'Lowland' Tribe

'Lowland' Tribe

"Suo Wade? Not a bad name. I recall that in your language, it symbolizes rule and strength. Usually, only those of noble birth can use that name, so you must be the tribal chief's son, right?

"Hmm, I should call you Little Suo Wade. After all, your father is also named Suo Wade, isn't he?"

As Lynn understood it, the Wild Tribes still remained in a highly primitive tribal age.

A tribe's name served as the surname of all its members.

They did not use many given names, and each carried a clear meaning.

Those named Suo Wade were usually part of a tribe's ruling class, holding either wealth or high status.

As he spoke, Lynn carefully examined Suo Wade's build and appearance. He found that the boy was no more than thirteen or fourteen, which put his father likely in his early thirties.

"..."

The young Wild Tribesman panicked completely. He had never imagined that merely revealing his name would allow the man before him to deduce so much accurate information.

His eyes filled with wariness, vigilance, and fear. "Y-you... who exactly are you?"

"I told you before. I am the Baron of White Bear Territory, granted that title by the Northern Kingdom. You could say I'm your neighbor."

Lynn paused, then added, "No, that's not right. According to the grant, this salt mine and all the forests north of it are my territory. That makes you thieves invading my land."

At Lynn's words, Suo Wade suddenly cried out in agitation, "Nonsense! The entire Northern Kingdom is our land! You Southerners are the invaders—the most despicable thieves!"

The commotion Suo Wade made caught Second Brother's attention.

Several dozen meters away, Second Brother was gutting a deer, his hands covered in blood. Hearing the noise, he looked up and shouted:

"Big Brother, this brat isn't behaving. Let me handle him. I guarantee I'll make him behave!"

Though the young Wild Tribesman could not understand what Second Brother had shouted, he fell silent at once, as quiet as a sterile egg.

It could only be said that Second Brother's appearance and bearing truly could stop a child from crying.

"You heard him too. If you don't answer my questions honestly, he'll be the one questioning you later. His methods won't be as gentle as mine. You still want to return to your tribe alive, don't you? The people you love are there, as are those who love you, along with the noble position you can inherit."

Lynn continued to guide him patiently. His tone sounded less like an interrogation and more like he was educating a child.

"You're asking all this only because you want to invade my tribe and kill my people, aren't you? Kill me now! I won't answer your questions even if I die!"

Yet Suo Wade's attitude suddenly hardened again.

He even raised his head, assuming a righteous, unflinching pose as though offering his neck for execution.

For the Wild Tribes, whose average lifespan did not exceed thirty, death was not truly frightening.

Moreover, dying at an enemy's hands was a warrior's highest honor.

After death, one could return to the halls of the God of War and perhaps one day return to the mortal world.

But Lynn saw through the boy's weak nature beneath his show of bravado, and abruptly rose to his feet.

"Since you insist on dying, I can't be bothered to question you anymore. Your companion should be waking up soon anyway. I'll just question him instead. Not every Wild Tribesman can be as hard as ice."

Then Lynn switched languages and called out, "Second Brother, you interrogate him. I'll interrogate the other one."

"Sure thing, Big Brother! I'm coming!"

Second Brother had just finished dealing with the deer. Carrying his dagger, he strode over eagerly, bringing with him a thick stench of blood.

He had interrogated plenty of people, but never a Wild Tribesman. He was eager to see how it felt.

Seeing Second Brother draw closer and closer, Suo Wade was so frightened he nearly wet himself. "No, wait! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're willing to talk again?"

Suo Wade could already see the cold, blood-stained gleam reflected on Second Brother's dagger. In a panic, he said, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything! As long as you're willing to let me go, I'll tell you anything!"

Looking at the terrified child, Lynn gently shook his head.

If even the tribe's heir was such a coward, then its chief was probably no tougher.

Still, weakness was a good thing.

Perhaps he could take this tribe without even starting a war.

Suo Wade's subsequent testimony also proved that this tribe was indeed exceptionally weak.

He came from a tribe called Lowland, so his full name was Suo Wade Lowland.

Lynn had a strong impression of this distinctive tribal name.

According to the historical text, the Lowland Tribe had originally lived in the coastal marshes of eastern Northern Kingdom. They mainly survived through fishing and hunting, possessed the largest population among the Nine Great Tribes, and were quite powerful.

Precisely because they lived along the coast, when the Southerners invaded the Northern Kingdom by sea, the Lowland Tribe was among the first to be attacked.

The Lowland Tribe, still in its primitive tribal era, was no match for the Southerners.

In less than two years, they lost all their land, while seventy or eighty percent of their population perished. They could only migrate into the territories of other tribes.

In the larger colonial war that followed, the allied forces of the Nine Great Tribes were utterly defeated by the First King of Conquest.

The First King of Conquest established the Northern Kingdom upon the Wild Tribes' lands, brought in vast numbers of people from the Southern Border, and completely exterminated the Wild Tribes within its borders.

Under the Northern Kingdom's relentless campaigns of extermination, the nine Wild Tribes fled one after another to the Northern Wasteland.

The remnants of the Lowland Tribe naturally had no choice but to flee to the wasteland with them.

Yet by then, the Lowland Tribe had fallen to the bottom of the Nine Great Tribes, with the smallest population and weakest fighting strength.

The wasteland's climate was bitterly cold, and its resources were scarce.

The Wild Tribes that had fled there soon broke into repeated internal conflicts. The Lowland Tribe suffered defeat after defeat and could only be forced southward.

Thirty years ago, they entered White Bear Territory from the south. The moment they showed themselves, they suffered a brutal purge at the hands of the Marsh Duke.

After one great battle, the already impoverished Lowland Tribe suffered devastating losses once more.

Thus, they could only retreat back into the wasteland again.

One could imagine that the Lowland Tribe, with barely any fighting strength left, was once again ostracized and bullied by the other tribes. After wandering in circles, they had no choice but to migrate south again, settling near White Bear Territory.

After more than a century of endless upheaval, the Lowland Tribe, which had once boasted a population of over one hundred thousand at its height, now had only a little over four thousand people left.

The tribe's adult men had also been nearly wiped out.

They could only huddle in the gap between the wasteland and the Northern Kingdom, barely struggling to survive.

"Tsk, that really is heartbreaking."

Lynn was deeply moved after hearing this. He could not help asking, "But since you only have so few people left, why not merge with another tribe?"

"We'd rather kill every last one of the other tribes. How could we possibly be willing to become their slaves?" At the mention of that humiliating past, boundless hatred burst from Suo Wade.

Compared to the Southerners who had seized their homeland, the Lowland Tribe might hate the other eight Wild Tribes, who had oppressed them for over a hundred years, even more.