Chapter 18: Each Person's Own Plans

Upon hearing the words of the Blackstone Warrior, Li Mingxing felt a surge of headache. He had yet to resolve matters at hand, and now the centaurs and harpies were causing trouble again. It seemed that these breeding-type recruits, taken directly under his command, were far less reliable than fixed-type ones.

With this thought, Li Mingxing was reluctant to meddle further. But before long, the harpies and centaurs erupted into a heated quarrel. Driven to distraction, Li Mingxing finally strode over and demanded, “What’s happening here? Why are you all shouting?”

As soon as Li Mingxing spoke, the fourth-tier harpy demoness and harpy witch flew to his side. “Sir, these centaurs claim that our recent actions caused them heavy losses. One of their warriors, who was about to reach fourth tier, died in battle, and now they believe we are plotting against them.”

“Plotting? Why would I need to plot against them?” Li Mingxing shouted in exasperation. “If I wanted to set them up, I’d have sent them charging at the Amazonian defenses long ago, not wasted time scheming here. Enough! I can’t explain it all to you. Just stay put and prepare for the next battle. We’re surrounded, and making it out alive is hardly guaranteed.”

Though they understood the gravity of the situation, Li Mingxing’s words frightened the centaurs and harpies even further. Their morale plummeted, and Li Mingxing noticed some centaurs already preparing to flee.

Seeing this, Li Mingxing said nothing, merely snorting coldly and mentally noting those centaurs whose resolve had faltered. He was already considering sending these would-be deserters ahead to clear the way—after all, whether in the real world or this inner world, those desperate to escape tend to unleash their greatest strength.

Moreover, to prevent the Amazonians from laying traps beyond their defensive ring, Li Mingxing needed some “volunteers” to scout ahead.

With that, Li Mingxing waved the centaurs and harpies away and summoned all the dwarf demolishers. Looking at the eight remaining dwarves, along with two Grey Stone Warriors and the possibly advanced Blackstone Warrior, Li Mingxing spoke calmly, “You know the situation. I need your help now. After this, I expect no questions—just follow my instructions.”

The dwarves offered no objections. Though they were grey dwarves, their stubborn nature was unmistakable.

Without further explanation, Li Mingxing led them to fell trees. He chose only the giant trees once used for Amazonian treehouses. With each swing of their hammers, the dwarves shattered the trunks into fragments of varying sizes, toppling the treehouses built atop them.

The Grey Stone Warriors and Blackstone Warrior, wielding battle axes, selected suitable pieces from the debris and began carving statues for Li Mingxing. Their work was swift, though rough, but the sheer quantity allowed Li Mingxing to find the shapes he needed.

After dismantling the entire Amazonian camp, Li Mingxing directed the harpies to stack the dwarf-carved statues according to size. In no time, a wooden tower nearly thirty meters tall stood before the group.

Li Mingxing then ordered the harpies to fetch water from nearby and douse the wooden tower. The water, combined with the inner world’s unique environment, caused the freshly carved wood to grow on its own. Soon, vines wrapped around the tower, and from a distance, the entire sculpture resembled a towering tree.

Watching Li Mingxing’s every move from afar, the Amazonians began to whisper among themselves. At this moment, the Amazonian warrior previously ignored by Li Mingxing strode over, glanced at the ruins of her camp, and said bitterly, “Who knows what the chieftain is thinking? We had a chance to defeat them, but now we’re left waiting. You can see for yourselves—our home is destroyed.”

“If you had acted then, not only would our home be gone, but none of us would have survived,” a voice sounded behind her.

Nearby Amazonians turned to see an Amazonian woman standing there. Unlike the others, three long blue feathers adorned her head, her skin was ivory white, and instead of weapons, she held a spear-shaped scepter.

When she appeared, all the Amazonians bowed their heads. “Chieftain.”

The Amazonian chieftain nodded, then looked at the warrior who had spoken earlier. “Nadoya, you are our tribe’s only female hunter who isn’t an elder. We all know your strength—when I pass, the tribe will be yours. But tell me, do you have the ability to lead the tribe forward?”

Nadoya hurried to reply, “Chieftain, I…”

“I know your intentions are good, but you mustn’t be too impulsive. As a chieftain, your first concern must be the wellbeing of your people. Your plan yesterday would have sent everyone to their deaths.”

“But our home…”

“A home can be rebuilt. If we lose our people, where will you find new ones?” The chieftain cut her off.

Seeing Nadoya’s dissatisfied expression, the chieftain sighed. “Nadoya, let me ask you: how many warriors do we have in our tribe?”

“Three hundred seventy-one. Nine fourth-tier female hunters, thirty-nine third-tier warriors, and the rest are first and second tier,” Nadoya replied, well versed in her tribe’s numbers.

“So tell me, under those circumstances, how many would have survived?”

With this question, Nadoya realized the truth. During the previous thunderstorm, only the third-tier and above Amazonians could have escaped the twenty-li radius. The three hundred first and second-tier warriors would have stood no chance.

If it had come to that, the tribe would have been wiped out. Among the fourth-tier hunters, all were elderly elders except for Nadoya, who alone could still bear children. The others were past childbearing age.

Of the third-tier warriors, a third were also past the age for bearing children. With just twenty-seven or twenty-eight left, replenishing the lost population would be impossible, even if they all became breeding sows.

Realizing this, Nadoya broke into a cold sweat, conceding that the chieftain’s choices had indeed been best for the tribe.

Yet her heart remained unsettled, especially as she watched her home transformed by Li Mingxing’s handiwork.

Seeing the lingering resentment in Nadoya’s expression, the chieftain said, “Nadoya, from now on, you are no longer captain of the hunting patrol. Your task is to study strategic control with the elders. You must at least understand why I make these choices.”

With that, the chieftain departed. Watching her leave, Nadoya was at a loss. She had loved her role as patrol captain, yet now it was taken from her.

As Nadoya brooded, urgent news arrived: a group of centaurs was forcing their way through the Amazonians’ defenses, led by a third-tier centaur, with most of their strength at second tier.

Upon hearing this, Nadoya sprang to action. She did not inform the chieftain, but gathered nearby Amazonian units and rushed toward the centaurs.

Yet Nadoya did not know that, after she led her forces away, another troop appeared in the small forest previously guarded by the Amazonians.

These soldiers were all exceptionally tall, their bodies wrapped head to toe in camouflage-like cloth, leaving not a single patch of skin exposed, and they carried no weapons. Their movement through the woods matched the swiftness of the Amazonians.

Upon arrival, the leading warrior saw the wooden tower, now overgrown with plants, built by Li Mingxing.

Then, in a voice like the cry of a night hawk, the leader gave a sharp call. The sound echoed instantly through the nearby Amazonians.

The chieftain, who had just turned back, heard this call. Her ivory-white face paled immediately as she looked toward the source. “Isn’t that where Nadoya is? How could those beings appear there?”