CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER 179 DEBT COLLECTION NOTICE_1

The terrain around Blood Crown Mountain was flat, with no forest coverage nearby, not even mud pits or puddles. The mountain peak rose abruptly from the ground, standing solitary on this expansive plain.

The entirety of Blood Crown Mountain extended from north to south, its surface covered with bare rocks and sparse vegetation. The mountain stretched about ten kilometers from north to south, and at its thickest point from east to west, it was approximately three kilometers across, resembling the meaty crest atop a Blood Crown Lizardman’s head.

The Lizardmen defending Blood Crown Mountain concentrated their main forces on the western side of the mountain, arranged in sequence according to their clans to meet the Werewolves attacking from the west.

The main force of the Werewolves, on the other hand, dispersed into the forests and swampy waters outside the open land west of Blood Crown Mountain.

Both sides constructed a large number of simple dwellings and defensive fortifications, filling their camps with a variety of tamed magical beasts.

In this war erupting deep within Thunderous Swamp, both Werewolves and Lizardmen committed forces exceeding one hundred thousand.

However, on the Blood Crown Mountain battlefield, both sides deployed just over ten thousand troops respectively.

Many more warriors were busy with logistics, supporting the elite units concentrated on Blood Crown Mountain.

Werewolf hunting parties and Lizardman hunting parties roamed everywhere, securing food supplies for their main forces.

If they encountered each other, a skirmish was inevitable.

Neither the Werewolves nor the Lizardmen had experience in large-scale combat operations; or rather, they lacked the concept of a comprehensive logistics support system.

Assembling so many troops within such a small area, they relied entirely on hunting for sustenance, enduring cycles of feast and famine.

Furthermore, as the surrounding game became scarcer, their hunting parties had to venture further afield, making it increasingly difficult to supply the main Werewolf and Lizardman forces.

In this predicament, neither side was willing to be the first to end the war.

Nobody dared to show weakness to the other.

This standoff allowed Yan Xing’s troops to reach the vicinity of Blood Crown Mountain with almost no obstruction.

Werewolf laborers accompanying the army built a camp at the southern base of Blood Crown Mountain, where it met the jungle.

The Werewolves continued their usual practice, first filling woven sacks with soil to erect a low wall enclosing the camp, then using logging saws and axes to cut down nearby tall trees to reinforce the encampment.

Within the camp, watchtowers and arrow towers were erected, and tents were set up.

Outside the camp, trenches were dug, cheval de frise were installed, and warning ropes were set up. Combat Werewolves were sent to patrol the surrounding area, and signs marking it as a military zone were posted.

Once logistics caught up, they would also stretch a barbed wire fence around the camp. Additionally, fishing nets would be strung in the canopy of the surrounding trees to prevent the infiltration of troublesome magical beasts like Poison Flies.

In the meantime, Yan Xing sent emissaries to the Werewolf Tribe camp and the Lizardmen Clans camp to deliver a clear message to their leaders:

"We are from the Eternal Werewolf Tribe, and we have no intention of joining your conflict!

"Our entrance into the depths of Thunderous Swamp and arrival at Blood Crown Mountain this time is solely for our own benefit.

"The Werewolf Tribe from deep within Thunderous Swamp, led by Clan Leader Ironhead, owes us a large sum of money.

"We sold them slingshots because we are fellow Werewolves, and we wanted to help them improve their lives.

"We believe the slingshot is an excellent hunting weapon and agreed to provide them with a large number of slingshots on credit.

"However, after obtaining the slingshots, Clan Leader Ironhead’s Werewolf Tribe did not actively hunt to repay us with game.

"Instead, they used the slingshots we provided to launch an attack on the Lizardmen Clans.

"This is not what we wanted to see!

"We apologize to the Lizardmen who suffered casualties due to the slingshots and express strong condemnation towards the Werewolf Tribe under Ironhead’s leadership.

"Please pay what you owe the Eternal Werewolf Tribe immediately."

Upon hearing Yan Xing’s proclamation...

The Werewolves were dumbfounded!

The Lizardmen were dumbfounded as well!

The Werewolves attacking Blood Crown Mountain exclaimed in astonishment, "We are currently waiting for you to deliver slingshots and steel balls to attack Blood Crown Mountain. Why condemn us the moment you arrive, and how can you demand money at a time like this?"

"We don’t have any money to give you!"

The Lizardmen defending Blood Crown Mountain were astonished. "So you’ve come all this way from the southern edge of Thunderous Swamp, not to support the Werewolves’ attack on our Blood Crown Mountain? You’re here to collect debts from these Werewolves."

The arrival of Yan Xing and his troops brought a dramatic turn to the once tense Blood Crown Mountain battlefield.

The opposing sides realized they had misjudged this mixed force, predominantly composed of Werewolves with a handful of humans.

Not only were they not reinforcements for the Werewolves attacking Blood Crown Mountain, but they were actually there to collect debts from those Werewolves.

This army, proclaiming themselves as the Eternal Werewolf Tribe, became the wild card in this war.

The Werewolves and Lizardmen vying for Blood Crown Mountain promptly sent envoys to Yan Xing’s camp.

Yan Xing first received the Werewolf envoy in his own tent.

Chief Qiao She, a clan leader from one of the Werewolf Tribes deep within Thunderous Swamp, was known for his eloquence.

He was tasked with the important mission of meeting with the leader of the Eternal Werewolf Tribe.

His objective for this trip was to secure the slingshots from them as quickly as possible.

Chief Qiao She wore an elven tunic he had stripped from an Elf adventurer long ago; that adventurer, who had dared to enter Thunderous Swamp, had long since become a pile of dry bones.

Dressed in the elven tunic, Chief Qiao She believed he possessed an elven elegance. This, coupled with his fondness for eloquent speech, made him highly valued by the Werewolf leader, Ironhead.

Upon setting out, Chief Qiao She was brimming with confidence.

A mere group of weak Werewolves from the edge of the swamp... Since when did they have any say in the affairs of Thunderous Swamp?

But as soon as Chief Qiao She entered the camp of the Eternal Werewolf Tribe, he started wondering if he had come to the wrong place.

How lavish! Compared to his own camp, this place was like a palace. Look at what these Werewolves are wearing... Although it’s unclear what the fabric is, it looks incredibly sturdy. And what they’re carrying! Large square shields, sharp axes, and fine bows and arrows—immeasurably superior to the stone weapons his own warriors wielded. Look at their fur... so fluffy and sleek. They look much larger than the Werewolves of his own tribe. Bigger?

Chief Qiao She noticed that the Werewolves of the Eternal Tribe were truly larger in stature, and not just seemingly so due to their fluffy fur.

He also noticed that all the Werewolves here bore an identical mark on their cheeks that, coupled with their burly frames, made them highly distinctive.

Chief Qiao She asked the one-eyed Werewolf who led him into the camp, "One-Eye, why do you look even mightier than the Great Werewolf?"

The one-eyed Werewolf responded with a proud voice, "Respectable Chief Qiao She, please don’t call me One-Eye. My master has bestowed upon me the name ’Olaf’ and granted me this strong body. We are all Combat Werewolves loyal to Master Yan Xing, Fifth Order Combat Werewolves."

Chief Qiao She abruptly stopped in his tracks. "What, you... you’ve actually reached the Fifth Order! All the Werewolves here have reached the Fifth Order!"

Olaf replied, "No, there are also some Third Order Werewolf archers."