Chapter 72: Chapter 71: Don’t Tell Me It’s Self-Staged

“A Beast Tide is no laughing matter. Why don’t you send some capable beastmen to investigate first? If this is real, we can hurry up and prepare. If it’s fake, then we won’t have to live in suspense.

As for these young beastmen, whether to reward or punish them is merely a matter of your word.

However, Ji Liang and his group don’t seem like the type to cause trouble for no reason. It would be better for us to take this seriously.”

Xu Lie spoke with exceptional sincerity, hoping the City Lord would grant him this favor. If a Beast Tide were to head straight for Puchang City, it definitely wouldn’t be an ordinary one!

Even if they ignored it and continued on their way to the Central Continent, they might still get caught in the aftermath of the Beast Tide.

Shi Fu chuckled. “Master Xu, since when have you become so quick to believe any rumor?

We have hundreds of thousands of beastmen in Puchang City. Are you telling me not a single capable one has sensed a Beast Tide, yet these newcomers, who haven’t even been in the city for half a day, are already making a fuss?

In the Central Continent, do you know what this is called? The grave crime of disturbing the peace!

They probably heard that Puchang City didn’t hold its spring hunt this year and thought they’d found a great opportunity to make a name for themselves. And they claim to have received a revelation from the Beast God.

Hah! Even the High Priest doesn’t have that ability!”

Ji Liang also chuckled. “City Lord, do you not even have the slightest intention of sending a team to verify the truth and eliminate this potential threat?

The safety of hundreds of thousands of beastmen rests on your decision, as does your own life and death.

In the Central Continent, isn’t there a saying? ’It’s better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn’t.’ If the Beast Tide is real, you might barely escape with your life to the Central Continent, but you won’t have the supreme power you enjoy now!”

Shi Fu’s heart trembled slightly.

He truly didn’t care about the lives of other beastmen, but as a high-ranking beastman himself, he greatly enjoyed the feeling of holding power.

Even the slightest threat to his authority was a major issue!

“Hah! And what if I send beastmen to investigate and they prove this so-called Beast Tide of yours is fake?” Shi Fu asked with a cold sneer, his eyes narrowed as he stroked the pair of ivory tusks he refused to part with even in his human form.

Ji Liang said flatly, “We will be at your disposal.”

Shi Fu’s slightly cloudy eyes turned to Si Shuo as he laughed. “Fine. Then let this Si Shuo Divine Female stay behind and bear a few female cubs for Puchang City to atone for spreading these malicious rumors!”

The moment his voice fell, several of the males clenched their fists in anger.

They believed in Si Shuo, and they believed in Xu Chi. The heads of Puchang City’s hundreds of thousands of beastmen were already stretched out, waiting to be reaped.

But they couldn’t stand seeing Si Shuo being looked down upon and insulted!

Si Shuo pulled back Gong You, who was in front of her, and asked coldly, “And what if the Beast Tide is real?”

Shi Fu let out a low laugh. ’How long has it been since Puchang City last had a Beast Tide? How could they be so unlucky as to run into one just because they missed a single spring hunt?’

“Then I’ll be at your disposal. How about that?” he sneered. He was curious to see what they were plotting.

Si Shuo nodded. “Alright. If there really is a Beast Tide, we want absolute command in dealing with it!”

Hearing this, Shi Fu couldn’t help but roar with laughter. “Don’t tell me you’re staging this whole thing yourselves, driving a random herd of Wild Beasts toward Puchang City or using some trick to herd a small Beast Tide over here.

And then you’ll command the beastmen to suppress it, so you can show off your power in Puchang City and replace me?”

Si Shuo raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smile. “City Lord, not everyone is like you, with a mind full of nothing but power, thinking everyone is after your position.

This Beast Tide consists of over a million Frenzied Fierce Beasts. Do you think we have that kind of capability?

If this disaster weren’t so sudden and violent, the Beast God wouldn’t have given me a sign!”

She spoke with such conviction that Shi Fu felt a flicker of unease. He forced a smile. “Fine. As long as this Beast Tide is of medium scale or larger, you can command the defense.”

’Hah, a medium-scale Beast Tide or larger… is that something so easily suppressed?’

’He’d never seen people so determined to walk into their own graves.’

Si Shuo lowered her gaze slightly and continued, “We’re also concerned that the City Lord hasn’t seen real combat in too long, which might cause delays and make us miss the optimal window to resist the Beast Tide.

In reality, if we defend Puchang City, you are the one who benefits, City Lord. We are merely travelers passing through on our way to the Central Continent!”

Shi Fu’s expression darkened slightly as he stroked his ivory tusks. After a moment of thought, he said:

“If things are truly as you say, and you successfully defend Puchang City, then I am willing to give you a manor outside Guangshou City in the Central Continent.”

Guangshou City was the largest Beast City in the Central Continent of the Beast World, and it was the most civilized and prosperous city of all. It was surrounded by nearly a hundred other Beast Cities and large tribes of varying sizes, which together formed an impenetrable stronghold for beastman life.

The Border City District, on the other hand, was a battlefield where beastmen fought Fierce Beasts. Every beastman family within this stronghold had a monthly quota for killing Fierce Beasts.

Ultimately, the more central a city, the safer it was. Guangshou City could be described as a holy land that everyone on the entire Beast World Continent flocked to!

Land there was worth its weight in gold. Shi Fu himself had only established his connections and secured his own territory by sending a steady stream of Female Saints and other females with good fertility to the Central Continent each year.

Si Shuo looked at Ji Liang. Seeing him nod, she accepted the offer.

This matter allowed for no carelessness. They immediately invited the High Priest, Nalan, a Level Twelve Vermilion Bird beastman, and under the witness of Xu Lie, they finalized the agreement before the Beast God Statue.

Afterward, Ji Liang didn’t stand on ceremony and selected about a hundred beastmen with diverse skills, outstanding abilities, a strong sense of responsibility, and who would obey commands.

He took out a piece of Beast Skin and a charcoal pencil, then sketched out the terrain around Puchang City. “This is Puchang City. To the north is the Dongye Forest, only a six-day journey from here. If a Beast Tide erupts, the Fierce Beasts inside will definitely be affected. Even though the Tai Lu Mountain Range provides a barrier, there are still many canyons that pass through it. We must set up defensive lines in these places beforehand to prevent being attacked from both front and rear…

To the east, there’s a river that flows into the sea. Although it’s ten beast-lengths wide and the current is swift, many Fierce Beasts can swim, and they’ll be even more fearless once frenzied. It’s still a natural barrier that can weaken the Beast Tide, so we’ll set up some defenses on both banks… This is our most viable escape route, where we can work with other tribes to set up multiple defensive lines to wear down the Beast Tide…

To the west is a scrubland, where venomous creatures like snakes, rats, insects, and ants can easily hide. We’ll send Earth Element Ability Users to clear multiple paths, both horizontal and vertical, in advance… If necessary, we can use a concentrated fire attack to burn them out without setting the entire scrubland ablaze…

Our biggest threat is the large forest to the south. This is the primary area we will investigate for the source of the Beast Tide!”

After analyzing the terrain, he pointed to the area south of the city, which was also the primary area where beastmen went for the spring hunt in previous years.

This area was actually quite vast. Based on the two-to-three-day travel distance of Frenzied Fierce Beasts, the affected zone would form a large arc.

However, given the scale of the Beast Tide this time, they should easily spot something wrong if they headed directly for the centerline to investigate!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep