The Record of Unusual Creatures

Since the first generation of the Lion of the South, Duhan Orvis, established the black fort on the great plains between a fertile land and a forest, the towering walls as well as sturdy gates had been steadfastly guarding the kingdom. Its gates were once opened to kings, envoys from other Kingdoms of Order, and Theocratic monks. But today, it was welcoming a unique group of ‘visitors.’

The Fort Raven was going to open its doors to a group of wild creatures—abhumans and beasts, which the humans had been treating with contempt all this while.

The battle on the wilderness had ended. A wind was rolling up the billowing smoke and dust and carrying them away. But the land stank of blood. Probably it would have to wait until the next snowfall before this disgusting stench would subside. The warriors of the beast tribes were cleaning up the bodies of their comrades, while their leaders were ready to go into the human castle. The alpha had said that it was going to be ‘epoch-making diplomacy.’

Philip stood on the city wall and oversaw the sea of beasts. In the chaos, the beasts vacated a corridor as a dozen of forest demonic wolves walked in front. Two blue-gray ogres draped in loincloth carrying battle flags decorated with animal bones were following from behind. The war flags were painted with some unknown totems. At the rear were the demonic ape, imp, gnoll, and goblin. Walking in the middle of the convoy was the ancient terragon, which drew most of the attention. The four-meter-tall, ten-meter-long dragon was wearing an elemental armor of rock. The spikes protruded out below the edge of the armor suggested that this dragon was at least one hundred and seventy years old. The word ‘ancient’ here was not about its age; it was the name of a group of terragons. Scholars believed that this group of terragons was the ancestor of all the terragons and subtype lizard in the wilderness, so it was named Ancient. A 170-year-old dragon was indeed a terrifying wild beast. It had even survived the tide of Chaos once and gained many incredible powers in the baptism of the primordial magic energy.

However, the terrifying wild beast was only a mount.

Philip saw a stone seat on the back of the terragon. The seat was covered with animal skins and straw mats, and a wolf-skinned figure that looked like a human being was sitting there. Because of the angle problem, he could not see the face of the person, who was emanating a very bright glow.

Of course, he still did not associate the figure with the legendary alpha. Any people in their right mind would not have thought that this little girl was the alpha who commanded the entire Beast Tide. Philip only believed that it was a messenger, and most likely from the sanctum. Earlier during the battle, he had seen with his own eyes a group of seemingly powerful sacred humans. He had no idea how these people could come with the beasts, but he guessed that these guys from the sanctum were probably the reason why the beast had come to their rescue.

Perhaps the beasts had chosen a group of sanctum people to act as their ambassadors or translators. It was also possible that the sanctum people were behind the Beast Tide. It was the speculation of many ordinary soldiers on the wall.

Philip looked up and continued to look for a big three-headed wolf among the beasts. But he was unaware that the real alpha had entered the city under his nose.

Lily sat on her throne, which she liked very much. It was a stone seat she asked his men to grind and polish out from a rock before installing it on Leviathan. Leviathan was the name she gave to the terragon under her butt. And the terragon liked it. The alpha maiden felt happy to enter the city, leaving the wild forest behind her to come to the human territory. She felt a feeling of homecoming.

Lily’s eyes darted around curiously at the exotic Fort Raven while knights draped in black armor escorted this special ambassador convoy. Ulysses, the head of the Blackblade Legion, sent his best knights to accompany the convoy, while he was leading his men to prepare the reception ceremony in the Black Feather Square on the upper level of the fort.

He had almost gotten everything ready.

But he was unsure if he was ready.

The great Duke Ulysses had never received such an ‘envoy’ in his life. The majestic Lion of the South had no idea what to do. He had asked his staff and advisers about the customs and habits of the abhumans more than once and got varied answers. He was getting fed up and could not wait to toss these idiots, who were only full of hot air, down the city wall.

