Chapter 247: Seizing the Salt Well

Sora thought for a moment before turning toward Mark.

"Be careful since you’re here. Did you come out alone just now?"

Mark stared at her in disbelief.

"Do you see a third person here?"

Sora remained expressionless.

"Who knows if you’re with Red Frost?"

The moment he heard that, Mark’s face darkened.

"Kaelira, are you sick?"

He couldn’t understand why she kept bringing Red Frost into everything.

"Going to the Salt Well is such an important matter. Why would I bring Red Frost? Besides, Father specifically said this operation must be carried out in secret."

Sora studied his expression for a moment.

Seeing that Mark truly hadn’t told Red Frost anything, she didn’t continue questioning him.

"As long as you didn’t. Let’s go."

The group immediately continued toward the Salt Well Cave under the cover of darkness.

The night was quiet, and the surrounding wilderness was almost completely swallowed by darkness. The Wolf Tribe members moved carefully, making as little noise as possible.

Several Black Pig Beastmen followed behind them at a distance.

However, the Black Pig Beastmen’s Beast Ranks were not high enough to maintain the same speed as Sora and the others.

Before long, several of them began falling behind.

Their breathing became heavier, and their movements slowed.

Mambo glanced back at them, his expression filled with frustration.

"Useless things. You can’t even keep up with such a short distance."

He pointed toward the exhausted Beastmen.

"You few, go back and report the news to Madam."

The Black Pig Beastmen had no choice but to obey.

They turned around and hurried back toward the Black Pig Tribe under the cover of night.

Meanwhile, Sora and the others continued forward.

It didn’t take long before they finally reached the Salt Well Cave.

Sora entered the cave and carefully examined the surroundings.

Everything appeared normal.

No one had disturbed the Salt Well.

Only after confirming this did she finally relax.

She raised her hand.

Water immediately surged upward from the Salt Well.

The saltwater was drawn out in large quantities and flowed toward the prepared earthen pits.

Ace, Lucas, and Xavier immediately continued digging the pits, working quickly and efficiently.

Lukan, Ryan, and the other Beastmen they had brought along began digging the channels needed to guide the saltwater.

Everyone already knew what they needed to do.

There was no need for Sora to waste time giving instructions.

The entire process proceeded smoothly.

Meanwhile, Mark had been assigned to work in dead Valley together with Damien and Nick Wilde.

Their task was to boil the saltwater and burn Plant Ash so they could prepare the Purify Salt.

Everything had been arranged beforehand.

Because the Salt Well was so valuable, Sora didn’t dare waste any time.

As long as they could transport enough salt away before dawn, they could avoid exposing the location too early.

At the same time, Serena quickly rushed over after hearing that Sora had begun transporting salt.

She hid nearby and watched the Wolf Tribe members moving back and forth.

A secret smile appeared in her eyes.

I finally found it.

So the Salt Well really is here.

Desolate Earth Ridge.

She had spent so much effort searching for this place.

Now, the mystery was finally solved.

Mambo watched the Wolf Tribe members carrying the salt.

His eyes gradually turned red with excitement.

"It really is salt!"

He immediately turned toward Serena.

"Madam, I’ll go back and tell the Chief right now. We can have him bring people here and snatch the salt!"

"Come back."

Serena immediately stopped him.

"Snatch what?"

Her voice was calm and unusually rational.

"With our strength, do you really think we can win a fight for it?"

Mambo froze.

Serena narrowed her eyes.

The strongest Beastman in the Black Pig Tribe had been Henry, who was previously only Rank Four.

Even if he were close to breaking through, how could he compare with the Wolf Tribe’s five Rank Five Beastmen?

But then Serena’s gaze landed on Nick Wilde.

She paused.

Wait.

Why is Nick Wilde here too?

And more importantly—

Nick Wilde had already broken through Rank Four.

He was now a Rank Five Beastman.

Serena’s expression became slightly unpleasant.

Nick Wilde had already broken through, while Henry had still shown no signs of advancement.

What a useless waste.

She had already begun wondering whether she needed to find another Beastman.

Mambo looked at her anxiously.

"Then, Madam, what do we do now?"

Serena’s eyes remained fixed on the Salt Well Cave.

"Just wait for now."

She spoke calmly.

"When they finish moving the salt, it will be our turn."

She didn’t believe Martin could send people to guard this place day and night.

Judging from Sora’s movements, they should be able to finish transporting everything within one night.

Once the Wolf Tribe left, the Salt Well Cave would be theirs.

However, Serena’s thoughts returned to Nick Wilde.

Why had he come here?

She couldn’t understand why Sora would bring another Rank Five Beastman along for such an important task.

Mat also looked toward the cave.

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with the Black Pig Tribe’s strength.

However, since Serena had already forbidden them from acting recklessly, he remained silent.

Serena turned toward him.

"You keep an eye on things here. I’m going back to tell the Chief about the situation."

"Yes, Madam."

Serena turned around.

Henry had been in secluded cultivation for a long time, and she didn’t know whether he had successfully broken through.

If he couldn’t advance soon, she felt that she would have to find someone else.

The Jackal Beast Tribe next door wasn’t bad.

Although their Beastmen were slightly less attractive than those of the Black Pig Tribe, they had four Rank Five Beastmen.

Serena wanted to be like Sora.

She wanted more high-rank Beastmen around her.

That way, when the time came to settle scores with her enemies, she wouldn’t be placed at a disadvantage.

With those thoughts in mind, Serena climbed onto the back of a Black Pig Beastman and began making her way back.

By the time Serena returned to the Black Pig Tribe, Henry had already come out of secluded cultivation.

The moment he saw her, Henry hurried forward and grabbed her hand.

His face was filled with joy.

"Serena, where did you go?"

He looked at her affectionately.

