Chapter 1355: Chapter 1355

"Brother, two hundred bamboo longbows, two thousand hardwood arrows, three hundred copper spears... Is this really all you can muster? Didn’t you have some... 40% reserve?"

"Red-haired tribal brother, this truly is my utmost sincerity! Heading west this time, no telling how long the battles will last; I must keep half the weapons in reserve, right?"

Woodpecker Aitz wore a wry smile, clutching the Chief God’s Amulet at his neck, solemnly taking an oath.

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! I truly can only spare this much weaponry! I can also provide ten sets of leather armor, all personal assets from my manor. I think these should be enough to exchange for those top-grade mountain goods, plus a few baskets of common goods."

"Well... our Wilderness Tribes never mistreat brothers, we’re quite fair in our deals!"

Red-haired leader Mique rubbed his chin, pondering. Remembering Aitz’s previous emotional expression, he decided to double the price of the initially agreed top-tier mountain goods.

"Ten top-tier mountain goods, all acquired from that Holy City Temple, will be exchanged for your two hundred bows, two thousand arrows! As for three hundred copper spears, you yourself can go to the cellar and pick ordinary mountain goods, gold, silver, jade, any will do, fill up three baskets... oh, take four baskets away!" Official source ıs n0velfire.net

Saying this, red-haired leader Mique tilted his head, guiltily glancing at Woodpecker Aitz. The flamboyant "Turkey" instantly breathed heavily, his voice even trembled slightly.

"Ten pieces? Exchange for ten divine artifacts? Are you sure?!"

Red-haired leader Mique touched his nose, suddenly a bit regretful. If he had known, he would have doubled the price again. But credit to this guy for recognizing quality and having money. Previously ten bows and a hundred arrows were considered expensive by passing squads of guards...

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! We red-haired warriors are true to their word!... The best goods, these ten prime items, will be yours tonight!"

"Great! Great! Just like that, just like that! No need to wait until night... As soon as it gets dark, I’ll send someone to deliver the weapons, right in your cellar for the trade!"

Woodpecker Aitz scratched his hand excitedly, his heart burning with urgency. He greedily gazed at the precious ritual artifacts in front, especially the "Feathered Serpent Mask" from the Toltec era, his face almost breaking into a grin.

"Haha! You are mine... mine!"

Witnessing Aitz’s unsettling silly grin, red-haired leader Mique smirked, subtly stepping back a pace. Why this guy was overjoyed was unclear; shouldn’t this be a win for himself? Clearly a sure-fire victory!...

The win-win trade accomplished, the two shared a hearty laugh, then looked at each other more amicably. Red-haired leader Mique gestured invitingly, asking Woodpecker Aitz to dine at the inn; Aitz joyfully agreed. Before moving, he pondered and solemnly extended his own invitation.

"Red-haired tribal brother, such trade can be done more often in the future! We’ve exchanged military goods, and now we’re like ants on a snail’s back!... Actually, I have many friends in the Capital Region, all military merit nobility of the Kingdom, owning large estates and numerous agricultural slaves, while I myself have a manor... your tribal flag team needs large and medium goods, food, and supplies... we produce them all!"

"Once tonight’s trade completes, I’ll arrange a few trusted aides to take these mountain goods back to my manor... But I don’t have many reliable men, must reserve them to lead this camp! If you trust me, send a few people to help transport goods, and visit my manor! I have a clan brother guarding at home; henceforth, don’t set up stalls at the inn, too conspicuous!... Leave it to me, I’ll help you sell! The price will surely surpass your expectations, much higher!"

Upon hearing Aitz’s words, red-haired leader Mique blinked uncertainly at his intentions. Was this guy planning to lure his brothers to his territory and then betray them? But soon, he agreed cheerfully, for if any flag team people perished, they’d demand life for life...

"Powerful Chief Divine as witness! Okay, brother! We will send some to help you transport the goods home! As for that estate you mentioned, we’ll take a look... If the prices are good, future mountain goods from the army can all be entrusted to you!"

"Then it’s settled! By the way, according to your wilderness tradition, shouldn’t we seal it with a blood oath?"

"Uh? You want to swear a blood oath with me? Are you sure?"

Red-haired leader Mique was surprised, looking at the knowledgeable but not formidable Aitz, showing seriousness for the first time.

"Brother! Ancestors bear witness! If the blood oath is broken... there’ll be no rest till death..."

"Of course! Since we’re doing something major, trust is paramount! Come, I’ll swear a blood-bond with you, becoming true brothers! Betrayers will have their souls fall into the abyss, devoured by wolves after death!"

"Great! Truly great! Bring the stone knife! While there’s still sunlight, let’s do it here!"

The setting sun falls into the mountains and rivers, taking away the last of the brightness and light. A solemn and brief blood oath ceremony is quietly completed in the corner of the station. Woodpecker Aitz has his palm wrapped in white cloth, vaguely revealing some blood-red. Beside him, the red-haired leader Mique is the same. Afterwards, the two intimately walk shoulder to shoulder into the central longhouse of the station, calling upon tribesmen and trusted aides, gathering together to talk, laugh, eat, and drink.

"Come! Brother Woodpecker, this is the stationmaster, also known as Samurai from our retired Black Wolf Army, Ancestor Sand!"

