Chapter 44: The Ritual Altar

The Wolf Chieftain was about to speak further, but the High Priest could no longer bear it and coughed heavily. The High Priest still held some prestige among the wolves, even without the colorful feathers on his head. Seeing the expression on the High Priest’s face, the Chieftain fell silent and sullenly returned to his seat.

Qian Ye pondered for a long while before he said, “We can discuss the matter of equipment production later. First, let’s retrieve the valuable jewels from the warehouse and have Zining exchange them for a batch of new gear. The ratio of humans to werewolves… shall be two to one.”

This ratio left the mercenary general and Xu Jingxuan slightly dissatisfied, but they remained silent. The werewolves, however, were visibly pleased. Even though the number of werewolves far outnumbered the humans, this ratio was still quite low. Qian Ye’s willingness to arm the werewolves indicated that his promises could be trusted.

Logistics and supply was a complex task, and there was still much work to be done. Qian Ye temporarily set aside the details and, casting his gaze over the gathered werewolf nobles, said, “I already know the reason why Eskar has pledged his loyalty. Now, I want to know why you are also willing to accept me as your king.”

“You are the Son of Darkness…” The High Priest began, but upon seeing the look on Qian Ye’s face, he promptly stopped. He understood that Qian Ye’s sudden question at this time had a deeper meaning; he would not accept excuses or lies.

The High Priest was at a loss for words. There were some things he didn’t know if he should say, and the other chieftains and priests were even more hesitant to speak.

Eskar hesitated, scratching his head before leaning back in his chair. After all, he represented the werewolves of the Great Corridor, who had only recently been enemies with the Emerald Sea. He had no position to smooth things over.

“Because you avenged us!” A brash voice suddenly erupted, startling everyone.

It was the same flamboyant-feathered chieftain, who was also taken aback by the reaction to his words. But he soon lifted his chin and declared, “What’s wrong with saying that? We’ve always wanted to cut up the Duke of White Bones and feed him to the fish, but no one dared to say it. Which of our larger tribes hasn’t lost ancestors, siblings, or children to the Duke? You, Ossthe Priest, last month, didn’t your youngest son disappear after being sent to the Duke’s mansion?”

The named priest lowered his head and sighed heavily.

“What happened?” Qian Ye asked.

The High Priest sighed, looking as if he had aged several decades in an instant. “Every year, the Duke of White Bones demands that each tribe send their most outstanding young people to the Duke’s mansion to participate in a ritual. Many never return after the ritual. The Duke claims that these individuals are chosen to undergo training in a secret realm, where those who pass the trials will gain even greater power. But we know that it is actually a sacrificial ritual, and the missing youths are the sacrifices.”

“Why don’t you resist?” Xu Jingxuan asked.

The High Priest gave a bitter smile. “Who can resist the Duke’s power? In the early days, some tribes resisted or hid their best children. But those tribes were completely wiped out, often without the Duke himself lifting a finger. His direct guard and other tribal armies were enough to crush any opposition. As for the tribes that hid their children, they fared no better. The Duke has some method to identify if the children sent are the most talented of their generation. If not, the tribe suffers the same fate. After a few such incidents, no one dared to resist or deceive the Duke.”

Qian Ye said coldly, “They dare not resist the Duke, but they dare to resist me? It seems we cannot be too lenient with these border tribes. We might as well wipe them all out.”

The High Priest hastily replied, “There is no need for that! After the meeting, we will separately visit those tribes and persuade them to submit to Your Majesty. If they still refuse, then we can consider eliminating them.”

Qian Ye nodded, saying, “Very well, but you must act quickly. Also, even if they submit, they will serve as slaves until they prove themselves worthy of a different status.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the werewolf priests and chieftains chorused, their attitude even more respectful.

Qian Ye nodded, saying, “Where does the Duke hold his rituals? Take me there.”

The High Priest said, “The altar is in the northern mountains. I only know its general location. During the Duke’s lifetime, no one was allowed to approach the altar. The children of the tribes were left at the foot of the mountain, and the Duke would personally lead them up.”

“Then we’ll take my warship. You guide us.”

The High Priest bowed and agreed respectfully, following Qian Ye to the top floor of the Duke’s mansion.

Song Lun had already signaled, and by the time they reached the top floor, the massive warship was descending above the mansion, stopping just ten meters above them.

At such close range, the overwhelming presence of the warship was incomparable. Even though the werewolf nobles knew about Qian Ye’s warship, seeing it in person left them speechless. The city was in an uproar, with countless werewolves flooding the streets, staring at the enormous vessel.

