The Stone Axe tribe was one of the ancient tribes, so venerable it could be called an old tribe, maintaining its lineage for a long time. The tribe has held its warrior-like spirit for its reign and preserved its good land for many years.

Urich sat in a chair draped with animal skins. It was the seat that many chiefs had occupied. The armrests were shiny with grease and wear.

The title felt foreign. Urich had become the chief of his tribe. Despite a three-year absence, he received overwhelming support from the warriors. Although some elders and shamans disliked him, even they acknowledged that there was no better candidate than Urich.

News of the new chief of the Stone Axe spread quickly, especially to the Blue Mist and Red Sand tribes.

"The dry season is coming. We need to focus on gathering and storing food."

"It will be a harsh dry season. We must perform the rituals."

Urich listened to the tribe's advisers. He was still inexperienced as a chief. Leading a community, not just a group of warriors, was new to him.

For a while, the Stone Axe tribe focused on storing food. Warriors went hunting far away, women gathered fruits and roots at the foot of the mountains, and children and elders spent their days preparing preserved food.

"The atmosphere is good. There are a lot of good expectations for the new chief. Everyone is waiting for you to show them something."

Vald, who had been looking around the tribe, spoke to Urich.

"I want to move the warriors to build cabins in the mountains and stand guard, but..."

Urich yawned in boredom. The internal affairs of the tribe were important but dull. Although he was the chief, he couldn't use the warriors unilaterally. To mobilize warriors, a suitable justification and situation were needed.

The tribal warriors had plenty to do. They needed to hunt before the dry season arrived. Every warrior occupied with other tasks meant fewer hunters.

Urich was concerned about the mountains but couldn't spare separate warriors. At best, he could send a few to hunt and keep watch.

Urich sent messengers to the Blue Mist and Red Sand, but communication between tribes was difficult. A round trip could take at least a fortnight. Without written language, there was distortion in speech, and conveying detailed thoughts was hard.

To rule multiple tribes and ally with neighboring tribes, long-distance communication methods were necessary, namely writing and transportation.

Urich had no choice but to wait for the return of the messengers he had sent to other tribes. He wrote some letters on the ground, engrossed in thought.

Urich erased the scribble with his foot. He was overwhelmed with tasks from small to big jobs.

Only after an entire moon cycle had passed, contact was made with the other tribes, and a council of chiefs took place in the Red Sand Tribe.

Urich led about twenty warriors to the Red Sand village. He crossed the red hills and met with Chief Belrua.

"I've heard about your situation. You've reclaimed the future of the tribe. Congratulations—in a lot of ways—Chief Urich."

Belrua tied back her long hair. She wiped the sweat from working in the forge and sat down. When she gestured, women brought food and drink. Hospitality was generous in any tribe.

“Here, a gift for you."

Urich presented a crossbow and three steel weapons.

"These are made of the same metal as the weapons you use."

"A month ago, we encountered enemies from beyond the mountains. These are the spoils from that encounter. It seems the pioneers have made significant progress over the mountains. It wouldn't be surprising if they cross over anytime."

Belrua was more interested in the weapons right in front of her than the enemies. She admired the exquisite craftsmanship of the Imperial forge. She tilted the blade to eye level. A good weapon was more thrilling than bedding someone. She licked her lips, put down the weapon, and picked up the crossbow.

"What is this thing?"

"It’s a weapon that shoots arrows. It's called a 'crossbow'."

"It looks like a bow laid on its side."

Belrua examined the crossbow. Urich demonstrated how to use it.

Most of the Imperial army used crossbows. There were separate archer units, but crossbows were more convenient as standard weapons. Training time was significantly shorter, and the precision and power of the empire-made crossbows were superior.

"You load an arrow like this, and then pull this part back..."Urich aimed at a distant tree.

The arrow flew and stuck in the tree. The warriors' eyes widened, and some even fell backward.

"It's quite powerful. I’d say it’s more vicious than an amateur hunter's arrow."

Urich pointed to the arrow lodged in the tree.

Warriors eager to try the crossbow cautiously approached. They were greatly interested in the

new weapons from beyond the mountains.

"You’ve brought a precious gift."

Belrua smiled contentedly.

The meeting attendees were three chiefs, but Samikan from Blue Mist had not yet arrived. Urich stayed in Red Sand for three days, waiting for him.

The Red Sand village, rich in iron, was a hub for trade between tribes. Iron was as good as currency in tribal society. Wherever there was iron, bartering was easy.

Urich watched the people who had come for trade.

Even in the west, the Stone Axe and Blue Mist tribes belonged to the eastern part. To Urich, the west was only as far as the Red Sand Tribe.

Belrua approached Urich. Sensing his curiosity, she said to Urich.

"If you go further west, you'll find tribes you can’t even communicate with. It requires double or triple translation."

"Have you been to the very end of the west?"

Urich gazed at the western horizon.

"No, I’ve only heard rumors. But look at this."

Belrua brought out a wooden crossbow. It was crude compared to the empire's crossbows.

Urich fiddled with Belrua's crossbow.

He pulled the trigger, and an arrow shot out.

"This is like an old man’s piss stream. It’s gonna be hard to use in real combat, huh?"

Urich chuckled while watching the sluggishly flying arrow.

"Well, yeah. It's just a prototype based on their principle."

