Only a sliver of crescent moon hung in the night sky, shedding little light.
Unlike Bunta City, the Black Rice Wasteland had no lights illuminating every corner. Once the night grew late, the only bright light across the wasteland came from the bonfire burning in the middle of the caravan's campsite.
On this boundless wasteland, that fire was the most obvious target imaginable, drawing countless beastmen who could no longer contain themselves.
A long, piercing wolf howl suddenly broke the deathly silence. Then the ground began to tremble, as though countless horses were galloping across the wasteland.
President Reilsa's expression changed when he heard it.
"This is bad! There are even beastmen from the Bull Tribe!"
No sooner had he spoken than a group of towering dark figures appeared in the distance, charging toward them with frenzied momentum.
At the same time, countless shadows emerged from every direction. Some were tall and powerfully built, others lean, but all radiated an unmistakable ferocity.
"President, it looks like the Beastman Independent Legion!" a Rexton Merchant Guild guard shouted to President Reilsa, his face filled with terror.
President Reilsa's expression changed drastically once again.
Beside him, Xu Yi asked in surprise, "What is the Beastman Independent Legion?"
"It's a group formed by beastmen on the Black Rice Wasteland who refuse to acknowledge humanity's standing. To put it plainly, they're a band of beastman bandits. But unlike other beastmen who rob human caravans, these fellows harbor a deep hatred of humans. Whenever they rob a caravan, they slaughter every human in it. The Kingdom's army has tried to wipe them out many times. Since they hadn't appeared for a while, I thought they were gone. I never expected... they'd turn up again now."
Seeing President Reilsa's grim expression, Xu Yi asked, "Are they powerful?"