Chapter 251: Lucas Background

Black Pig Tribe

A large bonfire burned brightly in the middle of the Plaza.

The flames crackled and danced into the night sky, illuminating the faces of the Black Pig Tribe members gathered around it.

Laughter, singing, and rhythmic stomping filled the air.

The entire Tribe was celebrating.

They had successfully obtained salt from the Salt Well Cave.

For the Black Pig Tribe, this was an enormous victory.

Surrounded by the cheering crowd, Serena stood proudly in the center.

Around her neck hung a beautiful bone necklace.

It was not an ordinary decoration.

Only Beastmen who had made outstanding contributions to the Tribe could receive such an honor.

And tonight, everyone regarded Serena as the hero who had brought this victory to them.

Mat approached her with a broad smile.

"Madam, Ben, the leader of the Fire Jackal Tribe, has already gathered his strongest fighters and headed toward the Salt Well Cave."

He lowered his voice slightly.

"I believe that before long, both sides will suffer heavy losses."

Serena raised her eyebrows.

A proud smile appeared on her face.

"No rush."

She wasn’t in a hurry at all.

"Let’s wait a little longer. They should have just started fighting. Once both sides are seriously injured, we’ll head over."

Her eyes gleamed with calculation.

"That way, we can seize the Salt Well Cave without losing a single soldier."

Henry heard this and immediately laughed.

He wrapped his arms around Serena and spoke proudly.

"With Serena here, our Black Pig Tribe will only become stronger and stronger."

The surrounding Tribe members cheered even louder.

Serena smiled.

Everything was proceeding according to her expectations.

Wolf Tribe

Meanwhile, back at the Wolf Tribe, Lucas had already recounted everything that had happened at the Salt Well Cave to Martin.

Martin’s brows furrowed deeply.

"It seems the Salt Well Cave has been exposed after all."

His expression was serious.

"What are Kaelira’s plans?"

Ace answered slowly.

"The Fire Jackal Tribe will probably retaliate. They may even send more elites to occupy the Salt Well Cave."

"We should have the Leader prepare in advance."

Martin nodded.

"I’ll gather the Tribe members right now and have them set off for dead Valley."

He paused before asking,

"What about the dragons? Do they have any plans?"

Ace shook his head.

"Kaelira hasn’t said anything about them for now. We’re supposed to stay put."

"Alright."

Martin immediately made his decision.

"I’ll go let them know. Once everything is packed, I’ll have the Tribe members set off."

Because they were worried about a possible attack from the Fire Jackal Tribe, Lucas, Ace, and Ryan remained behind to guard the Wolf Tribe for an entire day.

They didn’t dare relax.

The enemy had already discovered the Salt Well Cave, and no one knew what Beacon Fire might do next.

Only after the Tribe had finally departed did two of them reluctantly return toward the Salt Well Cave.

Inside the cave, Nick Wilde, Xavier, and Lukan took turns keeping watch throughout the night.

None of them dared sleep deeply.

They were not only guarding against another attack from the Fire Jackal Tribe.

They were also wary of the mysterious fire bird who had suddenly appeared and abducted Sora.

No one knew where she had come from.

No one knew why she had targeted Sora.

And, most importantly, no one knew whether she would return.

Sora leaned against the cave wall, sleeping fitfully.

Although she had already used her Wood Element Ability to treat Damien’s external injuries, some wounds remained.

She was worried that he might develop a fever.

Because of that, she couldn’t truly fall asleep.

She remained half-conscious throughout the night, occasionally opening her eyes to check on him.

It wasn’t until the following morning that Sora suddenly felt warmth around her waist.

Her eyes slowly opened.

For a moment, she was confused.

Then she realized that Damien had apparently woken up at some point.

His hand was resting against her waist.

His fingers moved slightly as though he were deliberately caressing her.

The moment Damien realized Sora had noticed him, his dark eyes immediately glistened with tears.

"Lukan... Kaelira."

His voice sounded weak and pitiful.

"My back hurts."

Sora stared at him.

She looked at his hand.

Then she looked back at his face.

The fact that he still had the energy to behave this way made her instantly suspicious.

He was definitely pretending.

Sora grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her waist.

She was just about to ask him how his injuries really felt when Xavier’s purple eyes fixed coldly on Damien.

With a flick of his tail, Xavier deliberately placed it between Sora and Damien.

"Speak."

His voice was cold.

"What exactly happened yesterday?"

"And what’s the deal with that bird?"

As a Female, Sora didn’t have much combat experience.

It was normal for her not to recognize certain things.

But Damien had directly exchanged blows with that mysterious bird.

He should have noticed something.

Moreover, Xavier had long felt that Damien was much stronger than he appeared.

There was something about this Black Bear that never seemed simple.

The moment Xavier finished speaking, Nick Wilde and Lukan also woke up.

They immediately looked toward Damien.

They had questions of their own.

Damien narrowed his eyes slightly at Xavier’s enormous snake tail.

Instead of answering, he leaned toward Sora and rubbed his head against her neck.

His voice became pitiful.

"Kaelira, I’m not even recovered yet, and they’re already bullying me."

Sora felt ticklish when he rubbed against her neck.

She wanted to push him away.

But then she remembered what had happened yesterday.

Damien had protected her from that terrifying attack.

