Volume 5, Chapter 43 – The City of the Fire Cat Tribe

Located in the southeastern part of the Cold Night, the vast land inhabited by the Fire Cat Tribe was a treacherous place of towering mountains. Due to its proximity to the Netherworld in the east and the Weeping Mountains in the south, any beastman with some financial means would basically not choose to live here. This, in turn, gave the vicious and wicked a space to survive. Those who had committed serious crimes and had nowhere to hide chose to take root here, and slowly, this place became a thriving hub for such characters.

The Fire Cat Tribe also benefited from this misfortune. They were good with fire and could capture prey in harsh environments. This desolate land that no one liked became their habitat. Under the management of the wicked, their habitat prospered along with them. Until the clan of the Holy Son Nola was massacred, the Fire Cat Tribe had already developed into a large family with a population of over three hundred thousand.

However, this prosperity was merely superficial. The rule of the wicked was no different from that of warlords. The long-term chaos finally turned the wheels of history to the point where a noble killed the family of the Holy Son Nola. She then returned as a hero to take revenge, killing all those who had harmed her and becoming a powerhouse revered by all in the Cold Night.

After that, this girl of the Fire Cat Tribe was chosen by a god and shouldered the responsibility of ending the chaotic rule and restoring order. With her Seventh-Tier strength and the help of her strategist, Ying, Nola finally became the acting chieftain of the Fire Cat Tribe, possessing almost absolute authority over this land. The wicked had long been expelled by her. As the most populous race in the region, ruling the Fire Cats meant ruling the entire southeastern region of the Cold Night.

Interestingly, because the Cat Tribe was not a strong race among the beastfolk, but a weak one that was often oppressed and enslaved, after the Fire Cat Tribe prospered here, other cat tribes also gathered, relying on them for survival.

Now, besides the Fire Cats, the territory was also home to Water Cats, Grass Cats, Charm Cats, and all other weak beastman races that looked like cats. In addition, the influence of the Lionfolk could not reach here, so this place had become the main camp of the cat people.

In such an environment, the Tiger-kin, who had similar characteristics to the cat people, naturally regarded this place as the best hiding place. In fact, after the efforts of three generations, the current leader of the Tiger-kin, that is, Tilulu’s brother, had already recognized the reality and no longer believed that they could reclaim the throne with their own strength. Cooperating with the Holy Son Nola was now the only way to return to the throne.

Unfortunately, the snake-person Ying by Nola’s side had long seen through his thoughts, and Nola had thus repeatedly rejected his requests for help, leading to a stalemate.

If he had the power that the Holy Son Nola could not refuse, the matter of the throne would surely take a turn. With this thought, Tilulu’s brother had been observing the half-dragonoid that protecting Tilulu. Now, the time was finally ripe. He believed that she would surely grasp the olive branch he extended—or rather, had already grasped it. His informant in the village had met with her yesterday. Although she had brought an unknown elf with her, the conversation had been quite pleasant.

Tilulu would bring her followers and protector to see him, and he, after receiving this great help, would be recognized by the Holy Son. The two sides would meet today. Although this was using Tilulu, for the future of the entire clan, it was not inappropriate to sacrifice a little personal interest.

He could almost see himself being treated as an honored guest by Nola, fighting Chazo under the banner of restoring order. During this time, he would cultivate his own power. After Chazo was defeated, he would take the opportunity to steal the fruits of victory, claim the throne himself, and restore the glory of the Tiger-kin, taking back the legacy that did not belong to these despicable people.

Therefore, as soon as the sky brightened, he had brought his men to the largest city of the Fire Cat Tribe and had arranged to meet in the most respected place in the city—a place called the Hunting Ground, which was actually an arena.

Today would surely be written into the history of the Cold Night, the turning point for the Tiger-kin to reclaim the throne. At this thought, sitting in the dim guest room, he satisfactorily straightened his clothes and quietly waited for the arrival of the Holy Son Nola and his never-before-seen cousin.

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“To say it’s the largest city besides the capital of the Cold Night, it’s actually not that much. It’s not even as big as Aurora City of the Holy Kingdom.”

As soon as they passed through the city gate, Liti, who was following beside Fia, muttered in a low voice.

As planned, they should have already been on their way back. But because the largest city of the Fire Cat Tribe was so close, Liti had strongly requested to take a detour to see it. Fia had not strongly refused. Tilulu would have to meet Nola again sooner or later. By knowing what the city was like in advance, their side could also be prepared.

