The News of the Desert People Tribe

"Don't worry about those invaders," the figure in the black robe said. "They might leave on their own soon enough."

"But what if they don't?" King Aubrey's concern was evident. "What if they stay and take over the sandy forest? That area is part of our hunting grounds. Losing it means losing a vital food source. In the desert, food is already scarce. Without the forest, many of our young will starve."

"Then you'll have to fight," the black-robed figure replied. "Gather all your kingdom's warriors and storm the Golden Oasis. Destroy their camp. Even if you can't annihilate them, you must at least drive them out of the area. Do whatever it takes, as long as it doesn't interfere with Lord Charles' recovery. And ensure there's enough food. Otherwise, Lord Charles might start seeing your people as his next meal."

"I understand," King Aubrey said, his face pale with fear. "We will do everything in our power to help Lord Charles recover quickly."

The black-robed figure nodded slightly before retreating back into the shadows. King Aubrey then summoned his ministers and issued orders: "Terrible hunters have invaded the sandy forest. No hunting parties are to be sent there. Increase the number of scout ratmen to gather detailed information about the invaders."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the ministers responded in unison. They, too, had heard of the lizardman tribe's downfall. Soon, a large number of scout ratmen poured out of the underground kingdom, dispersing into the sandy forest through a network of tunnels. In gathering intelligence, the ratmen were experts, moving through hidden pathways, making detection and capture nearly impossible.

Reports soon flooded in. There were two main points:

The invaders were mercilessly hunting the magical beasts of the sandy forest.The number of invaders was not just a few hundred but nearly a thousand.

Nearly a thousand Golden Griffon riders? King Aubrey felt a wave of panic. Mobilizing his army against such a force would likely only result in feeding those griffons.

"Lock up that lizardman," Aubrey ordered, "and don't let it spread talk of revenge. Give it some food as a token of our past relations."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

On another starry night, the royal griffon knights returned to the Golden Oasis from their hunt. They had spent the afternoon hunting thousands of magical beasts and even more common animals, greatly replenishing the territory's food reserves. The beast materials they gathered were also plentiful, all of which Haotian stored away, to be sold as raw materials or crafted into equipment for greater profit.

"Master," the old steward, Hodorn, handed Haotian a pile of gold coins and several small pouches. "This is today's hunting yield."

In total, there were over 3,500 gold coins, and the pouches held an additional 1,700 coins, bringing the day's total to approximately 5,300 gold coins. While not as bountiful as plundering the lizardman tribe, it was still a significant haul, thanks to the expanded griffon knight regiment.

"Well done!" Haotian beamed. "Another hunt tomorrow and we can upgrade our territory again."

Hodorn nodded, promising to continue their efforts. Haotian then said, "There's still some time before midnight. Have the griffon knights go out again. I feel like I'm close to leveling up."

"Advancing to mid King-level?" Hodorn asked, surprised.

"Exactly," Haotian nodded. "If I can break through before midnight, I'll be able to further advance after claiming the reward for [Special Task One]."

Free levels were not to be wasted. Hodorn immediately relayed Haotian's orders, and soon, nearly a thousand griffon knights set out again. Although nighttime beasts were fewer, there were still creatures like the desert gray wolves that were active at night. A single wolf pack could help Haotian achieve his breakthrough.

An hour later, some griffon knights began returning, including those sent to scout for desert people outposts. Most came back empty-handed, but a few brought good news. They had discovered four outposts, with the smallest housing a few hundred people and the largest a mid-sized tribe of over 4,000, located about 150 kilometers from the Golden Oasis. This tribe had organized defenses, including fortresses, arrow towers, and walls.

Hodorn noted, "150 kilometers is a bit far. We can easily capture the tribe, but transporting them to the Golden Oasis could be challenging since they can't fly. We'd need to use the griffons."

Haotian smiled, "A griffon can easily carry five or six people. A couple of trips and we can transport not just the people but all their supplies to the Oasis."

"Are you planning to attack tomorrow?" Hodorn asked.

"We will," Haotian confirmed. "But remember, diplomacy first. If they surrender peacefully, it's better for us."

Killing ordinary people offered no experience points, and losing potential labor was a waste. Hodorn understood. "I'll lead the griffon knights to the tribe tomorrow and deal with the other outposts afterward."

Haotian nodded, looking forward to increasing his population quickly. With more people, he could build the [Professional Skills Tower], enhancing the skills of everyone in his territory. As his territory expanded and population grew, the tower's value would only increase.