Chapter 154  

The warriors walked through the wastelands and plains, carrying the hefty and large loads, moving forward with heavy steps. Even under the scorching sun, the warriors didn't complain one bit and kept their lips tightly sealed.

The procession of warriors was of unprecedented scale.

Urich glanced back. He couldn’t see the tail end of the procession.

The Blue Mist Tribe had mustered about two thousand warriors, including their several sub-tribes. The Stone Axe Tribe contributed around eight hundred, and the Red Sand Tribe about a thousand. Though not quite five thousand, over four thousand warriors were on the move.

The core tribes of the tribal federation were Blue Mist, Red Sand, and Stone Axe. The remaining tribes were smaller, subordinate to these three.

"An expedition to the west, this is unreal. Whose idea was it?"

"It was Urich. That Ironclad Urich."

"The one who supposedly crossed the mountains?"

"Don’t you think they made that up? It's impossible to cross the mountains, isn't it?"

Rumors spread among the warriors who were unaware of the situation. Their hearts throbbed with excitement. It was an unprecedented large-scale expedition. Conquest and plunder awaited them.

The warriors were both doubtful and hopeful. They called each other neighbors to make it sound better, but when the dry season came, they were enemies competing for survival, plundering each other. This expedition started only because of the unanimous agreement from the major tribes.

This time, they did not plunder neighboring tribes. The targets of the raid were external tribes to the west. The language and customs subtly changed the further westward they got.

"Make sure the Stone Axe and Blue Mist don't interact too closely in the march."

Samikan instructed his men as he looked back. The Stone Axe warriors still harbored hatred for the Blue Mist. They were only withholding their rage out of respect for their chief, Urich.

"The next rain will probably be the last one. After it ends, the dry season will begin."

A shaman accompanying them shook his bell-adorned staff and declared. He read the weather by observing the sky, using oral knowledge passed down through generations.

"Hurry up, we have to move fast. If they hear of our movement and set up wooden fences or something, it'll be troublesome."

Belrua encouraged the warriors. She gestured for Samikan and Urich to come over.

"Listen, you dick-hanging bastards. The nearby tribes have already heard of the alliance and offered themselves to join us. At least two hundred more warriors will join us. They also said they'll provide as much supplies as they can. My guess is that they thought voluntary taxes would be better than being plundered."

Belrua unfolded a leather map and marked the territories of the tribes. Some smaller tribes, aware of the might of the Red Sand Tribe, surrendered as soon as they could. They even joined the raiding expedition to seek benefits for themselves.

"We better hope there are a lot of those unknown tribes, huh?"

Urich laughed as he looked at the map. He clutched at his pounding heart.

"If we don't get enough loot, they might come for our heads."

Samikan glanced at the warriors and spoke to Urich. That’s what being the chief meant. The warriors followed the chief's decisions, but the chief bore the consequences. If the warriors starved during the dry season due to a poorly planned expedition, they would blame the chief.

"There has to be large tribes somewhere in the west. I've met people from strange places very occasionally. They traded with us after multiple interpretations."

Belrua was confident there were many tribes in the west. She tapped her sword which was as thick as a club on her shoulder.

"Dark clouds!"

"Rain is coming!"

Dark clouds rolled in from the west. A refreshing heavy rain poured down. The warriors set up makeshift tents to shelter from the rain. Urich also entered a tent with his warriors.

The thick clouds covered the sun, casting a dusk-like darkness over the land. The thick raindrops knocked on the tents.

"Fill the water bags. The shaman said it's the last rain."

The warriors discussed among themselves. Some ran out into the rain to wash themselves.

Vald sat next to Urich and spoke.

"This rainy season was long. So the dry season will be just as long too."

Urich looked away from the rain and raised his head.

"The terrible times are coming again. Either we plunder, or we starve."

Urich smiled bitterly. He knew ways to live without plundering. In the civilized world, crops from the land supported a large population. Their civilization was founded on agriculture.

"We're always on the plundering side, Urich! You must lead us."

Vald emphasized firmly. It was Urich's first raid as a chief, and it was an unprecedentedly large one. If he did well, Urich would firmly establish his authority as a chief. This also meant that if he failed, many tribesmen would turn their backs on him.

Saying so would brand Urich as a weak chief. Warriors do not follow a chief who speaks of weakness. A chief must be the wisest, most brutal, and most violent. Urich once believed such values were supreme and correct.

Urich looked at the warriors who were excited about the upcoming potential raid. They would drink the blood, violate the women, and steal the wealth and food of the victim tribes.

But Urich, who proposed the expedition, only smirked bitterly at the impending plunder.

It was a practical solution. When the dry season came, even with the alliance between the tribes, it was inevitable that the tribes would start attacking each other once food became scarce. Urich turned the direction of the plunder outward while planning to simultaneously expand his power through the expedition.

Urich shook his head, recalling what he had learned in his tribe.

The ways of the barbarian and the civilized often clashed. Urich chose the barbarian's path, but he was still fascinated by civilization.

Urich looked at the campfire under the tent. Warriors who washed themselves in the rain gathered around the fire to dry themselves.

"Urich!"

A warrior ran up to him breathlessly. He called Urich's name, and Urich nodded, indicating him to speak. The warrior caught his breath and reported.