As for the meeting with Tilulu’s brother, Fia no longer paid it any mind. As early as yesterday afternoon, they had arrived at the location agreed upon in the letter—an unknown village. There, they had met the representative sent by him. However, the result was a great disappointment for everyone. Not only did he not show up, but the other party’s attitude and strength also did not match. This made Fia’s group lose interest.

At first, Fia had thought that after accumulating strength for a hundred years, the Tiger-kin should have at least a few Fifth-Tier powerhouses. But in reality, they only had two, and the remaining Tiger-kin numbered only one or two thousand. Below them were some other non-Tiger-kin beastmen. The total number of combatants did not exceed one thousand five hundred, which could not be considered a fighting force at all.

If that was all, it wouldn’t have been enough to annoy Fia. What disgusted her the most was the messenger’s attitude. The other party had arrogantly told Tilulu to join them, not to actively pledge allegiance to her, his tone as if he were giving alms to a stray wolf. If Radric hadn’t grabbed him by the collar and let him know whose fist was bigger, he might have said some even nastier things.

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So from then on, Fia had not paid any more attention to Tilulu’s brother. If you need someone’s help, you have to show sincerity. This was her little sister, after all. Yet the brother had only sent a messenger to receive them. It showed his arrogance.

“The Cold Night has been in a state of war for a long time. The fact that the Fire Cat Tribe’s city is of this size is thanks to its distance from the center of the kingdom. Otherwise, it would have long been reduced to ruins,” Radric, completely shrouded in a black robe, said with emotion. “That being said, the last time we came, there were only fifty or sixty thousand people here. Now, there are at least a hundred thousand. The reproductive ability of the beastfolk is truly enviable.”

“Radric, is your Moon Dragon’s reproductive ability very poor?”

“The reproductive ability of all Darkborn is very poor, especially us dragons. We like to be independent, and most of us have a strong sense of territory. So even when it’s time to reproduce, it’s not easy to find a suitable partner. Some dragons, from birth to death, don’t see more than a single claw’s worth of female dragons.”

“So they have to use other creatures to satisfy their hunger,” Anastasia added mysteriously beside Fia. “Earth dragons, dragon birds, and even half-dragonoids are born this way.”

Does that mean dragons mate with lizards, birds, and humans, which is why creatures like earth dragons, dragon birds, and half-dragonoids were born?

Fia’s expression became strange.

Don’t dragons have reproductive isolation?

“Then how many female dragons have you met so far, Mr. Radric? If it’s because you haven’t met any that you’re still unmarried, as someone who came from the Dragonfall, I might be able to find a suitable partner for you.”

Claire teased with interest.

Radric’s dragon face turned red.

“Well… this… we are not interested in matters between men and women. As long as we can atone for the sins of the first half of our lives, we are satisfied. Elf princess, if you have no further business with us, we will take our leave first. I am going to meet Tilulu’s brother.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to see that kind of person?”

Fia’s words made Radric’s expression darken, and he slowly exhaled a puff of white mist.

“Saying is one thing, but he is her brother, after all. I encountered a similar situation in my youth. At that time, I did not go back to see my brother. I never thought that I would never have the chance to see him again, and it became a regret in my heart. No matter how high he thinks of himself, having met and not having met are two different things. I will drag him over.”

“I have no objection…”

Fia looked down at Tilulu. When they had parted ways with the messenger yesterday, he had said that her brother would be waiting for her at the Hunting Ground in this city. Radric was definitely going there to find him now.

“What about you, Tilulu?”

“Radric doesn’t need to find him.”

Her answer was exceptionally crisp, and even had a hint of anger.

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“Why?”

“That guy said bad things about my mom. I don’t like him.”

She probably means “how dare a mere elf boss around the royalty of the Cold Night.” Fia recalled the situation at that time. Because she had been speaking up for Tilulu, the messenger had, in a fit of anger, made fun of her elven identity. In response, a fist of [Telekinesis] had made contact with his face. After that, the messenger with the swollen face had been much more obedient. With beastfolk, you still had to rely on your fists.

“Instead of talking to him, it’s better to talk to the Holy Son.”

“Oh?”

Tilulu’s proactive statement surprised Fia. She rarely heard her say she wanted to do something on her own.

“Talk to the Holy Son? Do you have something to say to her?”

“Like cooperation? We’ll defeat Chazo together, and then split the world in two?”

“Split the world in two…” Fia couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Don’t say such discouraging things. It should be to make the Holy Son swear allegiance. I’ve said I’ll make you the queen, and I’ll see it through.”

“But things are developing quite well here. As long as everyone is happy, I have no objection. And my ability is far from enough. To manage too much at once, I definitely can’t handle it.”

Tilulu counted on her fingers with deep conviction.

