novelraw Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Chapter 123
To complete the tunnel, the strong men of the territory mined mana stones day and night.
It would’ve been easier if the Rabbit Tribe had helped, but since most of them were already mobilized for the tunnel construction, there was no other choice.
Thanks to that, Rudick also had to keep managing the mine.
Just the mana stones poured into the tunnel would’ve been enough to build an entire castle.
“Wow, this is really... amazing.”
The height exceeded 2 meters, and the width was enough for a wagon to pass through.
Perhaps thanks to the magical reinforcement, the ceiling was neatly compacted, and luminous devices were installed here and there to brighten the darkness.
The ground was covered with gravel, and even drainage ditches were properly prepared for emergencies.
It wasn’t quite the rainy season, but since this region got a fair amount of precipitation in summer, such preparation was essential.
A tunnel like this stretched nearly 5 kilometers — seeing it with my own eyes, I could finally grasp just how massive this project was.
Of course, I had visited the construction site from time to time to encourage the workers, but viewing the completed tunnel felt entirely different.
I couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.
“You’re here.”
“Yeah.”
“Welcome. You’ve entered the domain of the Golden Mane Tribe.”
As we exited the tunnel, our friends from the Lion Tribe greeted us warmly.
Today was the day of the celebration for the tunnel’s completion.
I’d brought along a mountain of meat for our Lion Tribe friends who had worked hard alongside us.
Even in Johnson Territory, everyone was feasting and drinking, so it was only right that we celebrated together here as well.
Joined by the Lion Tribe members who came all the way to greet us, we slowly made our way toward Rotsy.
“So this place is also part of the Fallen Yggdrasil’s domain?”
“Ah, that’s right. From the tunnel entrance to Rotsy, it’s all like this. Quite nasty, huh?”
“I see.”
As soon as we came out of the tunnel, a lush field came into view.
A very familiar sight to me.
It looked just like the Horned Rabbit ranch.
When I asked Rudelrof, he said this was indeed part of the Fallen Yggdrasil’s domain.
“Didn’t the Lion Tribe also try to breed Horned Rabbits?”
“Yeah, we did. Ended up failing though. That’s why Johnson Territory is so impressive.”
I’d heard about it from Leisha.
The Lion Tribe had once tried to raise Horned Rabbits too, but they’d failed in the end.
Just like we did in the past — they gave up because the Horned Rabbits wouldn’t breed.
If there’s a land like this, I think anyone would want to try at least once.
‘Hmm.’
-What is it, Master?
‘No, it’s just... this land feels a bit too good to waste.’
-Too good to waste?
‘It’s perfect for raising Horned Rabbits, isn’t it?’
-Well, that’s true, but……
‘There’s no reason to raise Horned Rabbits only in our territory, right?’
The vast basin to the north of the territory, where we currently bred Horned Rabbits, was an enormous plain.
After more than a year of breeding them, their numbers had grown to the point that I couldn’t even estimate how many existed now.
Even though we’d been steadily butchering them for a year, their numbers didn’t seem to decrease at all.
‘Of course, there are a lot. An absurd number, even…….’
If it were only a matter of trading with the Lion Tribe, it wouldn’t be a concern.
Their population was merely around five thousand — hardly enough to make a dent in the ranch.
Sure, I knew about their carnivorous instincts through Leisha, but the Horned Rabbits’ reproductive rate far surpassed that.
Even the Australian regular army failed to eradicate rabbits, didn’t they?
Once the population had exploded like this, it was unlikely to ever decrease significantly.
‘Could we trade with all the Beastmen? Even the Rabbit Tribe loved Horned Rabbits, despite being rabbits themselves.’
But if we were talking about trading with all the Beastmen, then I needed to reconsider.
In terms of population, the Lion Tribe was among the weakest of the Beastmen.
According to Yuria, there were tribes numbering in the tens of thousands — if they all developed a craving for rabbit meat, the repercussions could be enormous.
Since the Horned Rabbits were my greatest weapon, their supply had to remain endless.
‘Up until now, there wasn’t another option, but this place…’
It wasn’t a new idea that just came to me.
Trading with the Beastmen had always been a matter of concern.
But our current ranch was already at full capacity, and due to the basin’s terrain, expanding the Horned Rabbits’ range any further was impossible.
Honestly, without the ridiculous reproductive power of the Evil Spirit Grass, it would’ve been impossible to maintain them at all.
‘That’s why this place is perfect.’
This region was ideal for building another ranch.
Its location was perfect — right between the Lion Tribe’s land and ours, and you’d reach it immediately upon exiting the tunnel.
That made it incredibly easy to manage.
‘It’s open land, sure, but with cooperation from the Lion Tribe, we can handle it well enough.’
No matter how I looked at it, this place had all the right conditions for expanding the Horned Rabbit ranch.
‘It wouldn’t hurt to add one more Horned Rabbit ranch here.’
The Lion Tribe was clearly a huge consumer of Horned Rabbits.
If we built a ranch here, we’d be losing one of our biggest customers — since they’d be able to supply themselves.
But that didn’t matter.
What I aimed for was to make all Beastmen our clients.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take this opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between Johnson Territory and Rotsy.
Now that the tunnel had been completed, the stronger our alliance was, the greater the benefit for both sides.
