Chapter 387: Divisions Among the Beastfolk

Due to this small conflict, the welcoming ceremony became both simple and filled with an odd tension. Wu Qingsong observed the gathered chieftains with great interest. The vast majority of them harbored obvious hostility towards him, or at the very least, deep suspicion. Not a single one seemed genuinely friendly toward Nagrand.

The formal banquet was scheduled for the evening, so Wu Qingsong and Nina excused themselves for the time being and returned to the area designated for their rest.

“Why didn’t we take this opportunity to kill them?” As soon as the attendants confirmed that Wu Qingsong’s group was out of earshot, the bearman named Quinn growled darkly.

“You think they would act so recklessly without something to rely on?” Storm slammed his staff against the ground, his deep voice carrying weight. “Corwin, tell us what you saw and heard along the way.”

The fact that Wu Qingsong had entered the Stampede Plateau with only a small entourage had taken them by surprise and emboldened some among them.

For years, there had been no clear consensus on Nagrand’s true strength. The attacks on the Icy Sea clans, particularly against the major southern clans, had all occurred at night. Many of the survivors who had fled to the Stampede Plateau had no clear idea of what had actually happened. Meanwhile, the clans that had ultimately chosen to submit to Nagrand were unwilling to discuss the details.

What could be observed through the trading caravans painted a picture of Nagrand’s military might as rather feeble. Its patrol forces were largely composed of mercenaries from its vassals, and its true standing army numbered only in the hundreds. As the city expanded rapidly, they had even been forced to use untrained mousefolk to supplement their defenses.

Nagrand’s conventional forces were clearly weak, but the fact remained that the Icy Sea clans had been decisively crushed and forced into submission. After sorting through the various rumors about Nagrand’s military, discarding those that were clearly exaggerated, the chieftains of the Stampede Plateau reached a conclusion that was likely close to the truth. Nagrand was ruled by a small number of powerful individuals.

Nagrand’s lord, Sidre Wu, was likely a formidable mage. Several of his wives and concubines were also believed to be formidable warriors.

The most well-known among them was Anna Williams, said to be an extremely powerful swordswoman capable of unleashing sword energy that could cut down dozens of enemies in a single strike. Initially, the chieftains had scoffed at such claims, but as more eyewitness reports accumulated, this became an accepted fact among the beastfolk.

Another figure of concern was the half-elf named Xeila, who was likely an assassin capable of infiltrating close to her targets undetected before delivering a fatal strike. Although she had not appeared in this delegation, the chieftains remained wary.

The third notable figure was Ling, a mage rumored to create all sorts of powerful magical devices. Many had described a massive magical contraption that could fly through the skies. The chieftains, having seen many things in their time, concluded that she was a skilled alchemist.

As for the badgerwoman named Ram and the catgirl named Liuli, they were considered merely ordinary warriors. Some reports suggested that Liuli could transform into a giant tigress during battle, but among a coalition of warriors, this was not particularly noteworthy.

The beastfolk did not fear conventional strength. What truly concerned them was formidable magic. In an era where the great shamanic traditions had nearly vanished, there was almost no force left in the wilds capable of countering such power.

“He is a half-elf!” The elders had repeatedly reminded the chieftains. “There has never been a half-elf who established a clan on the plains!”

The renowned shaman master of the Icy Sea, Boulder, had gone missing during the final battle between the seven major clans and Nagrand. It was precisely after his disappearance that the northern Icy Sea clans had chosen to submit. 

This forced the Stampede Plateau chieftains to consider a troubling possibility—where had this Sidre the mage come from? Was his goal to carve out a kingdom of his own? To conquer? Or was he a planted agent meant to weaken the beastfolk’s strength? Or even worse—was he bait, meant to lure out the last remaining great shamans so they could be eliminated?

Was the Xuanyuan faith merely a smokescreen, or was it a tool crafted by the elves to cleanse and subvert the beastfolk’s beliefs?

Was Sidre Wu a lackey of the elves? Was Nagrand itself a grand deception?

Killing him would certainly be the simplest and most thorough solution, but even setting aside the cost required to eliminate him, what would happen afterward?

Of the four confirmed powerhouses in Nagrand, only two had come on this trip. If Sidell Wu and Anna Williams were slain, how would they deal with the inevitable retaliation, especially from the elusive assassin Xeila? If they truly were agents of the elves, would killing them bring swift retribution from the elven empire?

“This man has nothing to do with the elves,” said the chieftain of the Southern Pasadena clan. “The half-elves in Lapusia know nothing about him. Neither in Red Plateau City nor in Giant’s Keep has anyone heard of his name.”

“What are you all so afraid of?” Quinn of the Warsong clan roared. “You’re acting like a bunch of cowardly deer! Where is your courage? Your honor? If he really is an elven lackey, then killing him is our duty! And if he isn’t, then we have even less to worry about! An assassin? Hah! If you fear her revenge, then put all the blame on me. I will bear that risk. You can all stay here while we march on Nagrand, take its riches, and burn it to the ground.”

The chieftains of the southern clans howled in agreement, jeering at Storm and the others for their hesitation.

“War! War!” they chanted. “Slaughter them all!”

“Our warriors should already be in the mountains north of Red Plateau City under High Chieftain Aquero’s command. From there, it’s just a day’s march to Nagrand,” said the representative of the Northern Pasadena clan. “If we strike here and kill Sidre, half of Nagrand’s strength will be wiped out. The rest will be nothing to fear. Per our agreement, you will claim all their wealth, while we take their lands. The ratfolk will all become slaves. The IcySea will be ours! High Chieftain, what are you hesitating for?”

“Even if we don’t act here, Aquero will,” another beastman sneered at Storm. “He is a true warrior.”

Storm’s expression remained uncertain. The power displayed by those beastkin troubled him—this was a factor they had not accounted for. What if they were far stronger than expected? What if Nagrand had a hidden force yet to be revealed?

“Let us vote,” Quinn bellowed. “Those who will fight for our ancestors, our honor, and our courage, who will join us in slaughtering these wicked invaders, drinking their blood, seizing their lands and wealth, taking their women, and making them all our slaves, step forward and stand with me!”