Qian Ye leapt onto the warship’s deck. The werewolf nobles, having received permission, rushed aboard, marveling at everything they saw.

“This huge thing can really fly!” a werewolf chieftain remarked instinctively.

A nearby priest retorted, “It’s an airship. What’s so special about flying?”

The chieftain glared back, saying, “Have you ever seen such a large airship? This is even bigger than the Duke’s demon elephant! All the houses in your tribe combined wouldn’t be as big as this!”

A series of questions left the priest at a loss for words.

Just then, the ship shuddered slightly, and the warship gracefully ascended into the sky, adjusting its course toward the north.

Qian Ye stood at the bow, looking down as the landscape rapidly receded below.

To the east and south of the Emerald Sea lay endless grasslands, with the ground gently undulating, dotted with werewolf tribes. To the north, the terrain began to rise, gradually forming mountain ranges. Further away, the peaks became more rugged, their summits covered in snow and ice.

Between the mountains and the Emerald Sea, like a green carpet, were scattered fields, a veritable paradise. The crops were thriving, a sight that both delighted and surprised.

Qian Ye, surprised that the werewolves could cultivate such land, inquired about it. The High Priest, somewhat embarrassed, explained, “That is the Land of Blessings. Anything planted there grows wonderfully, requiring no extra care. The fields are planted with cloud wheat, which grows throughout the year except in winter, producing two harvests annually. After reaping, no further planting is needed, as new wheat will grow on its own.”

Nearby, Song Hui’s eyes gleamed subtly.

Qian Ye nodded, saying, “Indeed, a blessed land.”

The High Priest sighed, “Unfortunately, only that area is blessed. Other places lack such divine favor.”

After lamenting, the High Priest pointed to the distant snowy peak, saying, “The Duke’s ritual altar should be on that snow-capped peak. The terrain is extremely perilous, and the foot of the mountain is home to many deadly beasts. Even we find it difficult to climb normally.”

The High Priest was also a Jarl of Calde, meaning the Duke of White Bones had created a natural defense line capable of resisting powerful nobles. He chose this location for the altar, likely for this reason.

The treacherous terrain that a werewolf jarl could not cross was no obstacle to Qian Ye. He paid little attention to the dangers on the ground and directly commanded the warship to fly over the snow peak.

The peak had been artificially flattened, and a dark red energy shield covered the entire summit.

The mountain was extremely steep, with swirling snow and fierce winds. Several gray shadows moved through the storm, fast as lightning, clearly not ordinary beasts. Ordinary barons and viscounts would be easy prey for them.

Even though the Duke of White Bones had been dead for a long time, his traps, no matter how dangerous, were insignificant to Qian Ye. Out of caution, he called Carrol, and the two descended from the warship to the peak. Together, the two divine generals could suppress the Duke’s arrangements.

Seeing them descend, the gray shadows approached the summit, emitting shrill hisses as a warning. But when Qian Ye released his dark golden blood aura, the shadows immediately lost their ferocity, screaming in terror and retreating into the storm, never to emerge again.

Qian Ye hovered above the energy shield, firing several force bolts at it. The shield vibrated violently and showed signs of collapsing under Qian Ye’s attack. Its defensive power was limited, mainly to block the wind and some stray birds.

Those gray shadows seemed to be the Duke’s final line of defense.

After testing, Qian Ye did not hesitate, passing through the shield and landing on the peak. Carrol followed a moment later, waiting to see if anything unusual happened before joining Qian Ye.

The peak resembled a vast, smooth stone surface, surrounded by various pillars. These black and red, mottled pillars continuously emitted force, the source of the energy shield.

Looking around, there were at least thousands of pillars, each emitting a small amount of force, but collectively, it formed the shield covering the entire snow peak.

Such technology was unprecedented for both Qian Ye and Carrol.

Carrol, intrigued, asked, “What are these?” She walked over and used her thunder whip to pull out a pillar from the ground, letting out a gasp. As the pillar emerged, it shed pieces of dark red, unknown material, revealing a stark white bone!

This shocking scene even startled Carrol, who had seen her share of gruesome sights. Regaining her composure, she examined the bone and the broken end, exclaiming, “I know what this is! These are the missing werewolf children!”

“What?” Qian Ye, equally shocked, came over to examine the leg, which had been altered and buried in the form of a cylindrical pillar.

Looking at the thousands of pillars, Qian Ye and Carrol were horrified. How many young werewolf talents had been buried here, unable to rest in peace?