"Now, it's time to talk about the real issue. Let me brief you about the beasts," the mayor's face turned serious as everyone reclined back in their chairs after the meal.
"How did defending against the first wave go? Were there many casualties?" Miles asked.
"The first wave is the weakest, it consisted of the lowest-ranked beasts in the forest. We don't know what agitated the beasts and made them rush outside; normally only seventh-rank beings can make them react like that, but there should not be any in this forest."
The sect kept an open eye on the forests in its vicinity to make sure nothing like that happens. When a beast got close to the seventh rank and throw off the balance of the forest, they'd either slay it, cripple it, or move it to a stronger forest where there are other beings in the same strength.
Taming it was not an option since taming mature beasts was considered a risky move that could result in betrayal in a detrimental time. Even Ken did not keep any of the beasts he had threatened into carrying him but simply released them with a reward afterward. Maria's tiger was an exception, and it was free to leave whenever it wanted.
"The first beasts were those at the outskirts of the forest, and those are the weakest. Almost none of them was at the fourth rank, and the very few that were led the tide. I only intervened and killed the leaders while letting my city guards deal with the rest."
"How many guards are there?"
"We have 500 guards in the second stage, 200 guards in the third stage, 50 unit captains in the fourth stage, and 5 division captains in the fifth stage. I'm the only sixth-stage cultivator in the city."
The captain did not spare any information about the city's troops from the group. It was time to work together, and hiding information would only cause harm. Besides, they represented the Phoenix Feather Sect who controlled the whole territory.
"How many beasts attacked?"
"Around 15,000, and 30 of them were at the fourth rank. The rest ranged from the first rank to the third. I killed the 30 leaders while my troops took care of the rest. The captains did a great job keeping the guards safe and only 12 second-stage guards died."
Steven said with a saddened tone. Losing 12 men in one day was nothing less than tragic, and considering it was only the first wave, the future seemed grim.
"Do you know what to expect in the next wave?" Miles asked the next question Ken made him memorize.
"There should be between 10 to 20 fifth-rank beasts leading the attack, and that's what I need you for. Help us cull their numbers as soon as possible so we can aid the unit captains deal with the fourth-rank beasts and then the rest with the weaker beasts."
"Will the second-stage guards participate in defending the city this time?"
"They will, they have sworn to protect the city. However, they will do so from the city wall; all of them learned how to use at least one or two bow techniques and they will support us by shooting arrows. Furthermore, there are formations and other weapons that can be used on the wall so they can deal mass destruction despite their lower rank."
The mayor explained that things were not as simple as going outside the walls and fighting like brutes. That was the beasts' way of doing things, not the humans'.
"Will you participate in the second wave?" the mayor asked hesitantly, aware that the mission required them only to intervene in the third wave.
"We will. We are here early to help and save lives, we will not watch as lives are lost and do nothing," Miles guaranteed.
"Great, thank you for your help. The next wave will be here in an hour or two, let's go outside and prepare."
"Of course, that's our Young Master's decision," Miles said and gestured toward Ken. He was instructed to give the credit to Ken, or else the one getting the backing of the supreme elder would be the wrong person.
The group of six exited the manor and headed to the city wall. Beyond the wall, they could see a large open field continuing 10 kilometers to the horizon, and then a small green mass replaced the open view. The green mass was the forest in the distance, but the distance was too great to see it clearly despite the open line of sight.
"Those great crossbows will be manned by 5 second-stage cultivators. If they manage to get a clear shot at a beast, it can deal great damage. Fourth-rank beasts can't hope to survive it, while fifth-rank beasts are expected to be severely wounded if a single bolt hits them. Even sixth-rank beasts might not come out unscathed if they're occupied with something else at the moment or attacked by a few of them simultaneously."
The mayor showed them the large crossbows on top of the wall as they strolled on it. Each crossbow was as tall as Ken himself and more than two meters long. There were sixth-rank runes inscribed all over their bodies, and Ken found them also on each bolt in the pile prepared next to them.
The cost of operating the machine was high; each bolt was worth more than ten thousand medium Qi Stones while activating the formation that allowed the second-rank guards to successfully load and shoot it at a legitimate speed required hundreds of Qi Stones per hour.
"Those are Net Throwers and they do exactly what their name suggests. They throw nets at high speed and if a beast is trapped inside one, it can reduce its combat prowess by 90% by restricting its movements, consuming its Qi, and interrupting its Qi control. Many beasts are not well-versed in dealing with Qi control disturbances, which makes them weaker to the effect compared to humans."
The mayor showed another large device placed on the wall. There were a few meters between each machine, and that space was occupied by bow-carrying guards. The Net throwers were at the same rank as the crossbows, at the sixth rank, including the nets.
'Humans do find better ways to fight beasts. I guess that's how most of the continent fell under the control of human hands,' Ken thought to himself.
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