Chapter 1169, Gathering

Translator: Silavin

 

Inside the Dark Scorpion Tribe, bonfires were visible everywhere. Beyond those, there was not much else to see.

 

Because of the snow, everyone had shut themselves indoors. There was nothing to go out for. The world was a sea of white, and nothing could be done in it.

 

This was how most Tribes passed the snow season. For them, there was nothing to ease the time with.

 

In this frozen season there was nothing to hunt either. Even Ferocious Beasts had gone dormant, hibernating through the cold. Everything was buried under snow. Travel was difficult. Unless hunger truly drove them to desperation, no one ventured out in weather like this.

 

Inside the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s main wooden hall, Shaman Chen Shao was receiving some of the Tribe’s senior figures, among them the Tribe’s Chieftain.

 

Shaman Chen Shao sat in the central seat. To either side of the chair, two great basins of fire burned and roared. In the cold and bitter weather as this, those flames were the only thing that offered any warmth.

 

The middle of the wooden hall had been dug out to form a fire pit. People stood lined along both sides.

 

“Shaman,” said Li Ya, his expression grave, “The Flame Dragon Tribe is quite clever. Not one of the people we sent out has returned. This Tribe’s strength must not be taken lightly.”

 

He was the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s Chieftain, a Mid-Stage Totem Warrior whose strength was said to surpass most at his level. It was precisely this that had earned him the position.

 

Li Ya stood close to two metres tall, which made the wooden hall feel cramped despite its ceiling height of a little over two metres. His adornments were lavish. A great beast hide hung over him, strung with chains of Ferocious Beast bone and teeth. On his head sat an enormous Ferocious Beast Skull as a cap. His long black hair had a greasy sheen. Altogether, he was a figure that made people reluctant to come near.

 

“Quite right,” said Zang, his voice tight with frustration. “It has been this long, and none of the surrounding Tribes have delivered their tributes. It’s very likely because of the Flame Dragon Tribe.”

 

He was the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s Hunting Team leader. The title was somewhat misleading, for he rarely hunted. In practice, his work consisted almost entirely of collecting tributes from Subordinate Tribes. But it had been over half a year since any such tributes had arrived, forcing him to actually lead Warriors out to hunt. His skills, gone long unused, had grown rusty. Warriors had been injured. Some had died. His frustration was entirely understandable.

 

“It must be so,” Li Ya said, pressing his hands together respectfully, his body slightly bent. “It has also been a long time since I’ve received any news from the other Tribes. The last time, though our people did visit the Flame Dragon Tribe, that Tribe is strange. Its development has been exceptional.”

 

He continued, “As for Ga, although she has become a leader within the Flame Dragon Tribe, I believe she must have been coerced. None of it makes sense otherwise.”

 

As the leader overseeing all the Tribe’s message carriers, the sudden loss of so many contacts had naturally made him deeply suspicious.

 

To get to the truth of it, Li Ya had dispatched people to the Flame Dragon Tribe a second time: Bo, Luc and others among them.

 

But none of them had returned either. They should have come back with information about the Flame Dragon Tribe. Months had now passed with no word.

 

“All of this points to one thing.” Shaman Chen Shao’s expression was very grave. “The Flame Dragon Tribe is not simple. We may well be dancing to their tune.”

 

There was no other explanation. Communication in this age was poor, but he was no fool. A moment’s thought made it plain that nothing about this added up.

 

And every single thread led back to the Flame Dragon Tribe. What was most telling was that all of it had converged at the same time.

 

Several incidents, taken together, made it impossible to believe the Flame Dragon Tribe posed no threat, or that this Tribe had simply become another arm of the Dark Scorpion Tribe. Shaman Chen Shao believed neither.

 

“Shaman, let me go,” Zang said at once. “I’ll wipe that Tribe from the face of the earth.”

 

He wanted nothing more than to be rid of the Flame Dragon Tribe immediately. It was their fault he had been forced to lead Warriors out hunting before the snow season, losing both men and their tributes.

 

Zang wanted the Dark Scorpion Tribe to have more Subordinate Tribes to its name, so that tributes would keep coming and he would never have to go hunting again. He needed a justification for dealing with the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

“Even you would struggle against them,” Shaman Chen Shao said. “This Tribe is not simple. Looking at all that has happened and putting it together, they have been actively managing things. Their methods are very sophisticated.”

 

He fixed his gaze forward and went on, “If you charge out with a team of Warriors, you may well end up eternally staying there. That would be a loss this Tribe cannot afford.”

 

“Then let me go, Shaman,” Li Ya said immediately. “I’ll gather a team, move fast, and come back clean. I’ll sweep the Flame Dragon Tribe out.”

 

He was among the strongest in the Dark Scorpion Tribe, one of its cornerstones of power.

 

“No. This time I intend to lead you all out personally. Everyone goes.”

 

Shaman Chen Shao raised a hand and pressed down, then rose sharply to his feet. “This Tribe is strong. We can no longer afford to leave it alone.”

 

Li Ya’s network of message carriers had suffered many losses, but enough fragments of information about the Flame Dragon Tribe had trickled back to piece something together.

 

Tribes like the Spotted Deer Tribe, large as it was, and especially those that had opened markets, had always been a little freer with news. The Spotted Deer Tribe had dealings with the Flame Dragon Tribe, which meant more information about the latter filtered through, though not because the former was sharing it deliberately. It was others passing it through trade. They just needed to listen in to those conversations.

 

“Shaman, do we truly need to take this Tribe so seriously?” Li Ya’s face showed genuine puzzlement.

 

In his mind, the Shaman going out was already a statement in itself. If even the Shaman was to leave the Tribe, it would be as serious as things got.

 

The Dark Scorpion Tribe had not moved as a whole in a very long time. Several years back, when they had been consolidating the surrounding Tribes, they had moved in full force to sweep through the region. After that, there was no need. Strong Warriors would go out in groups and simply crush whatever Tribe stood before them.

 

“It must be done,” Shaman Chen Shao said, without hesitation.