The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 205 Internal Troubles and External Worries (5k views, please subscribe and vote)
I once thought that no one would want to live in a godforsaken place like the Dusk Forest for long—

The four-hour day-night cycle means that most people have to abandon their past habits and forcibly integrate into the environment.

This will inevitably disrupt your biological clock and daily routine, leading to a prolonged state of lethargy.

Not to mention the hallucinogenic fog, which could make it impossible for you to discern the way at any moment.

But then I realized that for those species born in the forest, perhaps the four-hour day and night cycle is the law imprinted on their lives.

The long days were as incomprehensible to them as the sky being azure instead of gray...

Therefore, I have always believed that there should be a gathering place for life in the forest at dawn and dusk.

However, it is so vast that a brief stop in the forest is not enough to catch a glimpse of their true form.

But that doesn't mean they don't exist.

But the moment you actually get to know them, you might recall the times you've brushed past them before. Only then will you likely exclaim, "So that's how it is!"

Looking back, a village inhabited only by beastmen sounds absurd, but it's not entirely incomprehensible.

"After all, these guys have dog-like noses, which helps them find their way in the fog."

As Tang Qi rapidly wrote the "Guide," he glanced at the pairs of fierce, scarlet eyes that gleamed within the mist.

"But beastmen rarely live in groups. In my memory, they mostly live in family groups, scattered and hiding in places where no one goes..."

Past challenges resurfaced in her mind, and Chenxi felt hesitant.

"Because everyone is cursed differently, just as rat people and bear people have different lifestyles, different behaviors and animalistic natures have become barriers to their group living."

But the reality is undeniable… we are surrounded by a group of strange, beast-like beings, just like on the night of the twin moons.”

Tang Qi put the notebook back into his dimensional bag and looked around at the faint gray-black shadows that were visible above the towering trees.

Their backs were extremely broad, and their wings, covered in black feathers, were curled up, enveloping them like cocoons hanging from the branches.

Those are crow people.

"They didn't attack!"

Kuru gripped his wand tightly, not daring to relax for a moment.

The magic missile can only be charged five times.

The number of crow-men on the branches alone is more than that.

If it weren't for the orc tribe at its feet that noticed the situation and stopped their commotion, they could at least serve as meat shields and alleviate its anxiety.

It was now lying on the rough platform, sticking out its tongue and pretending to be dead.

"Perhaps they saw quite a few orcs and were unsure of their stance, so they wanted to negotiate..."

Tang Qi watched as a brown bear, about three meters tall and standing upright, slowly stepped out from the sea of ​​scarlet eyes and revealed its form.

Noticing the raven watching him intently from above, his alertness made his hair stand on end. He adjusted his breathing, roused the sleeping Io, and awaited Shyvana's decision beneath his feet.

She knew about the beastmen's incredibly regenerative bodies.

She wouldn't mind a conflict if the tribe's weapons were all silver-plated.

But with most of the orcs already sacrificed, she hoped the current crisis could be weathered safely.
"Stop the fuck! Do you see all those eyes staring at you from outside?!"

Those are werewolves, hundreds of them! If you don't want to die, you'd better listen to me and shut your mouth!

"Fuck you werewolf, you're not even as scary as my mount!"

"I was just worried about not having any meat to eat, so today I'll indulge in some wolf meat!"

The orc's head was as smooth as pudding, or even as if a piece had been scooped out with a spoon.

You can't expect their single-threaded brains to process overly complex information.

They rarely assess the situation and do not choose between 'internal strife' and 'external enemies'.

All they do is yell "Waaaaah!" and smash the enemy's head first, then turn around and smash their own people's heads.

As for what a 'werewolf' is, what characteristics it possesses, and how powerful it is...

Who the hell cares? Let's fight first!

"Wow ah ah ah!!!"

Hundreds of orcs wielding battle axes surged forward, charging into the mist in a mighty wave. Their charge made it seem as if the ones being surrounded were actually orcs, their goal being to behead the brown bear.