Belrua thumped Urich's back with her palm. The pats felt as heavy as a hammer.

"We are hunters. We don’t need to rely on these crossbows like they do."

Experienced archers preferred bows, and in a tribe full of hunters, there was no need to invest in developing crossbows.

"I said I just gave it a try, you idiot."

Belrua snatched the crossbow, speaking dismissively. The blacksmiths studied the structure of the crossbow regardless of its practicality, intrigued by the technology of the civilized.

The Red Sand tribespeople were amicable toward the alliance with the Stone Axe tribe. The new technology Urich brought was appealing to them.

"It wasn’t wise to form a brotherhood with Samikan. You should have contacted me, Urich."

"Do you dislike Samikan?"

"He is a man of great ambition. He will try to expand in any way possible and try to stand above us."

"Right. Samikan is that kind of man. That’s why I formed the brotherhood. We need ambitious men like him because we'll continue moving west."

Even if the three tribes united, they would barely have five thousand warriors. It was indeed a significant number, but insufficient compared to the imperial army's strength. The number of warriors they could station in a specific area was even fewer.

In tribal society, time was the only way to increase the number of warriors. Unlike civilized societies, forced conscription didn’t increase soldiers.

Urich didn’t know how many tribes were further in the west. In fact, nobody knew the exact number.

A Red Sand warrior approached and whispered something to Belrua. After nodding, Belrua tapped Urich's shoulder.

"Samikan is here."

Samikan entered the Red Sand village, leading his warriors. He barely washed his face before sitting at the meeting.

"Urich! My brother!"

Samikan opened his arms in a rather exaggerated manner. Urich and Samikan embraced, bumping shoulders.

"Congratulations on becoming the Stone Axe chief. The Blue Mist and Stone Axe are now full allies."

Samikan patted Urich's back and stepped back.

"For the first time ever, three tribes have formed an alliance."

Urich cautiously started the conversation.

Samikan and Belrua exchanged glances, only smiling mysteriously without revealing their true intentions.

The three chiefs sat around the table, exchanging recent events. Urich detailed his experiences in the Gizzle Mountains and plains.

"…They might cross over sooner than we think. Maybe their scouting parties already made their way over and are scouring our lands."

Urich brought several steel weapons unproducible by tribal society. That was the proof that the enemies beyond the mountains were further into their preparation phase than they had expected.

"So?"

"I think we should dispatch a hundred and fifty warriors from each tribe to watch the mountains."

"A hundred and fifty? The dry season is coming. It's hard to spare that many warriors."

Belrua expressed her objection. Samikan also looked rather troubled.

"Even if we were to send that many, the mountains are vast. We can't monitor the entire range with just that number."

Samikan shook his head. Urich, as if he had been waiting for this, drew a map on goat skin with charcoal.

"The mountains stretch here, with the Blue Mist tribe up here, and Stone Axe down here. There’s a gorge not far from the Stone Axe. The enemy plans to build a bridge there and send their army. All their scouts will come this way. With enough warriors, we can form a tight surveillance net."

Urich pointed at a single point on the mountains with the charcoal.

"Urich, as I said, a hundred and fifty warriors is too much. That means we’re going to be missing that many hunters. People will starve in the dry season."

Samikan spoke. Belrua agreed, nodding.

"Samikan, Belrua. We are not going to prepare for the dry season."

Urich drew the Red Sand village and pointed west with an arrow.

"Urich, are you serious?"

Samikan twisted his lips, staring at Urich's map.

"We don’t have the time to waste preparing for the dry season. We'll go on a western expedition. With fewer mouths to feed, our current supplies should last. The warriors will procure resources locally as we move west. We can do this."

Samikan laughed heartily at Urich's words.

"This is mad! Going on an expedition during the dry season! Brilliant! Don’t you think so, Belrua?"

Unlike Samikan, Belrua touched her chin, looking at Urich anxiously.

"How far do you plan to conquer? Just crossing three tribes westward, even I don't know the names of those tribes. It's a completely uncharted territory."

"Exactly, it's worth exploring because it's unknown. There might be tribes that have what we lack. But one thing's certain. No tribe can withstand an alliance of five thousand warriors."

Only Belrua hesitated at Urich's proposal. Samikan was a man driven by a desire for conquest, and the Blue Mist Tribe was safe from the dry season with its geographical advantages of a lake. He was quick to embrace Urich's bold plan.

"The Red Sand Tribe is different from your tribes. Because of the blacksmith and trade, we need to leave warriors in our tribe during the dry season. We'll send only half our warriors on the expedition. But we'll still split the loot equally. We'll be taking care of navigation and translation."

Belrua pursed her lips. Urich nodded and looked at Samikan.

"Belrua, you are making a clever offer. Fine by me, as long as you meet my condition! I will be the leader of our alliance. I have the most warriors and the widest influence. It’s only natural I lead this expedition. Urich has already agreed."

Samikan revealed his ambition with a wide grin. Belrua sought practicality, and Samikan secured honor and prestige.

Belrua nodded after looking at Urich and Samikan. The three chiefs exchanged a few more detailed matters.

After the meeting was over, food and drink flowed endlessly. Spirits high, even former foes wrestled and joked.

Urich, relieved after getting one task over the line, also drank and ate heartily.