Chapter 64 - Making Plans Happy New Year

Although only two Collapsing Beasts launched the attack, there were as many as six Collapsing Beasts that came down to feed, two of which were enormous and resembled small carriages, while the remaining four were half their size.It was two of the smaller ones that initiated this round of attack.

When it came to feeding, the larger beasts had the privilege of selecting their prey first, leaving the leftovers to the smaller ones.

Without a doubt, this was a family of Collapsing Beasts.

After divvying up the eight Rock Sheep, this family of Collapsing Beasts did not immediately leave the area.

Instead, they busied themselves with the battlefield. The source of thɪs content is NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt

Many large boulders were pushed back up the slope, dung beetle style, while the extensive loose stones were turned into mud with a spell similar to “Stone to Mud” and blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment.

These Collapsing Beasts demonstrated extraordinary hunting intelligence.

The current state of this valley owed much to nature’s artistry, but probably also to their years of transformation.

Gaven smiled at Susie, “Your tribespeople’s lifeline lies right here.”

“The lifeline is here?” Susie looked incredulous.

Just two Collapsing Beasts had launched two rounds of attacks, and the momentum was terrifying.

Susie couldn’t help shuddering at the thought of all six beasts moving out together.

She truly couldn’t see how her people would be able to quickly traverse this dangerous area with pursuers at their heels.

“Sometimes, all it takes is a clever setup for a dead end to become an escape route, on the condition that you trust me completely and follow my strategy to the letter.

Otherwise, your tribe will be doomed.

I wonder if Leader Susie dares to take that bet,” said Gaven, enigmatic as ever.

“What should we do?” Susie asked, her face resolute.

They had no other choice; they might as well hear out Gaven’s perilous plan.

“Before that, I need to ascertain two things,” Gaven raised a finger, “Do you have any secret tunnels?

Ones that can lead you directly out of the Blood Claw Tribe’s blockade.

My plan is predicated on your ability to embark on a path of escape successfully.”

“We do,” Susie answered without hesitation.

“We dug a tunnel half a year ago.

The only problem is that once we leave the Pitfall, it’s difficult to escape the Hobgoblin Wolf Cavalry’s pursuit so we have yet to use it.

It is through that tunnel I came before.”

Gaven looked unsurprised and raised a second finger, “How long would it take for you to dig a pit or cave big enough to hide hundreds of people for half a day?”

“No longer than it takes to boil a pot of water.”

“A magic pit, one that doesn’t dig up too much earth and can be restored afterward?”

“Magic pit,” Susie nodded.

“Can it be used now?

I want to see it for myself,” Gaven put forth a new request.

“It can be used, but I suggest we keep our distance,” Susie glanced at the slope, at the Collapsing Beasts that had been camouflaged as large round stones, “The way I create pits is very similar to how they cause collapses.

I’m afraid they’re sensitive to this magic power and might detect us.”

“No, right here,” Gaven shook his head, “Their main mode of attack is to create rolling rocks.

Even if they do detect us, they are unlikely to come after us.”

“Alright,” Susie nodded.

She focused her mind and pressed her paws onto the ground.

Gaven could clearly feel the surge of magic power, which astonishingly emanated not from the surroundings but from the earth underfoot.

The ground below seemed to be moving slowly.

This went on for nearly a minute.

The Collapsing Beasts in the distance did indeed notice something amiss, simultaneously stretched their necks, and looked in their direction with wide eyes.

It was unclear whether they refrained from attacking because of what Gaven had said, their location not being conducive to their mode of assault, or perhaps the earlier Rock Sheep had just barely sated their hunger.

After observing for a while and seeing no threat, they shrank back to their original spots.

Susie stood up, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s done.”

“Done?” Gaven looked left and right, but nothing seemed to have changed in the surroundings.

Susie didn’t explain and simply picked up a rock from the ground, tossing it forward.

When the rock hit the ground, it rippled like it had landed on water, then disappeared without a trace.

Witnessing this scene, Gaven’s eyes instantly lit up.

He carefully crouched down and felt his way forward, taking only a step or so before he encountered a large pit, one that was no less than ten meters in diameter and bottomless.

The Trap Maker’s ability to create traps was more formidable than he had imagined; not only did they create the pit in an extremely short time, but they also came with an Illusion Technique for camouflage.

No wonder the Hobgoblin Tribe, despite their overwhelming numbers, couldn’t do anything to this small Gnoll Tribe.

“What if it is used on a mountain?

Will it also come with camouflage?” Gaven always had peculiar questions.

Susie was startled, as she had never attempted such a thing before, “It should be the same.

This is a type of Spell skill that automatically forms camouflage.”

“I don’t want guesses, I need one hundred percent certainty, as this will relate to the life and death of your tribespeople.”

“I’ll use it one more time.” Susie carefully avoided the pitfall she had just created, walked to the side of the mountain, and cast the spell again.

Indeed, once she had finished, the naked eye could not detect any flaws whatsoever.

Not until Gaven carefully approached and stepped through what seemed like an invisible barrier did a gigantic cavern appear before him, ten meters high, ten meters wide, and six meters deep.

“Can this type of Spell be controlled precisely?

It doesn’t need to be this high or this wide, just as deep as possible, similar to a tunnel.”

“This…

I’ve never tried it before, let me give it a shot.” Susie would have been sweating bullets due to Gaven’s demands, if the Gnolls had sweat glands.

Even so, by the time the third pit was completed, her face couldn’t hide the fatigue.

For her, the energy expended on the third pit was greater than the previous two combined.

But somehow, she had managed to meet Gaven’s demands, creating a narrow, deep cavern that appeared before them, also featuring automatic camouflage.

This could no longer be called a pitfall; it was a magic tunnel.

“With these two assurances, the success rate of my plan has increased by fifty percent.

Come, I will tell you what you should do next.” Gaven whispered into Susie’s ear.

After listening to Gaven’s plan, Susie was initially skeptical.

But upon careful consideration, she grew incredulous, and then a look of pleasant surprise spread across her face.

If executed well, the plan truly had a great chance of success.

“This is the highest success rate I’ve envisioned for any plan, but it is also the riskiest, with the biggest potential reward.

If successful, not a single one of your tribespeople would need to be sacrificed.

However, if there’s a leak, it could lead to utter ruin.

The secrecy of the operation is critical, divulge it to no one but your most trusted confidants.

The choice to proceed lies with you, not with me,” Gaven said lightly, leaving the decision in Susie’s hands.

Susie’s expression fluctuated as Gaven was right; there was a huge gambit within the plan.

This she did not fear, nor did she worry whether her tribespeople would follow her.

What she truly feared was that part of the plan required action from Gaven’s side, and if anything went wrong there, it would spell disaster for the Pitfall Tribe, something beyond her control.

Susie finally understood why Gaven initially said that he needed her absolute trust.

But she had no choice; the predicament of the Pitfall Tribe was far worse than she had let on to Gaven.

They could hold out for at most another twenty days.

The Blood Claw Tribe had begun to muster the surrounding Goblins, preparing to fill their traps with Goblin lives.

“I’ll take the gamble,” she said.

She could only bet that the Pitfall Tribe’s usefulness to Gaven, to the Blackwell Tribe, would inspire them to help her with all their might.

“Good, you have three days to prepare.

After three days, I’ll be waiting for you on the other side,” Gaven waved his hand as he bid farewell to Susie on the spot.

Susie didn’t waste words either, turning to run in the direction of her Tribe.

Three days was a tight timeline; she had to further refine her part of the plan, especially the coordination between divisions of her tribespeople.