As the golden glow from the formation that teleported him here died out, Huo Laohu again marveled at the sight that opened to him. It wasn't his first, and not even his tenth or even hundredth time seeing [Yor Chier, Kass Rador], but like every time, he could only gasp at the image of the four enormous camps connected into one.
A direct translation from the Beast tongue would be [Four Cities, Life Cradle], and it wasn't far from reality indeed. After all, every camp was bigger than a medium-sized city in the other regions.
As a member of the Wisdom faction, led by the [Feathered Snake] man-beast King, Huo Laohu had arrived via the formation near [Kit'Zo] the Northeast Camp. A pseudo-city controlled by the [Feathered Snake], and the biggest of the entire group. Sometimes called the perpetual one, as, in the pursuit of absolute knowledge for the betterment of both region and life of everyone in it, She Yumao constantly gathered the brightest mind among the packs. And the gathered ones would spend their lives in it. Not only training and cultivating, but also discussing and solving the different issues that plagued the region.
He then made his way southwest to leave the camp towards the only place shared by the four, the [Rador]. Hou Laohu had always found that it was somehow funny to call the only administrative building in the entire region as [Cradle]. After all, the people that resided in the enormous building that connected the four camps were the three man-beasts kings. And they were anything but young.
***
As Huo Laohu walked the perfectly straight street, he again felt that he had done the correct thing to choose She Yumao as the one worthy of his homage. This feeling came from the surrounding atmosphere.
[Kit'Zo] was very peaceful, and the only shouting one could hear would come not from a scuffle but a debate. Dozens, hundreds, and probably even thousands of different races filled up the tents and even buildings, and except for an accusation of foolishness, one would not hear any remarks or offensive words about looks, race, or even level.
Absolutely different from both [Min'Zo] the Southeast Camp, or [Min'Grah] the Southwest one.
The former, [Min'Zo], was a place of accumulation, where the most successful, in Beastmen terms powerful, ones made their living. Falling under the control of Lang Ziran, the [Nature Ruler], it was a place where power meant everything.
Even its nickname, the owner changing, could be taken as an indicator of how it was. And indeed, it was the only camp that had never expanded, and any new residents had only two choices. Either one lived on the road or fought against the owner of one of the housings. And while the number of the residents always grew, the number of tents had remained the same. At least for the last dozen generations.
And the latter, [Min'Grah], was something of an odd mix. Power, wisdom, and even connections mattered, but all-around, the idea behind the place was one's bloodline. And not just the pureness, but the actual degree of one's Sacred, Holy, and otherwise notable ancestors. Long Hongshui, the [Pure Earth and Heaven], was its ruler, and by far, its idea most resolute representative.
As for the fourth camp, [Kit'Grah], located on the northwest, it was not one of Beastmen or even local Beasts, but one of humans, other region Beasts, and other kinds of visitors. Home to the only port of the entire region, one placed over the single navigable river in the latter, it was practically the only way of communication with the outside world that [Steel Fang] as both power and region had.
Called the welcoming camp, it was akin to a small [Shuomen] city, with representatives of almost every Overlord and respected power visiting once every few months.
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Granted, [Sagtsikhe], the trade city, existed. But it was a free city meant for trading, and in truth, one could not even consider it part of [Steel Fang] as a power.
A part of the region? Yes, but without falling under the control of any man-beast King or even any laws.
Thus, [Sagtsikhe] was never considered except to get something from the few human traders that made their living there.
___________________________________________________________________
Three weeks had passed since the Battle meet at the [Slithering Pool], and Huo Laohu had planned to remain a few months with his pack. But just a few hours ago, he received a message talisman from She Yumao, requesting his immediate presence in the [Rador].
Considering how difficult it was to obtain any talisman or similar item, it could only be something urgent, and Huo Laohu had rushed here instantly. And as he made his way to the mud-block building, the only building in the entire area, he could not help but be worried.
His hunch about something significant happening only grew stronger as he approached one of the four entrances. Each was a hundred feet tall and wide, and it was the first time that Huo Laohu saw Beastmen and Beasts forming up to enter!
With his status and strength, it wasn't hard to enter directly. Still, Huo Laohu decided to find out at least something before, so he made his way towards the Beastmen that were waiting for their turn, or maybe for someone to summon them.
He had seen most of them before but only interacted closely with a few during the last time he acted on the King's orders. Still, if even the ones that he knew stood waiting, it meant that all of the war packs, both major and minor, had been summoned.
"Lan! It's good to see that you have already recovered!" Huo Laohu warmly greeted as he approached a man-lion with distinctive blue fur. Lan was one of the few war pack leaders that always participated in all the expeditions sent by She Yumao, being both a good fighter and a similarly good strategist. Being a pure-blooded [Sky Lion] Beastman and a 6th level Saint Beast close in age to Huo Laohu, they were both rivals and friends, with the latter taking precedence anywhere except fights.
"Grrrh! I already forgot about that and you, damn fire lover, have to come and remind me?!" Although over a foot lower than Huo Laohu, Lan's mane stood up and equaled the former's stature as he growled in irritation.
"It's not an everyday occurrence that someone gets trampled by a dozen Demon Beasts as if he is just a bump on the road." Huo Laohu teased, but inwardly he was truly happy for Lan.
The mentioned incident had occurred as they fought back a sudden tide of Demon Beasts, during which Lan overexerted himself to allow the younger and weaker to retreat. A truly heroic deed that saved a fair amount of lives, but as Huo Laohu said, one that did make the man-lion fall on the ground without any strength, only to be stepped on by the remaining Demon Beasts.
"Damned bastard!" Lan roared but calmed himself quickly, recalling it was Huo Laohu who fought back an almost Exalted-realm Demon Beast that decided to snack on the man-lion, and then again, it was Huo Laohu who took him to safety.
"Ah, Ruogang, Hui, Yazhu, it's nice to see all of you as well." Huo Laohu continued as if nothing, greeting the other four Beastmen nearby.
After they greeted back while hiding their laughter and grins at Lan's reactions, Huo Laohu asked if they knew something about the reason behind the summons.
"No, neither of the Kings has said anything. A few have attempted to enter, but the formation has only let a couple of the strongest pass. And as they did not return, I think they are waiting for the ones like you to gather and only then will announce something." Ah, a robust, gold-scaled man-fish of the [Heavenly Metal Trout] race answered while the others nodded in confirmation.
"I see, then I should probably make my presence known and go ask." Huo Laohu nodded as he released his aura, and as the other war pack leaders sensed it, the entire hundred or so of them opened a path for him.
"If it's something that makes you choose a few, don't forget us!" Lan, who had calmed and recovered his usual boisterous self, shouted as Huo Laohu approached, and then without issues, passed through the formation.
The formation, one created by one of the first Exalted man-beasts kings, separated the insides and outsides of the [Cradle]. In cultivator terms, it would be a Saint-level formation and one so high in the latter that only a peak Saint or a peak Exalted Beast would have a chance to break through or even attempt to peek inside. That Huo Laohu had entered without hurdles meant that Ah was right about the three kings gathering the strongest pack leaders first.
***
No one would be allowed to know what happened or was discussed inside, as Huo Laohu was made aware as he entered the room, the only one of the entire building, by one of his similars, an 8th level Saint Beast man-tiger from Lang Ziran's camp.
Thus when he exited, he did not reveal anything even after his acquaintances and Lan asked repeatedly. In fact, he only pronounced a single phrase, one that sent everyone into a mix of excitement and astonishment, "The man-beast Kings have spoken, we, the [Steel Fang], go to war!"