Is this a king with no ambition?

She didn’t know whether to lament this as a good quality or a bad one.

“It’s easy to separate, but difficult to reunite. Princess Tilulu can have Her Highness help you manage. Her Highness is skilled in the art of governing. Although the Cold Night has many problems, with her help, any problem can be solved.”

No, no, Anastasia, I’m not omnipotent either.

The problems of the Cold Night were numerous. To solve them, it would take one or two hundred years to cure the root. And she couldn’t stay here forever. She had her own things to do.

“Then why not just let my mom be the queen? With her, there will surely be no problem.”

“Tilulu, you’re the beastman royal.”

Tilulu looked up, her large purple eyes blinking curiously.

“But didn’t my mom say that if I have a problem I can’t solve, I can go to her? Then if she becomes queen, the problem is solved from the very beginning.”

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The former just requires answering a question; the latter means being tied to the Cold Night forever. Though she thought this, Fia did not say it out loud. She first looked back at Tilulu’s purple eyes, trying to find something in them. Then, her lips curved slightly, and she gestured towards Radric at her side.

“If I steal your position as queen, Radric will get angry at me.”

Radric nodded deeply in affirmation.

Seeing this, Tilulu could only pout unhappily.

“If my mom were the queen, everyone wouldn’t be arguing…”

“Even if my sister were to become a queen, she would surely be the queen of Silvar first. More importantly, look ahead! What are those people doing?”

Following Liti’s finger, they could see a large building standing in the city. Its shape and height were like an arena in Fia’s memory, except it was much larger than the one in Blossom. It was at least thirty or forty meters high. From a distance, Fia could see a stream of ant-like people flowing in and out of the entrance, reminiscent of a large stadium.

“Is that a fighting arena? I heard when I was in the capital that the Cold Night has one, where beastmen fight monsters. If someone gets a thirteen-win streak, they can become a hero revered by all, even more respected than a Holy Son.”

“That’s a Hunting Ground. A fighting arena is what they call it on Chazo’s side. Here it’s called a Hunting Ground,” Tilulu explained. “Only people versus people, and slaves versus people, are allowed to fight in the Hunting Ground. No monsters, and you can’t kill your opponent.”

“Then if my sister goes, won’t she make all the beastmen submit in a moment?”

“If you want to go, you go, Liti. I’m not interested in this kind of competition.”

“Then Sister Ana—”

“Ana my foot. Don’t even think about getting Anastasia involved.”

Fia forcefully tapped Liti’s head.

“Hmph… if I had Sister Ana’s strength, I wouldn’t need my sister to remind me. I would have gone up and taken all those gamblers’ money myself.”

Just like betting on horses, gamblers would bet money on their favorite contestants. Once the contestant won, the gambler who had bet correctly would get a huge fortune.

“I want to go.”

Suddenly, Milu, who had been silent all this time, volunteered.

Fia couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. If it were just a normal spar, she wouldn’t stop her. But the beastfolk were naturally bloodthirsty, and Milu was only at the Second Tier. She could easily get hurt.

However, before she could say no, Milu stubbornly emphasized.

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“I want to see if I’ve gotten stronger.”

“Your Highness, let Miss Euphimilu try. She has never slacked off in her training. She should test her results against a stranger.”

Always fighting the same person would make one familiar with their opponent’s moves and fall into a specific rhythm. When suddenly encountering a new opponent in the future, it would be easy to be at a loss. Therefore, it was necessary to frequently change sparring partners.

“If even you say so, Anastasia… alright. But you have to supervise her and pick a suitable opponent for her.”

“Yes, please leave it to this subordinate.”

“And test Liti’s growth at the same time.”

“Huh? Me too?”

Liti, who had been excitedly saying she wanted to watch the fight just a moment ago, suddenly opened her mouth wide in surprise.

Fia affirmed as a matter of course.

“You’re only at the Third Tier, Liti. If you don’t raise your level to the point where you can protect yourself soon, I’ll have to throw you back to Blossom, you know. Don’t forget our agreement.”

“Wuwuu, I don’t want to fight a rude guy like a beastman…”

“Th-then can I go too?”

For some reason, Tilulu on the other side became expectant.

“If you want to go, we can go together. Claire and I will cheer for you from the stands.”

“Then I want to go too!”

“In that case, perfect. Elf princess, I will take my leave first.”

Radric cupped his hands to Fia.

He must be going to the Hunting Ground to find Tilulu’s brother, as agreed. Fia did not stop him.

“Mm, we’ll gather here later.”

Without any more nonsense, everyone, except for the reluctant Liti, walked towards the Hunting Ground with a positive mood.