Chapter 74: The Betelgeuse Tribe
Chapter 74: The Betelgeuse Tribe
Ji Xinghuo disembarked from the train and stepped out of the train station, only to be greeted by a bustling metropolis.
"Yanhuang City!"
Chizhonglin, who was beside him, scanned their surroundings and exclaimed, "It's been a while since I last visited. When I first arrived in the Star Realm, I stayed in Yanhuang City before moving on to Olympia. If it weren't for the Stargate being in Olympia, I would much prefer it here; it feels more like home."
Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement. As long as the Stargate remained, Olympia's advantages would always be unrivaled.
Yanhuang City was located over four hundred kilometers east of Olympia.
It was a key city of the Asia-Pacific Collective in the Star Realm, second only to Olympia.
"Let's leave the city," Ren Mian said as she led the team onto a bus.
Ji Xinghuo gazed out the window at the urban landscape. The architecture of Yanhuang City showcased a distinct Oriental style—white walls, dark gray tiles, and deep courtyards, as if they had traveled back in time to an ancient city a millennium ago.
With a population exceeding five million, Yanhuang City was the third-largest city in the Star Realm, after only Olympia and New Philadelphia. It boasted the second-largest urban area, and its walls were impressively tall and imposing, visible from several kilometers away as a formidable barrier across the horizon.
The bus came to a stop at the foot of the city, and the group of four disembarked.
"The East Gate," Ji Xinghuo murmured, taking in the large characters on the gate. From here, a step forward would bring them into the territory of the Betelgeuse Tribe—the greatest enemy of humanity from Earth.
When Ren Mian had announced their hunting plan the previous night, Ji Xinghuo had been startled, and Chizhonglin and Jiang Nan Caiyi had also worn grave expressions.
The deep-seated hatred for the Betelgeuse Tribe was a shared sentiment among all Earthlings.
In 2033, not long after the Stargate opened, the Betelgeuse Tribe invaded Earth. In the very first year, they caused the deaths of two billion people. The subsequent resistance war that lasted over a decade left indelible psychological scars on all of humanity. Even today, when people look back on that history, they still feel a sting of pain.
In the Milky Way Galaxy, Earth was located 25 light-years away from Betelgeuse.
However, in the Star Realm, the distance between their Stargates was a mere 548 kilometers—they were practically face-to-face! Among the eight Stargates in the Thousand Peaks Forest ruled by the Celestial Winged King Court, the distance between other Stargates was at least three to four thousand kilometers. Only the distance between Earth and Betelgeuse was the shortest.
This was a great misfortune for Earth.
Because the Stargate of Betelgeuse had opened over a thousand years before Earth's, the Betelgeuse Tribe had entered the Star Realm earlier and gained access to supernatural powers, which was why they were able to bring such calamity to Earth.
In 2051, under the compulsory mediation of the Celestial Winged King Court, the two sides signed a peace agreement.
According to the agreement, humans from Earth and the Betelgeuse Tribe would respect a boundary defined by the midpoint between their Stargates and refrain from mutual infringement.
The Stargate midpoint was located 274 kilometers southeast of Olympia. Using this as the boundary, the two tribes constructed a military defense line over two thousand kilometers long.
It was both a defense line and a frontline.
This lengthy defense line was jointly guarded by the various countries of Earth, although the Asia-Pacific Collective and the American Federation made the most significant contributions. The southern end of the line was New Philadelphia, which belonged to the American Federation, and the eastern end was Yanhuang City of the Asia-Pacific Collective. Along the line were countless fortresses, strongholds, and defensive works, protecting Olympia from behind.
"Little Chi, go rent four mounts," Ren Mian instructed Chizhonglin, gesturing toward a nearby horse stable.
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but smirk inwardly.
Soon enough, Chizhonglin returned, leading four horned horses.
The four of them mounted their steeds and rode out of the city through the East Gate.
As they exited, Ji Xinghuo beheld the boundless expanse of mountains and forests stretching before them.
Hunting parties traveled along the avenue for a while before dispersing into the wilderness, vanishing from sight like streams merging into the ocean.
"We'll follow the avenue all the way to the frontline," Ren Mian said, pointing eastward.
The four of them urged their horned horses to a swift gallop, their mounts' flanks heaving as they raced along the smooth, flat road. There were no dangers along the way, and in less than an hour, they reached a massive military fortress called "East Extreme Pass."
East Extreme Pass was built between two extremely steep valleys, guarding a crucial passage.
While small-scale teams could bypass the pass by traversing the mountain ridges, any large-scale military force heading toward Yanhuang City would have to capture this fortress.
As they entered East Extreme Pass, the atmosphere turned solemn and heavy, with everyone wearing serious expressions.
While Chizhonglin went to return the mounts, Ji Xinghuo took the opportunity to observe their surroundings.
The thick, tall walls of the fortress were lined with rows of steam-powered ballistae, and watchtowers loomed overhead. Members of the Asia-Pacific Collective's Star Realm Army were everywhere, and within the pass itself was a massive military camp, housing over 30,000 troops. Ji Xinghuo's magnetic field sense also picked up the presence of two legendary ethereal beings!
Hunting parties coming and going through East Extreme Pass were always in a hurry and never lingered.
"Let's go," Ren Mian said, leading her team out of the fortress. As they gazed upon the boundless forest before them, she spoke solemnly. "A few kilometers ahead, we'll enter the territory of the Betelgeuse Tribe. Stay vigilant at all times; danger could lurk anywhere."
"Our destination is far from East Extreme Pass, about four thousand kilometers away," she continued.
"Along this journey, we must remain on guard at all times and try to avoid the enemy as much as possible," she said, pausing briefly. "But if the opportunity arises, we won't pass up a chance to strike."
