181: Chapter 181 Innate Perception Ability

[Divination 4: Due to an avalanche in the mountain hollow at the northwest border of the White Cat-Ear Tribe, the Snow-Vein Crystal hidden deep within has appeared.]

Lister's eyes lit up instantly. He hadn't expected it to be a Snow-Vein Crystal.

This was a type of crystal that could only condense in extremely cold environments, and usually only in small pieces.

Within it lay extremely pure Ice Magic, which could help mages cultivating ice elements better comprehend the core power of ice elements.

If one were lucky enough, it was even possible to awaken the ability to control blizzards.

Mages capable of mastering such natural forces were extremely rare; each one was equivalent to a walking natural disaster.

Of course, its effects were equally applicable to Wizardry.

However, regarding the possibility of comprehending the ability to control blizzards, he felt his own talent was far lacking; instead, he felt Natia had a high chance.

This wasn't blind trust in Natia's talent, but simply the fact of the matter—affinity for natural elements was just that unreasonable.

Although the possibility was slim, his longing for such powerful strength was another matter, so he planned to give it a try once the Snow-Vein Crystal was in his hands.

With a joyful mood, he used his mental power to retract the white ancient book and, accompanied by the howling blizzard outside the window, drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the snow eased slightly, and the long-lost chirping of winter birds spread throughout the entire White Cat-Ear Tribe.

Lister and his party, having packed up early, left the guest house and, led by a Soldier responsible for hospitality, rode toward the military camp.

As soon as their horses stepped onto the street, Lister and his group clearly felt a tense and somber atmosphere rushing toward them.

Looking around, apart from key personnel busy with the war effort, most of the citizens stayed indoors awaiting news, having no necessary business outside.

Lister did not quite agree with Chief Lin Mu's approach; in his view, they were in a state of war and should fully utilize and mobilize all citizens.

This would not only help share the burden of the military personnel but also improve efficiency in all aspects—after all, uniting all available strength was important.

For instance, right now, limited by the narrow streets and accumulated snow, the group's travel speed was not very fast.

The observant Lister couldn't help but shake his head slightly. From this, he could see that the White Cat-Ear Tribe's road construction and emergency response capabilities were not very good.

Under such negative conditions, it was very unfavorable for military deployment and logistical support, and even if they were ambushed by the enemy, they would be unable to organize a quick and effective evacuation.

If this were in his own territory, such a thing would certainly not happen.

At the very least, not to mention the issue of road widening, timely snow clearing should be the bare minimum.

Regarding Chief Lin Mu, a leader with whom he had established cooperation less than a day ago, he felt the other party's management ability was still somewhat immature.

During the journey, which wasn't very long, he passed the time quickly by nitpicking and refuting everything.

Unknowingly, he didn't even realize that he had already become a lord with excellent capabilities in all aspects.

Arriving at the tent where the leader was stationed within the military camp, Lister met Chief Lin Mu and the others again after a day.

After exchanging ritualistic greetings, Chief Lin Mu wore a smile and spoke first: "Lord Howard, the first batch of logistical resources you requested has been prepared by my men overnight."

"The resources, already loaded onto carts, are stacked in the adjacent tent; please take the time to inspect them later."

"If there are any omissions, please do not hesitate to let me know, and I will send men to make up for them as quickly as possible."

"Then many thanks for Chief Lin Mu's kindness." Lister smiled slightly and expressed heartfelt gratitude.

The constant refutations along the way were slightly tempered after hearing these words, making him acknowledge Chief Lin Mu's capabilities a bit more.

Next, while Lister's subordinate knights checked the logistical resources, everyone sat around the conference table to discuss.

Both sides shared brief information regarding the strategic direction of the upcoming frontline war and intelligence on the Black Wolf Tribe's attacking forces.

According to Chief Lin Mu, the army sent by the Black Wolf Tribe this time was led by Asa, an intermediate totem warrior with strength equivalent to an early-stage Silver rank.

Asa was a rising star of the Black Wolf Tribe's younger generation, becoming an intermediate totem warrior before the age of thirty.

At the same time, he was the son most doted on and valued by the tribe leader, Howell, and was hailed as the successor to the Black Wolf Tribe's leadership.

This time, Howell sent him to serve as the commander of the army attacking the White Cat-Ear Tribe, firstly to train his ability to lead troops, and secondly to let him gain military merit, paving the way for his smooth succession to the tribal leader position later.

