Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Fine rain floated in the sky, a fresh breeze gently blew by. Under the gray and cold sky, the merchant caravan advanced slowly on the low grassland.

Sitting in the carriage, Hexia lightly rested her hand on the seven-stringed zither. Her fingers occasionally brushed over the strings, producing waves of music. Her eyes would sometimes lift to look out of the carriage window into the distance, recalling the news and intelligence she had heard not long ago from a small settlement they passed by.

In this grassland, various settlements battle for land rich in water and grass, and the relationships between them have always been tense. It's no wonder they were wary of the merchant caravan at first sight.

The largest force on this grassland is undoubtedly the Wolf Blood Species. They have established fixed strongholds, using them as cores to roam with flowing settlements, managing subordinate tribes and vassals. Following them are a few relatively large forces, each with a scale of about a thousand people or more. Among the more famous ones are the Fox-tail Species, Cat Tail Species, Slip Feather Species, Elephant Body Species, Horned Beast Species, and beyond that, there are numerous miscellaneous weak species and mixed settlements.

There are no clear laws here, perhaps not attacking merchant caravans is a rule most settlements somewhat abide by, but don't be too relaxed; some settlements envy passing merchant caravans, and robberies occasionally occur.

Putting down the simple seven-stringed zither, Hexia turned to look at the other people in the carriage.

"It seems the number of settlements and population living on this grassland surpasses that of the Shilin Mountain Castle region."

"Indeed, the largest Grey Feather Species force in the Shilin Mountain Castle area has only 3000 tribespeople, while on this grassland, the Wolf Blood Species alone has a population of over ten thousand, with a wider distribution." Flan wrote down the organized data in the report.

"However, their technological level and living conditions are not as good as the settlements governed by the Grey Feather Species. At least on the other side, there are quite a few firearms and hot weapons; the Grey Feather Species even possess heavy machine guns."

"The settlements over here still mostly use cold weapons, lacking mature methods of iron smelting and steel forging."

"No wonder despite their large numbers, they still haven't been able to expand eastward in the past, probably losing to the Grey Feather Species forces in Shilin Mountain Castle." The group occasionally chatted about the intelligence gathered from the grassland.

Outside the carriage window was a misty drizzle, casting a faint gray and wet hue over the originally green grassland.

"Awhooooo——"

The caravan didn't know how far it had traveled west, but this howl from the distance in the drizzle awakened the members, who began searching for and gripping weapons. Then the convoy stopped, looking into the distance through the drizzle, unwilling to proceed.

The wind was gradually picking up, and the previously hazy drizzle dispersed slightly, allowing them to see events on the distant grassy hills. It seemed to be a battle between two settlements.

Round tent camps were scattered in the distant right-leaning view, surrounded by erected wooden walls, obscuring the internal situation. On the other side were the raiders sprinting across the grassland, their vicious faces sometimes using all four limbs when running. Although their movements appeared odd, their speed was extraordinarily impressive; some leapt over the three-meter-high wooden walls at the front, directly entering the camp.

Some strong individuals directly crashed through the not-so-sturdy wooden walls with their shoulders, eyes full of bloodlust, charging inside to start slaughtering.

"Those are the Wolf Blood Species." Guy's voice carried a hint of tension.

"Although they resemble humans at first glance, the Wolf Blood Species are extremely violent in nature. Their muscles are particularly well-developed, capable of sprinting across the plains at cheetah-like speeds, and they have incredible leaping abilities. During a kill, they can extend their fingernails as claws. Without suitable armor for defense, it's easy to be disemboweled by them."

"Anyone who's seen their scenes of battle and slaughter would consider them bloodthirsty and cruel, but for them, it's business as usual."

"I see." The young Grey Feather Species in the group touched the gun beside them, showing no change in expression.

Although the Grey Feather Species have a smaller population than the Wolf Blood Species, they don't consider the Wolf Blood Species an outstanding race; knowledge is the key to changing one's strength. Therefore, members of the Grey Feather Species feel an involuntary disdain upon seeing the ignorant and reckless Wolf Blood Species.

"And who are they fighting against?" someone nearby asked curiously, wondering which race on this land dared to confront the Wolf Blood Species head-on.

"Bang bang." A few gunshots shifted everyone's attention to one side of the camp.

"That's... the Fox-tail Species." A member with slightly sharper vision confirmed.

"Fox-tail Species?" Hexia showed slight curiosity.

"Yes, the Fox-tail Species and Cat Tail Species have a very unusual relationship. Although their genes share many similar parts, the difference is that the Fox-tail Species are not as agile as the Cat Tail Species but are more intelligent and skilled with various tools and strategies."

"They are probably the only ones on this grassland who have fully equipped themselves with firearms."

Indeed, successive gunshots rang out, accompanied by many shouts and clashes. In light of the situation, the merchant caravan halted, waiting on the sidelines for the battle's outcome.

About half an hour later, the sounds of combat gradually weakened, and then a small group of bloodied Wolf Blood Species hurriedly fled from the camp, running toward the edge of the grassland until they slowly disappeared.

"It seems the Fox-tail Species won this round." Flan penned a note in the diary.

"Some people are coming over." After waiting a few more minutes, several wary Fox-tail Species members holding guns approached.

Leading them was a Fox-tail Species woman with chestnut-brown hair. She appeared to be around 25 years old, slightly mature, wearing a black bustier and leather skirt that somewhat accentuated her figure, along with a durable open-neck leather jacket. One corner of the jacket bore bloodstains, though her body bore no obvious injuries, presumably those of her enemies.