Chapter 234: Lizardmen Clans
“Be careful, there’s a pack of Raptors nearby!” Ya sniffed the air, her face changing drastically.
If there was anything Ya disliked encountering the most, a pack of Raptors would rank in the top three.
Raptors are natural hunters: strong, agile, cunning, ferocious, and skilled in cooperation. Even a seasoned hunter like Ya absolutely wouldn’t want to run into such an opponent.
“No, it’s Lizardmen!” Bai, living up to her elven heritage, had sharp eyesight. However, this news was even worse than encountering a pack of Raptors because, at the top of Ya’s most hated list were Lizardmen, followed by Behemoths and Raptors.
Raptors prefer to hunt in packs, but their numbers are limited by prey density and quantity. Their pack size ranges from three to five, or at most, ten to twenty. Any more would make cooperative hunting inefficient. They also wouldn’t relentlessly pursue prey. Therefore, as long as one was fast and avoided being surrounded, it was possible to evade a fight.
However, Lizardmen were different. They were the true rulers of the Savage Continent. Not only did they occupy the most resource-rich central region of the continent, but under the influence of outsiders, they had also established their own kingdoms and tribes. Their population and organization had exploded, making them increasingly formidable. The Beastkin, who had previously barely managed to survive, were forced to retreat into the cold mountains, resulting in a year-on-year decline in their numbers.
Furthermore, the Lizardmen still maintained their tradition of blood sacrifices to their gods, particularly favoring outsiders like them. Therefore, once they were discovered, the Lizardmen would become incredibly excited, completely disregarding their own casualties.
“I sense the taste of faith.” The Dragon Mother’s voice transmitted through the Domain into Owen’s mind, making him contemplate. It seemed he needed to investigate the nature of the Lizardmen’s faith. If there was no true god behind it, then to avoid waste, he would have the Dragon Mother take over this ownerless faith.
Owen felt helpless about this. Although he had promoted the Dragon Mother’s faith in Green Shade Town and Hydra Island, those believers only worshipped her because of him. Simply put, Owen was their primary object of faith. Therefore, all the believers were casual believers, the kind who worshipped any god they encountered, providing a rather limited amount of faith.
The Lizardmen had a large population and a primitive faith. It was known that the more primitive the faith, the purer it was, making them the most beloved lambs in the eyes of the gods.
With proper planning, it might be possible to gain a new territory of faith and utilize this opportunity to develop the Savage Continent, extending his territory’s influence to this region.
Ever since he learned that this world wasn’t the only one, Owen had planned to establish bases across various worlds. Only in this way could he truly be like the Hydra, where cutting off one head would result in two more growing in its place. No matter what kind of blow he suffered, it would be like pruning excess branches and leaves for his forces, ultimately beneficial. This was what it meant to be a qualified Hydra.
Soon, Owen had no time to dwell on these thoughts because they were about to be surrounded.
The Lizardmen were familiar with the terrain and had already set traps. Faced with encirclement from all sides, even Ya felt immense pressure.
Left with no choice, Ya jumped off her mount and sprinted on her long legs, surprisingly faster than the Chocobo, leading the way.
However, this would consume a lot of Ya’s stamina. Faced with the enemy’s encirclement, this was clearly not a wise move. Yet, only in this way could they have a chance of escaping the Lizardmen’s pursuit.
At this moment, the Raptor Squad truly displayed the strength of elite adventurers. Ya, as the hunter, dashed forward like a wolf, low to the ground, not only dodging traps but also accurately judging the direction of the Lizardmen’s encirclement. She always managed to lead the squad through gaps in the encirclement.
If Ya was the hound charging at the forefront, then Bai was the skilled hunter. Her firing rate wasn’t fast, but she was accurate and knew how to seize opportunities. She didn’t aim at the Lizardmen hunters who were about to intercept Ya but targeted the Lizardmen riders flanking them, creating slight obstructions and a bit of chaos, maintaining a fragile balance in this chase.
Zhi also made Owen reconsider his view of her as a pet. Her agile movements and nimble figure allowed her to maintain balance on the running Chocobo while skillfully using her crossbow, hidden weapons, and poisons. She was undoubtedly a qualified assassin.
However, even with all this, it wasn’t enough to escape the Lizardmen’s pursuit unless luck was on their side.
Owen had a feeling that the three of them weren’t truly serious yet. Although they hadn’t explicitly said it, they were waiting for him to make a move.
“Haste!” Owen didn’t forget he was a mage. So, instead of summoning Shikigami or puppets to launch a counterattack, he simply cast a basic first-circle Air magic spell, Haste, then sped off like a whirlwind, leaving the nearly encircling Lizardmen watching them disappear.
After breaking out of the encirclement, Ya was panting like a dog but had to continue running in circles. It was clear that the ancestors of hunters had passed down many useful experiences through their lives.
“Are Lizardmen always this crazy?” Owen soothed the Dragon Sheep, who hadn’t had enough of running, and asked Bai, who was adjusting her bowstring.
“They’re usually quite crazy, but we were just unlucky this time,” Bai said with a hint of helplessness, clearly knowing something.
“The Voodoo Clan and the Mother Clan are preparing for war. We ran into their advance troops.” Zhi, appearing from who knows where, said calmly.
“You got information?” Bai helped Zhi dust off the grass on her clothes.
“Yes, I saw traces left by the Ratmen nearby, so I went to inquire about the situation. It’s not good. Those Ratmen are preparing to migrate to avoid the war between the two Lizardmen clans.” Zhi frowned.
Migration wasn’t as simple as taking a walk or going camping. After leaving their complex tunnels and familiar environment, casualties were inevitable. If things went wrong, it could result in heavy losses. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one would choose to migrate. This indicated that the situation between the two Lizardmen clans wasn’t just a conflict but a full-blown war.
“Are these two Lizardmen clans very powerful?” Owen, already scheming, asked.
“Powerful isn’t enough to describe them.” Bai sighed and explained to Owen.
Initially, although the Lizardmen were divided into different tribes, they all bore the name “Mother Clan.” In simple terms, they were still in a matriarchal society, which was also related to the female lizards being larger and stronger.
However, with the opening of the teleportation array, external forces invaded this world, dividing the Lizardmen into different factions, primarily the Voodoo, Blood Skull, Black Claw, and the most ancient Mother Clan.
Just from their names, one could tell that the first three Lizardmen clans were formidable. Moreover, it was a three-on-one situation. Even though the Mother Clan was the most ancient and vast, it couldn’t withstand the relentless attacks of three strong opponents. Before long, it was forcefully divided into three parts: the Wood Mother residing in the forest, the Water Mother near the river, and the Mountain Mother at the foot of the mountains.
The Voodoo Clan was targeting the Mountain Mother and was the aggressor in this situation. This wasn’t good news for Ya and the others.
It wasn’t that they were saints, concerned for the Mountain Mother’s well-being. It was because the Mountain Mother’s existence acted as a barrier for the mountains. Once this barrier was gone, the Beastkin in the mountains would face the more aggressive Voodoo Clan.
