Family and Old Acquaintances

At Li Qi's home in the Royce Family.

"Tell me, where did Eleven go? Eleven never needs to be called to eat!"

Winnie had noticed that Li Qi had not eaten in the dining tent. She suppressed her confusion and did not lash out, only beginning to question her husband after they returned home.

Faced with her questioning, Derrick remained silent, hesitating over whether to tell his wife that Li Qi had become a patrol inspector.

Seeing her husband say nothing, Winnie grew angry. "Say something! Derrick!"

"Sigh..." Seeing his wife get angry, Derrick sighed helplessly before answering honestly, "I had Eleven become a patrol inspector."

"A patrol inspector! Derrick, you really are something!" Winnie laughed in fury. "That position is meant for Planetary Level warriors, yet you sent Apprentice Level Ninth Stage Eleven!"

Derrick hurriedly explained, "With Eleven's strength, there is no problem with him serving as a patrol inspector. Even a Dark Night Bird at Planetary Level Third Stage could not do anything to him in a short time."

"But even so, you should not have sent Eleven! He's only fourteen!"

"Yes! Eleven is fourteen now!" Derrick nodded first, then asked in return, "Don't you think Eleven has become complacent?"

Winnie's tone softened somewhat. "Eleven has been a little... but that still does not mean he should become a patrol inspector."

"Why not?" Derrick asked again. "Do you know the family's current situation?"

"The family? Isn't the family doing quite well?" Winnie asked cautiously. "Did something happen?"

"Well?" Derrick shook his head. "Over these years, the family's situation has never truly been good."

Forty years ago, Ron Royce, the second-ranked member of the second generation, had risen to prominence in the genius-filled Stellar Training Camp, bringing the Royce Family into its golden age.

The family founder, Royce, bypassed the Zhaoguang City council seat and directly ran for the position of Zhaoguang City Lord.

Derrick continued, "Father once held the advantage when competing to become Zhaoguang City Lord. But after Second Brother died in the Stellar Training Camp, Father failed in his bid for the position. Even his proposal to become a council member was rejected by the council.

"Our Royce Family has two Stellar Level powerhouses and ten Planetary Level warriors. Our overall strength surpasses that of more than half the council families, yet our proposal to become council members has been stuck in the council without moving an inch.

"The reason is still that our family was founded too recently, with too little foundation. We grew stronger too quickly and drew others' envy.

"To break this deadlock, Little One must enter the Stellar Training Camp, while Eleven must display his talent at Zhaoguang Academy and the United Training Camp, using their talents to suppress all hostility."

At this point, Derrick paused and said in a helpless tone, "But Eleven has become complacent. If I do not force him a little, he will most likely never change.

"It would be good for him to see the real grasslands."

After listening quietly, Winnie finally understood her husband's painstaking intentions, but she was still worried. "But I'm still not at ease..."

Derrick wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and comforted her. "Don't worry. Eleven will be fine."

Winnie leaned against her husband's shoulder and nodded gently. "Mm."

Meanwhile, beneath the dim sky, Li Qi looked at the tribal camp ahead, where scattered points of firelight glimmered across the grasslands. His mood brightened considerably.

"Finally, I'm here."

Since leaving the family residence and rushing from one tribe to another, his body had grown exhausted, and his mind was weary as well.

Those tribes, whose strongest members were only Apprentice Level Ninth Stage, made it hard for him to stop. He had no choice but to hurry onward to the next tribe.

Whenever the beast tide arrived, it brought considerable losses to those weak tribes. It was not that casualties among the people were especially high, but that they lost many of the tamed demonic beasts they raised.

Li Qi had learned from one tribe that when demonic beasts invading from the inner grasslands encountered a human tribe, they would usually choose to attack the larger tamed demonic beasts first.

This was especially true of carnivorous beast packs. If a tribe encountered one while migrating, it would lose a huge number of tamed demonic beasts. In some cases, none would remain.

Tamed demonic beasts were the most important wealth of the grassland tribes. Every part of their bodies was greatly useful. It could be said that if a tribe lost a large number of tamed demonic beasts, it would face utter destruction.

"I am Li Qi Royce of the Royce Family, currently serving as a patrol inspector."

After approaching the camp, Li Qi stopped over a hundred meters away to avoid any misunderstanding, not daring to enter rashly.

After a brief disturbance in the camp, a middle-aged man emerged. "I am Yakesi, leader of the Haheru Tribe."

"This is the notice issued by Zhaoguang City that the beast tide is approaching."

Li Qi did not waste words and directly projected the notice bearing the seal of Zhaoguang City.

The middle-aged man, Yasi, stepped closer. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the projected notice, he used its faint glow to examine Li Qi.

At first, he only felt that this patrol inspector was remarkably young.

But then he realized that this young patrol inspector looked somewhat familiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before.

After thinking carefully for a while, he asked tentatively, "Are you Eleven of the Royce Family?"

"I am Eleven of the Royce Family. And you are?"

"Do you remember the beast tide two years ago? You and I were assigned to the same defense zone."

With that reminder, an image in Li Qi's mind overlapped with the Yasi before him.

"It's you, Uncle—the one in charge of defense command back then."

He remembered now. During his first Beast Tide Trial two years ago, he had understood very little, and it was the commander of that defense zone who had answered all his questions one by one.

That defense-zone commander was the man before him, Yasi.

"I didn't expect you to still recognize me."

Seeing that Li Qi recognized him, Yasi felt both somewhat happy and somewhat wistful.

Times had changed. That little fellow who had first joined the Beast Tide Trial and still needed his guidance, who had not even received a name yet, had now become strong enough to serve as a patrol inspector. Yet Yasi himself was still treading in place.

"I remember. You taught me many things back then, Uncle."

Li Qi's emotions were complicated. The defense-zone commander who had been Apprentice Level Ninth Stage back then was still Apprentice Level Ninth Stage now.

The barrier between Apprentice Level and Planetary Level had stopped far too many people. The man before him would most likely be one of them.

Yakesi invited him, "Come in. It is already dark, and it would be inconvenient to head back now. You can leave tomorrow."

"Alright."

Li Qi nodded in agreement. He had already intended to do so.

The two entered the Haheru Tribe's camp.

Under the firelight, Yasi noticed the exhaustion on Li Qi's youthful face.

"Thank you for coming to notify us in time."

Yasi had seen when the notice from Zhaoguang City was issued. How could he not understand that Li Qi had rushed here without stopping just to inform their tribe that the beast tide was coming?

"I'm a patrol inspector. It's my duty." Li Qi smiled, then asked, "By the way, has your tribe decided which shelter to go to?"

"Not yet. We need to discuss it with the tribal elders before making a decision."

"If your tribe plans to seek refuge with my Royce Family, I can travel with your tribe along the way."

At those words, Yasi halted. A look of joy appeared on his face. "Really?"

"Mm."

After receiving Li Qi's confirmation, Yasi laughed happily. "That's wonderful. I will persuade the tribal elders to seek refuge with the Royce Family."

With an Apprentice Level Ninth Stage psychic at their side, their losses during the migration would be greatly reduced—provided they did not encounter any Planetary Level demonic beasts.

Li Qi rested in the Haheru Tribe for the night. Early the next morning...