40 Teams of Gray Goose

Upon hearing that the newcomers carried the banner of the Grey Goose, Kansa knew they were here to solicit reinforcements. However, this had nothing to do with him; he had not participated in the Grey Goose's campaign from the very beginning.

The reason was simple: the most important Divine Wood pillar in his tribe required a large number of human magic-wielding slaves to assist in its transport during migration. To this end, he had even purchased a massive carriage capable of transporting the tall pillar upright, but the process required numerous magic-wielders to assist in moving it forward.

If he wished to control the magic-wielders in the camp, he needed to maintain a larger force of barbarian cavalry within the tribe, and keeping more cavalry required more Long-Haired Sheep and more non-magic-wielders, as a camp of such scale necessitated more frequent migrations.

Consequently, the entire tribe was forced to maintain a rather massive scale around the Divine Wood, and his cavalry was completely locked to the vicinity of the tribe.

If Landen truly understood the secrets of the Eagle Tribe, then perhaps Landen would have adopted an entirely different approach.

Of course, not joining the Grey Goose's southward march was not solely because the Eagle Tribe could not spare the cavalry to "invest." From the moment the Grey Goose leader informed him of the plan to seize the Rothe Territory and Baron Gallop's Territory, Kansa felt that the Grey Goose was on a one-way trip.

As one of the few priests among the barbarians, he understood the power of magic better than the Grey Goose leader. He knew that all the advantages the barbarians currently held on the plains were merely due to the Magic Turbulence; once that environmental advantage was lost, barbarian muscle could never overcome magic-inscribed weapons.

The Grey Goose Tribe's total mobilization would only benefit secondary tribes on the plains like the Eagle or the Wandering Badger, and all the Eagle Tribe had to do was wait until after the first snowfall to absorb those smaller tribes that could no longer survive.

However, with joyous news currently arriving from the front and the Grey Goose Tribe's prestige at its peak, as the leader of the plains alliance, both the messengers and the Eagle priest needed to meet.

By the time the Grey Goose messenger party neared the Eagle camp, it was already approaching dusk. While still a few hundred meters away, the messenger saw the battle priest waiting at the entrance, dressed in that exaggerated leather armor covered in feathers, wearing an Eagle Head Mask and a massive headdress.

The Grey Goose messenger knew that this meant the battle priest had long anticipated his arrival and was waiting specifically at the camp entrance; this was both a welcome and a signal that he and his cavalry were not to enter.

The Eagle battle priest was a unique existence within the alliance. All barbarians knew of the Eagle Tribe's orcish heritage, and all feared this mysterious priest who could communicate with the Eagle God.

The messenger dared not act presumptuously before the priest; he dismounted fifty meters away and ran to the priest to kneel.

He reported the information from the Grey Goose Tribe's front lines and then made the routine request for the Eagle Tribe to send troops in support.

"Heh, I had thought that Leading Goose knew what he was doing; it seems I overestimated him." The Grey Goose leader was known as Leading Goose, and the priest's words left the messengers confused. They only knew their tribe was on the verge of victory and did not understand why the priest would belittle their leader so.

"Lord Eagle Priest, you..."

"I will not go, and I suggest you do not return either." With that, the Eagle walked toward his camp, leaving only a lingering echo: "If you wish to stay, my tribe can take you in."

The Grey Goose messenger naturally would not stay, and the Eagle Tribe had no intention of letting them rest, so they could only leave for the north on horseback, feeling disgruntled.

Back in his tent, Kansa felt somewhat stifled. His four attendants had already finished feeding the eagles and falcons and were guarding his side; he could not show his sweat-drenched appearance to anyone else. "This Grey Goose is truly ungrateful. All of you, get out! I must communicate with the Eagle God in private!" With that, he knelt on his bed and raised his hands upward, as if about to commune with the deity.

"Yes." The attendants quickly left the tent, leaving Kansa alone inside.

Kansa heard the sound of the girls leaving and looked down to confirm, then let out a sigh of relief. He quickly took off his leather clothing and removed the mask. It wasn't as hot as it had been in the afternoon, but he was still drenched in sweat from wearing the leather, and he needed to dry it out.

Kansa grabbed some cooked meat to replenish his strength. Although the Grey Goose was destined to fail, their current offensive was quite meaningful; on one hand, it provided space for the Eagle Tribe on the great plains, and on the other, it tested the humans' true attitude and bottom line regarding barbarian development.

Let the Grey Goose die, and his own Eagle would spread its wings. Thinking of this, Kansa couldn't help but feel happy. He put on the truly useful Mage's Eye mask, preparing to lie down for a short rest.

However, after putting it on, he froze. The previous Grey Goose messenger cavalry was already heading north and about to leave his line of sight, but from the west, a new cavalry unit was approaching. This group was significantly larger than the previous messenger party, and they also carried the Grey Goose banner.

Two teams of Grey Goose messenger cavalry? It was truly annoying; why couldn't they have come together?

The Grey Goose messengers that Kansa had encountered today were not the first wave in recent times. The Grey Goose had sent four or five cavalry teams from the south, each starting with only five or six men. When they encountered small or medium-sized tribes, they would dispatch cavalry to follow these messengers, which was why the size of each cavalry team varied.

Kansa guessed that this new arrival must be a collection of messenger teams from several nearby tribes. Perhaps they had been separated from the previous group for some reason and failed to rendezvous, but they were all heading north.

Poor him, he had just taken off his "work uniform," and his sweat-soaked leather armor hadn't even dried yet, but he had to put it back on to continue playing the charade and dismiss this new batch of Grey Goose messengers.

The barbarian magic-wielders in the Eagle camp were called out once again. This time, the battle priest was a bit angry. In recent days, he had been forced to dismiss Grey Goose messengers time and again. Every time he faced outsiders, he had to "dress up" all over again, and after dealing with them, he had to go back and tidy up. Most importantly, the leather clothing was so heavy that he had to put it on and take it off all by himself.

To demonstrate the power of his Eagle Eye, he had to welcome them personally. For this, he had to call upon all the barbarian magic-wielders in the camp to accompany him, letting these barbarians witness his control over the camp's surroundings. He had to both declare his divinity to outsiders and maintain his image before his subordinates.

Walking toward the camp gate, the Eagle priest complained incessantly in his mind, "I, a dignified messenger of the Eagle God, actually have to stand guard at the camp entrance like a human gatekeeper."

Kansa thought about his situation, and the more he thought, the angrier he became. He roared, "All of you, look sharp! Let that flock of Grey Geese know how to show respect to the Eagle!"

"Yes!"

The cavalry on the opposite side finally appeared in view. The Eagle priest assumed his best posture, preparing to welcome several dozen people as they knelt before him.

However, two minutes later, the priest froze for the second time. The Grey Goose messengers, who usually dismounted and ran over when they were within a hundred meters, not only failed to dismount this time, but didn't even slow down.