Hamster stared at Groundhog, who was half his height, utterly unable to fathom why he had ended up being the hamster.
Wei Yuan, on the other hand, was very pleased with the quarters allocated to them. The house came with front and back courtyards; though there were only three rooms above ground, it boasted a sizeable basement where he could set up the miniature altar he had brought with him.
The building was constructed entirely from desolate stone, its windows mere slits less than a foot wide, while the roof was covered with solid stone slabs. Only a structure built like this could withstand an attack by qinlong from the sky.
The courtyards served little real purpose beyond temporarily holding inconsequential items. When qinlong attacked in swarms, anything left in the open would be obliterated; only the basement offered genuine safety.
Digging into the earth was no easy feat in the Desolate Realm, which was precisely why Wei Yuan was so satisfied with such a spacious basement.
Wei Yuan and the shamans set about installing and arranging the equipment they had brought along. Tianyu helped out as well, but his mouth never stopped grumbling. "Why didn't they give me a choice?! Why?!"
When it had been time to choose code names, Wei Yuan had immediately picked Groundhog—also known as the earth rat—for one simple reason: it was the biggest of the options.
When Tianyu's turn came next, the Desolate Shaman hadn't given him any choice at all, arbitrarily assigning him Hamster.
Tianyu had seethed with indignation, yet he hadn't dared utter a single peep at the time. Only now, with their lodgings assigned and no outsiders around, did he start whining.
Zhengang was a straightforward sort, so he asked right away, "Doesn't your tribe have several Desolate Shamans too? Call your great-grandfather over to back you up! It's not a big deal anyway—you just want a more domineering name, right?"
Blood rushed through Tianyu's veins in an instant, his entire body temperature skyrocketing, yet he could not get a word out.
Confused, Zhengang pressed, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and write a letter home! In a month at most, the Desolate Shamans from your tribe will be here. Then we can bask in your glory too."
Tianyu's temperature climbed even higher.
Wei Yuan interrupted Zhengang, telling him, "Go fetch our rations!"
Wei Yuan tossed his identity token to Zhengang, who could only take the iron plaque engraved with the image of a groundhog and scurry out to do his errand.
Seeing Zhengang leave, Tianyu's temperature finally began to drop, and he no longer dared to keep babbling.
Fengmang Fortress was currently garrisoned by five Desolate Shamans. The one who had greeted their convoy at the gate was named Ronglong. Ronglong was the fortress's foremost powerhouse and had guarded this post for nearly two centuries.
It was universally acknowledged across the Desolate Realm that eighty percent of the credit for Fengmang's current scale belonged to Ronglong; all the other shamans, including the other Desolate Shamans, had to share the remaining twenty percent among themselves.
Ronglong had reached the peak of the Desolate Shaman realm several centuries ago, yet because there were simply no vacancies for Desolate Shamans to ascend to Heavenly Shaman, he had remained stuck here ever since. For a single individual to anchor the foremost front line of the Desolate Realm for centuries, his terrifying strength went without saying. After learning Ronglong's background, Wei Yuan felt that even if the Hall Master of the Bright King or Xuanyue were present, they might not necessarily win against him.
The Desolate Ancestor Tribe was merely a minor power in the Shamans' remote hinterlands, akin to a county or prefecture along the human race's borders. Tianyu's ancestor, the Sun of the Great Desolation, together with every other Desolate Shaman in the tribe, might not match Ronglong even if tied together.
Zhengang was of lowly origin and limited knowledge, having barely met a handful of Desolate Shamans in his life. He naively assumed all Desolate Shamans were more or less equal, each capable of trading one-for-one. Little did he know that while cultivators might share the same major realm, their combat prowess could differ as night and day. His blunt outspokenness had sent Tianyu's body temperature multiplying several times over, nearly igniting the few tufts of hair that had just begun to grow back on him.
Fortunately, Wei Yuan had noticed in time and dispatched Zhengang on an errand, preventing Tianyu from blowing his top.
At that moment, a thunderous voice boomed from outside the courtyard gate: "Groundhog! Hamster!"
"Here!" Wei Yuan replied immediately. Tianyu trailed several beats behind before saying, "I'm here."
The courtyard gate swung open, and a burly Desolate Shaman with dark red skin strode in. A thick stench of blood emanated incessantly from his body, and his karmic debt was so dense it seemed almost tangible. This Desolate Shaman was a veritable god of slaughter, clearly violent by nature and with an appetite that brooked no squeamishness.
