"Martial law?"
"Yeah." Leah nodded, her voice dropping a few notches. "I heard that outsider is heading toward Ironwood City. Right now, the area around the city is crawling with warriors from every tribe. My grandmother said that if that outsider could wipe out an entire village, he must be a real piece of work. She told us not to go out alone and to signal immediately if we see anyone suspicious."
She tilted her head, her amber eyes scanning Ethan.
"You've been wandering these mountains for months. You haven't run into that outsider, have you?"
"No," Ethan shook his head. "If I had, I'd be dead by now."
"True." Leah nodded, her long, pointed ears twitching. "You're a Priest Apprentice, but you look young. You probably wouldn't be a match for that outsider."
"Yeah, any outsider who can make it this far definitely isn't easy to deal with. By the way, are your tribe's warriors on rotation for rest these days? Aren't they all in training?"
"Yes, it just so happens to be their rest period."
Leah's tone carried a hint of pride, and her long ears flicked again. She tilted her head, her amber eyes circling Ethan.
"My brother is also training at Ironwood City, but he just came back a few days ago for rotation and rest. There are over a thousand warriors in the tribe right now."
Ethan nodded, maintaining his gentle smile.
"That's quite a coincidence. It’s perfect for me to take a break at your tribe before heading to Ironwood City to meet my teacher."
"No problem." Leah patted her chest. "Our Green Das Tribe is the most hospitable. You can stay here as long as you need, and once you're rested, I'll have someone escort you to Ironwood City."
The two chatted as they walked, the atmosphere as lively as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
Leah spoke of interesting tribe events with high spirits, her long ears twitching rhythmically.
Ethan chimed in occasionally, the smile on his face perfectly measured.
The surrounding Amons warriors watched this scene, their amber eyes practically smoldering with jealousy.
The scarred strongman gripped his battle axe tighter.
He tilted his head, shooting a look at his companion.
The companion shook his head and gestured with his chin toward Leah. The meaning was clear: the Young Tribe Leader hadn't spoken, so it wasn't their place to say anything.
The scarred man took a deep breath and swallowed his words, though his grip on the axe tightened even more.
The group traveled through the dense forest for about two hours.
The trees ahead gradually thinned out, and through the gaps in the trunks, an open, small-scale city came into view.
The city was larger than Ethan had expected.
Wooden houses spread out from the center of the valley, stacking upward along the mountain slopes. The highest buildings were almost embedded into the rock face halfway up the mountain. These weren't just haphazard shacks; every house sat on a leveled foundation. The timber was of uniform thickness, the bark stripped clean to reveal light green wood grain. The roofs weren't thatched with straw but covered in dark green tiles, neatly arranged and polished smooth at the edges.
The streets were paved with stone slabs. Though the slabs varied in size, they fit together seamlessly. Trees of unknown species lined the roads, their trunks straight and their crowns trimmed into perfect spheres. Strands of pale yellow tassels hung from the branches, swaying in the breeze.
Compared to the village he had slaughtered before, this was like comparing heaven and earth.
"Whoa, your tribe is huge." Ethan's gaze swept over the wooden houses lining the streets and settled on the particularly grand buildings halfway up the mountain.
"Hehe, of course it is." Leah walked beside him, her long ears standing straight up and her chin tilted slightly. "My grandmother is a Priest, and our tribe has tens of thousands of people. Even those guys from Ironwood City, who usually walk around with their noses in the air, have to be polite when they see a Green Das merchant caravan."
As she spoke, her amber eyes sparkled, and her steps became even more lighthearted.
Ethan gave a non-committal hum, his gaze pulling back from the neatly trimmed tree crowns.
The warriors guarding the city spotted Leah's group from a distance. One leaned out and shouted down.
"The Young Tribe Leader is back!"
The voice echoed through the valley.
The warriors at the city gate stepped aside to make way.
Some waved to Leah, while others clapped the scarred strongman on the shoulder, asking if they had encountered anything on their patrol.
Several half-grown Amons children ran out from the alleys, jumping and skipping around the group until they were dragged back by their ears by their mothers.
An old, one-armed man sat on a stone stool by the road, clutching a carving knife as he worked on a piece of dark green wood.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up and grinned at Leah, revealing a few missing teeth.
Leah responded to everyone, sometimes waving, sometimes nodding, and sometimes stopping to exchange a few words with an elder.
Ethan followed half a step behind her, his eyes scanning the faces of the Amons people.
Truly a scene full of vitality and competitive growth.
So peaceful and serene.
Hehe.
"Come on." Leah tilted her head, her amber eyes circling Ethan's face. "I'll take you to see my grandmother."
The two crossed through more than half the city.
The crowds thinned out, and the wooden houses became larger and more exquisite.
Intricate patterns were carved into the walls—some were vines, some were animal shapes, and some were symbols Ethan didn't recognize.
Wooden statues stood at the entrances, varying in form; some looked like people, some like beasts, and some like nothing at all, just several twisted pieces of wood entwined together.
Leah stopped in front of a particularly spacious complex of buildings.
It was a "complex" because it wasn't just one building.
In the center was a seven-story main house, with two slightly shorter wings extending from either side, connected by roofed corridors.
The walls were covered in vine carvings, with tiny fragments of emerald-green crystal embedded in the grooves, casting a soft glow in the sunlight.
Two three-meter-tall wooden statues stood before the door. On the left was a bird of prey with outspread wings; on the right was a crouching beast. The craftsmanship was rugged yet carried an indescribable aura.
"We're here."
The ceiling was high, at least two stories tall.
The four walls were inlaid with pale green crystals that emitted a soft light.
Directly facing the entrance was a wide wooden long-table, and behind it sat an old woman.
The woman looked very old.
Her pale green skin was covered in wrinkles, and her long ears drooped slightly, their edges dry and curled.
Her amber eyes were mostly clouded, but when her gaze fell on Ethan, a sharp glint flickered in the small amount of clarity remaining.
She wore a dark green robe embroidered with vine patterns identical to those on the walls.
"Grandmother, I'm back." Leah took three steps in two and reached the old woman's side, leaning down to hug her shoulders. "I brought a guest, too."
"Oh?" The old woman lifted her eyelids, her clouded eyes circling Ethan before a smile slowly spread across her face. "A guest. How rare. Leah, is he a friend of yours?"
"I ran into him on the road." Leah let go and stood by the old woman's side. "He said he's a Priest Apprentice from the Morsel Tribe and got lost in the mountains."
The old woman stared at Ethan for two breaths, and the smile on her face deepened.
That smile spread across her wrinkled face like cracks on a dried-up riverbed.
Rate on N.U.
