Suddenly surrounded, the Wolf King was naturally extremely surprised. However, it still maintained its usual calm demeanor, scanning the surroundings to assess the strength of both sides. In the end, it reluctantly realized that it alone was indeed no match for the opponents.
With its sharp and vigilant beast eyes observing everything around, it analyzed which direction would be the most convenient for a breakout. The enormous white cat was naturally to be avoided; from an individual perspective, the Wolf King thought that the mouse would be the best target to break through.
However, everything that had just happened indicated that this mouse held an extraordinary status. If it attacked the mouse, it was likely to be surrounded and attacked. Thus, it might be better to focus on the humans. Although human groups had high offensive power, their individual strength was rather average.
In the end, the Wolf King’s gaze settled on the high priest. After all, compared to the hunting team that had been constantly battling outside, the high priest’s physical condition was much weaker, and he was also the only one without a sharp weapon.
After a brief evaluation, the Wolf King quickly made a decision. It slightly lowered its body, a sign of imminent attack.
The Xia Wang hunting team hadn’t expected to face the giant wolf head-on so suddenly. They had never seen a wolf so large; it was almost as big as a bison. It was impossible not to feel fear.
However, chaotic creatures that appeared at night were not uncommon in huge sizes, and their appearances were all sorts of strange. In comparison, this wolf looked relatively well-proportioned. According to the deity, it could even be considered somewhat handsome.
As the atmosphere between the two sides was extremely tense, a fluffy ball on the ground cheerfully spoke up, “Hi there. Interested in a job? The kind with a continuous supply of food every day.”
The Wolf King was momentarily stunned, shifting its gaze to the mouse. It vaguely understood the meaning of a job, but it was a wolf—how could it possibly take orders from a mouse!
“We also have an apothecary. In the future…” Shu Bao tried to increase their recruitment incentives.
But at that moment, the Wolf King seized a flaw in the high priest’s movement and decisively and swiftly lunged toward him.
The high priest merely scratched his chin before being suddenly tackled in the face by the giant wolf. Startled, he immediately launched a fireball.
Boom! With a loud crash, the scorching fireball hit the giant wolf’s flammable fur, instantly producing a cloud of black smoke. Fortunately, it was raining at the moment, preventing the wolf from being engulfed in flames.
Shu Bao was also startled. After confirming that the high priest wasn’t injured, he began to worry about his mount. But then he thought about it and decided it was acceptable, “It’s fine, don’t be sad. It’s summer now, so a bare mount is definitely more popular than a furry one.”
Even the Wolf King had a natural fear of fire. With its body enveloped in searing flames, its attacks naturally went awry. It struggled frantically for a moment and finally managed to extinguish the fire. But as it looked down, it saw its blackened, charred paws. It was easy to imagine what its head looked like.
The Wolf King wanted to howl and call for its companions, but it understood that doing so would only result in being surrounded and attacked.
To increase the intimidation factor, the high priest ignited flames on his wand. The Wolf King couldn’t help but retreat further, backing up into the encirclement once again. It could feel that the temperature of the flames this time was even higher. If they touched it, it would be more than just singeing its fur.
Realizing that even the person it had judged as the best target for a breakout was so powerful, the Wolf King knew that it would be impossible to retreat unscathed today, and it might even be captured by the humans. As it prepared to fight to the end for its dignity, the mouse spoke again.
Shu Bao spread his paws, “We really don’t need to go to such extremes. This visit is just for a transaction. You can continue living in this forest as long as you don’t attack people who enter it. And in unsuitable hunting weather like this, you can even exchange work for food. It’s a win-win situation.”
Shu Bao patiently explained the purpose of his visit. From the beginning, he had no intention of forcing the forest giant wolf back to the tribe. After all, he wasn’t a real beast tamer. Bringing such a large group of fierce beasts back to the tribe made even a mouse uneasy.
So this visit was just for a transaction, not a sudden change. It had to be done gradually.
After hearing Shu Bao’s explanation, the Wolf King’s tense body relaxed slightly. Its eyes remained vigilant as if assessing the truth of what was said.
“If you’re worried, you can visit our base. You’ll see that we have the strength to negotiate.” Not just to negotiate; if not in a hurry, Shu Bao could wait for the dragon eggs to hatch and then bring the lava fire dragon hatchlings into the forest, using his strength to force submission.
But Shu Bao didn’t want to rely on mere intimidation. He truly believed that cooperation was the long-term solution.
Under the pressure, the Wolf King ultimately chose to agree to Shu Bao’s cooperation. This arrangement posed no harm to the wolf pack. Humans were not ideal prey for the wolves. Unless there were no other options, the wolves would not easily attack humans.
As for the base mentioned by Shu Bao, the Wolf King was somewhat interested. After all, it had once considered going to the tribe to become a deity of the human tribe, though it had never acted on that idea.
However, its inherent caution led it to decide to investigate slowly and not rush into the other’s territory.
In the end, the Wolf King nodded in agreement to the cooperation plan, and the tense atmosphere between the two sides eased. The Wolf King glanced at its own back and sadly noticed that it was completely blackened.
