enjoyebooks Chapter 348: Dung Beetle Village
Chapter 348: Dung Beetle Village
Standing on a massive dune, Thoren stared into the distance with the corner of his lips curling upward.
After the heart to heart talk with Celene, he learned of the Dung Beetle village close to Mantis Town.
Although it was close, it was more than ten miles from the town. However, compared to other towns and villages, it was somewhat close.
It was close enough to threaten Mantis Town if left unchecked, and far enough to hide unpleasant activities from public eyes.
From his position, he could see figures, rotund and powerfully built. They had jet-black textured carapaces with violet iridescence.
Broad shovel-shaped heads and massive horn-like protrusions gave them a lumbering, stoic appearance, making them look like walking fortresses beneath the crimson sun.
These were the Dung Beetle Men.
Neighbors to the Mantis Men.
Compared to the aggressive Scorpion men and the somewhat meek Mantis Men, they were in between.
As long as they were not hungry and their survival was not threatened, they would rarely create trouble.
They would not try to leave their comfort zone, nor would they willingly step into a conflict that had nothing to do with them.
These traits made them susceptible to easier control, especially by those who understood how to use fear, food, and promises.
However, Thoren’s appearance was not for sightseeing. He was here to confirm the intel from Celene and her group.
Information was useful, but only when it was verified with his own eyes.
Without hesitation, he summoned an undead Lesser Dune Scorpion, Level 33.
The creature appeared silently from his undead space, its bone covered body half buried within the crimson sand.
"Go," he commanded.
Quickly, the undead Lesser Dune Scorpion blended with the Crimson Dunes and raced toward the small village in the distance.
A scout.
When the undead scorpion was close to the Dung Beetle village, he activated his skill.
"Bone Mirror."
Instantly, the world around him shifted, and he could see through the undead Dune Scorpion’s eyes.
The image was strange and distorted, but every movement, every shadow, and every hidden path entered his vision clearly.
Before he attacked the Dung Beetle village, he wanted to make sure he did not startle the rats.
Under the cover of the desert crimson sand, the undead Lesser Dune Scorpion infiltrated around the loose village.
The village did not have a defensive wall. It was made from a few pieces of wood, bones, and beast furs.
And this made it easy for Thoren to see everything happening inside the village clearly.
The Dung Beetle Men moved slowly between their crude shelters, carrying baskets, beast bones, and dry strips of meat.
Some of them sat beneath patched beast fur awnings, grinding hard roots and dried insects into powder.
Others guarded small piles of stored food with dull but alert eyes, occasionally glancing toward the desert.
He ignored the Dung Beetle Men as he concentrated his attention on any traces of human activities.
He knew if the Slave Trade Guild hideout was located here, their hideout would not be so shabby.
Those people were greedy, cruel, and careful.
They could pretend to live in filth, but their habits would always leave behind traces.
After searching around for a couple of minutes, he finally found traces of human activities.
The thatched huts were slightly different from the others. They were slightly different from the crude houses of the Dung Beetle Men.
More importantly, he saw clothes hanging by the window.
Most of the Dung Beetle Men were clad in beast fur and a few cloth rags.
But now, looking at the clothes which served as curtains was enough to show this did not belong to the Dung Beetle Men.
The cloth was cleaner, better cut, and hung with the careless confidence of people who believed no one would dare question them.
With this discovery, Thoren had the undead Lesser Dune Scorpion lie in wait.
Patiently, he waited for the appearance of the human awakeners.
Fortunately, he did not have to wait too long. Half an hour later, a group of men approached from outside the village.
They were discussing animatedly, ignoring the Dung Beetle Men around them.
Their clothes were dusty, but their weapons were maintained properly, and their relaxed expressions carried obvious arrogance.
"Captain, are we really going to Mantis Town?" one of them asked the burly man walking at the forefront of the group.
"Of course, we are going," the burly man responded with a nod.
"Although we are not going to be the main force, we cannot miss such lively action."
"Besides, I heard there are huge rewards if we can capture Mantis men elders."
When his men heard this, their eyes widened in shock before they slowly turned into greed.
"Hahaha. That is great. We can use the chance to leave this forsaken village," one of them replied, his voice filled with exasperation.
Others could not help but nod in agreement. They had been abandoned in this village for over three months, delaying their progress.
To them, guarding this place was a punishment disguised as duty.
They had grown tired of the smell, the silence, and the sluggish lives of the Dung Beetle Men.
Slowly, they arrived before their hut and entered, failing to detect the presence lurking in the desert sand.
Watching all this, Thoren did not hesitate to sever the connection from the undead Lesser Dune Scorpion.
"I guess Celene was telling the truth after all," he muttered quietly.
Even though he had confirmed that the Dung Beetle village hid one of the hideouts of the Slave Trade Guild, he was not going to easily let them go.
After he dealt with the Dung Beetle village, he prepared to move to the next village for another confirmation.
One hideout was only the beginning.
If the Slave Trade Guild had buried their roots around Mantis Town, then he would pull those roots out one by one.
"Let us do this..." A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
With the surging popularity of Black Water, he was not naive enough to expect the Slave Trade Guild not to target him.
But he was not worried.
If anything, their movement saved him the trouble of searching blindly.
Whoosh!
Dozens of undead Greater Dune Scorpions appeared before him, making the air around him tremble.
The undead aura surged violently, spreading over the massive dune like a cold wave.
Their bone plated bodies reflected the harsh sunlight, and their enormous pincers scraped against the sand with chilling sounds.
For this attack, his plan was to be swift and clean.
"Go..." he gave the mental command.
Howl!
The undead Greater Dune Scorpions surged forward terrifyingly, dust rising in their trail.
Riding on one of the undead Greater Dune Scorpions, his eyes locked on the Dung Beetle village.
To him, this was a forgotten battle.
When he was less than fifty meters from the village, the Dung Beetle men outside the village noticed his presence.
Howl! Howl!
Without hesitation, they screamed at the top of their lungs, alerting everyone in the village while charging at the incoming undead beasts.
Their heavy feet smashed into the crimson sand, and their horn-like protrusions lowered as they prepared to collide with the undead scorpions.