Chapter: 408
“Something’s not right; the atmosphere feels too oppressive.” The next morning, when Laeticia awoke from her sleep, she blurted out this sentence.
Since she had slept quite early the night before, she had woken up relatively early today. Although she still couldn’t compare to the hardworking beastmen, compared to her performance of sleeping until noon yesterday, she was quite diligent.
“How about I go out and take a look?” Bai Ling subconsciously summoned her star sword and made a move to go out and check the situation. She had the strength to protect herself if anything were to happen.
At worst, she would have to fight her way out with Laeticia, which was not difficult for a Sword Sage.
“Mm, be careful with everything.”
With Laeticia’s permission, Bai Ling immediately unzipped the tent and crawled outside. As soon as she exited the tent, she encountered Yin Ya, who was anxiously pacing outside the tent.
Upon seeing Bai Ling emerge from the tent, Yin Ya quickly made gestures, all the while shouting towards the tent, “Miss Laeticia, those people have come looking for us!”
Hearing Yin Ya’s anxious voice, Laeticia quickly lifted a corner of the tent and waved to Yin Ya, signaling for the girl to come in and discuss the matter.
Without thinking further, Yin Ya immediately crawled into the tent.
As for Bai Ling, she gave Yin Ya a meaningful glance, then stood motionless outside the tent, holding her sword and fulfilling her duty as a guard.
With her standing guard at the entrance, the conversation within the tent would not be overheard by others.
Inside the tent, Laeticia placed her hands on Yin Ya’s shoulders, her expression calm. “Calm down first and tell me what exactly happened.”
Perhaps influenced by Laeticia’s composure, Yin Ya calmed down after a brief moment of panic and recounted everything that had happened that morning to Laeticia.
The matter was simple: early in the morning, a team of elite warriors from the minotaur tribe had come to speak with the High Priest of the Yin Ya tribe. It seemed they had discovered the disappearance of the minotaur trio and had followed the trail to this location.
“They are still talking with the High Priest now. I’ve overheard some of it; they are discussing the matter of that minotaur!” Yin Ya twisted her hands together, her anxiety evident.
This girl is still not very suited for doing bad things. With such an obvious reaction, she would be a hidden danger if she were to do something big in the future, Laeticia thought.
Fortunately, Yin Ya was not her subordinate; she was merely a passerby.
“Don’t worry. Since they are still able to sit down and talk properly, it means that people from that tribe cannot yet confirm who the culprit is. If they had confirmed us as the culprits, do you think only this small team would appear here?” Laeticia began her analysis slowly. “Moreover, they are honestly conversing with the High Priest now. You haven’t told the High Priest about the minotaur’s matter, have you?”
“No, I was afraid that if my teacher found out about this matter, my teacher’s health would…”
“Then there’s no problem. The High Priest’s complete unawareness is the best proof. Your tribe’s suspicion will be cleared up quickly.” This was good news, and Laeticia’s confidence grew. With the High Priest’s shrewdness, there was no way he would reveal any clues.
Furthermore, those beastmen had most likely obtained the protective amulet she had deliberately discarded at the crime scene. When they presented that amulet, the High Priest would certainly shift the suspicion to the tribe that had conflicts with the Yin Ya tribe.
In this situation, the minotaur tribe would inevitably focus their main efforts on the tribe that believed in the foreign god, and Yin Ya’s tribe could narrowly escape disaster.
“Now, relax and tell yourself that you know absolutely nothing about this matter. You didn’t go out that night at all; you slept soundly.” Just to be safe, a hint of colorful light flashed in Laeticia’s eyes. It was time to implant some false memories into Yin Ya.
She hoped the girl wouldn’t blame her later.
While Laeticia and Yin Ya were doing unspeakable things in the tent, in the simple temple at the center of the tribe, the white-haired old kobold sat cross-legged under the lion god’s紋s, receiving the strong warriors from a powerful tribe.
