Chapter 479: Tribe Ruins (Part 2)

“Why absorption?” Li Ziyu really didn’t understand the rules of the Void Land. They were a bit different from the rules of the Wasteland.

Back in the Wasteland, tribes did indeed fight one another. But everyone knew where to draw the line, as tribes often had connections with each other. You never knew if the small tribe you wiped out was just a branch under another’s command.

Take the Black Ridge Tribe, for example. They’re a branch of the Apes. Li Ziyu had gone to war with the Black Ridge Tribe and wiped them out, which wasn’t a huge deal in itself. But the hidden consequence was making an enemy of the Apes and facing their endless retaliation. That’s why Li Ziyu hadn’t wanted to go too far in offending the Black Ridge Apes.

Those were all rules from the Wasteland, but the rules Guli Geli was describing now seemed to be completely different.

“Absorption is because of manpower shortages, of course. They might not be able to kill Void Creatures, but they can help hold them back. They’re cannon fodder, Death Warriors. When the Void Creatures attack, you send them up first to wear them down. That way, you can conserve your own core troops. All the tribes here do it,” Guli Geli said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Li Ziyu fell silent. Beneath her matter-of-fact tone, he heard the chilling sound of cruelty.

The tribes that survive in the Void Land fall into three categories. The first are those like the Black Ridge Tribe. They possess a Void Crystal, allowing them to travel freely to and from the Void Land and communicate with the Wasteland. This lets them get support and reinforcements. Their life in the Void Land is like that of colonists in a new territory—comfortable and easy. If things get too tough, they can simply retreat back to the Wasteland.

The second type are tribes that couldn’t survive in the Otherworld, or those hoping for greater opportunities. They passed through void rifts on their own to reach this world, but without a Void Crystal, they are trapped here, forced to struggle for survival. Whether these tribes are powerful is another question, but they are typically very united.

The third type consists of people like Li Ziyu, who stumbled into this world by mistake. Unlike him, however, they aren’t so lucky. They usually arrive alone or in small groups after accidentally passing through a void rift. The weak die off quickly, while the strong survive and eventually band together.

These last tribes aren’t as unified as the first two types, but their combat prowess is immense. They fall into the category of what Guli Geli called Great Tribes.

Her explanation was a bit chaotic, but it was brutally practical.

From Guli Geli’s words, Li Ziyu began to understand the true meaning of “survival of the fittest.” Everyone was constantly prepared for a fight. The threat could come from anywhere—from Void Creatures, from other tribes, or even from the teammate you just shared a meal with.

Strangely enough, all the tribes also shared a common enemy: the Void Creatures. Faced with a ceaseless, massive tide of these creatures, the tribes from the Otherworld would band together out of desperation. This must have been what Howling Black Ridge meant when he said, “We are not enemies.”

“So, I should establish my dominance now?” After thinking for a long while, Li Ziyu suddenly understood what he had to do and muttered to himself.

“Yes, Master. Establishing your dominance is crucial,” Guli Geli said with a serious nod. She truly believed it.

As a lone warrior who had braved the world by herself, Guli Geli knew the importance of establishing dominance all too well.

‘When she puts it that way, it’s simple enough.’ Li Ziyu broke into a grin. ‘What does “establishing dominance” even mean? To put it bluntly, it’s just killing people, isn’t it? Show everyone else how strong you are, make them fear you. How hard can that be? Let’s just get it done.’

“Guli Geli, where’s the nearest tribe that has a Void Crystal?” Li Ziyu asked bluntly.

‘Find a Void Crystal?’

‘Like hell I’m going to *find* one!’

‘Since I’m going to establish my dominance anyway, why not just take one by force?’

‘Weren’t there only two things keeping me in the Void Land? First, a Void Crystal that would let me come and go as I please. Second, the materials to build a Soul Energy Collector.’

‘I had originally planned on finding them myself to avoid conflict with the Black Ridge Tribe. But it looks like things aren’t what I thought they were. In that case, I might as well just take what I want.’

Compared to trusting the Apes of the Black Ridge Tribe, Li Ziyu put more faith in Guli Geli, who was bound to him by a contract. The Leopard Woman had said it herself: anyone who survived in the Void Land had blood on their hands. There was no reason to hesitate.

Guli Geli froze for a moment, then realization dawned on her. She glanced back at the Undead Fortress, considered for a second, then steeled her resolve. From out of nowhere, she produced a compass-like object.

The compass looked grimy and ancient. Guli Geli fiddled with it for a moment, and a map suddenly materialized above it—a high-tech holographic image that left Li Ziyu dumbfounded.

“What is this?” Li Ziyu asked, staring at the map like a curious child. Inwardly, he was thinking, ‘Xingxing would love this thing.’

“A map, obviously.” Guli Geli shot Li Ziyu a baffled look before turning her attention back to the hologram. As she studied it, she asked in surprise, “You don’t use one? You need a map like this to find your way in the Void Land. There are hardly any landmarks out on the plains. Everything looks the same, so it’s easy to get lost.”

‘That’s true.’ Before him stretched a vast, green prairie, where even a single tree was a rare sight. Trying to find a tribe in this endless grassland would be incredibly difficult.

‘This map looks pretty useful. I’ll have to get my hands on one when I get the chance.’

‘I have no idea what principles Guli Geli’s holographic compass map operates on, but I don’t really care. As long as it works, that’s all that matters. I’m no engineer or scientist.’