As for Howell's other offspring, their talents and abilities in all aspects were not very strong, so they posed almost no threat to Asa.

Besides him, the extraordinary combatants who accompanied him included one intermediate totem warrior equivalent to a mid-stage Silver knight, and four intermediate totem warriors with strength comparable to Asa's.

As for primary totem warriors and ordinary Soldiers, the former numbered nearly thirty, and the latter numbered nearly three hundred.

Overall, this was already a very powerful force; even within the Pedan Kingdom, many baron lords could not compare to it.

The White Cat-Ear Tribe, which was on the receiving end of the attack, possessed an intermediate mental warrior—equivalent to an intermediate Silver rank—who was only slightly weaker in combat power than that mid-stage Silver knight, but apart from this high-end combat power, all other levels were far behind Asa's army.

If it weren't for the well-built defensive fortifications and the fact that Asa had never attacked with full force, they would have found it very difficult to hold out until now.

The arrival of Lister and his party just happened to solve the White Cat-Ear Tribe's lack of high-end combat power.

However, one thing had always puzzled Chief Lin Mu: clearly, their side consisted of mental warriors who primarily cultivated mental power.

But ever since meeting Lister and the others, they had been unable to fully perceive the specific strength levels of Lister and his party.

Even Chief Lin Mu, Natia, and Potter, who were intermediate mental warriors, could not perceive it.

They could only judge based on the strong sense of oppression emanating from Lister, Red, Spartacus, Sejin, and Aier Sidi that they were at least early-stage Silver knights.

Moreover, since their first meeting, Lister and his party had not revealed any actual combat prowess, which made Chief Lin Mu and the others feel very curious.

However, curiosity was just curiosity; Chief Lin Mu still maintained a very good sense of propriety and never deliberately asked about Lister and his party's actual cultivation realms.

The reason for this situation was that when Lister came to the White Cat-Ear Tribe earlier, he had cast a layer of Wizardry perception-blocking buff on himself, Red, and the others.

This Wizardry perception-blocking technique could reduce the opponent's mental perception; the weaker the opponent's strength compared to his own, the more obvious and effective the result.

And in the entire White Cat-Ear Tribe, there was not a single person stronger than him, so naturally, they could not break his Wizardry.

Moreover, with his current Wizardry realm, his mental power was not inferior to that of Chief Lin Mu and the others.

However, he couldn't help but feel appreciative of Chief Lin Mu's sense of propriety, so, in the spirit of "mutual trust" between the two parties as cooperators, and also to put them more at ease.

Lister still slightly disclosed (fabricated) some of their combat power to Chief Lin Mu and the others, such as saying Red was a mid-stage Silver knight.

Anyway, his mouth was his own, he could make up whatever he wanted, and Chief Lin Mu and the others had no way to verify it.

However, he still underestimated the "naivety" of Chief Lin Mu and the others, except for Natia.

After he said Red was a mid-stage Silver knight, Chief Lin Mu and all his subordinates were incredibly excited.

That burning gaze, which felt like it was about to ignite, even made Red feel a sensation of pins and needles on his back.

As for why Lister hid his combat power, firstly, it was because the two parties were just cooperators, and some things did not need to be fully disclosed.

Secondly, it was because for the upcoming battle with the Black Wolf Tribe, he was not prepared to end it quickly with overwhelming force, but was prepared to fight a fake, protracted war.

The purpose was naturally to deal with Count Theodore's messenger, but this fighting style would not last for a long time.

Once the messenger confirmed they were deeply bogged down in the war with the Black Wolf Tribe and left the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, he would decide whether to immediately end the war with the Black Wolf Tribe based on the situation on the Beast Tribe's side.

This was not his blind arrogance, but insight into the Black Wolf Tribe's complete intelligence and confidence in his own true strength.

When the discussion was almost over, the knights who were checking the logistical resources also happened to finish, and the result was that there were no omissions.

It was evident that Chief Lin Mu was very serious and attentive regarding this matter.

The blizzard blew mercilessly as everyone arrived outside the tribal settlement.

After stopping their horses, Chief Lin Mu turned to look at Natia and Potter, saying: "Natia, Potter, I leave the various affairs within the tribe to you after I am gone, and you must also keep a close eye on the movements of the Shadow Leopard Tribe."

