The wicked female is extremely fierce, but she's pampered by her seven beast husbands.

Chapter 287 Thank you for your empty promises
Bai Qingyu suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at her flushed face: "You care a lot about that North Sea merman?"

Ling Chengen shook his head and said, "No, I need to talk to him about something."

“I should have mentioned it to you before. The Beast City is designed with heating for its houses, but heating requires a lot of firewood or coal. However, we don’t have such resources in our current territory. So I was thinking, could we use Crimson Origin Stone as the main heating resource for the city?”

“Red Source Stone can be reused, but there is none in Beiyuan. So a while ago I sent Shi Panxing to Beiyuan to steal Red Source Stone, from the cave where we hid in the Red Land before.”

"According to my estimation, he should have returned before you."

"But to this day, I have not heard from them at all."

“If we want to go to Nanyuan, taking the iron chain is too dangerous. Taking the sea route is simpler. If Shi Ruoan comes back, I think he has rescued people in Nanyuan many times, so he should know the route. In addition, he is a merman and can travel freely in the sea. It would be most appropriate for him to go and scout the situation.”

Bai Qingyu rolled over and lay face down on the bed, tilting her head to say, "Shi Ruoan did go south with us, but when we were preparing to return, he said he wanted to go to the sea, so we parted ways."

"I reckon he was just too embarrassed to share our prey."

"Although he put in a lot of effort on the way south, and we hunted significantly more game this time than in previous years, everyone contributed their strength during the hunt, so it wasn't easy to distinguish the spoils. He's still a bit shy and didn't want to take advantage of us, so..."

Ling Chengen sighed and said, "Indeed, he is a bit rigid."

"The sea is the domain of merfolk. As long as he doesn't return to the North Sea, the chances of him encountering danger are slim. You can relax."

“If you’re worried about Shi Panxing’s situation in Nanyuan, I can go there myself. I can fly directly there from the southeast coast.” Bai Qingyu reached out and patted the top of her head. “You’re really thoughtful. The weather has been getting colder and colder lately. I estimate that it will definitely snow in ten days at the latest.”

"After it snows, whether you are traveling or flying in the air, it will be greatly affected."

"The delayed availability of heating resources is indeed a very serious problem."

Ling Chengen said, "You know a lot about the situation in Beiyuan. Do we really not have any Crimson Origin Stones in Beiyuan?"

Bai Qingyu lay on the pillow, thinking quietly. After a while, she suddenly said, "Perhaps it exists, but it shouldn't be circulating."

Ling Chengen immediately became interested and stared intently at him, asking, "What do you mean?"

"There is a small tribe at the border between the south and the east, called the Lion Camel Tribe."

Ling Chengen lowered his eyes and thought for a while: "I haven't heard much about it. I don't think I've encountered it when I went to collect tree wheat before."

Bai Qingyu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "The harvest of tree wheat is something that happens this summer, so of course we won't run into the Lion Camel Tribe's beastmen. That tribe was wiped out by the Great Xing Tribe last autumn and winter."

Ling Chengen's brows furrowed sharply: "Was it wiped out? Did this tribe offend them?"

"No." Bai Qingyu shook her head.

He turned his head and glanced at the empty room, then reached out to Ling Chengen: "Do you have any paper and pen? Let me use them, and I'll draw their positions for you."

Ling Chengen lay down beside him and moved the bedside lamp closer to Bai Qingyu.

Bai Qingyu quickly drew a sketch.

The sketch marked the locations of Cruma, Daxing, and several other tribes.

Bai Qingyu moved his finger across the map, turned his head slightly, and asked, "Do you know what the division of territories among the various tribes in the south is based on?"

Ling Chengen rested his chin on one hand and replied, "Generally speaking, the terrain is used as the dividing line, which is the simplest."

Bai Qingyu nodded and said, "Yes, using mountains and rivers as boundaries is the easiest way to divide them."

"On the contrary, in our central region and the eastern part of the Beast Plains, because there are fewer mountains and rivers and too many tributaries, some places are not demarcated by mountains and rivers. But between the central and southern parts of the Northern Plains, there are several large mountains that block the cold air that flows south every winter, so the climate there is relatively warm."

"But the dividing line between the central and southern regions is actually the Xuemu River."

"The section of Xuemu River near Snake Mountain and the White Bear Tribe has a complex terrain, so the river current is very rapid. That area is full of rocky mountains and giant forests. In addition, it is close to the river, so the environment is relatively humid, and there are many venomous snakes, insects and rodents, which is somewhat similar to the situation in the southwest."

"Cross the Xuemu River from Snake Mountain and travel a short distance downstream to reach the territory of the Uja tribe."

"As I told you before, there are many large tribes in the south."

