Chapter 199 - 129: Exposed Problems
"Mmm~~~"
Li Ziyu woke up and stretched. Perhaps it was due to his prior exhaustion, but he had slept very soundly, all the way until dusk. By the time he’d washed up, night had fallen. Only then did he order the fortress to deactivate Hibernation Mode.
The Skeleton Architecture rose from the ground, one building after another. A "new" day had begun.
He opened the Soul Coffin, and the Wandering Souls impatiently soared into the sky. Some flew toward the Wasteland, while others circled the Castle Main Tower, adding a ghastly, macabre air to the already solemn and magnificent Undead Main Tower.
The great gates opened. Zhang Peng, Liu Xingxing, Tas Tuling, Mumu, and the Catwoman Sisters arrived together.
Li Ziyu sat upright on the White Bone Throne in the center, smiling as he looked down at the group. He was very satisfied with their performance in the recent battle, and it was time to reward their merits.
First were the Minotaurs. They had already proven their loyalty. The Dogman Suicide Squad that had invaded the main tower was almost entirely wiped out by them. Moreover, they had joined the fight voluntarily, without Li Ziyu even needing to ask. This was the behavior of family, showing that they had accepted their new identity in their hearts and were willing to integrate into the great family of the Undead Fortress.
Li Ziyu was not stingy. After asking what they needed, he gave them wood and Stone, and also promised that the Undead working in the Wraith Mountain Range would bring back branches, young leaves, fresh grass, and berries for them.
Mumu was thrilled. They had been gathering supplies from all over, but had never dared to venture into the Wraith Mountain Range. Setting aside the matter of the Curse, the area had become the City Lord’s territory, and they feared that going there would provoke his displeasure. But now, Li Ziyu was implying that the Wraith Mountain Range was open to them. They could enter to gather resources, though they still needed to be careful.
The Curse in the Wraith Mountain Range came from the Wandering Souls. Although the Wandering Souls had all entered the Soul Coffin and been taken out of the mountains by Li Ziyu, a large amount of Death Qi still lingered within the mountainside. This Death Qi had no effect on the Undead, but it was harmful to living creatures like the Minotaurs, so it was not advisable for them to stay on the mountain for too long.
Tas Tuling and Mumu thanked Li Ziyu and turned to leave. They wanted to share this good news with their fellow members of the Tabu Tribe.
Liu Xingxing and Zhang Peng had also contributed this time by harassing and intercepting the retreating Jackal Wolfman Fortress, so Li Ziyu gave them resources as well. For now, the only rewards he could offer were basic resources like wood, Stone, ore, and food. He didn’t possess any High Level resources, as these basic materials were all that could be mined in the Wraith Mountain Range.
Finally, Li Ziyu’s gaze fell upon the Catwoman Sisters. He was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, "You’re still here?"
The Little Cat Girl, Mengmeng, puffed out her cheeks and said huffily, "It was a fair trade. We still haven’t received our payment for the intel on the Jackal Wolfmen."
"Ah, that’s true," Li Ziyu said with an awkward smile. If the Catwoman Sisters hadn’t run over to deliver their report, he would have had much less time to prepare. In that regard, the Catwoman Sisters had performed a great service. He asked solemnly, "Your information was very important. So, have you decided what you want? Are you sticking to your previous request?"
When they delivered the information, Li Ziyu had asked what they wanted. Back then, Mengmeng had said she wanted to join the Undead and live in the fortress like the Minotaurs. He wondered if they’d changed their minds.
Mengmeng glanced at her older sister, and Meng Ni gave her an encouraging nod.
Her sister’s encouragement solidified Mengmeng’s resolve. She took her sister’s hand, stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said with her head bowed, "Please, great Master of the Undead, accept us."
The recent battle had left a huge impact on the Catwoman Sisters. Whether it was the Undead faction with its tens of thousands of Skeletons, or the Jackal Wolfman faction with its Long Spear Team and Wolf Guard, both were true powerhouses in their eyes.
The Dora the Cat Tribe was too small. For colossal powers like the Undead and the Jackal Wolfmen, even just passing by their tribe could bring about a catastrophic disaster. It was like a human stepping on an ant nest; the human would feel nothing, but the ants would see it very differently.
Following the strong was also a tradition in the Wasteland.
The only Law in the Wasteland was strength. Whoever had the bigger fist was right. If you were weak but wanted to live well, then following a powerful figure was obviously an excellent choice.
Although it’s hard to leave one’s homeland, Mengmeng and Meng Ni were orphans to begin with, so their sense of belonging to the tribe wasn’t that strong. In addition, their food had been stolen twice before, and Mengmeng had long been simmering with anger, no longer wanting to stay in the tribe.
Taking this opportunity to join the Undead, she wasn’t asking for wealth or status. All she wanted was to live safely like the Minotaurs, without having to live in constant fear.
The platform of the Level 3 Fortress was much larger than before, with plenty of empty space. ’Accommodating two Catmen won’t be a problem,’ Li Ziyu thought. ’Even if their entire tribe moved here, it would be a non-issue.’ He nodded and said, "Since this is what you ask for in exchange for the information, so be it. I permit you to live on the platform like the Tabu Minotaurs, but you must be self-sufficient and live as they do. I will not grant you any special treatment."
"Thank you, Master of the Undead," the Catwoman Sisters said respectfully.
While Li Ziyu rested during the day, the Catwoman Sisters, accompanied by Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing, had already toured the platform. They even chatted with the Minotaurs and learned about their way of life. They discovered that while the Minotaurs lived together on the platform, their food and resources were not provided by the Master of the Undead; the main benefit was simply the relative safety of living there.