Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 132: Exchange information

The two tiger beings were bewildered by the sight of a human in a black robe at the entrance of their hidden cave. They couldn't fathom how someone had discovered such a secretive location.

Danger!

The two tiger beings weren't foolish enough to confront Alex head-on. They immediately turned and ran deeper into the cave. With so many tiger beings inside, they weren't about to sacrifice themselves needlessly.

Of course, they needed to get help!

"Am I that scary?" Alex muttered, surprised that the two tiger beings had fled at the sight of her. They looked different from the one she had seen before—thinner, perhaps even malnourished.

Alex sat down by the entrance, deciding not to pursue them. The outside was too dangerous, and fighting these tiger beings was clearly unwise.

She wasn't sure if the mage had left, and being discovered would spell disaster.

Alex felt a bit anxious. She feared there might be a Monarch level among the tiger beings, so she stayed near the entrance, ready to escape if necessary.

But on second thought, the probability seemed low. The fact that they were hiding so secretively suggested they didn't have a Monarch level among them. If they did, they would have been more assertive.

The two tiger beings stumbled back to the bunker, where most of the tiger beings were still asleep. Only the tiger being guard stood vigil before the queen's chamber.

Seeing the two tiger beings rushing in, the guard asked, "What's going on?"

"Leader, we've been discovered! There's a human at the entrance!"

The guard tensed up. Their queen was still asleep, and her safety was paramount.

"Just one person?"

"Yes, leader. We don't know her strength. She didn't attack us, but she sealed the entrance and is guarding it. She's cutting off our escape and waiting for reinforcements!"

The guard realized the gravity of the situation. If this was true, they were in serious trouble.

The guard immediately roused all the able-bodied and combat-ready tiger beings, preparing to eliminate this threat. They couldn't let anything happen to their queen.

Leaving two Commanding level tiger beings to guard the queen's chamber, the guard led over a hundred tiger beings up the slope to the entrance, where they saw Alex sitting, watching them warily.

The guard's eyes narrowed. She was indeed guarding the entrance, waiting for reinforcements!

Alex saw the tiger beings and immediately identified the guard as their leader. She stood up, taking a step back, ready to flee at any moment.

Without a word, the guard launched countless ice spikes at Alex. Alex sighed in relief, sensing the magic's weak power. This meant the guard wasn't a Monarch level.

Since it wasn't a Monarch level, there was nothing to fear.

An ice wall rose before Alex, blocking the guard's attack. The clash made the cave tremble slightly, worrying Alex about being discovered.

The ice wall shattered, and the guard lunged with a slender ice spike. Alex grabbed it, her hand emitting heat, melting the spike. She kicked the guard back.

"Can you understand me? I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just seeking refuge. Don't force my hand."

If not for the fear of being discovered, Alex wouldn't have bothered talking. She would have dealt with them already.

The guard, hearing Alex's words, signaled the others to stop attacking. The guard sensed Alex's strength and knew they were no match for her.

If they could talk it out, it would be best. Fighting would only result in many tiger beings dying, which the guard wanted to avoid.

"Why seek refuge here? Can't you find another place? This is our territory," the guard said, eyeing Alex.

"Would you be able to choose your refuge if you were being hunted by a Monarch level? Besides, I cleared this cave initially. When did you outsiders from the snowy mountain come and claim it as your territory?"

Alex hated negotiating with other species. Despite their intelligence and ability to speak, their logic often differed from humans.

The guard was speechless. Indeed, when they found the cave, it was empty, clearly cleared out. Its hidden location made it ideal, but Alex had found it, lending credibility to her claim.

The guard picked up on a crucial detail: Alex was being hunted by a Monarch level, matching the intelligence they had received. The snowy mountain was indeed dangerous, and coming here had been a mistake.

The guard feared their hiding place being discovered. With their queen still asleep, they dared not leave the cave, knowing little of the outside world for the past two days.

"Is it a werewolf hunting you?" the guard asked, changing the subject.

Alex froze. If the tiger being was right, the werewolf that killed her undead was indeed a Monarch level.

"Not telling you."

Alex tilted her head. Even if it was useless information, why give it away for free?

???

The guard was puzzled by the human's strange way of speaking.

"We could exchange information."

Alex likely knew more than they did, better than risking sending out scouts who might get killed and increase their exposure.

Alex looked at the thin tigers, almost certain they were starving. They seemed more like refugees.

Considering they were an outsider race, Alex doubted they had much valuable information. She was most curious about why so many strong beings had gathered in the snowy mountain recently.

Well, Alex's curiosity got the better of her. She could ask why they were here.

"Alright, I agree to exchange information."

Through their exchange, Alex learned that the tiger beings were indeed refugees, just as she had suspected. They had fled to Frostwind snowy mountain because it was one of the few places suitable for their survival.

As for why they were fleeing, the tiger being guard only mentioned racial conflicts and didn't elaborate. Alex didn't press for more details.

