Chapter 186 - 148: Craving Someone’s Body_1

Chapter 186: Chapter 148: Craving Someone’s Body_1The iron ore was of slightly lower quality than the one from Old Axe Village, but it was cheaper, abundant, and most importantly, it was a hundred kilometers closer than traveling to Old Axe Village. Even a farmer with no business experience could see at a glance which option to choose, not to mention those shrewd merchants who were as clever as monkeys. Instead of loading their carts before reaching Blackwell Tribe, they would do the opposite by emptying their vehicles as much as possible, preparing to load iron ore at Blackwell Tribe—an empty cart travels faster, more conveniently, and with lower risk on the mountain roads. Now, the iron mines of Old Axe Village had piles of unshipped ores stacking up in the caves, and Shanoba was fretting about it. The appearance of a middle-aged woman acted as a fuse, igniting Shanoba’s frustration. Shanoba spotted the guide arranged by the Santarin Association, but there was no intention to meet up. She wouldn’t work for the Santarin Association; that was a quagmire. Compared to the actions of the Dark Intelligence Net, she was clean as a white lotus. Her current visit to Blackwell Tribe was purely out of a desire for revenge; she was curious to see what the Blackwell Tribe, forced to squeeze her out and unable to sustain itself, was really about. Especially given her inherent advantage over the Gnolls. Locating the Blackwell Tribe wasn’t difficult, for it was bustling with activity in stark contrast to the deserted Old Axe Village. From above, Shanoba had a clearer viewpoint. Among these merchant caravans, there were not only those of Humans but also Gnolls pulling small carts, all stuffed to the brim. Elsewhere, an encounter between Humans and Gnolls, even if it didn’t lead to drawn swords, would still be tense. But here, at most, they would keep a watchful distance and then mind their own business. Occasionally, a well-equipped Gnoll squad of twelve would patrol the mountain roads, each one striding with pride and morale as high as any patrolling Knight. Merchants, be they Human or Gnoll, would invariably bow in respect when they saw these patrol squads. Beyond the Gnoll patrols along the mountain path, everywhere were groups of Gnolls, appearing in batches, sometimes a dozen, sometimes several dozen. In one particular area, the terrain was densely packed with hundreds of Gnolls. Upon closer inspection, these turned out to be construction sites. The Gnolls were engaged in repairing and widening the road, working with fervor. Although smaller in stature, these Gnolls had considerable strength, wielding their slightly smaller miners’ picks quite forcefully. Shanoba even forgot her original purpose, transforming her body again to retain only a pair of black dragon wings, her form reverting to humanoid as she sneakily observed the Gnolls’ construction work in detail. If you were to compare the work efficiency of an individual Gnoll to that of a human miner from Old Axe Village, the former certainly wouldn’t measure up—physical limitations aside, the strength of these Gnolls wasn’t even on par with a human teenager, let alone an adult accustomed to strenuous labor. But there was no underestimating their numbers. The human miners of Old Axe Village, taken together, couldn’t match the number of Gnolls at a single large construction site. With so many Gnolls working together, the speed was impressive. Most significantly, Shanoba found no Gnolls shirking their work. She hardly saw any overseers; occasionally a few Gnolls would wander back and forth, acting as coordinators. Once finished, they too would pick up a miner’s pick and join in the labor. They were building a road, not mining; there were no profits to entice them. Why were these Gnolls working so tirelessly? For human miners, this wasn’t just unlikely, it was unimaginable. "Demolition! Demolition! Demolition!" With a chorus of barking from the Gnolls. All of the Gnolls at the construction site picked up their tools and in a matter of seconds, cleared the area without confusion, as though they knew exactly what they needed to do. Accompanying a series of muffled explosions, several obstructive boulders and a section of the mountain at the Gnolls’ work site simultaneously cracked open, releasing plumes of white, acidic-smelling gas. After waiting for a minute or two, the Gnolls rushed back with several carts, efficiently dealing with the debris—picking up smaller stones, loading larger ones onto carts, and working together to push the carts. The division of labor was very clear. It didn’t take long for the road to be cleared again, with the rubble being dumped in a narrow area earmarked for widening. This scene left Shanoba dumbstruck. The Gnolls were using alchemical bombs for road construction! This was simply a waste of precious resources. If used for mining, wouldn’t the speed of iron ore extraction be astonishing? Wait. It was something even she could see at a glance; the veteran miners would have certainly understood and likely applied it to their everyday mining work already. They were merely applying mining techniques to road construction. Searᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If these Gnolls were this professional at road construction, they must be even more so at mining. At that moment, a wave of excitement washed over Shanoba. How had she failed to notice before that these little creatures scattered all over the Rocklands were so capable? If she had known earlier, with her Dragonborn status, she certainly could have called a large number in one fell swoop. Wrong. Ten years ago. There had been a group of Gnolls which had served her as master, but they were incredibly slow-witted; at best, they could bring her some wild game every day. They couldn’t even clean her cave properly. Once she had abandoned that temporary residence, she no longer wanted to deal with these noisy little creatures. Perhaps it was