"Understood," the other three nodded in agreement.
It had been over 170 years since Earth and the Betelgeuse Tribe signed the peace agreement, but the piece of paper held little actual constraint. Frictions between the two sides persisted, and large-scale conflicts broke out almost every year. On average, a Star Realm War would erupt once every three decades.
If one were to follow this road for about ten kilometers, they would come across a military fortress of the Betelgeuse Tribe, facing the East Extreme Pass in a standoff.
However, Ji Xinghuo and his team did not take this path. After Ren Mian determined their direction, they veered slightly north and began navigating through the dense forest.
The forest of the Thousand Peaks Forest was lush and verdant, with towering trees forming a canopy that blocked out the sun. From top to bottom, the foliage was layered, with less light penetrating the lower levels, and the lowest strata of plants were surprisingly sparse. As far as the eye could see, massive tree trunks loomed in every direction, creating a deep and intricate maze that was easy to get lost in.
Ji Xinghuo focused his attention, extending his magnetic field sense outwards.
He mapped out the magnetic fields within an 800-meter radius in his mind, skillfully filtering through different types of magnetic fields as if using various sensors to form distinct sensory images.
Chi Zhonglin took the lead, with Ren Mian and Ji Xinghuo in the middle, and Jiang Nan Caiyi bringing up the rear, ever vigilant.
Ren Mian kept a close eye on Ji Xinghuo almost constantly.
Ji Xinghuo served as the "eyes" of the team, while she was the "brain," and the two had to communicate regularly to coordinate the team's next move.
After walking for over half an hour, Ji Xinghuo signaled for a halt with a gesture.
"What's the situation?" Ren Mian immediately established a thought link.
Ji Xinghuo pointed to the left: "There's a group of Shadow Wolves over there, a total of eight of them. Should we engage?"
"No," Ren Mian replied without hesitation. "Every battle that takes place here is dangerous and could attract enemies. Let's bypass the wolf pack."
"Okay."
The team detoured, putting some distance between themselves and the wolf pack.
Ji Xinghuo secretly thought it was a shame.
Ren Mian was unaware that his magnetic field sense had a range of 800 meters and had assumed it was only around 300 meters. There was a sixfold difference in their scouting range.
He was confident in his ability to keep watch for enemies and knew that they could quickly take out the wolf pack and harvest their spiritual source energy.
Over the next few hours, Ji Xinghuo detected monsters a couple of times, but he only mentioned the one that entered within 300 meters of their path and ignored the rest.
So far, they had not encountered any combat.
Just as Ji Xinghuo started to relax a little, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, but he managed to keep his expression neutral.
In the magnetic field sense to his upper right, he detected a highly concealed outpost built on a tree about twenty meters above the ground. It was hidden among the lush branches and leaves, seamlessly blending with the shadows, making it challenging to spot with the naked eye.
Without alerting the others, Ji Xinghuo continued to observe.
There were "people" in the outpost! He sensed five biological magnetic fields: one humanoid, similar in size to Earth humans, with a noticeable tail; three other humanoids, but much smaller, barely over a meter tall, agile and petite; and the last magnetic field was the most peculiar.
If not for Ji Xinghuo's extensive experience in identifying biological magnetic fields, he might have overlooked it.
This biological magnetic field was vast, almost merging with the tree-bound outpost. It had a dispersed shape, like hundreds of branches tangled together, with a core at its center, seemingly its brain.
"The Betelgeuse Tribe!" Ji Xinghuo instantly recognized them.
Betelgeuse Tribe was a collective term for four distinct races, unlike Earth, which had only humans.
Their home planet was a gas giant named "Big Gun," orbiting the star "Betelgeuse," and it had over 200 moons. It was on three of these moons that the four races originated.
The first moon, "Jade Forest," had the most favorable environment, with half the diameter of Earth, a thick atmosphere, and over 40% of its surface covered in water and oceans.
Jade Forest boasted a thriving ecosystem that gave birth to two races: the "Big Gun People" and the "Vine Spirits."
The second moon, "Gray Ring," was ruled by the "Goloucac," a race of insect-like creatures with small bodies, membranous wings for short-distance flight, and keen hearing. The lower gravity of Gray Ring enhanced their agility.
The most distant and harshest moon, "Night Star," was home to the "Stone Lizard People," a race with hard scales and cold-blooded nature.
Before the Stargate opened, the four races had waged war against each other for tens of thousands of years.
However, after the Stargate opened, the Big Gun People, endowed with superior natural gifts, gradually gained the upper hand. They defeated the Vine Spirits, their centuries-old adversaries, and eventually unified the three moons, uniting the four races into what is now known as the Betelgeuse Tribe.
The Big Gun People rose to become the ruling class of the Betelgeuse Tribe, followed by the Vine Spirits. Meanwhile, the Goloucac and the Stone Lizard People were relegated to the bottom, becoming the ruled.
The magnetic field with the peculiar shape belonged to the Vine Spirits.
They were a semi-animal, semi-plant race, hermaphroditic, capable of self-reproduction, and without a fixed form. They were inherently gifted with the ability to control plants, and thus, almost all of their race were plant witches.
The three small humanoids were Goloucac, the insect-like race adept at flight and possessing sharp hearing. A minority among them excelled in illusion abilities, making them valuable scouts and assassins in the Betelgeuse Tribe's forces.
The humanoid magnetic field belonged to a Big Gun Person, the commander of this outpost.
As for the Stone Lizard People, Ji Xinghuo did not detect any of them.
Without a word, Ji Xinghuo continued walking, only stopping abruptly when they were about 300 meters away from the outpost. He signaled for silence and pointed towards the hidden outpost in the tree.
"The Betelgeuse Tribe!"
(End of Chapter)
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