"But there are differences between large tribes. The Uga tribe is a second-rate large tribe."

"And there are three top-tier tribes: the Great Khanate and the Cruma. I've told you about them many times."

"The other one is the Shi Yinxue tribe."

"The Kruma tribe is located directly south of the Uja tribe, separated by many small and medium-sized tribes. Some of them are affiliated with Kruma, and some are affiliated with Uja. The two are separated by the Urong Ridge."

“The Urong Ridge is at a high altitude, which blocks the southward wind and snow, so Krumah only gets snowfall around mid to late November each year.”

"But the situation in the Uja tribe during the cold season is similar to that in our central region."

Seeing that Ling Chengen nodded from time to time, Bai Qingyu confirmed that she understood and continued speaking.

To the east of the Cruma territory lies the Great Xing tribe.

The two tribes are separated by Baochi Mountain.

However, Baochi Mountain runs from northwest to southeast, and cannot block the cold waves coming from the north.

Therefore, like the Uja tribe, the Daxing tribe also experiences particularly cold winters every year.

Ling Chengen looked at the territory of the Daxing tribe circled by him and asked, "So, the area south of the Xuemu River in the Mulan Plain is basically the territory of the Daxing tribe?"

Bai Qingyu nodded and said, "That's one way to put it. However, the southern part of the Daxing Territory, near the banks of the Xuemu River, is mostly inhabited by small and medium-sized tribes that are dependent on it."

“Because every year during the rainy season, the Xuemu River enters its flood season, and most of the tribes along the river will be flooded. The Daxing tribes are mostly nobles exiled from the Southern Plains, and they certainly do not want to suffer from the floods. So they must be driven to the small tribes along the Xuemu River to suffer in their place.”

"Shi Yinxue is located east of Daxing, with the Talilongka Mountain serving as the boundary between the two."

"The Lion Camel Tribe is located north of the Stone Silver Snow Tribe, separated from the Great Xing by the Talilongka Mountain."

"Didn't the Lion Camel rely on Shi Yinxue?" Ling Chengen asked in confusion.

Bai Qingyu shook his head and said, "They do want to attach themselves to us, but the territory of the Lion Camel Clan is too far away. They are separated from the Shi Yinxue Tribe by the Fengxue Mountain Range, the highest and longest mountain range in the south."

"The Shi Yinxue tribe occupies the best location in the Northern Plains. This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the Dark Abyss on the other side. Even in the extreme cold climate, it is rare to see snow in the territory of the Shi Yinxue tribe."

"Then why is their tribe called Shi Yinxue?" Ling Chengen asked with great interest, as if listening to a story.

"Because their territory has a lot of silverstone, which is a kind of silvery-white stone that looks a lot like snow."

"I'll tell you about Shi Yinxue later. This place has nothing to do with us. Although they are a large tribe, they are actually quite isolated, unlike Daxing Cruma. Their tribe does not accept the orcs from the Southern Plains; they are all natives of the Northern Plains and are very xenophobic."

"By the way, the Shi Yinxue tribe also has a tribe called the Thin Mountain Giant Tiger."

Ling Chengen asked in surprise, "What does this have to do with my father?"

Bai Qingyu shook his head and said, "I don't know, you'll have to ask your father."

Bai Qingyu placed the map in front of her and asked, "Can you see anything from this map?"

Ling Chengen glanced down at the location of the Lion Camel Tribe, then looked at the location of the Great Xing Tribe: "The Great Xing Tribe and the Lion Camel Tribe are separated by the Talilongka Mountains. Why would it go out of its way to exterminate the Lion Camel Tribe? You mentioned the feud between these two tribes. Is it related to the Crimson Source Stone?"

Bai Qingyu chuckled and poked her head: "Smart." "But not a Crimson Origin Stone."

Bai Qingyu pondered, "Last autumn, I went south to the Lion Camel Clan and found that they wanted to find someone to introduce them to some northern tribes. They said they had something that could help the northern orcs survive the harsh winter."

"But they've never shown it to anyone, so I've only heard about it."

"However, I asked those small bird tribes to inquire about the matter, and I learned that what the Lion Camel tribe was talking about should be called Flame Crystal."

"However, before the Lion Camel Clan could make contact with the north, they were suddenly wiped out in the middle to late part of the autumn hunt for most tribes."

"Now the territory of the Lion Camel Clan has been occupied by the Great Xing, but there are several mountain ranges between the Great Xing and the Lion Camel Clan, not only the Talilongka Mountain, but also several other mountain ranges, making management very inconvenient. According to the Great Xing's past practice, if a piece of land is occupied but the location is not good or too far away and difficult to manage, they will usually arrange for a small tribe that is very loyal to them to move there."