Perhaps to show that he had no ill intentions, the lion-headed leader had all his subordinates wait outside the temple, entering the temple only with the fox beastmen to converse with the High Priest.
He also knew that his mind wasn’t very sharp, so he felt it was necessary to bring the fox beastmen at this time.
The fox beastmen did not disappoint him. They asked questions clearly and logically. If the High Priest in front of them was indeed the mastermind behind the deaths of Grey Horn and the others, then this old kobold would definitely be unable to hide any clues.
“Something like this happened near our tribe?” But the High Priest’s behavior was too normal, so normal that even the fox beastmen could not detect any abnormalities.
It was as if this old kobold truly knew nothing.
However, the fox beastmen were certain that the deaths of Grey Horn and the trio were related to this tribe. Not only did this old kobold kill Grey Horn and the others, but he also intended to frame other tribes, which was extremely insidious and cunning.
“You two should have also seen our tribe’s warriors. To put it bluntly, even if they attacked together, they might not be able to defeat those three elite warriors.” The old kobold stroked his long white beard, his voice calm. “But they have no battle wounds on them. Do you two think those warriors could kill those three warriors without any injuries?”
Perhaps the fox beastmen’s aggressive questioning made the High Priest a bit displeased, and his answers became much tougher.
“But this cannot…” The fox beastman wanted to say more.
“Fire Tail, don’t be rude!” But the lion-headed leader interrupted the fox beastman. The High Priest’s demeanor had already gained his trust, and now, in his eyes, the Yin Ya tribe’s suspicion had been completely cleared. “The High Priest is right. Those warriors have no wounds. If they had indeed ambushed Grey Horn, they would absolutely not be so healthy.”
As a high-level warrior, he could naturally judge the strength of these mediocre warriors from the Yin Ya tribe. To put it bluntly, even if they attacked together, they might not be able to defeat him.
Grey Horn and his two companions had a certain gap with him, but the three of them combined could put him in a tough fight. Such elite warriors were simply not something this small tribe could handle.
Could it be that this small tribe was hiding some peerless master who could kill Grey Horn and the three without injury? How could that be? If such a master existed, how could the old kobold have been ostracized to this place?
It was precisely because their fists were not strong enough that this tribe was exiled to this barren land.
Lion Head felt that his judgment was impeccable. The logic was simple: the other party simply didn’t have the strength to kill Grey Horn and the three, so naturally, they couldn’t be the ones who killed them.
“Then, High Priest, have you seen this kind of amulet?” Seeing that Lion Head had made up his mind, the fox beastman cursed him as an idiot in his heart, then gave Lion Head a look, signaling him to take out the broken amulet for the High Priest to identify.
Taking out the broken amulet stained with blood from his cloth bag, Lion Head handed it to the High Priest.
Upon seeing the amulet, the High Priest immediately showed a surprised expression. “Isn’t this the amulet from the nearby Bone Wing Tribe?”
“Bone Wing Tribe?” Lion Head’s interest was piqued upon hearing this. The old kobold in front of him seemed very familiar with this amulet!
Here was a clue. This tribe was the right place to come.
“Precisely. When we first arrived here, we had some minor conflicts with the Bone Wing Tribe, and even now, our two tribes still have frequent minor conflicts, so I am very clear about what the amulets of that tribe look like.” The old kobold coughed a couple of times. “I have a few more amulets from their tribe here. I can take them out for you to compare with the one you have.”
“That would be great!” Lion Head nodded with a beaming smile. He was becoming more and more convinced of the High Priest. Just look at his open and honest attitude; it was clear he had a clear conscience. This matter absolutely had nothing to do with this old kobold.
Thus, the High Priest turned and went inside the temple. After a few minutes, he returned with a small wooden box and handed it to Lion Head. “Here are a few amulets. You should be able to see the similarities.”
Lion Head quickly opened the wooden box, took out the amulets one by one, and placed them on the ground, comparing them with the broken amulet in his hand.
