Chapter 394 - 348: South of the Canglan River, Searching for New Giants

After a simple breakfast, Raylo issued a new command.

"Kado, take your men and chop down some giant trees. We need a raft big enough to cross this river."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Kado had been waiting impatiently. Upon receiving his orders, he led the Hill Giants and charged into the forest by the shore.

Before the Hill Giants, the enormous trees of the primeval forest were like stalks of wheat in a field.

They used pure brute force, swinging the Giant Axes they had brought. With a series of cringe-inducing CRACKS, one towering tree after another came crashing down.

Their efficiency was astounding. In less than an hour, the clearing next to the high ground was piled high with processed giant logs.

Next, the Knights brought out tough ropes and tightly bound the logs together side by side. They then laid a second and third layer on top, forming a solid and enormous platform.

Throughout the morning, the camp echoed with shouts and the thud of colliding timber.

Combining the Hill Giants’ brute strength and the Knights’ skill, a massive raft, over fifty meters in both length and width, was declared complete by noon.

It rested quietly by the shore like a floating wooden island, large enough to easily accommodate all the Hill Giants and some of the supplies.

"Board the raft!"

Raylo commanded.

Kado was the first to leap aboard. His heavy body made the raft dip sharply, but it quickly stabilized.

The rest of the Hill Giants boarded in an orderly fashion, spreading out across the raft.

"Ed, lead the flying unit! Ascend and keep watch!"

"Yes, Lord!"

Raylo vaulted onto Baofeng and squeezed his legs. The Storm Griffin King let out a piercing cry, beat its wings, and shot into the sky, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.

The Griffin Knights followed close behind, their wings spread wide, guarding Raylo.

From high above, the full magnificence of the Canglan River came into view.

On the river’s surface, the enormous raft looked like an insignificant leaf.

"Depart!"

Raylo’s voice came from the sky.

On the raft, Kado raised a ten-meter-long oar and let out a furious roar.

All the Hill Giants plunged their giant oars into the water at once. With a synchronized shout, their knotted, muscular arms pulled back forcefully.

The massive raft shot forward as if shoved by a giant, invisible hand. It broke through the water’s surface with unstoppable momentum, speeding toward the opposite bank.

The rushing river water split before the raft, forming two white waves and leaving a long wake behind it.

Raylo watched this scene from the air, his eyes bright.

’These Giants may be relatively simple-minded,’ he thought, ’but they aren’t impossible to discipline. Under Sun’s training, they’ve developed a basic sense of discipline and no longer act on their crude impulses.’

The river was several thousand meters wide. The giant raft was like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging toward the other side with stable, rapid speed.

The river wind howled. Baofeng beat his wings steadily, his eyes scanning the area below and the distance beyond.

Soon, the outline of the opposite bank became clearly visible.

"Make for the shore!"

Kado roared.

After a violent shudder, the raft bumped steadily against the southern bank’s mudflats.

"ROAR!"

The Hill Giants let out excited roars and were the first to jump off. Working together, they grabbed the vines binding the raft and, as if pulling a toy, dragged the massive vessel ashore to be used for the return trip.

Raylo leaped down from Baofeng’s back. Moonlight, in the form of a large white cat, landed lightly beside his feet, while Coal Ball curiously surveyed this unfamiliar land.

"Kado, it’s up to you now."

Raylo’s gaze fell on Kado.

"Don’t worry, my Lord!"

Kado pounded his chest, full of confidence.

"I remember! Follow this path south, and after crossing three big, red mountains, we’ll see the Hill Giant settlement."

"Move out."

Raylo gave the order.

The army set off. The Hill Giants walked at the forefront, their massive bodies naturally becoming the vanguard, easily trampling or pushing aside any shrubs and small trees in their way.

However, after traveling for the better part of a day, they hadn’t seen the three red mountains, let alone a few red stones.

The surrounding scenery remained a monotonous landscape of towering trees and dark green vegetation.

Raylo reined in Baofeng, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Kado, are you sure this is the right direction?"

Kado, who was at the very front, stopped and looked around blankly, his huge head filled with confusion.

He sniffed the air hard, then looked up at the position of the two suns in the sky. Finally, he scratched his messy hair and said with some uncertainty.

"Strange... I remember it was this way. Maybe... maybe I remembered wrong. It should be to the east!"

A wave of suppressed laughter came from the ranks.

Sun’s voice called out.

"Kado, are you sure?"

"I’m sure this time!"

Kado swore confidently, then led the party eastward.

Raylo sighed but didn’t say anything more.

’After all, Kado has been away from here for a long time,’ he mused. ’It’s understandable if his memory is a bit off.’

However, when a bottomless canyon blocked their path after they had walked east for over two hours, everyone fell silent.

Kado stood at the cliff’s edge, craning his neck to peer down, his expression more profound than the canyon itself.

"Kado."

Raylo’s voice was devoid of any emotion.

"My Lord... this canyon... it wasn’t here before..."

Kado defended himself in a muffled, rumbling voice.

"Really! The last time I was here, this was flat ground!"

Raylo rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

"We’re going back. We’ll start over from the riverbank."

Raylo finally decided.

Back at the river, Kado performed his third "precise" navigation check.

This time, he pointed in a completely different direction, his expression exceptionally solemn. He even drew a few incomprehensible symbols on the ground with his foot while muttering to himself.

An hour later, they were staring at the endlessly flowing Canglan River again, and once more, they fell silent.

This time, Kado had led them in a circle, right back to where they started.

Kado completely deflated. Like a child who had done something wrong, he lowered his head, poked his index fingers together, and didn’t dare look at Raylo’s face.

"My Lord... I... I don’t know the way..."

Raylo finally couldn’t help it. Seeing Kado’s pathetic state, he let out a laugh of exasperation.

He shook his head helplessly, having lost all will to be angry at the big fellow.

"Alright, make camp here. Ed!"

"Here, my Lord!"

"Send out all the Griffin Knights. With this spot as the center, conduct a fan-shaped search to the east, west, and north. Be careful. Everyone must return before dark."

"Yes, my Lord!"

At Ed’s command, thirty Griffin Knights soared into the sky, quickly splitting into several small teams and disappearing over the horizon.

Kado was assigned a new task: leading the Giants to set up camp.

The environment on the southern bank of the Canglan River was clearly more primitive and dangerous than the northern bank. A wild, untamed aura permeated the air.

The plants here were taller and stranger, and the bark of many trees shimmered with a faint magical glow.

Throughout the afternoon, the Griffin Knights sent back reports one after another, but they all contained only geographical information.

They had discovered huge waterfalls, multi-colored toxic swamps, and all sorts of unheard-of Magical Beasts and Magic Plants, but not a single trace of the Hill Giant Camp Kado had spoken of.

Just as dusk approached and the last team was preparing to return, the unexpected happened.

A piercing distress flare exploded in the eastern sky, a ball of red fire appearing over ten kilometers away.

"There’s trouble!"

Ed’s expression changed.

Raylo vaulted onto Baofeng, his expression grim.

"Ed, watch the camp!"

Before his words had faded, Baofeng let out a cry that could pierce clouds and shatter stone. With a powerful beat of his wings, he transformed into a streak of yellowish-brown lightning and vanished over the horizon in an instant.

The Storm Griffin King’s speed was far beyond that of an ordinary Griffin. In less than ten minutes, Raylo had crossed more than ten kilometers and could see the scene in the distance.

A Griffin Knight was fleeing in a sorry state.

His mount’s left wing had a massive, bloody gash, and its flight was already unstable.

And behind him, a terrifying Magical Beast over twenty meters in size was in hot pursuit.