"There's been a fight!"

"If they don’t make up after the fight, bring them to me. I'll be the judge."

Part of a chief's role is to arbitrate disputes.

"It's not a fight within our tribe. Our guys got into it with the warriors from Blue Mist!"

Upon hearing this, Urich breathed a deep sigh. Even though they were deliberately separated in the procession, it was difficult to control the warriors during rest.

Urich grabbed his knees and stood up. He instructed the warrior to lead the way.

Urich walked on the ground soaked with rainwater. His freshly dried body was drenched again, which annoyed him.

"I remember your face! You're the one who stabbed Sejan in the stomach! I'll kill you!"

"What, I've killed more than just one or two that day, how am I supposed to remember all of them? Maybe I should turn your belly inside out too!"

"You son of a bitch!"

"Come at me, come at me. You couldn't even touch us. You guys are just loudmouthed pigs."

Over a dozen warriors confronted each other, shouting and threatening. They brandished their weapons, ready to erupt into violence at any moment.

"It's Urich! Urich’s here!"

The warriors of the Stone Axe Tribe cheered upon seeing Urich.

"Urich! Those guys insulted our fallen brothers!"

Urich glanced back and forth between the warriors of the two tribes.

The Blue Mist warriors flinched upon seeing Urich. Ironclad Urich was well-known even among them. Some had fought alongside Urich several times.

The Blue Mist warriors had to treat Urich and Samikan equally, whether they liked it or not. Samikan was an absolute figure within the Blue Mist Tribe. Ignoring Urich was surely going to provoke Samikan's wrath.

"Chief Urich, we were just having a normal conversation. It was your men who picked a fight."

A Blue Mist warrior protested. Urich nodded and turned to the Stone Axe warriors.

"They were bragging about raping our women! Are we supposed to just sit there and let them do that? They were blabbering it loud as if they wanted us to hear it!"

The Stone Axe warriors were equally indignant.

Raping women from other tribes was a kind of boasting among warriors. Looting naturally led to raping women. Half the conversations among warriors were about such deeds.

"It's not right to talk loudly about such things in front of our warriors."

Urich warned the Blue Mist warrior. Their faces contorted.

"You're not even our chief, and you want to control what we say?"

"Then do you want me to go to Samikan and sort this out with him? Tell him to discipline his warriors? Do the chiefs need to step in for such petty issues? Huh? Do you think the chiefs have nothing better to do?"

Urich kicked a stone on the ground in irritation. The Blue Mist warriors also fell silent.

"Oooh! Urich!"

"Get lost! Go eat your fish or something!"

The Stone Axe warriors responded with cheers.

Urich glared at his own warriors.

"You guys shut your mouths too. I'm not telling you to treat the Blue Mist Tribe as your brothers, but they're not our enemies either. If you respect me as your chief, respect the alliance I've worked hard to establish, dammit. If this happens again, I'll take it as a challenge to my authority and duel the instigator."

Urich sternly warned the Stone Axe warriors. They too lowered their weapons and returned to their tents.

The rain intensified. Everyone scattered as nobody wanted to get soaked for no reason.

After quelling the fight, Urich gathered influential warriors within the tribe for a separate talk.

"Control the warriors to avoid conflicts with the Blue Mist. It's the chief's order."

Urich emphasized that it was an order. The warriors nodded.

Urich was new to being a chief and still young. The warriors often treated him more like a gang leader than a chieftain.

Urich loved his tribe and brothers. He could be cruel and brutal to outsiders, but not to his own people. However, a position like a chief sometimes requires harshness.

Urich chuckled, watching the warriors leave.

"The rain has stopped!"

"Pack up the tents! We leave right away! It'll be hellish once the sun comes up."

As soon as the rain stopped, the warriors rose. They packed up their tents and moved immediately. Water-filled pouches dangled from their waists.

The expedition passed through several tribes for days. Following Belrua's words, nearby tribes surrendered and sent warriors to join the western raid. So far, things have been going smoothly without any violent conflicts.

The distance between tribes started to widen. It felt different from the territories of the allied tribes.

"From here on, there might be tribes I don't know. This is where the uncharted territory begins."

Belrua said, looking at the wasteland. The ground began to crack. She gathered pathfinders from various tribes to draw a new map.

While listening to the pathfinders, Belrua scratched her weathered neck and spoke to the other chiefs.

"This might take a while. The pathfinders are saying they’ve never passed through here during the dry season.”

Urich spat on the ground and stared into the horizon of the wasteland.

"We can't turn back now. If we do, it'll be just like before, fighting among ourselves."

As Urich spoke, Samikan, who had been silent and deep in thought, slowly opened his mouth.

"Before we proceed, we should have the shamans cast and perform a ritual. A favorable omen will boost the warriors' morale."

"What if the omen is bad?"

"The omen cannot be bad, brother. If it is, the shaman who cast it will find his head in my hands."

Samikan laughed ominously. He held even the shamans and priests in the palm of his hand. He controlled and governed the tribe by manipulating even the spiritual figures who supposedly delivered the will of the heavens, to suit his own purposes.

Urich keenly felt this. While there was no warrior his equal, being a tribal chief was a different matter. Urich was still a young, new chief.