The red-haired leader Mique is holding a bowl of wine, dragging a tall red-haired hunter over with force. This red-haired hunter is quite strong, covered in scars on his face and body, but he has a limp and cannot walk quickly.

"What? Stationmaster? What’s his name? Ancestor Sand?"

Woodpecker Aitz gulps down fruit wine and eats stewed goose meat in large chunks. He cannot hold his liquor; even after drinking a little, his face turns red, and his tongue gets heavier.

"Hic! There’s someone actually named Sand?"

"Of course! It’s such a common name, the wilderness is full of sand... When he was a few years old, he encountered a severe cold wave. The entire tribe migrated during the cold wave, but ran into a sandfield without food and firewood, and all froze to death... Our tribe had no food either, but survived a bit longer, so we had something to eat..."

The red-haired leader Mique is drunkenly babbling on, revealing everything without a filter.

"The elders of the tribe said that when the able-bodied went to collect corpses, they found this child, tough and still breathing... They fed him meat broth, and hey! He survived!... Because he was found in the sandfield, he’s called Ancestor Sand, the Ancestor’s Sand..."

"Later on, he was indeed tough! When we headed south, fought so many battles, he charged ahead every time and never died. The tribal priest said that he had a tribal ancestor spirit protecting him, and whenever he was about to die, an ancestor would replace him to die. But when his leg failed, it meant the ancestor was telling him, you’re not protected anymore, cannot charge anymore, if you charge again, you’re just going to die!..."

"Sure enough, after surrendering to the Great Chief, we fought the Tekos people in the south, the Tlaxcala people in the east, the Mistec people in the southeast, and even further east the Totonac people... So many battles and never injured. But at Five Mountains City, during the campaign against the rebellious Seaside Tribes in the rear, he was hit in the ankle and became lame!... Nothing to say, the leg failed, couldn’t keep up with the army march, so he could only retire!... But guarding this station, not worrying about food and drink, I think it’s quite nice..."

"Get out of here! Nice? What’s nice about it!"

Hearing this, Ancestor Sand, who had been sulking, couldn’t hold back anymore. He stamped his lame leg hard, cursing irritably.

"The ancestors watch over me, yet I can’t face them! I ran my whole life, fought so many battles, yet didn’t die on the battlefield, but instead returned lame?! This land wolf can’t run anymore, nor can hunt, every day just guarding a room, even going to a forest is tough... I’ve never seen such a cripple in the wilderness! What’s the point of living ?"

"Hey! Sand, you’re not happy to be alive? So many brothers died in battle, only you survived, that’s all arranged by the ancestors! The tribal priest prophesied it for you long ago..."

The red-haired leader Mique is drunk, shouting laughingly with a loud voice.

"Don’t complain! If it were on the wilderness, you wouldn’t survive even if you wanted to! But here, everyone settled down, nothing lacking, you can’t die even if you want to... Just stay peaceably in this station! Maybe you’ll live longer than us... Oh! Remember to teach your archery skills to those new flag team youngsters... Now these little guys, life is better, they even have specialized hunting bows, but their archery is poor... So close to the target, not moving, and they still can’t hit it!..."

"Think back to our childhood, with broken bows and broken arrows, not knowing why but could hit it! Throw a cactus fruit into the sky, could hit it three times before it fell!... I see that these new useless kids might just have to carry farm tools and become farmers..."

Hearing this, the lame Ancestor Sand let out a long sigh, the scars on his face trembling. He downed a cup of wine and took several gulps of goose broth, shaking his head vigorously.

"Isn’t that so! With more food, everyone is like in the wilderness, desperately having children. More and more flag team kids, just in a few years, a bunch born! On the wilderness it was four born, three died, only the strongest survived... Here it’s a good place, most can survive, but their courage and skills are evidently lacking... At least they learn to farm faster than we did..."

"Back then, when we were eight or nine, a few of us with broken bows and stone knives would go find an old wolf separated from the pack... following for days, then hunting and killing, skinning them, eating half-raw meat! Sizzling, eating with faces full of blood..."

"Hey! When you mention wolf hunting, I remember too! That time, I was starved for four days before I got meat, not even cooked, but tasted so good!... Now the tribe isn’t short of food, but never tasted anything so savory again..."

The two middle-aged red-haired hunters drank wine, drunkenly recalling the wilderness memories. Their expressions were sometimes wistful, sometimes laughing, just no tears. Woodpecker Aitz sat beside, warming by the campfire, quietly listening.

He listened to the tribe’s past, hardships he never imagined even in dreams. He also listened to the tribe’s present, which the two red-haired hunters never imagined in childhood, this abundance.

As for the tribe’s future? No one can say for certain right now. But Woodpecker Aitz feels, one day these wilderness tribes full of wildness will fully settle down, like those lively Prepetcha civilian settlements, never to distinguish between each other again.

"Thorough vitality, things competing to emerge... The first generation of settled tribal flag teams are like wolves roaming the wilderness for decades, not possible to be tame and obedient... But the newborn pups will grow up in the village, under the guidance of village priests... In a few generations, they will assimilate with the citizens of the kingdom, wholeheartedly converting to the Chief Divine!... And the descendants of Jiao people will also thrive under constant expansion..."

"Perhaps, that is the future of the tribal flag teams!..."