The moment he entered the courtyard, his unfriendly gaze locked onto Tianyu. Tianyu could plainly sense that this Desolate Shaman took an intense... interest in him!
Now Tianyu truly panicked. Wei Yuan took a sidestep, placing himself in front of Tianyu to block the Desolate Shaman's view.
Tianyu was rather dull-witted, but Wei Yuan was far keener; to Wei Yuan, the look in this Desolate Shaman's eyes resembled a ravenous beast sizing up its prey.
The Desolate Shaman seemed surprised that Wei Yuan dared meet his gaze. He froze for a moment, then parted his wide maw to reveal blood-stained fangs. "No wonder you dared throw yourself into the jaws of death. Interesting! My name is Yanhu. From now on, both of you belong to my Seventh Squad.
"However, the boss made a special exception: you don't have to stay in the barracks. Groundhog, you have freedom of movement, but in wartime you are strictly forbidden from taking a single step onto the front line without orders. Hamster, your situation is the exact opposite. You must report on time every day and await orders at all times. When there are no orders, you aren't permitted to step outside this courtyard."
Unwilling as Tianyu was, he had no choice but to snap to attention and accept his orders.
Looking at Tianyu, Yanhu wore another eerie grin. "I heard what you were saying just now. Your clan's ancestor is called the Sun of the Great Desolation, isn't he? Sounds familiar. How about you call him over so we can trade pointers? To be honest, I might not be able to beat him. What do you say?"
Tianyu seethed with fury and shame, yet he dared not vent his anger.
Wei Yuan frowned slightly and said, "Since we are here, we are comrades sharing life and death. We haven't fought a single battle yet nor shown what we can do, so subjecting us to such humiliation feels uncalled for."
Yanhu gave Wei Yuan another look and sneered, "This country-bumpkin hamster doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. He offended the City Lord of Extreme Blade, and who knows how many people want to slit his throat just to curry favor with Extreme Blade! Only a place like ours wouldn't give a damn about those other fortresses and would keep him breathing. Heh, I was just making conversation—do you really think his so-called ancestors would dare set foot in Fengmang?
"Hmph! What I hate most in this life are deserters! But you're a lucky kid—you have a brother who's an artificer. So within my reach, I'll do my best to keep you alive, provided you don't do something stupid. Oh, and don't bring up that laughable background of yours again. Nobody here gives a damn!
"Do you know how I got exiled here back in the day? I didn't like the look of a Heavenly Shaman's own grandson, so I beat him half to death and then ate both his hind legs!"
Tianyu turned deathly pale. His mental state was already fragile, completely incapable of withstanding Yanhu's horrifying murderous aura.
Fortunately, Yanhu glanced at Wei Yuan and reined it in slightly. "Groundhog, do you need anything?"
"I need sacrificial power," Wei Yuan said.
"That's all? Simple enough. We have all kinds of sacrificial power here—exceptionally pure, extraordinarily fierce—what kind do you want?"
"I want all of them."
Yanhu was taken aback again, then clapped Wei Yuan heavily on the shoulder. "Good! I like someone with big talk! Take as much sacrificial power as you want, take your pick. Is that all?"
An idea stirred in Wei Yuan's mind. "I would also like records."
"What records?"
"Records and physical specimens of all desolate beasts and flame demons; blueprints and data on all fortress offensive and defensive weapons; structural design documents for the fortress; manuals on tactics and combat doctrines; records of all Desolate Shamans' unique divine arts and abilities; documentation on all Power Shamans' bloodline divine abilities; records of past battles..." Wei Yuan rattled off over a hundred categories in a single breath.
Yanhu listened in stunned bewilderment. Looking troubled, he scratched the hair on his head and said awkwardly, "Slow down, no rush... How about this: I'll go speak to the boss. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Hall of Books first, then do a round through the treasure vault and the armory, and finally the prison. How does that sound?"
"Thank you very much, Lord Yanhu!" Wei Yuan's posture softened at once.
"Hahahaha! Alright then, get some rest. I'll go find the boss right now." Yanhu hurried out of the courtyard gate, but suddenly remembered something, spun around abruptly with a strange look on his face, and asked, "When I clapped your shoulder just now, how come you didn't even budge?"
"Who said that? I took a big step back."
"Really?"
"Really!" Wei Yuan replied, without batting an eye or his heart skipping a beat.
Chapter 891