Chapter 1210, Just Like a Telephone

Translator: Silavin

*Step step step…*

Sha Lan ran from the Tribe’s entrance all the way towards the Yong’an Building, her expression deeply grave.

She ran quickly. The others in the Tribe stepped aside without needing to be told, making way on instinct.

She arrived at the Yong’an Building in no time at all, clutching something in her hand as she sprinted up to the second floor.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

“Rest a moment. Say what you need to say once you’ve caught your breath.” Su Bai passed her a cup of water.

He rarely saw Sha Lan girl in such a hurry. He already had an idea of what it was about.

*Gulp. Gulp…*

Sha Lan steadied her breathing, drank the entire cup in one go, and held out what she’d been carrying.

She wiped the water from the corner of her mouth and said, “Shaman, this is a message from the Dark Scorpion Tribe. Ban Ye had a carrier pigeon bring it back.”

She had not listened to whatever was inside the Sound Shell. The moment she learned the message had come from the Dark Scorpion Tribe, she dared not waste a single moment and had run straight back.

“The Sound Shell I gave Ban Ye. It seems that Tribe has already made its move.” Su Bai’s brow furrowed slightly.

The shell that could store sound was something the System had given out as a Check-In reward. It was a Mid Grade Assistance Package.

The System had only ever given out two of them. They looked much the same as ordinary shells, but if you pressed the spiral part of the shell, one could capture and store the sounds around it.

It functioned like a recording device. Su Bai had never used them since receiving them, and had sent one along with Ban Ye when he went to the Dark Scorpion Tribe a little while back.

Su Bai had asked him to leave one Sound Shell somewhere near the Dark Scorpion Tribe. That way, they could pick up whatever was being said there.

Because the two shells shared a particular function. If one was placed somewhere far away, the other could be used as a receiver, much like a walkie-talkie.

So long as Ban Ye held one in his hand, he would receive a continuous stream of whatever the distant shell was picking up. It truly was exactly the same as a walkie-talkie.

Su Bai had thought at the time that even if the Tribe had no telephone, having a few more Sound Shells would do just as well. They could serve the very same purpose.

“Shaman, Ban Ye said he’d only send word back once they were truly about to act. We just don’t know what their specific plan is.” Sha Lan said, her brow creased.

Ban Ye had felt at the time that Sound Shells were far too rare. Sending word back every time there was even the faintest stir would be a waste.

If the Dark Scorpion Tribe made a major move the very day after he sent a message, he would be in a difficult position.

So, they had agreed from the start: he would only pass word back when there was a significant development.

“Let’s have a listen.” Su Bai finished speaking and pressed the spiral button on the shell.

“Shaman, the Dark Scorpion Tribe plans to mobilise the entire Tribe in three days. It’s essentially a full relocation of their Tribe. They intend to settle at our Tribe. The number of Totem Warriors in the Dark Scorpion Tribe totals…”

Ban Ye had laid out all the intelligence inside the Sound Shell, including the full strength of the Dark Scorpion Tribe, their exact movements, and their battle plan. Every detail had been accounted for.

“They’re setting out in three days? A carrier pigeon takes around a day to fly back. That means they’ll be mobilising the whole Tribe as early as tomorrow.” Su Bai’s brow creased a little.

The frown was not from worry. He was thinking through how to respond.

“Shaman, now that we know their numbers and their departure time, we can work out a counter-plan. Do we ambush them on the road, or wait until they’ve drawn close and strike back then?” Sha Lan asked.

“Shaman, has news come in from the Dark Scorpion Tribe?” Yan Hua came through the door, breathing hard.

She had heard that Sha Lan had received a message, and had immediately left training to rush over.

“Yes. Listen for yourself and you’ll understand.” Su Bai passed the Sound Shell to her and continued, “This will need to be discussed with the Chieftain.”

“Don’t worry, Shaman. Father is already on his way. He will arrive soon.” Yan Hua said at once.

Yan Hua had barely finished speaking when Yan Jiao came running in from outside, chest heaving with heavy breaths.

Behind the Chieftain came Sha Hong, Qing Yan, and the other senior members, every one of them having already heard that news had come from the Dark Scorpion Tribe.

“Good timing. You and Yan Hua can both listen to the Sound Shell together. We’ll need to start working out our battle plan today.” Su Bai said, his tone truly serious.

He had not thought much of it before, but now that the message had arrived, the time to face the real problem had come.

“Yes.” Yan Jiao gave a firm nod.

He and Yan Hua stood nearby and listened. Both of them wore tight, furrowed brows throughout.

The situation was clearly very serious, and both had grown tense before they’d even begun.

“You’ve all heard it now. Does anyone have thoughts to share?” Su Bai looked around the room and continued, “Ah’Lan made a good point just now. We have two choices. One is to ambush them on their way here. The other is to wait until they’ve drawn near and then counter-attack.”

Those were simply the only two plans. Either strike by surprise or meet them head-on.

“Given our Tribe’s strength, I believe we can face them directly.” Yan Jiao put forward his view.

The Chieftain felt that ambushes were for those who lacked the power to do otherwise. But the Flame Dragon Tribe was strong. He was confident they could win a straight fight.

“I have a different view from Father. Based on our Tribe’s current strength and our weapons, yes, we can beat them. That part is without doubt. But the real issue is casualties.” Yan Hua shook her head. “If we face them directly, our casualties will increase. I think we should try to keep losses as low as possible. An ambush is the better option.”

Yan Hua knew all too well how difficult it was to raise a Warrior. And the Flame Dragon Tribe was in a stable period of growth.

Their weapons could certainly overwhelm other Tribes, but avoiding unnecessary sacrifice was still the more worthwhile thing to do.

“I agree with Ah’Hua. An ambush would let us end this quickly. A direct confrontation could drag the fighting on for a long time, which doesn’t serve us well.” Sha Lan said immediately.

“Does anyone else have a different view?” Su Bai looked towards Sha Hong and the others.

He wanted to hear everyone out. He had already made up his mind, but the opinions of the room still deserved respect.