then, when the Gnolls’ foolish image was deeply etched into her perception, on a par with roadside weeds that she never gave a second glance. Shanoba excitedly transformed back into a wyvern and took to the air. This caused some commotion among the Gnoll construction crew below, many of whom became jittery, nearly dropping to their knees. This situation made Shanoba laugh with delight, which came out as a deep roar. Although the Santarin Association isn’t exactly reputable, their plans are relatively reliable. The innate worship of Giant Dragons by Gnolls is well-known, and Shanoba understands this profoundly. Should she face a Giant Dragon, her scheming would definitely be in vain. But when dealing with a Half-Elf, she holds an absolute advantage, and taking control of the Gnoll Tribe from them would be a matter of minutes. Very soon, Shanoba arrived above the Blackwell Tribe and began to hover in low circles. This was her most favored tactic. It not only allowed her to observe the enemy and gauge their strength by their reactions, finding their weaknesses for an easy strike. But it also enabled her to create panic with her notorious reputation, leading merchant caravans to collapse without a fight and flee, leaving behind their goods – a scenario she relished. This time, she intended to use not only her fearsome name but also the influence of the Giant Dragon Bloodline among the Gnolls. "A Wyvern! That’s a Wyvern, everybody run!" "No, wait, that’s not a regular Wyvern, I recognize those wings, that’s the Black Dragoness... that fiendish bandit..." "The Black Dragoness? Wasn’t she eradicated by Komeer’s War Mage Special Task Force? She hasn’t been seen in the Rocklands for a while. How come she’s suddenly reappeared? Could someone have resurrected her?" "That’s just rumors, until the War Mages publicly display her head, we can’t be certain they actually fought her or not. It’s still a mystery!" "Wasn’t the Black Dragoness always active in the western part of the Rocklands? How did she suddenly come to the east?" "You’re asking me? Hurry up, hide! The Gnolls will definitely handle this." ... "All non-combatant Gnolls, retreat into the mines; all combatant Gnolls, to your battle stations. Do not leave your post without authorization, anyone who does will be dealt with by martial law." "Prepare all Ballista Carts and Ballistas, do not fire without command." "All flying units, stay put, do not take off without command." The reaction on the ground was polarized. The most panicked were the human merchants conducting trade here; many of them were old-timers from the High Road and immediately recognized Shanoba. Many just dropped their wares and darted into the nearby stone houses – after all, their goods were either various stored grains or freshly loaded iron ores. All were bulky items that a Wyvern couldn’t carry off by the cartloads. Although these merchants had hidden themselves, they remained vigilant, peeping outside, curious about how the Blackwell Tribe would handle this crisis. The response of the Gnolls was not only unexpected by Shanoba but also by the merchants. While some commotion indeed arose, they didn’t simply kneel and surrender. On the contrary, within minutes they bared their fangs and claws. Ten guard towers, seven to eight meters tall, simultaneously lifted their sunshade camouflage to reveal large Ballistas underneath. This was just a portion of it; some of the camouflaged cave openings on the surrounding hillsides were also removed, and out came more Ballistas interspersed with three large Catapults. Shanoba herself was startled by this sight, silently grateful she hadn’t recklessly descended. Even the merchants gasped in shock, internally cursing whichever unscrupulous merchant had sold such lethal weapons to the Gnolls. Weren’t they afraid that one day these weapons could be turned against them? Lucky for them! Lucky that they were honest merchants, otherwise, they’d die without knowing how. The placement of the Gnolls’ Ballistas was particularly nefarious. It not only covered the inner square but the outer square used for the trade market as well, encompassing all their transactions under the Ballistas’ watch. Shanoba’s heart cursed the middle-aged woman and the Santarin Association thoroughly, from head to toe. What nonsense about a ’Dark Intelligence Net’ being the best in the world. If they had anti-air capabilities, how come such critical Intel wasn’t investigated properly? If she hadn’t been cautious, she would surely have been shot like a sieve. Yet, she felt unwilling to just flee in defeat. Not knowing before, but now being aware of the unusual nature of Blackwell Tribe, naturally made her covet their position... no, the Leader’s seat. Just by the number of caravans gathered at their doors, it wasn’t hard to imagine the Tribe having a daily fortune, far surpassing any robbery. She must find a way to seize this gold mine for herself; this would be the biggest deal of her life. Once successful, she could live off it for a lifetime. But how? How should she seize it? The Santarin Association? Ha! They are nothing but a bunch of devils that consume people without spitting out their bones. Whether they are willing to pay a hefty price or not is one thing, but even if they do take over this iron mine, it’s likely she wouldn’t even get a sip of the soup. The real profits would be taken away by the Dark Intelligence Net. And in the Rocklands, this outsider strong dragon must take into account Komeer, the local serpent. Those War Mages don’t get involved in minor skirmishes, but they won’t ignore serious threats to the High Road, especially the Santarin Association, a notoriously ambitious and wicked organization known to all. This is the last resort when pushed into a corner. Everything still depends on herself. If a Half-Elf can gather so many Gnolls with his own strength, there’s no reason a Dragonborn like her couldn’t do the same. Once she assembles a significant Gnoll army, she’ll return.