‘We already know how, so breeding itself shouldn’t be a problem. The question is time.’
The fact that we could even breed Horned Rabbits at all was entirely thanks to Black Rabbit.
That rabbit had an influence effective even on the Horned Rabbits, allowing reproduction to begin much faster than expected.
Without Black Rabbit, even if we’d brought all their droppings along, it would’ve taken at least half a year before breeding could begin.
This place wasn’t our territory, and it certainly wasn’t within Black Rabbit’s area of influence — meaning it would take time.
-Why waste time worrying about such trivial things?
‘What do you mean?’
-I am no longer that frail rabbit I once was. I can subdue Horned Rabbits in an instant.
‘So you’re saying you can exert your influence even here?’
-Trust me, Master. If you wish it, I shall gift you a fine Horned Rabbit ranch right here.
‘Oh.’
The bipedal black rabbit stood with its hands on its hips, looking down at me arrogantly.
Just for today, that smug grin looked genuinely impressive.
‘Damn, I always believed in you.’
So it wasn’t just a useless rabbit throwing meaningless jokes every day.
Its behavior might’ve been funny, but it had never once spoken empty words — I’d have to trust it this time.
“Rudelrof.”
“Hmm? What is it, all of a sudden? Weren’t we heading to the village?”
“Yeah, we were. But you see…”
“You’ve got something to say?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Go ahead, then. I’m in an excellent mood right now. If you’re planning to make some bold proposal, now’s the time.”
Rudelrof was in high spirits, clearly delighted by the tunnel’s completion.
Would he burst into laughter once I told him this?
I was quite curious how our dignified, bald-headed friend would react.
“Don’t you think this place is a bit of a waste?”
“A waste? How so?”
“You saw our Horned Rabbit ranch, didn’t you?”
“Of course. I was terribly envious. Frustrated that we couldn’t make it work ourselves. I thought it might have something to do with you being the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe…”
“So you thought that far?”
As expected of Rudelrof.
He’d grasped the most crucial point.
Back then, we couldn’t afford to wait six months.
Without Black Rabbit, we probably would’ve watched for a few months before giving up.
“You’re not wrong. And now, the blessing of Lord Bestia extends even to this land.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can build one here — a Horned Rabbit ranch.”
“Here… we can make a Horned Rabbit ranch here?”
“Seeing it myself, I’m sure of it. The Horned Rabbits can live here. The tunnel’s open now, isn’t it? We’ll send some of our Horned Rabbits over.”
Now that the tunnel had been opened, the Lion Tribe’s food shortage was practically solved.
Maintaining trade with Johnson Territory meant exactly that.
The Lion Tribe’s dedication to the tunnel construction had, in the end, been for the purpose of buying meat from our territory.
However, no matter how stable the trade, it was different from running a ranch of their own.
It gave a completely different sense of security.
A true leader always had to prepare for the worst.
Things might be fine now, but who could guarantee they’d remain so in the future?
If relations with Johnson Territory were ever to sour — or if the tunnel were to collapse — trade would be cut off once again.
‘But if they have their own Horned Rabbit ranch, they can be free from such risks. A permanent solution to the food problem — it’s invaluable.’
We, too, would gain something in return.
A solidified alliance.
Sharing a Horned Rabbit ranch would be the ultimate symbol of trust.
Not holding control through food supply — but truly sharing it.
There was no way the wise Rudelrof wouldn’t understand that meaning.
And he would surely repay it in one form or another.
Beastmen, by nature, weren’t the kind to speak one thing and mean another.
“You’d really do that for us?”
“The Lion Tribe can’t take everything. We’ll need to trade with other Beastmen too. The share I had in mind for your tribe is about half — would that be enough?”
“Half would be plenty to feed the entire tribe. Haha, to think our food problem would be solved so easily.”
Rudelrof was so moved he could hardly speak.
He looked so emotional that I forgot to ask the most important question.
‘Can the Lion Tribe even raise livestock?’
The Black Lions’ patience had been torn apart far too easily in front of the Horned Rabbits.
Even though Leisha had warned them, there had been a Black Lion who sneaked into the ranch to steal Horned Rabbits.
Of course, after receiving the harsh punishment of “forced fasting in the smokehouse storage,” things had calmed down — but the loss of control, however brief, was real.
The Black Lions might not represent the entire tribe, but the Lion Tribe was still famous for its voracious appetite.
Among Beastmen, strength was directly proportional to appetite — and the Lion Tribe, in particular, was known for its love of meat.
-Even beyond the Lion Tribe, no Beastman is truly free from appetite.
That’s why those who enjoyed meat often struggled to raise livestock.
It was simply too hard to wait for animals to breed and multiply.
Given all that, I couldn’t help but worry.
Would they devour them all before the ranch even got established?
“The friendship between Johnson Territory and the Golden Mane Tribe shall be eternal. Not even death shall shatter our trust.”
Well, that settled it.
He was a smart friend — he’d make it work somehow.
Rather than dampening the mood before we’d even begun, I decided to watch for now.
If any problems arose, we could always step in to help.
Whatever the case, the Lion Tribe and Johnson Territory had grown even closer.
From now on, we’d be dealing with more Beastmen than ever, and having the Lion Tribe’s unwavering support would surely mean a lot.
Satisfied with the result, I turned toward Rotsy.