"Don't worry, brother, there won't be any issues within the tribe; you just need to deal with the Black Wolf Tribe with all your might."

"Please rest assured, Chief, I will definitely protect the tribe and protect Miss Natia."

As the words fell, feeling that Chief Lin Mu was much more at ease, Natia shifted her gaze to Lister beside him.

After a slight bow, she said with an inexplicable depth in her tone: "Lord Howard, I ask that you and your party go all out in the war on the front lines. After repelling the Black Wolf Tribe, everyone in the White Cat-Ear Tribe will certainly be endlessly grateful to you."

"Did she see through it?"

With a soft thought in his heart, Lister met her eyes, which held infinite wisdom, and his own gaze became profound as well.

Nodding slightly, his expression was calm to the point where not a trace of emotion could be seen, and he replied: "Please rest assured, Miss Natia, we will definitely act according to the contract."

"Many thanks, Lord Howard."

Hearing this, the heart that Natia had been holding in suspense instantly settled, and her eyes instantly radiated a charming and joyful light; she knew that Lister was giving her a promise.

Although she could not perceive the specific strength of Lister, Red, and the others, her sixth sense and the series of interactions before told her that their strength was definitely not as simple as Lister claimed.

She believed that as long as Lister and his party exerted their full strength, the war on the front lines with the Black Wolf Tribe would definitely be resolved easily.

This potential perceptive ability was something she had possessed since birth, which had helped her accomplish many things.

Therefore, even though this sentence might cause Lister's displeasure, facing the critical moment of the tribe's life and death, she still said it.

Fortunately, Lister's response was still in line with the scene she most expected in her mind.

Regarding what his sister just said, although Chief Lin Mu was somewhat puzzled, he didn't overthink it, just taking it as a request to a cooperator.

Without further pleasantries, Chief Lin Mu tightened the reins and turned the horse's head, and after a wave of his hand, everyone rode quickly toward the front lines to provide support.

Because the war on the front lines was becoming increasingly unfavorable, Chief Lin Mu, who should have been sitting in the base camp, had to personally summon more troops to support.

Among the tribal personnel supporting the front lines this time, apart from Chief Lin Mu, who was an intermediate mental warrior equivalent to an early-stage Silver rank, there were no other intermediate mental warriors, only about ten primary mental warriors and over a hundred ordinary Soldiers.

As for the remaining mental warriors and Soldiers, they were left behind at the base camp to monitor and defend against the Shadow Leopard Tribe, which might launch an attack, along with Natia and Potter.

Overall, adding the tribal troops Limu and the others were taking to support the front lines, the number of other combatants—excluding high-end combat power—was now equivalent to Asa's side.

Of course, now the support of Lister and his party had to be added to this, so they were even stronger in terms of high-end combat power.

It was precisely because of this that Chief Lin Mu and the others became more confident about supporting the frontline battlefield.

They did not ask to wipe out Asa's army; they only hoped to completely repel Asa's army back to the Black Wolf Tribe—of course, dealing a heavy blow would be best.

This way, while the Black Wolf Tribe would suffer a blow to their vitality, their White Cat-Ear Tribe would also be able to reduce a lot of pressure in the future.

And as long as they dragged it out long enough, once the war between the Flame Tiger Tribe and the Frost Lion Tribe ended, the Black Wolf Tribe would not dare to attack so unscrupulously and would have to shrink their forces to guard against the Flame Tiger Tribe.

After all, the Flame Tiger Tribe, which was adjacent to three tribes, certainly would not want to see their neighbors grow too strong.

Otherwise, the threat they would have to face in the future would not just be the Frost Lion Tribe in the west.

Not long after leaving the White Cat-Ear Tribe settlement, the power of the blizzard increased again.

Fortunately, the logistical resources had all been stored by Lister in his storage ring, so there was no need to worry about the impact of damage.

Instead, because there was some distance to the frontline battlefield and the accumulated snow was too deep, the travel speed of their party was slowed down significantly.

Of course, the main reason was that Chief Lin Mu and the others were relatively slow; the warhorses of Lister and his party had been carefully selected and could still maintain very good horse power in dealing with this extreme weather.

However, he couldn't conjure up so many horses now, so he could only maintain a "slow" pace and do his best to hurry along.

Time flew by, and by the time night fell, their party finally arrived at the frontline battlefield.