saw many creatures he had never seen before in the past few days, greatly satisfying his curiosity.
In the following days, the team continued to move forward with difficulty in the canyon. The canyon was very narrow and could only hold one person at a time, and the cliffs were steep and endless. Liu Yu secretly compared it to the Tea-Horse Road in the Sichuan-Tibet region of his previous life and found that they were quite similar.
.................
"Ah! We're finally out!" After days of arduous travel, Liu Yu and his companions had finally traversed the narrow and winding canyon, and gazing at the low-lying hills with an expansive view before him lifted the gloom of their difficult journey.
"Everyone go to the front forest to rest for a while, and then assemble." The captain of the guards, Marlan, gave the order indifferently, glancing at the carefree young men.
Liu Yu, Fei Te and the others casually found a grassy area to sit down. The distant hills transmitted crisp bird calls. The quiet early summer and gentle breeze made people feel refreshed. After a simple rest, all the beastmen stood in front of Ma Lan.
"In short, I want you all to be spirited and remember what I say, this concerns your lives. Up ahead is the Desa mountain range, where the terrain is low-lying and the forests are dense."
Our current base is located in the DeSa mountain range, and we still have a ten-day journey to reach it. The mountains are home to many ferocious magical beasts, including some vicious packs that even high-ranking strongmen would find troublesome. Furthermore, there are also giant demons, man-eating demons, and other savage tribes scattered throughout the area. These tribes are bloodthirsty warrior races, and with us carrying a large amount of luggage, we will easily become their targets. Therefore, from now on, everyone must be fully alert to our surroundings and guard against possible ambushes.
"Those of you who are participating in the Blood Refining, consider this your first trial. From now on, you're not students but warriors, got it?" The final loud shout was clearly infused with internal energy, causing everyone's ears to ring.
"I understand!" The boys in the field shouted louder than Ma Lan's loud drink.
"Alright, Sok lead the mouse people in the middle of the team, Galin you lead 20 warriors to guard the rear......" Marlan efficiently assigned tasks without any nonsense. Liu Yu and Ivan, along with several other young Bamons, were placed at the front of the team as mages, surrounded by a number of Bamon guards. Their task was to provide magical support in case of battle. At the same time, they were also responsible for archery. The long spears were handed over to the mouse people to take care of. Fite and some other young Bamons with good aura cultivation held long spears to defend the sides of the team.
After a tense preparation, the team slowly entered the mountain forest, but this time it was more orderly than when they just left the big camp. The young man seemed even more nervous than Mong, tightly grasping his weapon and observing the surroundings.
Liu Yu, who was at the forefront of the team, also pinched the longbow in his hand, looking at the tall and dark dense forest around him, listening to the occasional bird calls, and treading on the soft mud with a hint of excitement in his heart. In his previous life, he lived in an era of peace, but he was a military enthusiast and history buff, always yearning for the bloody battles of the Cold Arms Era. The scene before him now stirred up a bloodthirsty impulse and a passion for battle within him.
After more than half a day of cautious advance, the sky gradually darkened, and the team found a small hill under Ma Lan's command to start camping. The horses and fodder were in the center of the camp, some mouse people began to set up tents for all the beastmen, while others started preparing dinner. Most of the boys, including Meng Du, were allowed to rest, only a few were assigned to patrol teams with ten adult Meng warriors to inspect the surroundings of the camp.
"Ah! I'm exhausted!" After stretching their limbs, Liu Yu and several other close friends sat on the ground in the campsite chatting idly while waiting for dinner.
Feng Tuo was relatively unlucky and was assigned to the patrol team by Ma Lan, unable to rest. According to Ma Lan's words, all the young men would take turns patrolling for the next ten days. But it's hard to start everything, today all the young men felt extremely tired, thinking of Feng Tuo secretly looking at Ma Lan with a hateful gaze, Liu Yu felt a thrill in his heart.
Suddenly a commotion came from the west of the camp, Liu Yu saw Ma Lan walking quickly in that direction and was curious, so he followed her.
Liu Yu had already heard a burst of hearty laughter before he approached, and found a group of mouse people surrounding several tall Bamun guards, who were saying something with great excitement. As Liu Yu quickened his pace to approach, he saw that the guards all had several animals hanging from their waists, each about a foot long, with black fur and long thin limbs, resembling old mice. Liu Yu recognized these as ground wave rats, which were relatively common on the plateau. On the ground was a small pile of ground wave rats, which several mouse people were counting.
The leading guard reported to Ma Lan, it turned out that the patrol team had just walked out of the camp and found a large number of mice gathering around the camp. This meat delivered to their doorstep was naturally not polite, and they were all slaughtered and sent back to the camp in twos and threes.
The Beastman Kingdom has always been plagued by food shortages due to the barren land, and its vassal tribes such as the Ratmen, Rabbitmen, and Antmen often go hungry and cold. The Dipobo mouse is a small animal that they hunt year-round to supplement their food supply.
In order to let more beastmen suffer less from hunger, the Beastman Kingdom distributes food to all beastmen. Currently, each person can get a large piece of black bread and a piece of meat per day. For a growing boy like Bimon, this is not enough. That guy Fitt is always hungry and often steals Liu Yu's food. Although Liu Yu hates it, he can't do anything about it.
He is the only child in his family, so he and his cousin Fiete, who grew up together since childhood, are no different from real brothers. With no other way to get revenge, he can only wait for an opportunity to sneak back and eat again.
This time going to the Blood Refining Grounds, all the beastmen and in the big camp, food is still rationed. Some people are definitely not full. But according to the rules, the prey has always been handled by the hunters themselves, which naturally makes the exhausted beastmen see the possibility of an extra meal.
"Are you saying that these groundhogs were all active on the ground and didn't even run away after they saw you?" Malan suddenly asked loudly.
"Yes, Lord Tu'an, but we've checked and these ground mice are fine, they're not poisonous at all." a guard replied.
"Hmm, no problem, have you seen the hamsters that were delivered to your mouths?" Malan's tone turned icy in an instant after hearing the response.
"Pass the word, everyone gather here and get ready to fight. Galin, go call back all the patrol teams." Marlan suddenly said a sentence that made the surrounding beastmen very surprised.
