Chapter 585 - 369: Thermal Weapons Enter the Alien Race Battlefield for the First Time

Chapter 585: Chapter 369: Thermal Weapons Enter the Alien Race Battlefield for the First Time

Furthermore, they lacked experience in undersea prospecting. The materials collected by the Bobo Race were also too high-end, which meant mining ordinary mineral veins would come at an enormous cost.

Now that they were on land, and their partners were the Steel Elephant Race—a race extremely familiar with mineral veins—it was no wonder Dean Wu was so excited.

His dream of strategic thermal weapons was finally being realized!

「Five days later.」

A snow-white Firefly Jade Flying Elephant, carrying a group of young Steel Elephant Beastmasters, flew over the Grey Stone Tribe before landing among the dense cluster of stone houses.

From among the group of tall Steel Elephant Beastmasters, a relatively short, wheat-skinned Steel Elephant girl emerged.

Steel Jade had only just turned eleven when she was elevated to the rank of Saintess by the Burning Steel Divine Hall. This was her first time visiting this tribe, located on the front lines of the war, and she was filled with curiosity about her surroundings.

Just then, a roar echoed from the distant north.

Beastmasters in simple linen clothes rushed through thick clouds of smoke and dust, their faces grim as they all ran toward the settlement’s defensive walls.

"What’s happening?" Steel Jade asked, stunned.

A deep elephant roar reached her ears, and a resonant voice echoed over the Grey Stone Tribe:

"Warning! Warning! A large-scale gathering of Soul Beasts has been detected on the tribe’s perimeter, showing signs of an impending invasion. All Beastmasters, please report to the defensive line to suppress the beast tide!"

"Warning! Warning..."

The short, urgent warnings assaulted Steel Jade’s senses, and she couldn’t help but feel her own anxiety rise.

With no time to think, Steel Jade followed the crowd, running toward the small plaza near the tribe’s exit.

’Why did war break out the moment I arrived in Grey Stone?’

’Could something have happened at the front line?’

As she ran, Steel Jade’s mind couldn’t help but race with anxious thoughts.

War. It was a word she heard often, but to her, living far away in the Burning Steel Divine Hall, it had always felt like a distant concept.

But the urgent alarms ringing in her ears and the grim expressions on the faces around her were proof that war was now truly, undeniably unfolding before her very eyes.

At that moment, numerous Steel Elephant Beastmasters began pouring out of the settlement’s houses. Though their faces were all tense, they formed up into orderly queues.

Several Beastmasters who appeared to be leaders stood in the plaza, directing squads to various points.

Moreover, Steel Jade saw many unarmed civilians run out of their homes and hurry toward pre-dug underground shelters.

Standing in the plaza with a lost expression, Steel Jade was particularly conspicuous.

Just then, a middle-aged Steel Elephant man directing the forces spotted her and yelled, "Young lady, are you a Steel Elephant Warrior? If you’re a civilian, find somewhere to hide, and fast!"

As the middle-aged Beastmaster was speaking, a deafening roar erupted from beyond the northern wall.

A visible shockwave of sound spread wantonly through the settlement. Many people affected by it immediately clutched their heads and writhed on the ground.

Steel Jade’s head swam. She saw the middle-aged Beastmaster grab her by the collar and shout something, but her ears were filled with a droning BUZZ.

’BZZZ... So this is a beast tide...’

Steel Jade wiped a trickle of blood from her nose. From the direction of the main gate, a constant stream of people ran in, carrying corpses and shouldering the wounded.

On one side were her kinsmen, charging headfirst into danger.

On the other were the panicked civilians, desperately trying to escape.

She stood between the two crowds.

’What is the point of being a Saintess?’

’Is it for the respect and admiration of hundreds of thousands of my people?’

’Is it for the endless supply of cultivation resources?’

’Or is it to have the strength to step forward and protect them when they are in danger?’

’I... I may be the Burning Steel Saintess, but I’m only a Tier One Beastmaster. I’m weak... Maybe I should just find a place to hide?’ A cowardly thought surfaced uncontrollably in Steel Jade’s mind.

’No!!’

Steel Jade shook her head, immediately casting the terrible thought aside.

Because in that moment, she saw the wounded being carried in—their limbs severed, yet their expressions resolute.

She also saw the dead, their faces twisted in agony, long bereft of life.

’My Power isn’t great, but I can at least help carry stretchers! I can handle the weaker Soul Beasts. I just have to stay away from the front lines!’

Within seconds, her thoughts raced, and her resolve hardened. Steel Jade loudly announced her identity to the middle-aged Beastmaster:

"I am a Steel Elephant Warrior and a newly advanced Tier One Beastmaster! My Contracted Soul Beast is at the Extraordinary Level! Please, how can I help?"

"Warrior, excellent! Go to the area outside the northern buffer zone. Your job is to protect the Priests transporting the wounded. Keep any stray Soul Beasts from getting to them! Gang Lei, take her with you!"

The middle-aged Beastmaster nodded slightly and called over a young Steel Elephant Beastmaster to guide Steel Jade.

"Yes!" The young man named Gang Lei nodded emphatically.

Steel Jade didn’t see any Steel Elephant Priests or Commanders—the High Tier Beastmasters. She figured they must be on the very front lines, holding back the most dangerous Soul Beasts.

"Young lady, follow me."

Gang Lei was a Steel Elephant man with a mature face for his age. He gestured for Steel Jade and three other kinsmen to follow him and, without another word, ran for the north gate.

As they ran, they each summoned their Contracted Soul Beasts.

The entire Grey Stone Tribe had only a little over a hundred stationed Steel Elephant Beastmasters. Including itinerant Beastmasters, the total force was at most two hundred strong. This meant only a few dozen people were available to hold back the beast tide on each front.

The north gate was wide open. After riding their Soul Beasts for over ten kilometers, Steel Jade and the others could already hear the ceaseless roars of the Soul Beasts.