Just as he was about to speak, Li De slapped his forehead, shaking his head with a wry smile. Why had he come to the Dwarven Valley in the first place?
To oversee the progress of the Mithril Vein, and to have Craig rebuild the Lionmane Tribe.
Weren’t the beastmen of the Lionmane Tribe exactly the miners he needed? He’d originally intended to have them do this work, and had nearly forgotten the main point.
These beastmen, each two blades tall and possessing immense strength, were absolutely the best miners.
The Dwarven Valley was situated in the Barren Plains, if there was anything abundant here, it was beastmen.
Having pinpointed the crux of the problem, Li De relaxed and waved his hand dismissively.
“Stanley, prepare to withdraw the humans. Only the cyclopes need to remain here.
As for the mining, we can make use of the beastmen.”
“Beastmen?” Stanley was momentarily stunned.
“You mean to directly enslave the beastmen?”
“Enslave? No, I have no interest in enslaving beastmen. What I want is to rebuild the Lionmane Tribe!”
Li De’s tone carried a hint of amusement. “Have you seen Craig?”
Stanley nodded. “Of course. Three days ago, when Dylon delivered a large batch of supplies, he also brought Craig and over a hundred beastmen.
At the time, the cyclopes nearly clashed with the beastmen under his command.”
After speaking, he frowned slightly.
“However, he didn’t stay in the Dwarven Valley. As soon as he dismounted from the Whispering Bat, he led the hundred beastmen out of the valley. Their destination was unknown.
Since you sent word, I didn’t pry further.”
Although they had once been enemies, after Li De sent word that this Level 16 wolfman was now one of their own, Stanley had not paid much attention to it.
Moreover, judging by Craig’s actions, it was obvious he was carrying out a mission. Li De’s orders were not something Stanley dared to question lightly.
“Mm, Craig was acting on my instructions.
I want to rebuild the Lionmane Tribe and let the beastmen once again become the masters of the Dwarven Valley.
By then, we won’t need to devote too much energy here. The beastmen will work for us.”
“My lord, if the tribe is led by only Craig alone, I fear it won’t grow very large,” Stanley shook his head. “Craig’s strength is insufficient to support a large tribe.”
Regarding this Level 16 wolfman who had been instantly defeated, Stanley did not look down on him, but neither did he hold much expectation.
Had it been Kap, the Beastman King, he wouldn’t have said a word, Kap at Level 18 possessed a combat power that had left a deep impression on him. Compared to him, Craig was far too lacking. The two were simply not on the same level.
Li De’s expression turned faintly amused. “Of course, it won’t just be Craig. At most, half a year from now, the Lionmane Tribe’s king, Kap, will arrive as well.”
Stanley’s expression relaxed, and he immediately felt reassured.
“In that case, there will be no problem rebuilding the Lionmane Tribe.”
Li De’s gaze grew profound.
“The Dwarven Valley will become a nail we drive into the Barren Plains, and the Lionmane Tribe will be a sharp blade in Dawn City’s hand.”
In the short term, the beastmen would pose no threat to Dawn City. But Li De had always preferred to keep the initiative in his own grasp.
The Far Mountain Range was not far from both the Human Empire and the Beastmen Empire. In the Human Empire, he already had the Crimson Mage Tower and Dark Pact. By contrast, he had no influence among the powerful beastmen, something that did not suit his nature.
His plans had always been laid with the distant future in mind.
---
On the Barren Plains, Craig stood staring coldly at a small tribe no more than a few hundred blades away, its members fewer than a hundred, their crude tents pitched upon the ground.
“Brown, take some men and surround them. From this moment on, this tribe belongs to the Lionmane Tribe.”
Behind him, another wolfman warrior with an enormous wolf head stepped forward, a hint of cruelty in his expression as he nodded.
“Yes, Lord Craig.”
As soon as he spoke, 120 beastman warriors clad in full suits of armor, each set of rare grade, marched out proudly. The long blades in their hands glinted coldly.
The battle began so abruptly.
Faced with this pack of savage wolves, the small tribe of a hundred was conquered in less than ten minutes.
By the time Craig departed, the force at his back had already grown to 200.
On the Barren Plains, strength had always been the only guarantee of survival.
Without strength, one was merely a lamb.
Five days later, the day after Li De arrived at the Dwarven Valley.
Craig returned to the Dwarven Valley.
At the same time, more than 600 beastmen followed behind him.
This was what the Level 16 wolfman warrior had gained in just a few days.
Craig’s expansion carried the unique mark of the beastmen, barbaric and brutal, primitive and direct.
When Li De saw Craig, especially the hundreds of beastmen at his back, his expression was rather remarkable.
It had only been a few days, and yet he had brought back several hundred beastmen. Moreover, all of them were Level 4 to Level 8 warriors, their auras fierce and vicious. Every single one was clearly a veteran of bloody battles.
The beast-hide garments they wore could not conceal the scars crisscrossing their bodies. Muscles strained against the rough clothing, making their attire look primitive and ancient.
“Craig, did you gather all these subordinates in just the past few days?”
Seeing the astonishment on Li De’s face, Craig looked somewhat proud.
“My lord, these are all tribes I conquered.
From now on, they belong to the Lionmane Tribe!”
Craig then recounted how he had led his troops to subdue other beastman tribes over the past few days, ultimately expanding to his present scale.
Listening to Craig’s enthusiastic narration, Li De didn’t utter a word of praise. Instead, he remained silent for a long time.
Looking at Craig, who seemed to think this was the most normal thing in the world, Li De inexplicably felt a headache coming on.