Chapter 86: The City of Four Spirits

Two days later, Viel and his companions finally arrived at the chieftain’s tribe of the beastfolk—the central hub known as Masan.

Buck explained to Viel that "Masan" meant “the center of all things” in the language of the beastfolk.

From a distance, Viel noticed that Masan was surrounded by four other tribes, collectively called the Four Spirit Cities by the beastfolk. Each of these cities represented a different totem of their people, standing as guardians around Masan. For any enemy to assault Masan, they would first have to overcome these four totem cities. The tribes within them were so closely bound that if one were disturbed, the other three would immediately rise to its defense and swallow the intruder whole.

It was, indeed, a clever strategy. On the vast grasslands, where no natural terrain offered defensive barriers, only the tight interdependence between tribes could ensure security to the greatest extent.

Although Masan was called a tribe, in the hearts of the beastfolk it held the status of an imperial capital, its prosperity far surpassing that of any ordinary tribe. The Four Spirit Cities covered a total area of nearly three hundred thousand square meters—comparable to a medium-sized human city. Their defenses were nearly flawless. Due to the scarcity of stone on the grasslands, the largest tribe Viel had seen before used only thick earthen walls as protection. But here, the beastfolk had constructed their city walls from massive stones mixed with various minerals. These towering walls reached nearly twenty meters in height—far greater than the twelve to fifteen meters common in human cities—and their thickness was beyond anything Viel could have imagined. It took over twenty meters just to walk from the city gate into the Four Spirit Cities, and Viel had touched the rough-hewn stone, finding it laced with minerals that multiplied its hardness. With such fortifications, Viel thought, the beastfolk could simply hole up inside and leave their enemies helpless outside.

What surprised Viel even more was the sight, faintly visible atop the walls, of five or six enormous ballistae.

These were not crude contraptions of cowhide and sticks, but complex, lethal engines of war, capable of inflicting massive casualties. Even in the entire Vela Empire, there were only about fifty such machines.

At the city gates, the guards were beastfolk clad in armor so uniform and pristine it seemed almost excessive. Each gripped a standard-issue long blade, and a dozen of them stood motionless on either side of the entrance like the most elite troops of a human empire.

As they approached, one of the guards stepped forward, apparently to inquire about their purpose. But the moment he recognized Nassa leading the group, he was taken aback, quickly bowing his head in deep respect. He struck his chest with a clenched fist and spoke a string of words in the beast tongue that Viel could not understand. Nassa nodded, gestured towards Viel and Buck behind him, and said something in the same language. The guard immediately allowed the group to pass.

As Viel walked past, he caught a faint whiff of blood and ferocity emanating from the guards.

So these were the warriors of the beastfolk.

Viel arched his brows, a glimmer of astonishment in his eyes. Only now did he truly understand how ridiculous the rumors were—the talk of the beastfolk as nothing but savage, ignorant brutes. Nonsense! Could a primitive race build a city rivaling a human military fortress? Could they possess such intricate weapons of mass destruction? Could they train such formidable warriors? As Daken had said, the beastfolk observed a strict hierarchy. Due to their resources and nature, their tribes were independent and scattered, yet this did not mean they were inferior to humans. Savage, bloodthirsty, and warlike though they might be, they had their own culture, language, and faith, and all owed allegiance to Masan.

“Heavens, boss, do you see this? Every beastfolk here has gold inlaid on their clothes and horns! Not just one or two—every single one is wearing some!”

As soon as they entered the city, Buck’s eyes sparkled with greed. His triangular eyes roamed hungrily over the beastfolk, and he even wiped his mouth as he stared. Viel couldn’t help but sigh at Buck’s shamelessness. “Yes, my dear Buck, I see not only the gold they wear, but also the hostility in their eyes. Look at how they regard us—as if we’re prey and they’re the hunters.”

“Hey, boss, I thought the same at first, but after entering the Four Spirit Cities, I realized it’s not so terrifying here. See? The beastfolk are even trading with each other! That means I’ll be dealing with either stupid oafs or clever beastfolk merchants. The dumb ones are fat sheep waiting to be fleeced, and as for the shrewd ones... well, perhaps gold isn’t so far off after all!”

Buck answered with a sly glint in his eyes, still greedily surveying the beastfolk around him. Truth be told, Buck had guts—most people would have been terrified into silence by so many fierce-looking beastfolk, let alone dare to think of swindling them out of their gold.

“Buck, let me remind you: before you dream about their gold, you’d better make sure you have something worth trading with them,” Viel advised, hoping to keep Buck’s avarice in check.

Buck winked at Viel, a hint of mystery in his voice. “Don’t worry, boss. This isn’t my first time getting something for nothing…”

His grin was positively lecherous.

Viel twitched his mouth but said nothing more. At that moment, Nassa and the others ahead suddenly stopped. As Viel wondered what was happening, Daken approached and, in heavily accented human tongue, said, “Nassa wants you to come over.”