"But the territory of the Lion Camel Clan is not like that. It has always been firmly controlled by their large tribes, and they even prevent the small and medium-sized tribes that are dependent on them from entering."

Bai Qingyu placed the charcoal pencil on the paper and said meaningfully, "Their behavior is so abnormal, which means that there should really be something called Flame Crystal in the territory of the Lion Camel Clan, and it can indeed help them get through the winter."

"Because of their advantageous location, the Cruma and Shiyinxue tribes will not suffer from hypothermia during the cold season even without the Flame Crystal."

"Therefore, after the Daxing tribe occupied the territory of the Shituo tribe, they kept the news tightly under wraps."

"I estimate that the so-called Flame Crystal is something similar to the Crimson Source Stone."

"Or, it might be the Crimson Origin Stone."

After all, Crimson Origin Stone is a mineral from Huangyan Beast City in the south, and it's not available in the Northern Plains market.

Many people simply cannot imagine that there are minerals in the world that can generate heat.

Even they heard the news from Shi Ruoan and other sea creatures.

Before seeing the Crimson Origin Stone, he had no idea that the Flame Crystal and the Crimson Origin Stone were connected.

The extinction of the Lion Camel Clan had nothing to do with their central region, so he didn't think about it too deeply.

Upon closer analysis, it becomes clear that clues are everywhere.

Ling Chengen stared at the map for a while, then folded it up and put it under his pillow.

She lay back down on the bed, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed, "The Lion Camel Clan's territory is worth exploring, but it's definitely not possible now."

If we alert the Daxing tribe, it could cause a lot of trouble.

Shilin and Uja have just started a war; it's unclear whether the fighting will continue.

Provoking another top-tier tribe...

That's like a starving dog going to the toilet—definitely courting death.

Bai Qingyu nestled against her, deeply inhaling her faint fragrance, and slowly closed his eyes: "You don't need to worry so much. If there's really no way to get the Crimson Source Stone, exchanging it for some coal from other tribes to get through this year's cold season is also a way."

"Once spring arrives, there will be plenty of time to solve next year's heating problem."

"I'm leaving for Shi Panxing's place tomorrow. It would be best if I could run into them on the way."

"If they don't come back, I'll go directly to the Red Land of the South Plains to check on them."

Ling Chengen turned off the light, placed his slightly cold hand on his lower abdomen in the darkness, and asked, "Now that Beast City is built, what are your plans for Cold Mountain?"

Bai Qingyu didn't answer for a long time. Ling Chengen thought he had fallen asleep, but then he suddenly turned over, pulled her into his arms, and sighed, "I haven't figured out how to tell Father and the others yet."

He naturally wanted the people of Hanshan to also live in the Beast City.

However, after he voluntarily moved to Shilin with Ling Chengen, he was no longer the young clan leader of Hanshan.

They also had no power to decide Hanshan's future path.

At most, I can only offer some advice to my two elder brothers and father.

That's all.

But everyone has their own ideas, and Father and Brother naturally have their own considerations.

Entering the Beast City will greatly improve living conditions, but it will not be as comfortable as when you are in charge. You must abide by the rules of the Beast City.

He couldn't guarantee that his father and the others would agree if he tried to persuade them.

If you don't agree.

Enen's pace certainly won't stop because of this.

Sooner or later, she would have to face Hanshan in battle.

A winner and a loser must be determined between the two.

Judging from the current size and combat strength of Beast City, Cold Mountain is doomed to defeat.

Ling Chengen raised his hand, inserted his fingers into the roots of his hair, and gently rubbed them twice.

“You don’t need to worry so much. I’ve been in contact with Bai Xi recently. Although he didn’t say it, I could tell that he has some ideas about Beast City. He just needs an opportunity.”

Bai Qingyu pursed her lips, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly, her throat feeling dry.

Ling Chengen knew he was in a difficult position, so he kissed his earlobe and said, "If you're having trouble, you can leave everything to me."

Bai Qingyu shook her head: "I'll handle this kind of thing."

He can't be so irresponsible, hiding behind her like a coward.

Ling Chengen leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Ayu, trust me."

"The Northern Plains will not only have this one city."

Kitahara is so large, there will definitely be other castles built there in the future.

She was short of soldiers and generals, and Han Shan's joining at this time was just right. He would become heavily involved in the development and construction of the city in the future, and his status would rise accordingly.

New cities always need trustworthy people to guard and manage them.

Hanshan was someone she knew very well.

So why worry about not having room for advancement?!

Bai Qingyu gave a muffled "hmm" and whispered, "Thank you... for the promise you made."

Ling Chengen playfully bit his ear and said in a light, angry tone, "I was just trying to comfort you..."

Bai Qingyu pressed his face against her neck, his expression gradually relaxing, but his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist, unwilling to let go.

(End of this chapter)