World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 1097 - 496: Cultivation Breakthrough Again! Harmed Goufu!

Chapter 1097: 496: Cultivation Breakthrough Again! Harmed Goufu!

"The battle starts in five days?"

Lanling asked, "Why start a war?"

Suo Mo replied, "The Wild Horse Tribe crossed the border while hunting. When Constantine II led his men to drive them away, a conflict broke out, and over a dozen people from the Chimera Tribe died. The chieftain felt his honor was tarnished, so he declared war on the Wild Horse Tribe."

"It’s that simple?" Lanling asked.

Suo Mo said, "Of course not. Both sides have their sights set on the Falling Horse Mountain."

The Wild Horse Tribe is a renowned large tribe in the surrounding area, equipped with powerful cavalry, and located 200 miles from the Chimera Tribe.

The two tribes previously agreed to use the mountain’s summit as the boundary, with the eastern half belonging to the Chimera Tribe and the western half to the Wild Horse Tribe.

Tribes of the Barbaric Wilderness seldom engage in production; most rely on hunting and gathering to survive.

The Chimera Tribe claims an area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers, with the Falling Horse Mountain Range accounting for one-fourth of it. This range is rich with wild beasts and provides up to a third of their hunting yields.

Thus, Constantine desires to control the entire Falling Horse Mountain Range.

The Wild Horse Tribe harbors similar ambitions, leading to frequent border-crossing hunts and countless skirmishes.

Small conflicts piled up over time, culminating in an agreed-upon war to settle the matter once and for all.

The victor would claim the entire mountain range.

For both sides, this is a battle they cannot afford to lose.

"While war brings casualties, it also means full bellies and plenty of meat every day," Suo Mo remarked. "So every war is considered a good day. Plus, battle merits can be exchanged for meat and gold coins."

Lanling was stunned. "There are gold coins in the Barbaric Wilderness too?"

Suo Mo laughed. "Of course there are gold coins here, but we in the Foreign Tribe Army are so poor that the coins earned from battle merits are spent immediately. Buying salt, fabric, leather, and medicine — everything costs money. That’s why you haven’t seen gold coins since joining the Foreign Tribe Army."

Suo Mo then attempted to find a gold coin to show Lanling but realized after searching the entire cave that not a single coin could be found; the poverty was extreme.

"Anyway, the coins here aren’t as refined as those in the Human Kingdom," Suo Mo clarified. "They’re quite rough, but the weight is sufficient — one coin weighs three taels of gold. But gold isn’t the main thing. What matters most is earning battle merits, standing out in the Foreign Tribe Army so that your brothers know you, remember you, understand you. Got it?"

Lanling had caught the undertone of Suo Mo’s words.

Only by building sufficient prestige could Lanling inherit the Foreign Tribe Army and realize his ideals.

"Understood," Lanling replied.

"Get some sleep. There’s a trial early tomorrow morning," Suo Mo said. "I’m going to wash up; I’m covered in blood."

At this moment, the little girl was wide awake, playing happily with the Gryphon Chick.

Dina brought over some precious deer meat and handed it to the little girl to feed the Gryphon piece by piece.

The chick, born not long ago, was already eating meat. Whoever fed it gained its affection.

"Alright, time to sleep," Lanling said.

The little girl refused, wanting to keep playing with the Gryphon Chick.

"It needs to sleep too. Why don’t we let it sleep with us?" Lanling suggested.

Having learned the Barbarian Tribes’ language, he could now communicate with the little girl.

Thus, the little girl hugged the Gryphon Chick, Lanling hugged the little girl, and they lay down on a straw mat to sleep, too poor to afford a bed.

Meanwhile, Dina worked late into the night, altering her newest and most beautiful clothing to make small outfits and trousers for the little girl.

The clothes, too cherished for her own use, were cut without hesitation.

By early morning, Lanling and the little girl woke up.

Dina had already prepared breakfast — tender deer meat and fresh goat milk.

No one knew how she’d managed to get goat milk, but there was very little — just a small bowl of milk and a small plate of meat.

The little girl ate obediently, consuming whatever she was given and eating a lot.

The three adults and one child ate breakfast happily.

Lanling and the others had coarse wild vegetable and buckwheat porridge, horribly tough millet cakes, and even tougher wolf meat.

Still, they ate with relish, watching the little girl sip goat milk, savoring tasty deer steaks, and feeding the Gryphon Chick bits of deer meat.

Suo Mo had mentioned that despite their poverty, the Foreign Tribe Army willingly pooled resources to provide the best for the little girl, ensuring they could care for her well.

"Don’t worry about the trial." Suo Mo assured them. "Yaya will be well cared for."

Indeed, there were caretakers, among them disabled injured soldiers — ten or so women who’d been taken in. Elsewhere, they would have been discarded long ago, but in the Foreign Tribe Army, they survived.

These wounded soldiers, no matter how fierce they had once been, had softened over time.

This was because Suo Mo insisted the army scrape by to continue supporting them.

Unlike Earth movies, where wounded soldiers were portrayed with dark, brooding tendencies, in this world, none exhibited such traits.

Life here was too grueling, leaving no room for bitterness — only gratitude for survival.

The group of wounded soldiers was small, never exceeding a hundred. After all, in this harsh world, losing a limb often meant death, with few surviving such injuries.

Those who did survive ate sparingly and contributed what little they could to the Foreign Tribe Army.

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