Chapter 400: New Believer (1/2)

After learning that the Players had returned to the Long-Ears’ village at the Western Continent, both Rangka and Laybit clearly felt relieved.

Even so, they did not waste any time to continue on their journey home, with the Curly-Horns’ Woolsprout in tow.

The Long-Ears were champions at marathons. Though their endurance were not as strong as that of humans’ (Humans of this world were somewhat different from Earth humans, with stronger physical aspects), their top speed and acceleration were far above than that of humans or most other nonhumans. In other words, they were their own best horse and therefore needed no horse.

That was exactly why although Rangka thought that bringing the Curly-Horns’ princess along back to their tribe lands was nothing but dead weight.

Still, he eventually decided that it was not the case.

While the Sheeple did not have the habit of rearing livestock, but they did domesticate horned antelopes as a way to travel for long-distance trade.

Those antelopes were once so abundant everywhere over the Vierlin Plains they were a disaster, but now they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, only their endless corpses and bones was proof that their kind had once flourished, and that fact only made it clear how much damage Swordtail Grayclaw’s tyranny had inflicted upon the plains.

As a matter of fact, the Curly Horns had kept the horned antelopes’ enclosure were some distance away from their village, so as to avoid the prying eyes of the meat-eating nonhumans. It was basically a cavern dug of the ground which entrance had been covered in tall grass, which could not be seen if not observed carefully.

Moreover, Saber-Tooth Tigermen feces were placed around the enclosure to interfere with the sense of any predators and meat-eating nonhumans. That was why although the antelope in the enclosures looked skinny and weak due to lack of grass, their spirit and health were still assured.

And once Woolsprout swapped walking for riding the one-horned antelope, she moved more than a notch quicker.

With that, they would be able to return to the village soon.

Nonetheless, as the old saying goes, ‘the road to happiness is strewn with setbacks’—soon after leaving the Curly-Horns settlement, Rangka felt danger with his sharp Long-Ear senses.

They were being shadowed!

However, shadowing was clearly not their day job, or perhaps those pursuers were simply not worried about Rangka’s group. They strutted along without hiding their enmity, staying behind them unhurriedly.

Rangka, who was the brains of his own group had no intention of stopping either, and simply clenched his teeth as he led Laybit and Woolsprout in running.

He had a hunch that Swordtail Grayclaw had learned that the oppressed nonhumans were considering an alliance to rebel against his tyranny. Therefore, he had sent his elite champions to ambush and kill envoys of those tribes to prevent them from communicating, without igniting a major tribal war!

That move was simple, direct but effective. Even if the oppressed nonhumans were in a hurry to form their alliance, the fact that their own envoys were not returning would cause doubt towards their potential allies—no matter how understanding they might be.

While that doubt would be wiped away should any one envoy survive, on the more likely outcome that they did not, the tribal chiefs would have to make huge gestures and personally meet one another, or the misunderstandings would not go away.

Moreover, the intent of Swordtail’s plan seemed to be for buying time, instead of sabotaging the alliance of the oppressed tribes…

And that hunch left Rangka extremely uncomfortable. Who knows what could happen when Swordtail really showed his hand?!

“Uncle, we can’t continue on like this!” Laybit said decisively then. “Our stamina would continue to drop, and when we fatigue, we are not getting away if they attack!”

“I know!” Rangka said, taking a deep breath and turned to Woolsprout. “Could your antelope carry one more?”

“It might.” She nodded.

“Good. Laybit, you’re light. Ride along with Lady Woolsprout and escape.”

“Wait! What about you, uncle?” Laybit knew what Rangka was getting at—he appeared to have no plans of leaving.

“Someone has to slow them down,” Rangka sighed with melancholy. “Or none of us are getting away.”

Even so, he did not believe that he was wrong in saving his nephew—even before the Players came to them, the older Long-Ears had all made their resolve to sacrifice themselves for the younger generation when a decisive moment comes.