Chapter 105: The Tribe’s Defenses
That night, the couples finally stepped out of their huts. They all looked worn out, but Maeve couldn’t help noticing the bright smiles on their faces.
Zini and Oraya even looked like they had just spent the whole day at a theme park and didn’t want the fun to end.
"Goddess!" Zini called happily, waving at Maeve. Her mate, Hal, who stood beside her, simply smiled and gave her a small nod.
To be honest, compared to Zini, Hal looked much more exhausted. He looked as if a piece of his soul had been drained away. His face was slightly thinner, making it seem like he had lost several pounds in just a few days.
Oraya’s mate, Ban, looked no better than Hal.
It seemed that when it came to mating, the females of this tribe were far more terrifying than the males.
Maeve blinked a few times before walking over to them. "Um... are you all alright?" she asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.
"We’re great!" Zini answered with a bright grin. "I’ve never felt happier."
Hal let out a tired sigh beside her. "She said that yesterday too... and the day before that."
Zini giggled without a hint of guilt. "That’s because I was telling the truth."
Ban nodded weakly in agreement. "Oraya also kept saying she wasn’t tired."
"I wasn’t," Oraya replied with a proud smile. "Not until this morning."
Maeve looked back and forth between the two females and their mates. The women were full of energy, while the men looked like they might fall asleep where they stood.
"How are the two of you still standing?" she asked.
Hal forced a smile. "Love."
Ban nodded once. "And survival."
The two men exchanged a silent look, as if they had gone through the same painful experience and understood each other without saying a word.
Maeve let out a soft hiss and decided not to dig any deeper into their love life.
Instead, she changed the subject to something more important. "We actually wanted to talk about how to strengthen the settlement’s defenses," she said. "If you still have enough energy for a meeting, we can do it now."
As she spoke, Maeve looked around at the males, not just Ban and Hal, but the others as well. Some of them couldn’t even stand up straight and had to pause for a moment to catch their breath.
"But... maybe we should wait until tomorrow morning instead," Maeve said.
Hal let out a weak laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I appreciate your kindness, Goddess," he said. "Because if this meeting goes on for too long, I might fall asleep in the middle of it."
Several of the other males nodded right away. "Tomorrow sounds much better."
"I don’t think my brain is working anymore."
"I’ve never been this tired in my life."
Their honest answers made the females laugh.
"Oh, come on," Zini teased. "You’re making it sound like we tortured you."
Hal looked at her with a tired smile. "Didn’t you?"
Zini blinked innocently. "I only loved you a little more than usual."
They chatted for a little while longer before Maeve finally told everyone to get a good night’s rest. After all, it didn’t look like the red moon would appear anytime soon that night.
Later, in the middle of the night, after everyone else had fallen asleep, Maeve secretly spoke to Pinky in her mind.
’Recommend something from the black market that we can use to strengthen our defenses,’ Maeve said silently.
Pinky fell into silence for a moment before she said, [Host, I recommend buying blueprints instead of finished defenses.]
[The Azuryn Tribe already has plenty of wood, stone, and manpower. Buying finished traps would waste your Coins. Instead, purchase magical mechanisms and rare materials that they cannot make themselves.]
[Recommended purchases:
• Hidden Pit Mechanism Blueprint
• Magic Alarm Stone Blueprint
• Steel Spike Kit ×20
• Magic Binding Nets ×5]
[Estimated Cost: 31,000 Coins]
[After completing the mission, the Barrier Reinforcement Crystals can be used to greatly strengthen Axan’s barrier.]
Maeve read through the list carefully before focusing on the first two items. "Pinky, what exactly are these blueprints?" she asked inwardly.
Pinky smiled proudly. [Unlike ordinary books, Black Market blueprints contain magical knowledge.]
[Once Host buys one, anyone who studies it will immediately understand how to build the item. The blueprint can be used over and over again.]
Maeve’s eyes widened. "So it doesn’t only teach one person?"
If the blueprint is also easy for others to understand, it will save Maeve a great deal of time
[Correct. Every craftsman who studies the blueprint will learn the complete construction process. As long as they have the required materials, they can keep making more.]