The brown bear froze on the spot, seemingly having never encountered a species that charged at it without uttering a single word—

Although he admitted that he didn't have any good intentions to begin with.

All they could do was roar, and the wolves and tigers suddenly darted through the forest, their claws tearing through the mist as they pounced on the orcs.

"Fuck you."

Shyvana couldn't just let them die here, so she could only glare angrily at the goblins behind her.

"What the hell are you all standing there for? If they die, how will you survive?"

In people's stereotypes, goblins are far weaker than orcs.

But correspondingly, they also possessed fairly intelligent minds.

Cunning and treacherous have always been their defining characteristics; a brain as small as pudding is hardly worthy of such descriptions.

As for the true warriors in the goblin camps, the armies composed of great goblins and bear goblins, they adhered to strict discipline and were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

That was even more threatening than hundreds of rampaging orcs.

"Line up! Fire in unison!"

The goblins quickly changed their tactics, nocking barbed arrows and climbing all over the giant tortoise in the sky, firing towards the rear of the mist.

A reddish-orange goblin, holding a greatsword high in both hands, cleaved through the grayish-white mist before him, pointing the blade directly at the ferocious 'beasts,' and issued commands in short goblin phrases:

"All troops, attack!"

The goblins wielded inferior weapons, yet they were filled with high morale and enthusiasm.

They knew very well that this was a battle to prove themselves.

After this battle, they will reverse their position in the tribe and make those brain-dead barbaric greenskins realize who the real masters are!

"kill!!!"

……

They're all done killing.

"They're almost all killed."

With Chenxi guarding him and blocking the sneak attacks from the few crow-men on the branches, Tang Qi couldn't be safer.

He stood on the platform, watching helplessly as the tribe's enthusiasm rose and fell.

The originally chaotic and disorderly battlefield gradually turned into a tight encirclement by the beastmen, with no way to retreat as they could only huddle together back to back...

In reality, only a small number of soldiers actually died.

After all, orcs' skin and bones are relatively tough, and their claws cannot tear their flesh apart as easily as they tear apart grass and trees.

But the decline in the battle lines was clearly visible—

In a fit of rage, Shyvana swung her giant axe across the back of the brown bear, who, equally enraged, followed up by striking her in the abdomen with its paw.

The phantom of the savage bear behind her froze for a moment, but her legs seemed rooted to the ground, enduring the heavy force with unwavering strength, and she raised her fist to strike the bear's chest in return.

The brutal, hand-to-hand combat sent sprays of blood flying through the mist, threatening to turn the white fog crimson.

Seeing that their chieftain was unable to command his soldiers, the goblins and orcs had no choice but to retreat step by step towards the giant tortoise in the sky.

They may have the advantage in numbers, but when their weapons struck the fur of the beastmen, they left only a shallow bloodstain, which even showed signs of healing.

That long-held confident smile began to fade.

Now, with its decline becoming increasingly apparent, it has no choice but to seek refuge in a 'homeland':

"Why isn't this turtle helping us!?"

"Whose trumpet is it?"

"In that human's hands—that damned earthworm, lying on the turtle's back watching the show!"

"Sound the horns! Open the fucking barns!"

Unlike the orcs who only knew common phrases, the goblin wielding a greatsword roared incessantly at Tang Qi above, trying to make the humans hear him.

Tang Qi then looked towards the direction of the animal pen—

It's on the lower level of the turtle's back, next to the big market.

The two remaining trolls, exhausted from prolonged hunger, slumped in their cages.

The tribe itself was already short of food, so of course it wouldn't get any for these voracious trolls.

Tang Qi could tell at a glance that they had no fighting ability whatsoever.

"What the hell are you standing there for?! Sound the horn—do you want to die here too?!"