It turned out that these unfortunate creatures had provoked the werewolves of Skyreach Mountains shortly after arriving in the snowy mountain. These were the same werewolves Alex had encountered deep in the snowy mountain.

Now it all made sense to Alex. Tiger beings had inadvertently let an enemy escape, who had then returned with a Monarch level werewolf, searching for the tiger beings.

Terrified, the tiger beings had hidden in this cave, surviving on the rotten meat Alex had discarded earlier, which explained their emaciated state.

The snowy mountain already had scarce resources, further depleted by the undead, werewolves, and hobgoblins, all of whom needed food. This made the already resource-poor snowy mountain even more desolate, leaving the tiger beings struggling to find sustenance.

"How pitiful. I didn't expect you all to have such a tragic fate," Alex said, feigning sympathy.

"Now, can you tell me about the situation outside the snowy mountain?" the tiger being guard asked, more concerned about the outside world. If possible, they wanted to leave the snowy mountain.

Their queen's slumber duration was unknown, and the guard couldn't risk keeping her in such a dangerous place.

"Emm... The one chasing me is a mage, probably from the human mage association, not a werewolf," Alex said, somewhat uncertain. She only knew the pursuer was a mage and human, nothing more.

"Are you an extraterrestrial visitor?" the tiger being guard blurted out. Alex didn't know how her identity had been exposed and immediately took a step back, eyeing the guard warily.

"No need to be nervous. Given our current situation, extraterrestrial visitors are actually more trustworthy than other races," the guard said, noting Alex's reaction and confirming her identity as an extraterrestrial visitor. This meant they didn't have to worry about her posing a threat to their queen.

"How did you guess?" Alex asked, lowering her guard slightly.

"The human mage association is generally benevolent and aims to develop and strengthen the human race. They rarely attack other humans without reason, except for human traitors and extraterrestrial visitors. They even protect ordinary humans," the guard explained. The mage association's core mission was well-known across the continent.

Alex understood now.

But the guard fell silent, realizing that the presence of humans, along with the werewolves of Skyreach Mountains, made the snowy mountain's situation even more complicated.

"Oh, by the way, hobgoblins have also come to the snowy mountain, led by a hobgoblin Shaman, likely a Monarch level," Alex added.

The guard was disheartened. From Alex, they learned that the snowy mountain had been peaceful before their arrival. How unlucky could they be?

The guard only hoped their queen would wake up soon. Once she absorbed the bloodline power, her strength would reach Monarch level, giving the Arctic Tigerfolk the ability to defend themselves in the snowy mountain.

Not only were the tiger beings unlucky, but Alex also felt her luck had run out. She had planned to deal with Lucian, only to be chased by a mage and forced to seek refuge here.

The worst part was that her griffin had been killed, leaving her without a mount and making escape from the snowy mountain much harder. Who knew if the mage was still waiting outside?

"Oh, I have some food here. I'll give it to you. I might need to stay here for a while," Alex said, realizing she had over a thousand portions of food in her space ring from Disassembling enemies in the Dark Forest. Yesterday's events had left her so shaken that she hadn't dealt with the items in her ring.

These were normal beast drops, not from the disgusting spiders, whose Disassembled food she hadn't even picked up.

Seeing Alex produce food out of thin air, the tiger beings were stunned, their mouths watering uncontrollably.

"Are you sure you want to give us this food?" the guard asked, incredulous. Food was their most pressing need. Alex nodded.

With her confirmation, the tiger beings swarmed the food, tearing into it ravenously.

The food was useless to Alex, but it could earn her the tiger beings' goodwill. She needed to stay here for a while, and having them eyeing her hungrily wasn't ideal. If they got desperate and tried to eat her, it would lead to a fight.

Of course, the tiger beings didn't know Alex didn't need to eat and that the food was almost worthless to her. She carried it mainly for Chi-Chi's beasts and Sophie's dwarves.

"Thank you for your generosity. You are our benefactor!" the guard said, not joining the others in eating but thanking Alex first.

The guard saw that the food would last them three days, finally freeing them from the disgusting rotten meat.

The guard had the food moved deeper into the cave and invited Alex to rest inside.

Alex hesitated but agreed.

She wasn't afraid of a trap. Her strength was her greatest assurance, and she was somewhat familiar with the bunker.

Unlike other intelligent species, tiger beings kept gratitude and grudges separate. Once they trusted someone, they wouldn't easily betray them.

Indeed, Alex followed the guard deeper into the bunker, finding that the remaining tiger beings were mostly old, sick, or injured, with little combat ability. The ones she had seen at the entrance were their entire fighting force.

The tiger beings were all asleep. The guard woke them, distributing food and introducing Alex. They were all grateful to her.

Alex sat aside, removing her hood, letting her white, beautiful hair cascade down. The guard stared at her, his expression one of shock.

"Why are you staring at me?" Alex asked, puzzled.