Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 834 - 84: The Battle for Shelter (Part 2)

Sky Witch Ancient Village, built along the mountain slope, is surrounded by an abundance of shrubs, hidden within the jungle and inside the stone houses are numerous demon beasts. Choosing a place to settle during those six months in the Divine Ruins is of utmost importance.

The Four Unlikes Squad found a cluster of stone houses located halfway up the mountainside, consisting of about five to six houses, which might have once belonged to a moderately well-off family of the Sky Witch Ancient Village residents.

The stone houses are arranged in a horn-like shape, positioned halfway up the slope, providing a good bird’s-eye view of the valley and an excellent defensive position.

Besides the topography, there is also a water channel outside the stone houses, left by former villagers to guide water. Although it has fallen into disrepair over time, with proper cleaning and blocking both ends, it would be a good water storage facility.

As dusk fell, the temperature within the Sky Witch Village began to drop, and a piercing cold wind blew from unknown directions, causing pain as it slapped against people’s skin. Soon the environment would grow even harsher, making these stone houses the best choice at present.

"Let’s choose this place. Leave a few people to tidy up the houses and send others to collect firewood for daily life. Yue Xiao and I will go out to search for a water source," Ying Wuwang decided after scanning the vicinity and finding no signs of large groups of demon beasts settling nearby.

They had fairly good luck, encountering no alien invaders or members from other squads along the way. Otherwise, they would inevitably face a fierce battle over the settlement.

"I’m afraid we are not the only ones eyeing these stone houses," Yue Jinghua glanced at Ying Wuwang, keenly looking toward a fork in the path ahead.

Ying Wuwang’s eyes sharpened with realization — he had been negligent, only on the lookout for the presence of demon beasts, forgetting that compared to beasts, human beings are far more fearsome.

From a dim corner of the street, the gusty wind swept fiercely.

More than twenty Dark Practitioners emerged, men and women alike, led by a man with brown hair standing over two meters tall.

Their attire was peculiar, with each face painted in colorful markings, wide-mouthed ox-noses, and naked bodies save for vital areas wrapped in chains made of red iron.

The rough, heavy chains clattered on the ground, creating cracks across the village’s simple paths with each step.

This group, despite having both men and women, showed little distinction: the women were nearly as tall as the men, similarly dressed, just with denser chains across their chests.

Right at first glance at these twenty-odd peoples’ dress and their wild, slogan-like chants, it was clear they were not from the Canglong Continent.

Yet, there were no obvious traits of the Demon Clan or traits of fugitives; they appeared to be Dark Practitioners from another continent on the Star Plane.

"It’s said that there is a land called Barbaric Wilderness on the Star Plane. The people of this land are called Mountain Barbarians, who disdain clothing, using chains as garments, boasting immense strength, very similar to this group before us. Unexpected that news of the Heavenly Witch Pill’s loss has spread to such remote places," Ying Wuwang explained to Yue Jinghua with goodwill, as Yue Jinghua squinted slightly, sizing up the group.

The Mountain Barbarians were also sizing up Yue Jinghua and others. Indeed, they were Mountain Barbarians, sent to the Mainland Battlefield by their tribal Shaman Wizard after receiving news of the Heavenly Witch Pill.

Their mission was to find the Heavenly Witch Pill.

Although the Mountain Barbarians appeared coarse, their strength was extraordinary. Among them, everyone possessed Dark Heavenly abilities, mostly with Small Achievement to Great Achievement cultivation.

They seemed aware of the differences in language from the Human Race; after a round of wailing, one emerged from the Mountain Barbarians.

Among the Mountain Barbarians, she was relatively short, fair-skinned, without a prominent Adam’s apple, and bore features of a female mountain barbarian.

"Are you... Four Symbols People?" It turned out that the female mountain barbarian who stepped out was the only one among them who had learned the language of Canglong Continent, pushed forward to negotiate with others.

The Mountain Barbarians, though barbarians relying on hunting and fishing for survival, were not foolish. Having struggled hard to enter the Divine Ruins, they understood the importance of preserving their strength.

Though outnumbering the Four Unlikes Squad, a fight against them would result in significant losses, affecting subsequent operations against other squads.

Ying Wuwang, being the captain, had to step forward in such a situation.

After a round of negotiations, whether it was Ying Wuwang’s charming appearance or him charming the female mountain barbarian, in the end, they agreed to coexist peacefully with the Four Unlikes Squad, sharing the well-positioned stone houses.

"Five stone houses, they take three, we take two, with our fewer numbers, dividing one for males and one for females is manageable," Ying Wuwang was fairly satisfied with the negotiation outcome.

In such harsh conditions, even one stone house offering shelter from the elements was a rare find.

The members of the Four Unlikes Squad were also unwilling to deplete their strength on the first day in the Divine Ruins and agreed to such an allocation.

As everyone relaxed, preparing to enter the stone houses, the largest mountain barbarian called out to the female mountain barbarian, gesturing with his hands.

After listening, the female mountain barbarian arrogantly pointed to Compass and Feng Buhui, "You... yours, the fat and strong, stay."

"What fat, I’m sturdy! You dead mountain barbarian, no taste," Compass retorted furiously, straightening up and flexing his arm to show off his "robust" muscle.

"Hahaha, fool, these mountain barbarians want to eat that fat guy, he must have a death wish?" Gold Eater Worm mocked with schadenfreude.

Being part of the All-Purpose Divine Worms, Gold Eater Worm was versed in the languages of some Beast Races and Human Races, knowing hundreds to thousands of kinds.

"You want to eat them?" Yue Jinghua’s face changed suddenly — these people intended to commit cannibalism.

"Ruins, no food. Fat ones, strong ones, can eat. Others, keep." The female mountain barbarian was impatient, "I, can, trade. Water source, tell, you, people, give, us."

"Ha!" Compass, hearing they intended to be treated as livestock and eaten, jumped up in fury, his beady eyes bulging, "Try eating me, aren’t you afraid of breaking your tongues!"

"Brother Luo, let’s hear them out first, where is the water source?" Ying Wuwang was excited upon hearing about the water source, signaling Compass to hold his tongue.

This infuriated Compass, and he spat on the ground. "Captain, they want us in exchange for the water source location, what do you think?"