Traveling through the world of beasts, making a living

Chi Yan took Jin Jue and quickly headed towards the Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe. The two wanted to inform Mona as soon as possible that the main city was unwilling to form an alliance.

Meanwhile, the White Tiger Orcs were having a difficult time borrowing food and buying medicine from surrounding tribes. When they arrived at the Golden Lion Tribe, they said, "Welcome, envoy from the main city! Please follow us to meet the tribe leader."

The White Tigers followed the Golden Lions to the center of the tribe. The path was cleared, wide enough for only one orc. Several stone houses collapsed on either side, and suppressed coughs could be heard faintly. The beasts suddenly sensed something was amiss. They were worried about the food and herbs, so they glanced at each other, but no one spoke.

"Chief, the envoy from the main city has arrived."

"Please, please, help me sit up." When the white tigers and other beasts saw that their leader, the golden lion, was seriously ill and in a dying state, they could not bring themselves to ask for food.

"Dear messengers, welcome to the Golden Lion Tribe. Did the city lord know we were in trouble and send you to rescue us?"

A white tiger beast quickly said, "That's not the case. We were just passing by and stopped by to take a look. However, if you have any difficulties, we can do our best to help you."

The Golden Lion leader's eyes darkened, and he sighed, "Alas, our Golden Lion tribe has suffered a severe illness. Many members have fallen ill, and we're running low on food and herbs. We were thinking of borrowing some from other tribes, but..." White Tiger's heart sank. He had thought it was just a simple matter of borrowing food, but he hadn't expected the situation to be so dire. He turned to look at the White Tiger orcs behind him; all of them had worried expressions on their faces.

At this time, Baihu said, "Perhaps we can think of a way to solve this dilemma together. Our Lord Jin Jue said that the Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe is generous and has plenty of food and herbs. Why not go and borrow some from them?"

"The Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe won't lend it to us. A traitor appeared in my Golden Lion Tribe. He teamed up with the foreign wolf beasts to divide up the Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe. Unexpectedly, they all died in the Ten Thousand Beasts Tribe."

"When did this happen? Why doesn't the main city know about it?"

"It was during the hot season. Those foreign wolves came in the previous snowy season. They said that the tribe was hit by a beast tide and only a few of them were left. I saw that they were all adult males, capable of fighting and self-reliance. I felt sorry for them and took them in. It also helped to strengthen our Golden Lion Tribe. I didn't expect that these were all spies, spies from the two northwestern continents, who wanted to annex our Eastern Continent." The Golden Lion Chief coughed again, his breath a little unstable, and continued

"Emissary, it was a spy from the Silver Wolf Tribe who defected to the Myriad Beasts Tribe. When they saw the Myriad Beasts Tribe had discovered iron ore and forged weapons, they became jealous and colluded with the Mammoth Tribe and the Wandering Beasts. I also heard that there were 200 spies in the main city who joined the battle. Emissary, you say the Myriad Beasts Tribe is truly powerful. They couldn't take it down despite so many orcs."

"You said there were 200 spies in the main city participating in the battle? How is that possible? How come we didn't notice that there were 200 orcs missing?"

"That means a spy has risen to a high position and is able to conceal the whereabouts of the missing orcs. Perhaps the city lord knows about it?"

The white tiger beasts broke out in cold sweats in the heavy snow. "Boss, let's go back to the main city first and investigate secretly. If it's really as the Golden Lion Clan Leader said, we must make plans as soon as possible."

Jin Qi, the white tiger beast known as the boss, narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. "Golden Lion Clan Leader, to be honest, our main city is also short of food and medicine. I wanted to ask your clan to lend some, but you're in a much harder situation than us, so I won't bother you."

"What, the main city is also short of food and medicine? Then wouldn't it be a joke for us to pay tribute every year in exchange for the protection of the main city? Is God going to destroy our Golden Lion tribe? Lord Beast God, you have to protect your people!" The Golden Lion tribe leader burst into tears, and the beasts couldn't bear it.

Jin Qi quietly led the White Tigers out of the tribe. All he saw was a vast expanse of white, and his heart felt as cold as the snow. He wondered what the other tribes were like. The snowy season had just begun, and how would he survive the long days ahead? Jin Qi and his companions embarked on their journey home, their hearts heavy. Not only did they have to worry about their own tribe's survival, they also had to face the threat of a traitor within the main city.

Along the way, they saw that many tribes were facing the same dilemma: rampant diseases and scarce resources. Jin Qi realized that this was not just a problem for the Golden Lion Tribe, but a common challenge for the entire Eastern Continent.

After returning to the main city, Jin Qi decided to secretly investigate the traitor. He sent trusted subordinates to collect clues throughout the main city. He also met privately with the city lord, Jin Yao.

"City Lord, I led a detachment to the tribes near the main city to borrow food and buy medicine, but they are also short on food and medicine. The old beasts went into the forest to die in order to save food. Many young and female beasts are sick and are struggling to survive. The leader of the Golden Lion tribe is also ill. They hope that the main city will provide assistance, but I refused. I will report this to the tribe leader. You can make a decision!"

"Decision, what decision? The main city is in this state now, I'm almost out of food!"

"City Lord! That's not right. Our team goes out hunting every day, and we have other tribes offering us sacrifices. We've always been able to survive the snowy season. It doesn't make sense that the snowy season is only just arriving this year!"

Awakening from his slumber, the city lord quickly searched his mind for information. "Yes, in the past, there was always enough food to survive the snowy season, but this year we're running out of food and medicine so quickly. Is there something wrong with the grain manager, Hui Qiang?"

"Who is Hui Qiang? Why haven't I heard of him?"

"He's a wolf from outside the tribe, and he's also my confidant. I trust him to do things."

"Are you relieved? City Lord, the Golden Lion Clan leader told us that during the Scorching Season, the main city sent two hundred orcs to join the war and divide up the Ten Thousand Beast Tribe. No wonder the Ten Thousand Beast Tribe is so cautious when they come to trade, and they refuse to deal with the people from the main city. This is also the reason!"

"What? How come I don't know? Where are the things that were divided?"

"Hahaha! City Lord, you're still thinking about those things. They all went and never came back. They all died in the Myriad Beast Tribe. Lord Jin Jue was right. You really are unworthy of your position. Others have sidelined you. What's the point of having the title of City Lord?"

"How dare you?" Jin Yao roared angrily.

"I'm being presumptuous, Lord City Lord. Wake up! If you continue like this, our White Tiger Clan is on the verge of extinction. Think carefully about what your Gray Qiang has done to you. Food is inexplicably scarce, medicinal herbs are no longer available, and you don't even know that two hundred adult orcs are missing."

Jin Yao thought back to Jin Qi's words, and it seemed to be true. Could it be that Hui Qiang had been undermining his power, cultivating his own power, and seizing the main city?

Jin Qi walked out of the City Lord's Mansion angrily and met with a few friends at his home.

"How's the investigation going?" Jin Qi was worried!

"It's just as Chief Golden Lion said, but we've found out there are some strange orcs entering the city again. The city lord is currently ignoring these concerns due to food and herb problems. He only wants the orc crystals to be handed over. We're worried about the change of ownership of the main city and the resulting unrest. Let's go find Lord Jin Jue!"