Because of that, she couldn’t bring herself to be too harsh with him.

She patted his shoulder.

"Move away from me first. My neck is too itchy."

Damien immediately looked at her.

"Itchy neck?"

His expression became strangely serious.

"Then should I blow on it for you?"

As he spoke, he opened his mouth and leaned closer.

Xavier’s brows immediately furrowed.

He grabbed Sora and pulled her away from Damien.

"Speak properly."

His gaze became colder.

"You’re injured, not castrated."

The blunt remark stunned everyone for a moment.

Then Sora couldn’t hold herself back.

She burst out laughing.

Xavier’s tongue really could be sharp sometimes.

Damien’s eyelids drooped.

His expression turned sarcastic.

"Some people are talking very tough now."

He glanced at Xavier.

"But if it weren’t for me yesterday, someone would already be gone."

Xavier fell silent.

He knew Damien was right.

Yesterday’s situation had happened too suddenly.

No one could have expected that mysterious bird to suddenly descend from the sky and abduct Sora.

Seeing that Xavier had nothing to say, Sora also understood that the incident couldn’t really be blamed on him.

She turned toward Damien.

"Enough. Stop teasing him and tell us something serious."

Her expression became solemn.

"What exactly was that Phoenix Token she used yesterday?"

"Why was it so powerful?"

Damien’s playful expression disappeared.

He became serious.

"From what I know, the Phoenix Token is a unique medallion possessed only by the Phoenix Elders."

"I don’t know how that bird obtained it yesterday."

He paused.

"Originally, the Phoenix Token was a technique that only Rank Nine or higher Heavenly Beasts could use."

Sora’s eyes widened.

"Rank Nine?"

Damien nodded.

"However, her own strength seems somewhat weaker than that. Because of this, she could only unleash around seventy percent of the Phoenix Token’s true power."

"Even so, its strength was still extremely formidable."

Sora’s heart tightened.

A technique belonging to Rank Nine or higher Heavenly Beasts?

No wonder she hadn’t been able to withstand it.

If Damien hadn’t appeared in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Before anyone could continue the discussion, a surprised voice suddenly came from the cave entrance.

"What did you say?"

Everyone turned.

Lucas had returned.

He stared at Damien in disbelief.

"That bird from yesterday could use the Phoenix Token?"

Seeing Lucas arrive, Sora immediately became curious.

"Why are you here?"

She looked behind him.

"Has Father and everyone else already set off?"

Ryan nodded.

"The Leader has already departed."

"He was worried about you, so he sent us over."

Sora frowned.

"But if you’ve all come here, they might not be safe."

Ryan immediately explained,

"The Leader took the back roads with the others. The Fire Jackal Tribe shouldn’t be able to find them."

Hearing that, Sora finally relaxed.

She had been worried that the Tribe would become a target while everyone was gathered around the Salt Well Cave.

But Lucas’s reaction to the Phoenix Token had caught everyone’s attention.

Lukan looked at him.

"What is wrong with using the Phoenix Token?"

"You sound as though you know that bird."

Lucas shook his head.

"Only the elders of the Phoenix Clan can use the Phoenix Token."

His expression was confused.

"They don’t even know Kaelira. There would be no reason for them to use such a powerful technique against her."

Xavier narrowed his eyes.

"But Kaelira said the bird called Lucas ’Brother Lucas.’"

A faint, teasing smile appeared on his face.

"Shouldn’t you explain what your relationship is with that bird?"

Lucas immediately became anxious.

"No, Xavier, you’re wronging me!"

"How would I know who she is?"

"I haven’t even seen her before."

He quickly continued.

"As I said, only the Phoenix Clan elders can use the Phoenix Token."

"There is only one nine-hundred-year-old aunt among the Phoenix Females."

"She is already that old. Why would she have any problem with Kaelira?"

Nick Wilde looked at him skeptically.

"Really?"

"You’re certain you don’t know her?"

Lucas nodded firmly.

"I’m certain."

Sora, however, suddenly became curious.

"How do you know that the Phoenixes only have one nine-hundred-year-old aunt right now?"

The instant she asked the question, the entire cave became strangely quiet.

Several pairs of eyes turned toward Lucas.

Lucas froze.

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Because..."

He hesitated.

"That aunt is my grandmother."

Silence.

Everyone stared at him.

Sora’s eyes widened.

Ace was the first to react.

"The Ancient Phoenix is your grandmother?"

He looked at Lucas with amusement.

"Lucas, you have quite a background, don’t you?"

Sora was equally stunned.

She had always felt that someone as particular and fastidious as Lucas probably came from an extraordinary background.

She had once wondered whether he might be the son of some powerful City-State figure or perhaps a Beastman from an influential Tribe.

But she had never imagined that his grandmother was an Ancient Phoenix.

An Ancient Phoenix.

That alone was enough to explain why Lucas seemed different from ordinary Beastmen.

While everyone was still processing this revelation, Damien’s eyes suddenly shifted.

He looked toward Sora.

Then his expression became pitiful again.

"Kaelira..."

His voice was soft.

"I almost didn’t get to see you again yesterday."

He touched his injured back.

"I even blocked an attack from a Rank Nine Phoenix Token for you."

His dark eyes stared directly at her.

"Can you form a Contract with me this time?"