Maeve nodded in satisfaction. "Tell me about the first one."
[Hidden Pit Mechanism Blueprint]
[Description:
A blueprint for building concealed pit traps that can be quickly reset after each use.]
[Required Materials:
• Strong logs
• Thick vines or rope
• Large stones
• Flexible beast tendons
• Grass, leaves, and soil for camouflage]
[Effect: The trap cover is sturdy enough for small animals to walk across safely, but it collapses under the weight of medium or large beasts.]
[Reset Time: About five minutes with one worker.]
[Side Effect: The blueprint was originally designed for war. Creatures that die inside the pit release a trace of resentment, making nearby wild beasts slightly more aggressive if the corpses are left there for too long.]
Maeve nodded. "That means we won’t have to dig new pits every time."
[Exactly, Host.]
Pinky then showed the second blue-print.
[Magic Alarm Stone Blueprint]
[Description:
A magical warning device that detects hostile creatures entering a chosen area.]
[Required Materials:
• A small mana crystal
• A smooth stone
• Beast tendon fibers
• Tree resin
• Hardwood]
[Effect: When a large hostile creature enters its detection range, the alarm stone releases a loud warning sound and sends a pillar of colored light into the sky.]
[Detection Range: Fifty meters.]
[Side Effect: The alarm stone cannot distinguish allies from enemies. Anything above the selected size threshold will trigger it, including tribe members, tamed beasts, and livestock.]
[Maximum Linked Devices: One hundred.]
Maeve blinked. "Linked devices?"
Pinky nodded happily. [Every alarm stone can be magically connected to the others during construction. If one detects danger, every linked alarm stone inside the settlement will activate at the same time.]
However, since the alarm stone didn’t specifically detect only wild beasts, Maeve would have to ask the tribe members to memorize where each stone was placed. Alternatively, she could mark their locations with signs that only the tribe could recognize.
Even with that troublesome side effect, the alarm stone was still extremely useful because it would give them time to prepare before facing their enemies.
She didn’t want something like Pyrax’s sudden attack on their tribe to ever happen again.
Not long after that, Pinky continued explaining the remaining items.
[Steel Spike Kit]
[Description: Twenty enchanted steel spikes that can be attached to wooden stakes or placed inside pit traps.]
[Effect: Much stronger than ordinary wooden stakes and can pierce the thick hide of most wild beasts.]
[Side Effect: The spikes are forged with cursed ore. Anyone handling them without gloves may experience small cuts that take longer than usual to heal.]
[Magic Binding Net]
[Description: A reusable enchanted net that expands when thrown or triggered by a trap.]
[Effect: The magical threads tighten automatically around the target, making escape difficult for several minutes.]
[Side Effect: The net cannot tell friend from foe. If a tribe member triggers it, they will also be trapped.]
With all of these traps, Maeve knew the tribe couldn’t afford to be careless. She would have to make sure every member learned where the traps were placed and how they worked. More importantly, the children would need to be taught about them from a young age.
Getting caught in their own traps would be terrible, but that was true for any weapon. Even a gun and its bullets could kill the person holding it if they weren’t used carefully.
A few moments later, Maeve took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I want to purchase them."
[Excellent choice, Host!] Pinky said happily. [I promise you won’t regret it!]
[Purchased recommended blueprints and tools: 31,000 Coins]
[Remaining Coins: 9,550]
Maeve let out a long sigh as she watched her remaining Coins drop to such a small amount.
"So much for saving..." she muttered under her breath.
[Oh, don’t worry, Host!] Pinky said cheerfully. [You’ll earn plenty of Coins once you complete the mission!]
Maeve closed the System window with a soft sigh. She turned onto her side and gently wrapped her arms around her son before slowly drifting off to sleep.
When morning came, the first rays of sunlight slipped through the gaps in the wooden walls of the hut.
Maeve slowly opened her eyes and heard a lot of commotions outside.
Axan and Cerus were no longer in the hut, but Ikarus was still there. Since he hadn’t tried to wake her earlier, she knew the commotion outside wasn’t dangerous.
"What happened?" she asked.