Thanks for Showing the Way

As Fang continuously sent back information, Landen led his main force eastward and northward. There were battles and annexations along the way, and at last, three days later on November 1, they discovered a massive tribe roughly 150 kilometers northeast of Night-Kirin City, south of the main channel of the Gallop River.

The tribe before Landen was the true foundation of the Grey Goose Tribe. Located at the western exit of Gray Goose's Salt Mine valley, the tent area at the heart of the camp had already become semi-permanent. The major tents contained a large number of alchemical household items, every plot of ground had foundations laid beneath it, and level roads ran between the tents. Several wells had been dug within the camp, along with more than a dozen small tents resembling public lavatories, each equipped with dedicated sewers. Those sewers did not drain into the Gallop River, but emptied into a hidden pool, where the waste was used as fertilizer for the surrounding fields and orchards.

That was right—there were even dozens of mu of farmland around this tribe. Yet no grain was grown in those fields; instead, they cultivated fodder crops such as alfalfa and legumes.

By the standards of Landen's hometown, this was practically a tent city, with complete infrastructure. It simply used tents as housing.

Now that Landen had acquired a great number of Pack Beasts, as well as more Mana-Wielders who had worked as Blacksmiths, he summoned Albert and several Knights to modify the oversized wagon obtained from the Eagle Tribe. They secured the eagle statue bearing the Mage's Eye, together with a thirty-meter-tall wooden pillar, directly onto the wagon. Normally, the wooden pillar was divided into three sections and carried on the wagon.

Whenever needed, the wagon's body was immediately supported by a wooden frame, and the three ten-meter sections could be joined into a single thirty-meter wooden pillar, erected directly atop the wagon. Once he put on the Mage's Eye mask, Landen could gain a view spanning twenty kilometers.

The Eagle Tribe's God Pillar had become Landen's Scout Mast. With a twenty-kilometer field of vision, Landen could scout the distant camp without restraint.

After two days of observation, Landen determined that the enormous tribe in the distance was likely the main body of the Grey Goose Tribe. Its Barbarian cavalry was probably close in number to the cavalry Landen currently possessed.

Although Landen was determined to take this camp, he wanted to minimize his own losses as much as possible.

At that moment, in the Grey Goose garrison camp, an envoy from the Southern Chieftain was reporting to the Gray Goose Priest on the chieftain's campaign in the Dragon Kingdom.

"Priest, things are not looking good for our chieftain at the front. Though we have many people, several of our Grassland Riders suffered losses when fighting Viscount Rothe."

"That is only natural." As a Cleric comparable to an intermediate Human Race Priest, the Barbarian Priest naturally understood that similar size could not erase the gap in Battle Qi and magic.

"How many riders do we have at the front now?"

"We should have fewer than three hundred cavalry left."

"Hmm. That might just be enough to deal with Old Bristle-Wolf, but if the Dragon Kingdom casually sends even a little support, we'll be in trouble."

"Priest, please send a force of cavalry with me at once. I'll take them south to support the chieftain."

The Priest's expression was grave. There were now more than thirty Human Race Mana-Wielder slaves in the camp, and those slaves alone required at least forty riders to keep watch over them. By that calculation, there were not many riders who could be sent to the front.

"Forty," the Priest said. "Any more, and the camp will be in danger!"

"But Priest, more riders are needed at the front. This is far too few. If you think there are too many slaves, why not send them to the Salt Mine?"

"No," the Priest replied. "That would upset the balance at the Salt Mine." Clearly, however, the envoy did not understand.

No matter what, three days later, on November 6, the envoy still led forty Barbarian cavalry south to reinforce the Gray Goose chieftain.

The envoy still carried the Gray Goose Flag he had borne all the way here. When he had left Rothe, only four brothers had been at his side. Now, fifty riders followed behind him.

But after the envoy had led the reinforcements twenty kilometers, he saw a strange camp. There was a towering God Pillar in the camp, which seemed to belong to the Eagle Tribe. There were also herds of Pack Beasts, which seemed to belong to the Bull Tribe. At the center of the camp stood a huge tent. That peculiar tent existed in only one place on the entire Grassland: the former Wandering Badger Tribe, now possessed by the Gallop Tribe.

Gallop, Eagle, and Bull had originally been the three largest Barbarian tribes on the southern plains after Gray Goose. Now that all three had joined forces, intense unease rose in the Gray Goose envoy's heart.

As he approached with fifty riders, the envoy saw a group of riders at the entrance of the large camp surrounding a Priest draped head to toe in feathers, riding out to meet them. The Priest wore an Eagle-Face Mask and a Feather Crown as he came straight toward them.

Landen had planted the Scout Mast right in the Barbarian camp's face precisely to keep watch. The instant he saw the envoy leaving with a group of riders, he had ordered everyone from the Left and Right Camps to mobilize.

Landen now commanded an army of nearly thirty Knights and one hundred cavalry. He had no fear of facing fifty Barbarian Cavalry, but he hoped to exploit the other Barbarians' fear of the Eagle Priest. So he had deliberately draped a feather-covered robe over his Magic Pattern Armor and put on Kansa's old mask and hat.

For Landen, if he could bluff even one, he would bluff one. Any casualties he could avoid were casualties worth avoiding.

Sure enough, when the Gray Goose envoy was still a hundred meters from Landen, he dismounted along with the riders behind him.

"Eagle Priest? Why are you here with people from the other tribes?"

"I have been waiting here for you." Landen had asked several assistants left behind by the Eagle Priest. They said the Eagle Priest normally spoke very little, but whenever he did, he spoke with tremendous authority.

That was just putting on airs. Landen knew perfectly well that the Eagle Priest had always been trying to maintain his image—to make himself seem solemn and powerful, as though he were truly favored by the gods. Therefore, Landen had to preserve an air of mystery as well.

"Waiting for us? Have you agreed to head south with the other tribes, sir?" The Barbarian envoy was baffled.

"Wrong." Landen urged Blaze forward. Blaze let out a shrill neigh, and nearly all the Warhorses under Landen's command advanced at once.

"I came here specifically to find you." As Landen spoke, the herd of horses was already accelerating.

Alarm bells blared in the Gray Goose envoy's heart. Having experienced many tribal conflicts, he knew that the other side was clearly taking advantage of their dismounting to charge them, using cavalry to crush infantry.

Yet just as the envoy prepared to mount up, the leading warhorse across from him let out a roar. The Black-Scaled Horses on his side immediately grew restless, refusing to cooperate as the riders tried to mount them.

A hundred meters vanished in an instant beneath the Black-Scaled Horses' hooves. Having just climbed onto his mount, the envoy saw a blade already before his face.

"I came specifically to thank you for showing us the way!" Landen's blade rose and fell, cutting down the Gray Goose envoy. The other riders surged past Landen from behind, dealing with the many Barbarians who had not yet managed to mount.

The battle ended swiftly. The Grey Goose Tribe's reinforcements had no time to prepare. