Chapter 144

Urich entered the camp of the Blue Mist Tribe. Samikan told Urich that there was someone he wanted to introduce him to and brought him to Noah Arten, who had been waiting in a tent.

‘A barbarian crossing the mountains back and forth.’

Noah observed Urich, who stood in front of him.

"Wow, I didn’t expect to see a civilized man here."

Urich spoke fluently in Hamelian, the Imperial language. It was evident to anyone that he had spent a long time in the civilized world.

"How did you cross the mountains?"

Noah asked, but Urich simply smiled in return.

"I see no reason to tell you, don’t you think?"

Urich sat in front of Noah with a wide grin on his face.

'Noah Arten, huh? I didn’t think I’d run into another Arten here.'

Urich was well aware of the Arten family. Fordgal Arten and Regal Arten were both explorers who successfully crossed the mountains. The Arten family included many knights under the emperor's command, and Noah Arten was one of them.

'The man who came here under the emperor’s command is helping Samikan.'

Urich stared at Noah’s leg. There was a wooden prosthetic leg where his actual leg should be.

'He must have decided he couldn't return with that leg.'

The process Noah took to reach the position he was in was clear to Urich.

"Impressive. You're fluent in Hamelian."

"I’ve even met the emperor."

"Haha, you shouldn’t say that, even as a joke."

Noah sensed Urich's familiarity with the civilized world. He couldn't be taken lightly. The barbarian sitting in front of him was a man knowledgeable about both worlds.

'How did this barbarian cross the mountains?'

Noah knew about the culture of westerners. Crossing the mountains was taboo, and they lacked the technology to do it anyway.

"You look like you’re curious about how I crossed the mountains."

Urich bared his teeth in a grin at Noah, who felt a chill because it resembled a ferocious predator.

"...You didn’t cross it on your own, did you?"

"Well, I don’t know. I've crossed the mountains twice," Urich vaguely responded.

Samikan observed the conversation between Urich and Noah. Whatever their conversation entailed, It was clear that Urich had crossed the mountains.

"Samikan, do you know what kind of man Noah Arten is?" Urich asked as he turned to Samikan.

"He’s a man from beyond the mountains."

"Not just any man. He's the vanguard sent by the ruler of the world beyond the mountains."

Noah’s eyes widened, and Samikan's lips twitched.

‘I guess he didn't know.'

Urich continued.

"Even as we speak, they are preparing to send an army over the mountains."

Noah, visibly flustered, looked back and forth between Samikan and Urich.

"Noah, is this true?"

Samikan had intended to gain more knowledge by bringing Urich and Noah together and unexpectedly ended up with more than he had hoped for.

"I... No, everything he just said is true, Samikan."

Noah started to explain but then gave up. Noah was not a man adept at lying. A clumsy lie would be immediately noticed by Samikan.

"I see..."

Samikan's expression was subtly bitter.

'How much does this barbarian know?'

Noah glared at Urich, whose eyes shone yellow.

"Noah would have led an army to invade our lands if both his legs were good, Samikan."

Samikan nodded at Urich's words.

"I see your point. But it doesn't matter now. Noah Arten is my advisor and friend. He’s a foreigner but he is also like a brother. Why Noah crossed the mountains doesn't matter. The fact that he is by my side is what’s important."

Samikan grasped Noah’s shoulder. Noah, and even Urich, were taken aback.

'So that's how it’s going to be.'

Urich chuckled.

"Well, with that leg, he wouldn't be able to run away anyway."

"Urich, I'd like to speak with Noah for a moment. Please let us be."

Samikan sent Urich out.

Once Urich left, Noah spoke first to Samikan.

"I didn't want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings, Samikan."

"You haven’t betrayed me yet. I won’t question this matter. You promised to make me a king, and you’ve kept your word so far. That's what matters."

Samikan wasn’t afraid to accept people to his side, which is why he took in the foreigner Noah as his closest ally.

Noah flinched, feeling Samikan's intense trust.

‘And to think I was torn between loyalty and friendship...'

Noah was a conscientious knight, and Samikan’s trust felt like a bond he couldn’t break out of.

"What do you think about Urich?"

Samikan looked towards the door. Noah, after finally regaining his composure, shook his head.

"He has extensive experience beyond the mountains and knows the goals of the expedition. He is no ordinary man."

"Is it true that an army is coming from beyond the mountains?"

Samikan squinted his eyes. He couldn't overlook such a statement. He had indirectly realized the power of the civilized world through Noah.

"That I’m not sure about either. The leader of the tribe I belonged to, my ‘nation,’ wanted to conquer the world beyond the mountains. But that was years ago. I don't know the current situation over there either."

"Urich is going to want to free his tribe again. We can’t trust everything that he tells us. You have to try to catch his true intentions. "

Samikan trusted Noah more than Urich. No matter how much he seemed to enjoy the fellow westerner, Urich was still a member of the Stone Axe Tribe and was certainly harboring anger toward the Blue Mist Tribe.

Samikan, along with his warriors and Urich, returned to the village of the Blue Mist Tribe.

