Chapter 782: Settlement
The heat blanketed the Flaming Sparrow Range, showing only a few signs of the fierce battle that had recently concluded.
Although the crimson ground was covered by blood that had dried long ago, the dismembered remains of war victims were sparse in Sein’s field of vision.
As Sein moved north along the Flaming Sparrow Range, he later realized that the absence of remains on the battlefield was not due to efficient cleanup by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Army.
Rather, it was because the area was still teeming with an army of over four million magic beasts.
These legions, handpicked by Black Oblivion, each possessed a hearty appetite.
Since this was Black Oblivion’s first participation in an interplanar war, the quality of these beasts was notably high, with scarcely any below the intermediate level.
Their sturdy bodies allowed them to adapt to the harsh environment of a foreign plane, yet it also meant they required substantial sustenance.
The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Army did not provide rations for these magic beasts, nor was there a need for external provision.
These creatures were not fussy eaters; any meat would suffice, unlike the knights and mages of the Magus World, who harbored psychological resistance to consuming humanoid creatures.
These magic beasts bore no such qualms about devouring Wild Gorillas and, in times of scarcity, would even consume the corpses of fellow magic beasts fallen in battle.
This might seem cruel, but it reflected the survival law in their forest.
If it were not for their magic beast kings, all these less intelligent beasts would still be engaged in a ruthless survival competition in their respective forests, locked in a perpetual state of mutual predation.
Despite losses over the past few months, the remaining millions of magic beasts were more than capable of devouring all the remains littered over the Flaming Sparrow Range.
The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring preferred to keep its enslaved creatures hungry to maximize their combat effectiveness.
However, the several magic beast kings might not concur with letting their subjects fight on an empty stomach.
After all, they had rallied their millions of followers to battle in a foreign plane by enticing them with the prospects of a blood feast.
These magic beasts were uninterested in the metal deposits of the Flaming Sparrow Range; they only wanted to feast to their heart’s content here.
Consuming large quantities of high-quality flesh and blood could significantly enhance their chances of advancing their life levels.
***
Flying northward, Sein passed over battle-scarred areas littered with jagged rubble before a large cluster of low stone houses came into view.
Most of the Flaming Sparrow Range’s natives resided in the southern part of this volcanic group.
The northern part past the central region was deemed high-risk, where even Rank One creatures struggled to survive without shields to counteract the volcanic heat.
This challenging environment was far from ideal for serving as breeding grounds for the lesser native creatures.
When Sein was in the Verdant Wilderness World, he had already discovered the Wild Gorilla Clan’s exceptional fertility by dissecting them.
Yet, he had not anticipated their extraordinary adaptability and reproductive capabilities in such a hostile environment.
Despite being the harsher territory in the Wild Gorilla World, the Flaming Sparrow Range still supported a large population of gorillas and their subordinate races.
As Sein flew over, his presence caused a commotion throughout the stone houses.
From the shadows, they watched the arrival of this formidable Rank Two mage with a mix of awe and fear.
Although the stone houses were small, about seven or eight creatures could fit inside the smallest among them.
Sein was not alone; accompanying him were Selina and nearly a thousand plant creatures, all from the Verdant Wilderness World and visibly struggling with the hot environment.
Perched on Sein’s shoulder was the demigod-level Kingfisher.
This personal bodyguard of Sein’s had recently taken up the curious hobby of grooming Sein’s hair with its long beak.
In addition to these companions, about two hundred minotaurlings and one resident mage were settled around this mountain stream.
The young mage, named Eri, had recently broken through to Rank One.
Upon Sein’s inquiry about the settlement, Eri explained respectfully, “This settlement is home to roughly thirty thousand native creatures. Over the hill to the west, there is another, larger settlement inhabited by about forty thousand creatures, but that area is currently under the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain’s control.”
“Has it been peaceful here lately?” Sein casually asked.
The main roads within the settlement were peppered by bright red stains with white bone fragments scattered about.
It was only normal for someone to wonder whether something horrible had happened.
“Hehehe, things were still chaotic here about a month ago, but that has subsided significantly two weeks ago,” Eri replied with a chuckle.
“I heard there had been about a hundred thousand native creatures in this settlement at the start, but now only thirty thousand remain. The troublemakers have all been dealt with, and those magic beasts have quite the appetite for them,” he added.
Although Eri was a mage, it was easy to tell that he was a qualified war mage for being able to handle the harsh realities of combat.
The academic mages might have found such a bloody environment difficult to stomach.
Sein nodded without further comments.
The fact that just one Rank One mage and two hundred strong minotaurlings could maintain order in a settlement of thirty thousand in the Wild Gorilla World suggested that perhaps the Wild Gorillas were not as tough and fearless as previously presumed.
In addition to these two hundred fixed defense forces, various combat legions from the Magus World Army periodically flew over the settlement.
Sein also spotted a prism fort and two war airships emerging in the distance.
All of them belonged to the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain, which was wealthier than the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.
“What is the main food source for these native creatures?” Sein asked.
His interest in the dietary habits of these lesser creatures had been growing since his time in the Verdant Wilderness World.
“Some mosses planted on volcanic rocks. There are many types, but three are particularly easy to grow and serve as a staple for these native creatures. For drinking water, these creatures collect the condensation underneath the volcanic asphalt slabs,” Eri explained.
“Their survival skills are quite remarkable—comparable to the Cockroants I learned about during my classes at divine tower academy... Scratch that, I don’t think even any insect in the Underworld has the adaptability of these creatures,” he added with a shrug.
“The largest Crockroants of the Underworld don’t get much bigger than a meter long, but an average Wild Gorilla is about two and a half meters tall,” Sein mused.
“Try to kill less of them... These Wild Gorillas could be exported as quality slaves by our Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in the future,” he added, giving Eri a pat on the shoulder.
As a resident mage, Eri not only received mission rewards issued by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring but could also stand to gain a small profit from exporting these Wild Gorilla natives as high-quality slaves.
This was part of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring's reward for completing his mission.
Although the commission from the sale of a single Wild Gorilla would not be too high, every little bit adds up.
Eri caught the implication of Sein’s words, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.
"The inhabitants of the Flaming Sparrow Range appear to be more than the initial count made by the divine tower. Just this one small settlement alone houses thirty thousand native creatures, huh?”
Sein, who had flown up into mid-air for a better view, looked down at the densely packed low stone houses and shook his head in disbelief.
“The ones living in this settlement aren’t exactly Wild Gorillas. There are only about three thousand purebred Wild Gorillas. The rest are all their subspecies, which are a bit shorter. I wonder how much they are worth?” Eri pondered, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
Instead of offering an answer, Sein simply gave him another pat on the shoulder and encouraged him.
“Keep up the good work, I’m certain you’ll achieve great things.”