Chapter 309: Inside the Bishop Clan

"The Prayer Stones are no longer useful to my clan. If they can help our fellow countrymen of Drakonia, then why not?" Toya said.

All the clan members with Superpowers had already absorbed from them once, so she was willing to hand over the rest.

Although he had already prepared himself, Adrian Shaw’s eyes still widened when the Space Superpower User named Joey brought out two entire bamboo baskets full of Mystic Ice Cores.

’There are... so many?’

"Toya, are all of these...?" Shirley Lucas couldn’t help but ask.

Back at the base, a single Mystic Ice Core was enough to cause an all-out scramble.

"Of course. The Divine Stones fell from the sky, a blessing upon Drakonia.

...My clan members and I saw it with our own eyes that day. Many also fell below the cliff’s edge, but it’s impossible to go down there. There are too many Mawdrakes," Toya said.

"What are the Mawdrakes like?" Nina Jacobs asked curiously, remembering her system mission.

"Mornfell used to be a nature reserve, so there were always many wild animals and beasts of prey in these forests.

After the virus outbreak, just like with us humans, many of the animals turned into zombie beasts. But there are also mutated Mawdrakes, whose power surpasses that of the zombie beasts.

In short, every Mawdrake that has managed to survive is far more formidable than any zombie animal," Toya explained.

"I advise you all to take these and leave as soon as possible. The land of Mawdrakes is no place for you."

Lucasta Moreau, who had been standing to the side, finally spoke. Very few within the entire Bishop Clan had actually fought a Mawdrake.

Those who had were their very best warriors, and in his eyes, these people were still far too weak.

And this woman Trevor called ’teacher’—she looked far too naive.

"Lucasta, I will accompany Teacher and the others to the land of the Mawdrakes," Trevor countered.

He knew the purpose of Nina Jacobs’s trip. The Bishop Clan ought to lend them a hand.

Toya quickly had someone arrange accommodations for Nina Jacobs and her group.

Adrian Shaw and the others could all tell that the place they were given to stay was the finest building in the Bishop Tribe.

Along the way, many young, half-grown children followed them. To be precise, this group of kids had been surrounding them ever since they first entered the Bishop Tribe.

According to Toya, what little supplies the tribe had left were being prioritized for these young children, as they held the greatest hope for survival.

"You guys are so cool! Is your base big? How many people are there?"

A boy, about shoulder-height to Nina Jacobs, asked her curiously.

"Yes, it’s very big. There are over a hundred thousand people."

Nina Jacobs’s answer made all the children who had followed them widen their eyes.

"Does everyone there kill zombies? Trevor is so strong, and he calls you his teacher. You must be even stronger, right?"

Another little girl eagerly pushed her way forward to ask.

"No way. She’s a girl, and she’s so pretty. I bet she’s a Space Element or Healing Element user," a boy in the crowd retorted.

"What’s wrong with being a girl? Can’t girls be strong? You’re not as strong as me! You lost to me this morning," the little girl said indignantly.

Seeing all eyes turn to her in expectation, Nina Jacobs smiled and condensed a ball of orange-yellow Superpower Fire in her hand.

At the same time, she formed a Stone Spike in her left hand.

The little girl’s mouth hung open, her face flushed with excitement.

"See? See? Girls can be super strong! This big sister is a Dual Element user!"

"A Fire Element Superpower and an Earth Element Superpower!"

The others all looked on with expressions of surprise and adoration.

"Boys and girls are the same. Of course girls can be strong. So, if you go out into the world in the future, remember not to underestimate any opponent," Nina Jacobs said.

"Thank you, big sister. We’ll remember that."

The group of children wanted to keep pestering Nina Jacobs with questions, but Joey and the few others in charge of them shooed them away.

"Sorry to have disturbed your rest. They haven’t seen outsiders in a very long time," Joey explained. For the past few months, the children’s only daily entertainment has been sparring with each other using their martial arts and Superpowers.

The clan members don’t let them get near the dangers of the outside world, so she understood their curiosity.

"It’s no trouble," Nina Jacobs replied.

It was dark by now.

The place they were resting in was a five-story, circular, tower-like building.

Each floor had many rooms. Only after entering the building did Joey and the others dare to turn on their lights, and the inside was covered on all sides with thick straw and cloth curtains.

"We can’t just turn on lights after dark, or the Mawdrakes will notice this place," Joey explained.

"No wonder everything is so dark around here," Shirley Lucas said.

They had just checked their rooms; each one was swept clean. Joey had also brought them plenty of hot water to wash up with.

"Once the curtains are drawn, it’s generally fine. Toya said we have people assigned to night watch. You’re all tired from your journey, so please rest easy tonight."

Joey and the accompanying clan members didn’t bother them any further. After closing the main door, they tiptoed away.

"I thought this place was supposed to be safe. It seems that even without zombies, they have Mawdrakes."

Shirley Lucas walked into the central hall that connected the corridors, taking out food and cookware as he spoke.

They heard that the food shortage in the Bishop Clan was severe, with many people having resorted to eating sawdust and even old, dried grass mats.

That was why they had directly refused the Bishop Clan members’ kind offer to prepare dinner for them.

Nina Jacobs had a simple meal and returned to her room.

She planned to use her Little Zombie Rat to thoroughly investigate the area around the Bishop Clan’s territory.

After activating her "Five Senses Enhancement," Nina Jacobs overheard a somewhat unfamiliar voice.

"...If it was just about donating supplies, it could have been done outside the clan’s territory. We would still have been grateful for their kindness.

Aren’t you afraid that bringing so many outsiders into the clan will endanger the tribe?!"

’Was that the voice of the man named Lucasta Moreau?’

Nina Jacobs continued to listen and, as she expected, heard Trevor’s rebuttal:

"Do you have any idea how important supplies are right now? If they hadn’t shown up to help us in our time of need, how much longer could the Bishop Clan have survived?

Lucasta, what are you so afraid of?"

The sound of an elderly cough emerged. It was Toya’s voice:

"Trevor, don’t blame him. The reason Stellan Gallagher and Nathan Moreau haven’t returned might be because they were abducted by those outsiders who forced their way into the mountains recently.

Those people..."

"One of those people is that woman named Veronica Ziegler. I saw her pointing the way for them with my own eyes!" Lucasta Moreau cut Toya off, his voice filled with anger.

"Veronica Ziegler? The same Veronica Ziegler that Ken and the others rescued?" Trevor’s tone was laced with disbelief.

She was one of the outsiders Maya Warner had used her Superpower on several times, and who had spent nearly a month recuperating in their tribe.

"That’s right. Veronica Ziegler knew the route Stellan Gallagher and Nathan Moreau often took. And I also found a signal Nathan left behind. He was telling us to run for our lives," Lucasta Moreau said, his voice low.

That was why he was so opposed to outsiders coming to the tribe.

"Leave this to me. If Stellan Gallagher and the others are still alive, I’ll be sure to find them," Trevor said.

"Have you thought this through? You’re going to take them to the bottom of the cliff?

It’s very likely a one-way trip."

The room fell silent for several seconds before Toya asked.