"I searched for you for a long time but couldn’t find you."

Serena calmly pulled her hand away.

"I went out for a while."

She smiled.

"Henry, I have good news for you."

Henry chuckled.

"What a coincidence. I also have good news for you."

Serena was startled.

"You broke through your Beast Rank?"

Henry nodded proudly.

"That’s right."

He lifted his chin slightly.

"I am now a Rank Five Beastman."

Serena’s eyes widened.

"That’s wonderful! Henry, you’re amazing!"

Her praise immediately made Henry even happier.

"Serena, what is your good news?"

Serena’s eyes curved into a smile.

"I found the Salt Well Cave."

Henry’s expression instantly changed.

"Really?"

His excitement was obvious.

"Then we won’t have to worry about salt in the future!"

He immediately turned as if he were about to gather the entire Tribe.

"I’ll gather everyone right now and have them go mine the salt."

Serena quickly caught his hand.

"No rush."

She shook her head.

"It’s too late now. We’ll talk about it tomorrow."

Henry didn’t question her.

"Whatever you say."

His eyes were still filled with affection.

Then his gaze fell toward Serena’s belly.

He gently touched it.

"Serena, you promised me."

His voice became eager.

"Now that I’m a Rank Five Beastman, are you going to give me a little cub?" ℯ𝔴ℯ

Before Serena could react, Henry picked her up and carried her directly into the Wooden Hut.

The moment they entered, Serena’s expression changed.

Henry had just come out of secluded cultivation.

He hadn’t bathed.

A heavy smell surrounded him.

Serena immediately covered her nose.

"Mmph... what is that smell?"

Henry looked confused.

"On me?"

He sniffed himself.

"I just came out of seclusion and haven’t bathed yet."

Serena pushed against him.

"Go take a bath first. Then we’ll talk."

Henry, however, was filled with excitement.

"Let me enjoy myself first."

His voice was affectionate.

"Serena, I haven’t seen you for seven days. I missed you so much."

"Henry!"

"Serena, having a little cub is more important."

Serena spent the entire time holding her breath.

She wanted to push him away, but she remembered the promise she had made to him.

In the end, she could only endure it silently.

Unfortunately, the smell was simply too overwhelming.

Before long, Serena couldn’t bear it anymore and fainted from the stench.

Meanwhile, at the Salt Well Cave, Sora continued working.

Remembering that the dragons also had no salt, she drew out far more saltwater than she had the previous time.

Her Water Elemental Ability had already reached Level Seven.

For her, extracting a larger amount of water was no longer difficult.

The real challenge was the people responsible for handling and packing the salt.

They had to work quickly.

Everyone needed to finish before dawn.

Otherwise, there was a risk that someone would discover them.

Fortunately, Damien and Nick Wilde, who had recently joined the operation, contributed greatly.

Especially Damien.

Sora had never seen him work like this before.

She had no idea he could move so quickly.

At times, she even wondered whether her eyes were deceiving her.

Damien seemed much faster than the other Rank Five Beastmen.

Sora couldn’t help glancing at him several times as he worked.

Since Mark would be responsible for purifying salt in the future, Sora also took this opportunity to teach him carefully.

She explained every step.

She wanted him to remember the entire process.

Fortunately, although Mark could sometimes be somewhat muddled, he learned surprisingly quickly.

After Sora demonstrated the process several times, he gradually understood what to do.

The night passed quickly.

They spent the entire night boiling saltwater in dead Valley.

By the time the first signs of dawn appeared, they had finally finished purifying all the salt.

Everyone was exhausted.

But seeing the piles of purified salt made their efforts worthwhile.

Once everything had been completed, Sora arranged for one Wolf Beastman to remain behind and guard the Salt Well Cave.

The others began transporting the purified salt back under the cover of darkness.

Early the next morning, Mat saw Sora’s group leaving.

He immediately turned around and rushed back to report to Serena.

The moment Serena heard that Sora had already left, she immediately instructed Henry to gather everyone from the Black Pig Tribe.

The group hurried toward the Salt Well Cave.

After running for some time, they finally arrived.

Their arrival caused a disturbance inside the cave.

The Wolf Beastman guarding the Salt Well immediately heard the noise.

He looked toward the entrance.

When he saw Serena and the Black Pig Beastmen entering, surprise flashed across his face.

He hadn’t expected them to appear here.

Before he could say anything, Henry moved.

A powerful Whirlwind Palm struck him.

The Wolf Beastman was killed instantly.

The cave fell silent.

Mat looked at the fallen Beastman with some concern.

"With someone dead, won’t the Wolf Tribe discover that we’ve arrived here?"

Serena raised an eyebrow.

"What is there to fear?"

Her voice remained calm.

"He was the only one here. No one saw us."

She glanced around the cave.

"Who knows who killed him?"

Mat immediately understood.

"The Chief’s Madam is indeed wise."

Mambo quickly echoed him.

"The Chief’s Madam is truly wise."

Henry, meanwhile, looked around the enormous cave.

"Serena, this Salt Well Cave is really big."

He looked amazed.

"No wonder those people wanted to harm you back then."

Serena’s expression changed slightly.

"Let’s not mention the past."

She walked toward the Salt Well.

"What we need to do now is get the salt out quickly."

She stood beside the Salt Well and looked down.

Several earthen pits had already been soaked with saltwater.

Around them were the traces left behind by Sora and the others during their work.

Serena’s gaze moved across the cave.

There were seven or eight Salt Wells before her.

Her eyes gradually filled with ambition.

This place contained an enormous amount of salt.

With the Salt Well Cave in her hands, she would no longer have to worry about obtaining salt.

More importantly, she would possess a valuable resource that could help her expand her own power.

Serena slowly clenched her hands.

The Salt Well was finally hers.