Old Ni stared at the wall for a few monts, his expression was unreadable. Then, he exhaled softly.
"So this..." He muttered to himself. "Is the power of a Tribe Lord."
Ash finally turned back to the crowd.
"This is just the beginning." He said with a calm expression, then smiled faintly as he continued. "From now on, the Ragh’Tal Tribe will only grow stronger."
The crowd instantly cheered, celebrating as if there’s no tomorrow.
A few monts later...
Clap!
Ash clapped his hand once, instantly silencing the whole crowd.
"Now, I want everyone to fix the hole from the previous walls and start to build new houses for our new family that will be here later." Ash glanced at the crowd.
Then, he continued with a chuckle. "Old Ni, Kargan, and Harold will co with because I’m planning to subjugate the Varkesh Tribe today."
"Tribe Lord! Let follow you too." Vakra stepped forward and said with a firm expression.
He felt that he had already missed the opportunity by staying at the Mirefang Tribe before. Now that he had a chance, he would shalessly stick himself to the Tribe Lord, as he thought this was the fastest way for him to beco the 4th Rank Warrior.
Ash stared at him for a second, knitted his eyebrows, and finally shrugged as he replied. "Alright, sure."
"Everyone is dismissed." He clapped once and looked at Uncle Zan. "I’ll leave the tribe to you, Uncle Zan."
"Don’t worry about it, and just be careful with their poison." Uncle smiled gently.
Subsequently, Ash looked at the little guy in Mira’s arms. "Little guy, co here."
Leon looked between Ash and Mira back to back, then roared cutely and jumped out of her embrace.
"Let’s go." Ash petted him affectionately with a gentle smile.
...
They passed through the newly expanded gate beneath the tall walls, the reinforced wooden doors already standing tall and solid.
Ash walked at the front with Leon perched comfortably in his arms, while Old Ni, Kargan, Harold, and Vakra followed close behind.
They moved at a steady pace heading west, leaving the stronghold behind as grasslands gradually gave way to thicker greenery. Trees grew closer together, their canopies knitting overhead as the terrain slowly shifted into jungle.
After roughly fifteen minutes of travel, the jungle thinned abruptly.
Before them stretched a vast open plain, golden grass swaying gently under the wind. Not far from their path stood another tribe’s settlent, as they could see wooden structures clustered together, smoke drifting lazily from cooking fires.
Coincidentally, they encountered a group of warriors returning from a hunt.
There were ten of them in total.
Each carried a hog carcass slung over their backs, blood still dripping faintly onto the grass below.
Three among them radiated noticeably stronger auras, as they were at the Peak 3rd Rank Warriors. Two of the hogs they carried were significantly larger than the rest, their bodies thicker and heavier, unmistakably Third Rank Beasts.
Ash noticed it imdiately.
The hunting group also noticed them.
Their steps slowed, eyes narrowing as they took in Ash’s party. Only five people, and yet four of them were unmistakably elite warriors from the Ragh’Tal Tribe.
One of the warriors frowned. "What’s the Ragh’Tal Tribe doing out here with so few people?"
Ash stopped and offered a polite smile. "We have so business elsewhere. We won’t disturb your hunt."
With that, he nodded lightly and continued forward, leading his group past them without further explanation.
The warriors watched in silence as Ash’s group disappeared back into the jungle on the other side of the plain.
Only then did one of the Peak 3rd Rank Warriors speak, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at the other two.
"Don’t you think they were acting strange?" he said slowly. "That young man... he’s only a Tribe Lord in na. A lot of strong warriors never acknowledged him."
Another nodded. "And he hasn’t even reached the 2nd Rank Warrior and completed the given trial yet."
The third narrowed his eyes. "More than that... What was that beast in his arms? I’ve never seen anything like it."
Their gazes lingered on the jungle path long after Ash’s group had vanished.
...
Not long after, Ash and the others erged near the periphery of the Blackroot Forest.
The forest wasn’t particularly large, but its reputation was infamous.
Dense vegetation swallowed the light, massive roots coiled above and below the ground like living traps, and shadows seed to cling unnaturally between the trees.
Shadow Beasts were known to roam freely within, and the terrain itself was a perfect killing ground for ambushes.
More importantly, it was known as the Varkesh Tribe’s territory.
Ash stopped and turned to the group. "Drink the poison resistance potions."
Without question, everyone complied, pulling out the 3rd Rank Poison Resistance Potions and consuming them one by one.
"We finish everything within one hour," Ash added calmly. "No delays."
They nodded.
Vakra stepped forward slightly, deliberately releasing his aura so that no beast would be stupid enough to attack them.
Almost imdiately, the subtle movents within the underbrush stilled. Whatever beasts lurked nearby chose silence over confrontation.
Afterward, they advanced into the forest together.
Then—
Whoosh!
A thin glint flashed through the air.
Vakra tilted his head slightly, his body shifting just enough for a slender poison needle to pass harmlessly beside his cheek before embedding itself into a tree trunk behind him.
The group then stopped.
From the shadows ahead, several figures erged—warriors clad in dark leather, faces partially concealed, weapons already coated with toxin.
One of them stepped forward.
A 3rd Rank Warrior.
He studied Ash’s group carefully before speaking in a cold tone.
"This is Varkesh territory..." He scoffed. "What business does the Ragh’Tal Tribe have here?"
"We have so business with your Tribe Lord." Ash chuckled lightly.
The 3rd Rank Warrior was silent for a mont, then glanced at Old Ni and the others.
"Follow closely." He nodded and led the way, figuring that with only four experts accompanying Ash, there shouldn’t be any problems even if one arose.
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