Chapter 145: Valley of the Plundering Tribe (16/19)
In the dim and miasma-filled Valley of Miasma, time was hard to discern. Jié Jié didn’t feel like he’d been guarding for very long.
Detel and his group had already found the meat Jié Jié had placed earlier. Behind the warrior who previously dared to attack him were two young Detels, who couldn’t contain their excitement as they danced around the meat.
Even Detels, with their more fearsome appearance compared to Ailu Cats, looked incredibly adorable when filled with joy.
Jié Jié stood up from his hiding spot and waved at the Detels.
The Detel warrior shielded his two companions behind him and let out a threatening growl.
Jié Jié merely pointed at the meat and then took out another piece of meat, waving it in front of them.
As he cautiously approached a few steps closer, the Detels’ reactions weren’t as extreme as before; they warily observed this unfamiliar monster.
After placing down the meat, Jié Jié retreated to create distance, pointing at the meat he had laid down.
“Meow?”
The Detels emitted confused sounds. The warrior darted forward alone, grabbing the meat and letting out a relaxed call towards the Sky Dog Beast:
“Meow meow meow~”
It must mean “thank you,” right?
Jié Jié scratched his cheek and gestured for him to follow.
The Detel warrior hesitated, gesturing at the two pieces of meat thrown by the monster, confirming that he wasn’t nearly as big as those two pieces of meat before slowly approaching Jié Jié.
“Meow~”
The Detel’s brows drooped, as if apologizing—was it because of the earlier attack?
What an adorable beastman tribe.
Jié Jié emitted a soothing grunt. Though language barriers existed, the Detel understood his meaning and scratched his head apologetically.
“Meow meow meow?”
What were the Detels saying? Seeing the Sky Dog Beast scratch his head, they pointed at the meat again.
Was he asking why they were given the meat, or how to obtain it?
Let’s answer both questions for them.
Jié Jié tentatively extended his claw. The Detel watched the slow-approaching claw, tensing his footpad but not retreating.
The fingers of the Sky Dog Beast covered the Detel’s head, gently petting and scratching.
Because I love furry cats, so I feed them.
As for the second question, Jié Jié retracted his finger and gestured for him to follow.
The Detel nodded, signaling his companions to take the meat back to the settlement before following the Sky Dog Beast alone.
Following the route from memory, Jié Jié wound east and west until he reached above the Grim Claw Dragon nest. Through the gaps in the Coral Land fossils, he could see the scene below.
This was the entrance to the Grim Claw Dragon nest, where most Grim Claw Dragons entered and exited.
They waited until they saw a Grim Claw Dragon bring back a Wind Drift Dragon from somewhere, entering its own nest.
“Meow?”
Detel shook his head and gestured wildly, indicating it would be difficult to snatch food from the Grim Claw Dragon.
“Squeak squeak.”
Jié Jié also shook his head, gesturing for him to wait a bit longer.
During the wait, he occasionally petted the Detel, marveling at how clever these cat-like beastmen were.
Once leaving the nest with a piece of meat, Jié Jié led him down a side path, sneaking into the Grim Claw Dragon’s nest, rummaging through the meat he hadn’t taken earlier, and finding some newly made Wind Drift Dragon cured meat crafted by Claw Brother.
“Meow!”
The Detel let out a delighted cry, rubbing his body against the Sky Dog Beast to express his gratitude.
He now understood where to get the meat.
“Shh!”
Jié Jié placed his finger on his huì to signal silence and used two fingers to indicate careful walking on the ground.
“Meow meow meow~”
The Detel nodded wildly, nodding while rubbing against Jié Jié.
Instead of rushing to move the meat, he mimicked Jié Jié’s gesture of hooking his fingers, signaling the Sky Dog Beast to follow him.
Jié Jié nodded and followed the Detel, winding east and west until finally entering the Detel tribe.
“Meow!”
The two previous Detels had already set the meat on the table. The other Detels showed great caution upon Jié Jié’s arrival.
“Meow~”
The Detel who returned with Jié Jié gestured wildly to communicate with them. The beastmen’s gazes towards Jié Jié gradually softened.
Most of the Detels’ weapons were made from bones in the Valley of Miasma, often in the form of long-handled blades and daggers, including the raiding knives seen earlier, all decorated with beautiful corals and feathers.
And when words fail, dance is the best language.
Having learned the way to obtain food, they danced wildly. Compared to the chaos and strange sounds during the Odd-Faced Tribe’s dances, the Detels’ dances were much simpler and more orderly.
After the dance ended, everyone began sharing the meat. When Jié Jié declined, the Detels appeared happy but somewhat guilty.
Perhaps worried that Jié Jié might eat too much, yet unwilling to offer nothing?
Finally, as he bid farewell and left, a plundering knife wrapped with red monster sinew was gifted to him by the chief of the Valley Plundering Tribe.
Another collectible added!
Unfortunately for Claw Brother, he might need to hunt more diligently in the future. This may not be a stable source of meat, but it counts as another method.
Hopefully, the Detels will be careful not to be discovered by the Grim Claw Dragons.
Jié Jié resumed his dark surveillance of the Corpse Suit Dragon, ensuring there wouldn’t be any major issues in the Valley of Miasma and that the Earth Pulse Energy within the Spiny Dragon was sufficient. He then decided to leave.
Unlike his arrival, Jié Jié didn’t choose to fly straight up when leaving; instead, he climbed upward along the dead land coral.
Occasionally encountering Grim Claw Dragons heading to the Coral Land Plateau to forage, he could also see the corpses of monsters lost here.
He often got lost in the coral, and whenever that happened, he turned into a Spiny Dragon, smashing through the coral to find a place to fly upwards before continuing.
By the time Jié Jié climbed onto the Coral Land Plateau, nearly half a year had passed since he left the investigation team.
But his recording of time wasn’t as meticulous as Robinson Crusoe’s, so he wasn’t entirely clear about this.
“Fresh air, bright sunshine!”
Climbing successfully from the underworld to the world of light, the joy of victory after self-training was so sweet.
If the Valley of Miasma was a dark hell, then the Coral Land Plateau was a sunny paradise.
The vast nutrients from the sinking corpses in the Valley of Miasma supplied this plateau, where various types of land coral blossomed like flowers, competing for beauty. Some taller corals reached into the clouds.
The clouds in the sky seemed almost within reach. But now, it was time for a good nap.
Casually swatting down a Fragrant Winged Dragon for food, Jié Jié, in his Spiny Dragon form, fell asleep instantly after lying down.
~~~~~
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