Another ratman with bared front teeth crawled out from under his feet. The greatsword slashed at his shoulder, then sliced ​​off the ratman's left arm, but the dagger in his right hand was still stuck in his waist.

A tiger pounced on the soldier beside him, biting off the head of the yellow-skinned goblin. Crimson blood splattered on his face, and the tiger was about to aim its sharp teeth at his throat.

"Roar--"

Houke forcefully knocked the tiger away, leaving three bloody gashes on his chest.

He had lost his hand at some point, and now he could only smash his fists into the werewolf's head.

"Don't fucking expect me to thank you!" He kicked the ratman in front of him away, then turned to face the boar charging at Houk, slashing his greatsword at its rock-like, curled tusks—

The best way to solve internal problems is ultimately to solve external threats.

Unfortunately, his strength was insufficient to withstand the impact, and he stumbled and crashed into the tortoise shell.

When he fell to the ground, he vaguely saw a raven piercing through the fog, its long, sharp beak like a needle about to snatch his eyeball.

The dizziness made him unable to understand what the human was doing, and he could only keep cursing:
"Earth worms, earth worms! They're all fucking wiped out!"

In that instant, he wanted to curse not only the humans who were watching everything.

And that chief, who brought them to this godforsaken place where even food was scarce.

The short-sighted Barbaya, if it weren't for the fact that this old man sacrificed a large number of his people, these hundreds of wild beasts wouldn't have dared to jump around in front of them.

Finally, there were the orcs who, without understanding the situation, charged into the fog, ultimately losing even the chance to negotiate.

But he knew very well that all this anger and abuse stemmed from his deepest fear—

He doesn't want to die.

The raven snatched his eyeball from its socket, and the spraying blood and excruciating pain eroded his mind, which was filled with fighting spirit.

It took away their high morale and filled them with desperate fear.

With its remaining eye, it clearly saw the battle situation before it.

He saw Houk's back stained with blood, saw his brethren fall one by one onto the cold, wet earth, wailing, and saw the incompetent and furious chieftain fall into defeat in the struggle...

Hunger and exhaustion, coupled with the instinct for survival, made him forget his fighting skills.

When the ravens swooped down again, about to snatch his eyes away, he even forgot to defend himself, only caring about howling and screaming:

"Someone, please save me—"

But the cries of his compatriots foreshadowed the collapse of morale.

"Roar!!!"

A roar that shook the forest became the only straw he could grasp at in his despair.

He saw a purple lizard spew out a gust of wind and a wave of air, blowing away all the gray mist in front of him.

A tremendous repulsive force swept over the beastmen in front of him, hurling ferns and mud into the air, leaving a deep ravine in the earth.

"boom!"

A drumbeat, louder than a roar, seemed to tear their eardrums apart, forcefully ramming into everyone's brains, even those bloodthirsty beastmen, who instinctively looked up at that moment—

That was a human being.

A human being, as common as weeds on the mainland.

On this battlefield where beastmen and orcs clashed, this ordinary human became the most unique of the races.

This made him so conspicuous.

It also made the sound of him striking the strings more resonant than thunder.

Tang Qi struck the lute rhythmically in his hands, like striking a drum.

This lute, blessed by Stella, possesses a long-lasting [Repair] ability and comes with the added benefit of [Electric Claw].

At the same time, it also allows him to strike the object with a thunderous sound, attracting everyone's attention.

In this way, amidst the despair of the orcs and goblins, they were pulled back to reality and forced to obey their commands:

"Everyone, retreat in my direction!"

His orders were identical to those of the earthbill officer.

After all, this is the right decision.

But he was determined to repeat this decision—

He had to make sure everyone heard that it was he, a human being, who was giving the orders.

The one-eyed goblin, despite the excruciating pain throughout his body, struggled to his feet:

"This earthworm wants command power!?"

He instinctively wanted to sneer, but the perilous experience seemed to prevent him from laughing out loud no matter what.

Instead, he felt a burning sensation in his chest, an impulse urging him to trust the human on the watchtower—

Why should I trust humanity?!

As he thought this, he unconsciously climbed the ladder and stood on the shell of the giant tortoise in the sky.

"Everyone, retreat in my direction!" Tang Qi shouted in Common from the watchtower.

"How the hell are we going to fight our way out?!"

Surrounded by the beastmen, the orcs and goblins, fighting desperately, couldn't help but curse.

Does this damned earthworm think they don't want to retreat?
These beasts, impervious to knives, made it impossible for them to retreat!

But the only response to their roars was a howling dragon's breath—

"Roar!!!"

Iwu's breath once again blew away a corner of the encirclement.

The dense mist emanating from the tip of the Kuru Wand instantly obscured the vision of the beastmen, giving the tribe the opportunity to charge out.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Seeing an opportunity to escape, they disregarded everything else and rushed towards the giant tortoise in the sky.

But the first goblin to climb onto the giant tortoise instantly noticed the rise in the soldiers' morale—

The wailing, including his, seemed to gradually fade away among the crowd.

The dormant faith in my heart showed signs of being rekindled.

That at least gives you the confidence to 'survive'.

This, in turn, puzzled the brown bear that was fighting with Sivana:
"Just by beating a war drum, they've boosted the morale of these greenskins?"

He even sensed that the savage bear before him—Shivana, wielding a giant axe and hacking at everything in her path with utter chaos—was growing increasingly fierce in battle.

Only Tang Qi, who struck the piano and produced the booming sound, knew the reason for everything:

"If you really want to gain the trust of these greens, you have to make them suffer first."

Offering them help at the very beginning of the conflict will inevitably fail to earn their respect later.

He had realized this from the moment he led his team to beat Barbaya to death in front of everyone, yet was still called a 'ground worm' by this barbaric tribe.

Their aversion to humans is ingrained in their very nature.

It is much more difficult to improve from a negative score to a positive score than to improve from a zero score.

Killing Babaa and demonstrating his power would at most make them wary and prevent them from actively provoking Tang Qi.

But to gain their respect, you must trample them underfoot one by one, making them willingly submit to power.

That's too troublesome.

Instead of relying on the "Beacon of Hope's" demeanor, we should forcefully seize command and earn their heartfelt respect for this "beacon" that rescues those in distress.

Let them feel despair, then give them hope again.

Finally, follow hope.

With Iu and Kuru holding them back, the increasingly weakened Roaring Tribe was able to easily break free from the encirclement of the beastmen.

Driven by bloodlust, the beastmen were unwilling to let go of the opportunity to annihilate them.

But just as they broke through the clouds and faced the enormous tortoise that blocked out the light of day, their animalistic instincts warned them of the threat posed by this behemoth.

The more ferocious werewolves didn't care about any of that. As they ran, they gradually moved to all fours, their bodies changing shape until they transformed into a real running wolf.

Then, it pounced on the orc at the very back of the fleeing group.

"Woo-"

Ambi beside her blew a horn, and the giant tortoise, following her command in her mind, raised its front legs.

It slowly rose and then crashed down, crushing the beastman under its feet.

Ravens swarmed from the branches, trying to disrupt Tang Qi and Anbi's 'duet'.

"【Web Technique】!"

As Kuru chanted, the thick fog suddenly dissipated, and a ball of snow-white slime was instantly ejected from its fingertips.

The slime stretched into a tough spiderweb in mid-air, sticking to and enveloping the entire watchtower—

Its idea is very simple.

When used properly, a spider web is more than just a means of entangling an enemy.

It is still the best barrier to intercept the enemy.

Only a few ravens escaped the spiderweb's entanglement, but they were all smashed to the ground by Dawn's raised sword.

Tang Qi's music conveyed the "Poet's Inspiration" to Shyvana, who was gradually being surrounded by beastmen in the distance.

"Ambi, sound the horn of counterattack!"

(End of this chapter)