The Ultimate Litter: A Beast World System Tale novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162 A Dangerous Ceremony Awaits.

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Finished

Marcus nodded. “I already arranged for someone to stay behind after we leave. He’ll disguise himself as Bertie and pretend to take care of the cubs inside the house. That should throw Finlay’s spies off.”

“Smart move!”

A fake cover hid the real plan, and the real plan was hidden behind the fake one. Finlay would definitely think he had their weak spot. As long as he controlled the cubs left at home, he could threaten Marcus and Claire whenever he wanted.

What he didn’t know was that the cubs in the house were fake, and “Bertie” was fake too. The stand-in could come up with an excuse and leave at any time.

Once Finlay got careless and believed victory was already in his hands, he wouldn’t keep such a close watch on Marcus and Claire anymore.

Claire could not help admiring how carefully Marcus planned every step.

Of course, all these ideas had actually come from Zane.

After spending the whole night on the rooftop, Zane and Rufus were now lying there. Those two were taking large bites of the roasted meat they had bought earlier while keeping an eye on the area below.

They had already spotted two spies hiding nearby. Zane and Rufus each took one. In only a few moments, both spies were knocked unconscious.

There was no need to worry about whether Finlay would send more people later.

By then, the house would already be empty.

On that day, the majority of Grimstone’s outer areas lay deserted. Nearly all the beastfolk had gathered at the altar in the center of the city.

The altar was enormous and perfectly round, about 150 feet across. Layer after layer of stone steps rose upward until the whole structure stood nearly 60 feet tall.

Huge natural stone blocks had been stacked to build it. Every stone had been cut neatly and evenly. As the altar rose higher, each level became slightly smaller, making the whole structure look like a giant upside-down barrel.

Still, every level was wide enough to hold long wooden tables about three feet long and a foot and a half wide.

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14:28 Mon, Jul 20

Chapter 162 A Dangerous Ceremony Awaits

:))

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Finished

Below the altar stretched a massive plaza large enough to hold tens of thousands of beastfolk gathered to watch the Sky Rite.

Around the altar was a deep trench that circled it like a moat. It had already been cleaned spotless. Not even a speck of dust could be seen inside.

Beyond the trench stood a ring of stone railings that separated the crowd from the altar grounds.

The plaza was already packed with over 10,000 beastfolk, and even more kept pouring in from the streets and alleys surrounding the square.

The crowd of beastfolk packed together so tightly that the stone railings looked ready to crack.

“Back up! Back up!” one of the guards shouted with a fierce glare. “The Sky Rite won’t begin for another thirty minutes. Anyone who keeps pushing forward will be treated as a live sacrifice!”

Only then did the crowd stop shoving.

“When will it start?” someone yelled unhappily. “I came here to see City Lord in person!”

Voices around him quickly echoed the complaint.

The city guards all carried stone axes made from a special kind of rock. The blades were razor sharp.

One tall, muscular guard thrust his axe forward and barked, “Quiet! Stay silent!”

The crowd instantly fell quiet. The beastfolk looked nervously at the armed guards, not daring to speak again.

Claire stood on the first level of steps below the altar platform. Looking down at the scene, she frowned slightly.

“Most of the beastfolk in Grimstone are really strong,” she whispered. “You hardly see anyone weak, old, or sick.”

The crowd below came in all shapes and species, but every single one of them looked powerful. Their fur tunic stretched tightly over thick muscles.

Even the few female beastfolk she spotted were huge and sturdy, at least two or three times bigger than Claire herself.

Beside her, Marcus wore a snow-white fur coat. Long strands of white fur moved gently in the cold wind.

Without a word, he removed the white cloak over his shoulders and draped it around Claire.

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14:28 Mon, Jul 20

Chapter 162 A Dangerous Ceremony Awaits

79

Finished

“Claire, I already warmed it up for you,” he said softly. “Put it on before you catch cold. The Sky Rite probably won’t start for a while.”

They had arrived early mostly because Claire had been curious. She wanted to see for herself how Grimstone, one of the three great beast cities, held its sacred ceremony.

Even though it was the last day of winter and the snow had stopped falling, cold wind still swept across the icy ground.

Claire glanced at Marcus with a small smile, half amused and half helpless.

The place they stood was on the second level of the altar, nearly six stories above the ground. From up there, they could see tens of thousands of beastfolk below.

Of course, the crowd could see them just as clearly.

Beastfolk had sharp eyes and hearing. Quite a few nearby had obviously heard Marcus’s caring words. Several turned toward them immediately, staring openly.

Embarrassed, Claire quickly stepped a little farther away from Marcus. The moment their bodies separated, the cold hit her again.

Marcus caught the movement at once. He reached out, grabbed her hand, and leaned close to whisper by her ear.

“Claire,” he whispered teasingly, “didn’t you promise to stay within three steps of me? Just like before.”

Then he grinned mischievously, flashing bright white teeth that nearly made Claire dizzy.

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The Ultimate Litter A Beast World System Tale