The patterns drawn on the amulets were all simple, and there were many differences in detail, but overall, they were all creatures with wings growing from their backs. It could basically be confirmed that the amulets depicted the same creature.
With this evidence, Lion Head completely locked the suspicion onto the Bone Wing Tribe. Although he didn’t know much about that tribe, with so much evidence now, it was enough to convict them.
“Can I take these amulets with me temporarily? I need to submit these pieces of evidence to the chieftain for him to make the final judgment.”
“Of course, you can. These are not valuable things. For the citizens of our great gods, they are blasphemous items. Even roadside stones are more valuable than them.” The High Priest readily agreed. He had collected these things precisely for this moment, allowing a powerful tribe to deal with the Bone Wing Tribe, so their tribe could follow behind the powerful tribe and pick up some scraps to fill their stomachs.
A tribe that was conquered could provide a considerable amount of resources – population, land, and food – all of which were extremely precious resources for the current Yin Ya tribe.
Having the opportunity to eat a few scraps was considered a very good thing for the High Priest.
“Speaking of which, High Priest, you should have a disciple, right? Where is she now?” The fox beastman’s eyes rolled around, and he then asked another question.
“You mean Yin Ya? That girl likes to run around. A few days ago, she smashed quite a few houses by dropping stones from the sky. Right now, Yin Ya is probably helping the victims,” the High Priest said, stroking his beard, explaining to Lion Head. “Do you two need her for something?”
“It’s nothing major, it’s just that we think she might know something you don’t.” The fox beastman saw Lion Head about to speak again and quickly signaled him with his eyes to shut up, letting him handle the next part.
Glinting at the fox beastman, Lion Head scratched his head in annoyance. This fox had been increasingly disrespectful lately. He had already expressed his trust in the High Priest, so why did this guy still want to dig up something else?
Couldn’t he see that the High Priest was so guiltless and so upright?
Hmph, these fox beastmen were full of schemes and thought all other beastmen were as cunning as them. It was truly despicable for beastmen.
“Haha, that child has a lot on her mind, so it’s indeed possible she knows something. She’s probably over there right now. If you can’t find her there, asking the tribe members should help you find her,” the High Priest said, pointing in a direction with his finger. The direction he pointed was the opposite of where Laeticia was.
Although he didn’t think Yin Ya had any problems, the High Priest instinctively wanted to stall for time and have Lion Head and the others wander around the tribe for a bit longer.
After receiving the information provided by the High Priest, the fox beastman immediately expressed his gratitude and then left the temple with Lion Head.
As soon as they walked out of the temple, Lion Head began to question the fox beastman with his eyes, asking what else he wanted to do. He was increasingly finding this fox annoying.
“The High Priest has always been in the temple. He might not be completely aware of what’s happening outside, and that successor named Yin Ya still hasn’t cleared her suspicion.” The fox beastman said very seriously.
But his words not only failed to convince Lion Head, but instead, Lion Head showed a disdainful expression. The fox beastman might not know, but Lion Head had met Yin Ya before, and the first impression Yin Ya gave was undoubtedly of being weak, fragile, and easy to bully.
Do you expect Lion Head to believe that Yin Ya killed Grey Horn and the three? How could that be possible? Where would that little girl with slender arms and legs have the strength?
“You’re too suspicious. That little girl couldn’t be the killer,” Lion Head said confidently.
“We’ll see when we meet her,” the fox beastman insisted.
Seeing this, Lion Head’s dissatisfaction grew even stronger. Was this damn fox intentionally trying to embarrass him? If it weren’t for the chieftain saying they should treat intelligent people well, he would have crushed this fox long ago.
If he liked playing mind games so much, he would eventually be outsmarted by himself.
“Then I’ll see what you can find out. If you can’t find anything, then don’t blame me for speaking ill of you to the chieftain later,” Lion Head snorted coldly, indicating that this was his last tolerance for the fox.
“Believe me, that successor definitely has a problem!”
