Chapter 576 - 364: Shi Zhou’s Return, Steel Elephant Conflict (Part 2)

Chapter 576: Chapter 364: Shi Zhou’s Return, Steel Elephant Conflict (Part 2)

"Unexpectedly, the ruins’ location borders a part of the Flame Pig Clan’s territory. These two clans have been fighting for thousands of years, so naturally, the Flame Pigs won’t let the Steel Elephants get their hands on the Divine Remains so easily."

"Right now, large numbers of Beast Masters from both sides are in a standoff in the outer area of the ruins. Even the old Clan Leaders from the first three generations of both clans, who haven’t appeared in a long time, have personally come to preside over the situation. A war is about to break out at any moment!" Shi Zhou said slowly, stroking his golden-furred jaw.

Bobo Man’s eyes darted as he sent Han Ning a mental message:

"Damn! This is a huge opportunity! Han Ning, aren’t you worried that your Fei Lin and Huaimiao’s strength is increasing too slowly? They just happen to be Gold Attribute Soul Beasts. If they can get even a tiny bit of the divine metal essence, the strength of those two little ones will definitely shoot up!"

"The metal essence of a Divine Spirit..."

Without a doubt, Han Ning was tempted.

Having obtained the treasures of the Dragon Palace, most Monarch Level Soul Beast Materials no longer held much appeal for him.

The Flood Dragon True Essence, a supreme treasure, was no longer of much use to them. The remaining treasures were mostly Water Attribute, so he had placed the majority in the academy’s treasury to be used by his companions for research, to develop businesses, or to be distributed as rewards.

In addition, he had also placed the Heaven-Reaching Tower within Grey, making it convenient for the Beast Masters of the Tri-Race Alliance to undergo trials at any time and rapidly increase their overall strength.

The value of metal essence from a being beyond the Emperor Level was self-evident. Fei Lin was currently on the verge of breaking through to Monarch IV. If she could comprehend some subtleties from the essence that would benefit her Domain, it might be a great help in creating her Soul Force.

"Damn it, Bobo Man. I knew exactly what you were thinking the moment I saw that shifty look on your face."

Seeing Bobo Man suddenly fall silent, a faint smile crept onto Shi Zhou’s face.

"That’s why I said you came at the right time. Because of the war, the Steel Elephant Family is in desperate need of large quantities of Soul Artifacts, Healing Potions, and all sorts of supplies. As the leader of the Bobo Race, if you’re willing, you could provide them with tremendous help."

"If it’s such a great opportunity, why don’t you get in on it first?" Bobo Man frowned, having spotted the catch!

"That’s because both the Steel Elephant and Flame Pig clans informed His Majesty the King in advance. They promised that whichever side successfully enters the ruins, they will unconditionally give one-third of the share to the Mad Lion Tribe."

"As the price for this deal, the Mad Lion Tribe is not allowed to favor either side, nor are members of other Barbaric Beast Race clans allowed to interfere. So... we’re just spectators," Shi Zhou chuckled.

The structure of the Barbaric Beast Race was similar to that of the Deep Sea Race, composed of multiple powerful beastfolk races.

But unlike the Deep Sea Race, the Mad Lion Tribe held the throne of the number one tribe with their absolutely overwhelming power, essentially making them the royal family.

Ranking after them was the Spirit Snake Tribe, which stayed out of disputes. In third place was the Flame Pig Clan, with the Steel Elephant Tribe following closely behind.

The Spirit Snake Tribe was extremely mysterious. Even Bobo Man, who was well-read on the continent’s lore, knew very little about them. He only knew they were a powerful, reclusive clan that would only appear when the Barbaric Beast Race was facing a crisis.

Out of respect for them, the various Barbaric Beast clans ranked the Spirit Snake Tribe as second.

The third and fourth, the Flame Pigs and Steel Elephants, were actually very close in overall strength. The difference between the two lay in the number of clan members. The Flame Pig Clan had more people and thus had the upper hand, while the Steel Elephant Tribe had a smaller population and was at a slight disadvantage.

But if they really were to fight, it would end in mutual destruction, with one side wiped out and the other on the brink of death.

"Goddamn, it’s good to be the top dog. You can reap benefits without lifting a finger," Bobo Man said, full of envy.

This was one of his ultimate dreams.

