My Players Are So Fierce – Handsome dog Frank
Chapter 911 - 310. The Bloodclaw Clan is a civilized group of Wolf People, we understand that tribute is the advanced form of vassalage!

Chapter 911: 310. The Bloodclaw Clan is a civilized group of Wolf People, we understand that tribute is the advanced form of vassalage!

Smugglers’ Forest and the Polluted Swamp were interconnected. Miss Ceris had explained the reason for this place’s existence to Murphy before; it was an "alternative route" from Transylvania to the Dark Mountain Range and then through the guarded pass of the Brass Dwarves into the Ligurian Peninsula.

Of course, the name Smugglers’ Forest didn’t sound very reputable, so respectable folks certainly wouldn’t travel through here.

For instance, the official route for Miss Milian, the Crimson Regent, when she went to study on the Ligurian Peninsula, was to first cross Lake Xiuerpres to reach the Kato area, and then take a train from the station connected to the peninsula and travel straight through to Charldo Harbor.

The biggest advantage of this route was its safety.

The biggest downside was the need to pay taxes and the entire route had half-body man tax officers from the Steam Lord Council conducting spot checks, which meant that many contraband items couldn’t be smuggled out, thus giving rise to the use of Smugglers’ Forest as an alternative path.

In the century before the Ten-Year War, this place was always the hottest smuggling route between Transylvania and the rest of the continent. During the era of the Blood Vulture Clan’s rule over Transylvania, the taxes collected from the smugglers here each year were enough to afford vampires a luxurious life.

Because Smugglers’ Forest was once an important industry for the Blood Vulture Clan, the vampires had set up a tax station here.

Unfortunately, the damn Ten-Year War destroyed everything.

The former tax station was now ruined beyond recognition, overgrown with moss and vines after years of neglect and many walls had collapsed. Even the statue of Salockdale that stood in the courtyard was only half of its weathered body.

However, two months after the end of the Ten-Year War, the place got new owners.

The Bloodclaw Clan hadn’t occupied it. The Wolf People preferred to stay in the woodlands rather than in such restrictive human buildings, but Hog tidied up the place and turned it into a forward outpost for the clan.

At the time when the players came over to "collect debts," a group of "innocent" Jackal Barbarian patrols were just caught by them red-handed.

If it hadn’t been for Miss Doris of the Blood Rat Gang intervening, those Wolf People might have been slaughtered right there by the angry young players.

Now, these bruised and swollen Wolf People were detained in the abandoned courtyard, with over 200 young players gathered impressively, waiting fiercely for the Chieftain of the Bloodclaw Clan to come and "ransom" them.

The veteran players were quite patient and were discussing matters with the Dump Truck guy and his buddies.

But the more than 100 new players who’d just joined the game and followed along weren’t as "dignified." They were scavenging all over the abandoned courtyard like ants passing through, even kicking open broken boxes to see if any treasures were hidden inside.

Some restless souls had already run into the woods, clumsily attempting to corner an unfortunate deer, raising quite a ruckus as if engaged in some big event. However, city dwellers unaccustomed to the wild had an almost zero chance of catching a deer that had evaded Wolf People hunters.

The Ten-Year War hadn’t touched Smugglers’ Forest, but a full decade without hunting meant that the narrow woodlands were teeming with "treasures" accompanying the wildlife.

However, these active fellows obediently didn’t stray too far away, mainly because a Level 1 character’s level made them fearful of encountering danger after leaving the "safe zone." Meanwhile, members of the Blood Rat Gang had cordoned off an area for themselves.

From their vigilant posture and guarded demeanor, it was clear they were different from the players, as distinct as black and white.

Miss Doris, who had wrapped herself up like a dumpling to avoid direct sunlight, sat by the ruins of a collapsed building. With a vampire’s agility, she toyed with the claw blade in her hand, but her gaze remained fixed on those "new faces" she had never seen before.

She noticed that among these warriors, though as impulsive and curious as ever, there were indeed a few who appeared quite "professional."

For instance, the group currently patrolling the ruins from above with Escort crossbows and others, like the three individuals clearly exuding a "military air," who stayed on the outskirts of the crowd, constantly searching for high ground.

"So, they were also recruited by Sir Murphy from your ’Ceris’ clan of Highlanders?" Miss Doris asked, her curiosity piqued as she spoke to Frostfang’s Claw, the Apprentice who’s hiding in the shadows poison-coating a fierce-looking bone dagger. Upon being queried by his tutor, Ya Ya nodded and said in a low and succinct voice:

"Mhm, they’re kinsfolk."

"How many people do you have back home?" Miss Doris blinked and pressed:

"I’ve interacted with Highlanders in my travels, and a mountain tribe that can muster nearly three hundred able-bodied individuals must be huge. Also, if you’ll pardon my bluntness, you don’t appear to be Highlanders..."

"We aren’t." Ya Ya glanced at the "background information" that had just updated on his character interface and whispered:

"We just live in the mountains, our settlement pattern is not the same as ordinary Highlanders... Ah, there’s an update!"

He pointed to the sky, and Doris turned to see the majestic Celestial Scorpion Lion, flapping its wings as it glided down from the woods. The dreadful giant landed with an agility that belied its size, shook the mane around its neck, folded its wings, and took a fresh lamb’s leg from its summoner before settling down to chew on it right there.