* * *

As Samikan headed toward the Blue Mist Tribe, he passed through villages of tribes subjugated to them. Everywhere he went, tributes and lavish hospitality were offered. The Blue Mist tribe, akin to conquerors, had numerous smaller tribes, from ones with dozens to hundreds of warriors, under their control.

"The Stone Axe Tribe is a major tribe comparable to us, but smaller tribes benefit from our protection. Some even willingly offer tributes for it," Samikan told Urich.

"You've adapted Noah’s tactics well," Urich said to Samikan.

Warriors are free spirits. Commanding them to pick up their shields and standardized weapons wouldn't have been easy.

"There was resistance initially, but after our first easy victory, they followed my commands without much fuss. Results almost always silence opposing voices."

Samikan smiled as he looked around at his warriors. He had his own army, revered and followed by the warriors. They were ready to leap into the fire pit on his command.

"We, the Blue Mist, never had ambitions. Our land and lake were enough to live on, so we felt no need for plunder or expansion given that we managed to protect the things we already had. But with Noah’s help, I saw an opportunity to expand our territory and influence. It would be a failure of manhood to hesitate when such an opportunity arises!"

Samikan looked westward, where endless plains and wastelands lay. Beyond the Red Sand Tribe, numerous tribes that they had only heard of existed, even some speaking different languages further out.

‘Our goals are different... but we both need unification to achieve our goals,’

Urich thought as he looked at Samikan. He was a man with ambition.

"No tribe has ever successfully unified and sustained multiple tribes. They quickly fall apart. The Blue Mist won’t be able to swallow the Stone Axe; it’s too big to stomach."

Urich said as he narrowed his eyes.

"I can accept a one-time opposition, but a real rebellion means annihilation. If it can’t be digested, we’ll throw it back up and crush it. The Stone Axe will set this precedent."

Urich felt like he had been hit on the back of his head. It was chilling.

'This bastard...'

It was Samikan’s warning and plan.

'He never intended to keep the Stone Axe under him. He just wants to set an example by brutally crushing a bigger tribe like ours. That way, other tribes wouldn’t dare rebel out of fear. It was all a planned humiliation.'

The Stone Axe Tribe was attacked initially as a means of terror governance. The Stone Axe people were known for their belligerence and strength. Even if they were subjugated, they were more than likely to rebel.

'Destroying a predestined rebellion of Stone Axe would ensure other tribes wouldn’t even dream of it.'

Urich realized Samikan's intent.

"If you attacked us with annihilation in their hearts from the start, other tribes would band together out of fear. But if you only subjugate initially and crush us brutally when we rebel... the other tribes will bow down for survival, and not dare rebel. The Blue Mist never planned to assimilate our tribe."

Urich said with a frown. Samikan had chosen fear as a means to control other tribes, making Stone Axe the sacrificial lamb.

"But bringing the Red Sand as an ally wasn’t in my plans. I didn't expect opposition so soon. Impressive, Urich. You've practically saved the Stone Axe."

Samikan's tone was sarcastic. He averted his gaze from Urich, looking down.

‘He is wasted in the Stone Axe. If it wasn’t for Gizzle, you’d have been a more challenging chief. The timing was perfect. If we’d struck a bit later, he would have eventually overthrown Gizzle and become chief. He’s a clever one.'

The grass grew taller, signaling that they were approaching the Blue Mist village. Located by a lake, they had fertile lands.

‘Perhaps...’

Urich crouched and touched the soil.

'The soil is rich.'

He sniffed it, smelling the moist earth.

‘It’s no civilized land, but it’s clearly better than other plains and wastelands.'

Western tribes didn’t practice agriculture. They surely must have given it a go a long time ago, only to fail. The soil was rough, and the unpredictable dry and rainy seasons made it hard for crops to grow. During sudden dry spells, plants died, and prolonged dry periods even dried up forests.

'I heard the Blue Mist’s lake doesn’t dry up even during droughts.'

Urich looked at the Blue Mist village. The recent influx of the slave population made it bigger than Stone Axe. Slaves from different tribes were walking around in shackles.

Crunch.

Urich clenched his teeth, seeing slaves from his own tribe.

"Urich, you’ll be treated as a guest, as long as you act like one."

Samikan said as he patted Urich’s shoulder. Urich nodded.

'Gizzle, you call yourself our chief, but you couldn’t protect your people.'

The harsh reality was laid out right in front of him. His calm plans flew out the window, replaced by the urge to liberate his people immediately. His inner beast awakened, desiring to draw axes and swords to tear apart his enemies.

‘Screw the imperial army...'

Urich twitched, but Vald, standing behind, grabbed his arm.

"Urich, calm down."

Urich turned sharply to Vald.

"...I know. Acting rashly here would only lead to pointless death."

Urich watched Samikan, hailed as a hero by the tribespeople. To them, Samikan was a great leader.

‘I still need Samikan going forward.'

Urich pursed his lips. Samikan was a capable leader. He was experienced, bold, and adaptable. If not an enemy, Urich would have liked to acknowledge him as a brother.

'To ally with Samikan, we must clear the animosity between us. But he won’t willingly free the Stone Axe.'