Of course, envy was one thing, but as the supreme overlords of the Barbaric Beast clans, the Mad Lion Tribe absolutely had that kind of intimidating presence.

"My butler told me you ran into people from the Steel Elephant and Flame Pig clans in the city this afternoon? I must remind you, if you’re going to do business with either side, don’t do it in my residence. This is neutral ground."

"However... the Steel Elephant Tribe is currently focused almost entirely on the fight for the ruins and is short on all sorts of supplies. I reckon it’ll be easy for you to purchase the land rights to the Withered Desert."

"Understood."

Shi Zhou’s words were undoubtedly an indirect way of telling them that, as a neutral party, he wouldn’t provide much useful intelligence, nor would he introduce them to the higher-ups of either side.

"No wonder those Flame Pig Clan Priests this afternoon were acting so high and mighty. So that’s the situation."

With the two clans at each other’s throats, the Mad Lions, as the top dogs, had to turn a blind eye. It wasn’t convenient for them to interfere.

...

Heeding Shi Zhou’s reminder, Han Ning, Lin Tianhe, and Ah Yu sat by the main gate of the residence after dinner, quietly waiting for Gang Lifen to arrive.

As for Bobo Man, Shi Zhou had invited him to some entertainment with a few high-ranking members of the Mad Lion Tribe.

As the head of the Bobo Race, he was naturally a hot commodity in the eyes of many factions.

"Lion City is great in every way. It’s a hundred times cleaner than most African cities you see on TV. It just lacks entertainment facilities. If we humans moved into the Barbaric Beast Race’s territory, we’d definitely take over the entertainment scene here."

Lin Tianhe lay listlessly on a soft chair woven from Vine Whips, muttering to himself as he gazed at the starry sky.

"Forget everything else. Just imagine setting up some bathhouses, internet cafes, movie theaters, food and shopping streets, high-end Soul Beast battle arenas... It would blow these hicks’ minds."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became.

Theoretically, the current Tri-Race Alliance was fully capable of building these entertainment facilities. The only thing they lacked were high-precision chips, which could be replaced with Spiritual Arrays. However, compared to mass-produced chips, advanced Spiritual Arrays still needed to be carved one by one by Spiritual Masters.

It was said that Academician Zhou’s team was working with Bobo Man’s team of Spiritual Masters to develop a streamlined, mass-producible Spiritual Array System. The internet cafes Lin Tianhe dreamed of might become a reality.

"If you could really develop the entertainment industry in Lion City, the Mad Lion King would probably grant you a noble title," Han Ning teased with a laugh.

"Heh heh, I wouldn’t need a high title. Just making me a Count would be enough. Then, with a flock of wives and concubines, I could live an even better life than back on Blue Star." Lin Tianhe was already lost in a daydream.

Beside them, listening to Lin Tianhe ramble on, Ah Yu’s expression gradually grew dazed, and they too became lost in a daydream of their own.

’If only the Hexagon Race could become as powerful as the Mad Lion Tribe...’

More than half an hour later, the sound of light footsteps came from the end of the silent road.

Two figures, one tall and one short, slowly came into Han Ning’s view.

Gang Lifen was still wearing the silver silk robe from the afternoon. His small, silver-white steel nose glinted brightly under the light of the ore lamps lining the road.

His chubby hand held a smaller, equally plump one.

A petite figure, only a little over 1.4 meters tall and also sporting a shiny, silver steel nose, walked toward them hand-in-hand with Gang Lifen.

A wide, happy smile spread across Gang Lifen’s face the moment he saw Han Ning and the others sitting by the gate. He immediately raised a hand in greeting. "Brother Han Ning!"

"And this is?" Han Ning stood up from his soft chair, nodded to Gang Lifen, and his gaze fell on the petite figure beside him.

"Let me introduce you all. This is my cousin, Steel Ka’er. She’s ten years old."

’A little sister?’ Han Ning discreetly scanned her but couldn’t see any difference between her and Gang Lifen.

’Well, I guess that’s how it is when different races look at each other. It’ll probably get easier to tell them apart after a while.’

"Hello, Uncle." Blinking her bright, dark eyes, Steel Ka’er spoke. Though she seemed a little shy, she still gave Han Ning and the others a very polite, unique greeting.

"Un... Uncle?!"