“Don’t worry, it should grow back before winter. I can help you by shaving off the burnt fur first.” Shu Bao pulled out a sharp, enchanted dagger, one of the few iron tools forged by the tribe’s furnace.
Looking around at the gathered people, the Wolf King had no choice but to lie down and let a mouse wield a weapon on its head.
Having once been a barber in human society, Shu Bao quickly regained his touch, trimming away with precise strokes.
Gradually, the Wolf King began to enjoy the process. The charred fur was indeed uncomfortable, and the crisp sound of the fur being shaved off was quite satisfying.
Wolf King: “…” It would have been even better if it were someone else’s fur.
When the Wolf King returned to its dwelling, the giant wolves in the cave were extremely agitated. The moment they sensed the Wolf King’s presence, they became excited.
Then, under their watchful eyes, their great Wolf King appeared before them, completely bald.
The wolves: ??? Well, that was quite surprising.
Fortunately, wolves were not creatures concerned with appearances. After a brief, odd silence, low growls resumed, with the topic naturally shifting to whether they should surround those humans.
The Wolf King immediately stated that there was no need to attack; simply helping with transporting things or carrying people would be sufficient to earn food. It then conveyed the details of the cooperation with the Xia Wang tribe.
This novel method of obtaining food left the wolf pack bewildered and unsure. There were even skeptics within the pack who stepped forward, baring their teeth and provoking the Wolf King. The Wolf King promptly gave them a beating, proving with its strength that it was not to be challenged, even without fur.
When the Wolf King led the first group of working wolves to the edge of the Xia Wang tribe. The tribe’s collection team was both fearful and intrigued. Shu Bao had sent the high priest along to avoid any accidents.
In practice, the cooperation proved to be very smooth. With the giant wolves’ assistance, the work efficiency greatly improved, and safety concerns were no longer an issue, achieving a win-win situation.
After the work was completed, the wolves received the tribe’s generous gifts, including many particularly delicious roasted meats.
With the help of the beast-skin bags provided by the Xia Wang tribe, the wolves carried the food back to their dwelling. The wolves that stayed behind finally realized that working was much easier than hunting on their own, and the food they received was plentiful and tasty.
Gradually, more and more wolves began working. Even when assisting with human hunts, their success rate was much higher than when hunting alone. Assisting in hunts also counted as work and came with roasted meat as a reward.
Thus, the forest giant wolves began a prosperous working career. Even when the weather improved and prey became more plentiful, they preferred to cooperate with the hunting team. It was more efficient and offered additional perks, such as grooming and bathing services.
Shu Bao: “…” This pace was quite good. After all, a dog isn’t trained in a day; patience is required.
Everything was progressing smoothly in the real world, but the chaotic world at night was becoming increasingly unsettling. More and more unfamiliar chaotic creatures were appearing at night, many of which did not attack the tribe but seemed to be passing through in a great migration.
Finally, that night, something appeared outside the tribe that astonished and excited the people of the Xia Wang Tribe: humans!
Yes, not zombies or humanoid monsters, but real, living people!
It was a caravan, riding creatures similar to lions. They seemed to have a clear destination, heading straight for the tribe’s entrance and finally stopping at the entrance after being warned by the Xia Wang tribe.
One of the leaders of the group spoke up, “May I ask who is Shu Bao? I’ve been entrusted to deliver something.”
“I am.” Shu Bao stepped forward, bypassing the white cat.
The caravan’s members focused their attention on him. For some reason, their expressions twisted momentarily. Fortunately, the leader soon got to the point, “This package is entrusted by Lan Qing to be delivered to Shu Bao. Once the package is delivered, my commission will be complete.”
Someone from the tribe went out to retrieve the package. Seeing this, the caravan eagerly prepared to leave.
As they mounted their lion-like creatures, the leader turned around to remind them, “A monarch-level creature is approaching from the north. This area may be on its route, so it’s best if you leave and take cover.”
With that, the leader whistled, and the lion-like creatures immediately began to run, disappearing into the night.
“Monarch-level?!” The high priest was both shocked and doubtful. The most powerful dark creature they had encountered so far was a lord-level, like the big white cat. So what kind of terrifying existence was a monarch-level creature?
“Could it be that the recent influx of chaotic creatures was due to them fleeing?” Shu Bao pondered thoughtfully.
As the caravan moved far away, looking back at the distant lights of the Xia Wang Tribe, one of them remarked, “No wonder Brother Lan Qing said we wouldn’t mistake Shu Bao when we saw him.”
“Indeed, he really does have a mouse-like appearance!”
“Exactly! I never expected Brother Lan Qing’s friend would actually be a mouse!”
“I thought he meant someone unattractive.”
“Mouse-like appearance, impossible to mistake! Tsk tsk, it’s quite an apt description.”
Evidently, the caravan had inquired about the appearance of the recipient from Lan Qing when accepting the commission, and Lan Qing’s description had left them puzzled until they saw Shu Bao. They realized that Lan Qing’s description was indeed very accurate, even precise.
