Border Outpost.

The cold night wind gusted, the fire in the wooden house roaring vigorously.

Rod and the soldiers weren't cold, but the wounded Blom couldn't bear it.

At this moment, Blom lay on a crude wooden bed, his heavy breathing mixed with low groans.

The adrenaline had receded, and even anesthetic potions couldn't completely quell the pain in Blom's body.

Blom's back was covered in wounds, the most prominent one being thirty centimeters long, with flesh turned outward.

Such injuries would be impossible to save on an ordinary person.

Fortunately, Blom was a knight, with a robust physique, plus Rod's potion helped stop the bleeding and disinfect, so the wounds were stitched in time.

Besides these, Blom's right leg was already fractured, now wrapped with coarse cloth and wooden boards.

Several ribs on his chest were also broken.

Even with a knight's body, it was estimated that Blom would not be able to get out of bed for ten days to half a month.

"Do you want me to inform your father?"

Rod sat by the fire, chewing on the dried meat that Vivian fed him,

"I can handle matters in Ice Blade Valley. If you don't want to stay here, I can send someone to take you back."

"If you're willing to keep me, please don't tell my father for now."

Blom's eyes dimmed as he shook his head with difficulty, a bitter smile tugged at his mouth,

"The Empire is at war, my father has taken the family army to the front lines."

"Even if they knew, it wouldn't help. I'm still alive, we can talk about these things later."

Blom took a labored breath,

"Once an eagle leaves the nest, it cannot return to seek the shelter of its wings whenever there's trouble, can it?"

"I disagree with you on that. Humans and animals are not the same."

Rod took a sip from a water bag, "However, Frost Leaf Town doesn't lack food for you, I welcome you to stay."

"Rest easy and recover."

Rod stood up.

As he was about to turn around, Blom laboriously raised his hand, grabbing Rod's cloak,

"Baron Rod... how is the situation in Ice Blade Valley?"

His voice trembled, full of unwillingness and worry.

Rod frowned, shook his head.

"Concentrate on healing, don't think about it."

Rod's tone was calm as he removed Blom's hand and tucked it under the fur blanket.

No longer lingering, Rod turned and walked out of the room, closing the wooden door, sealing Blom's low sighs away.

Rod couldn't bear to tell Blom that only less than ten out of the six or seven hundred people in Ice Blade Town had escaped.

The rest perished there.

Rod turned and walked toward the adjacent wooden huts,

At this moment, Gala hurried over, and upon seeing Rod, knelt with one knee in salute,

"Saint Master, those creatures are still resting in Ice Blade Town, but conflicts have occurred."

"Because the Lizardmen refused to attack Black Pine Ridge tomorrow, hoping to wait for reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Rod frowned.

"Yes, Saint Master, but you need not worry."

Gala smiled, "The leader of the giant Lizardmen lost his temper, killed that Lizardman, and then issued orders."

"According to the translation by Kael from the Snow Rabbit People, they are sure to set off to attack Black Pine Ridge tomorrow morning."

Since no one in the Eagle Feather Tribe understood the Alien Race language, Kael was nearby to translate their conversations in real time while they monitored those lizard creatures.

"That's somewhat comforting."

Rod nodded, "Have you determined the exact number of those lizard creatures?"

"The number of ordinary lizard creatures... over a thousand."

Gala paused, adding with a serious tone, "The figure we recently learned, a thousand."

All members of the Eagle Feather Tribe capable of controlling eagles had learned basic math and writing to convey information accurately.

"The number of the giant Lizardmen, there are nine in total."

"That's quite a lot too."

Rod frowned slightly, pursued, "What about the Lizardmen?"

"We dared not go too close, ordinary Lizardmen are too small to be counted accurately from a distance, roughly a dozen or so."

Rod nodded slightly, "It seems this time those lizard creatures are the main force, while the Lizardmen might only be overseeing."

However, the lizard creatures were hard to control, and they turned against the Lizardmen.

After saving Blom, Rod studied the lizard monsters' bodies.

These were all mutated from mixed blood origins.

Though the specific mutation process was unknown, these creatures showed obvious characteristics.

Frenzy, ferocity, dull pain senses, enhanced strength, and life force.

But their flaws were just as apparent—mindless.

Based on Blom's additional descriptions, these lizard creatures typically bullied the weak and feared the strong.

If you feared them, they became more arrogant.

But once you imposed with a strong stance, these beasts would also fear.

"Alright, continue the surveillance. I need to know their real-time movements."

"Yes, Saint Master."

Gala respectfully saluted and turned away.

Rod turned and entered the adjacent house, where Durant, Rein, Gang Le, and others were already seated.

Rod briefly conveyed the news he just received, continued,

"Initially, I couldn't understand why Blom's description didn't include Lizardmen."

"Now it seems the Bloodscale Tribe must be held back by enemies from elsewhere on the ice plains."

"Does that mean it's a good thing these lizard creatures are attacking us tomorrow?" Gang Le grinned as he asked.

"At least it's better than if they all joined together to attack us."

Rod said, pointing at the map to the northern border between Black Pine Ridge and Ice Blade Valley,

"But we cannot allow them in. They must be held here."

"I agree!"

Durant nodded solemnly,

"Black Pine Ridge is not like Ice Blade Valley with just one town."

"We have many places exposed, Black Stone Mine, salt fields."

"If those Lizardmen enter, they might directly attack other places, and by then we'd be too passive."

Rod gave Durant an approving look.

"That's precisely what I was getting at."

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