Not long ago, the messenger of the beasts had come once at the end of the battle. The messenger here was not the terrifying black dragon, which just left a few obscure words earlier, but a more formal letter brought by the ambassador, a Black Forest Nightingale. In the letter, the alpha sent her greeting and informed that she would enter the city. But there was no mention of any specific etiquette procedure. So Duke Ulysses could only arrange the meeting in the traditional reception ceremony the human kingdom used to receive foreign dignitaries.

“Your Excellency, is it all right to let those abhumans enter the city?” One of the aides behind said anxiously. “The fortress gate is open, and we don’t know how many wild beasts are outside. Aren’t we putting ourselves in a dicey situation?”

“How can we not open the gate?” Ulysses said without bothering to look back at his aides. “They could open the door themselves. Look at the black dragon, the flaming great serpent, and the elemental lords; they could uproot the entire castle from the ground.”

“It is going to be the darkest day of Fort Raven.”

“Stop being discouraged.” Ulysses straightened his body as he had seen the head of the terragon appeared at the end of the square ramp. “They helped us repel the Chaos. For this reason alone, opening the gate of Fort Raven for them is an honor.”

While saying, the escorts of the alpha had arrived at the square.

It was a historic meeting between the people of the Order and the husky from the other world.

Duke Ulysses looked up; his body stretched straight. Even though the dragon in front of him was several times taller than him, he still maintained the majesty of a noble and a soldier. Wearing a black armor and leather cloak, Ulysses looked particularly heroic.

Then the ancient terragon crouched a bit, and Ulysses saw a light moved on the back of the terragon. When the light jumped down from the rock armor of the terragon, Ulysses finally saw it was a girl in wolf skin.

The girl and the guard of the southern fort looked at each other.

“Are you the leader here?” Lily made the first move when the other side did not say anything. She did not feel awkward at all.

While Ulysses still wondered when the alpha would appear, Lily’s words jolted Ulysses out of his thought. He remained composed. “I am the governor of the southern border of the Kingdom of Taros, the contemporary patriarch of the Orvis family, Grand Duke Ulysses Orvis, the head of the Blackblade Legion, the general of Fort Raven. I am here to welcome the venerable Alpha, king of the beasts from the forests and mountains.”

“Whoa, you have got a long list of titles there, just like Mr. Landlord’s business card,” Lily said with her eyes blinking in surprise. She then pointed at herself and said, “I am the alpha.”

“Huh?”

“I am the alpha,” Lily repeated, continuing to point at herself. “How do you know about me? It is the first time we have contact with humans.”

Ulysses deserved the reputation as the governor of the South; despite the stunning truth of the alpha, he was still able to remain composed and replied calmly, “The news of the deeds of the alpha and her beasts have spread throughout the kingdom. Our astrologers and occult masters have learned about the rise of a new star in the south half a month ago. But we didn’t expect the alpha is a…”

Lily glanced at him. “Is a what?”

“Ahem, ahem. Nothing,” Ulysses said. “The alpha is indeed as fearsome as the rumor says. But I am a bit curious, are you a human?”

“I am not human.” Lily sounded particularly sincere.

Without waiting for the general to ask more questions, Lily waved her hand and said, “Let’s be frank. I am starving now. Ordusa should have informed you beforehand to prepare my meal. Is it ready?”

Ulysses’ expression was a bit quirky. “Of course, we have already prepared according to the instructions of the black dragon. But no one here knew what the braised pork ribs are. We could only prepare stewed meat—”

Lily’s eyes brightened up when she heard stewed meat. “Not a problem. Hurry up!”

After a while, the husky girl looked at the three large pot of steaming stewed meats in front of her eyes.

“This meat must be delicious.” It was the first time in the alpha’s life that she felt she might not be able to finish a meal in one go. “But it looks a little oversize. Why is it three pots?”

Ulysses and his aides looked around, and no one knew what to say.

There was only a thought in the mind of the Governor of the South: Who the heck got the information that the alpha has three heads?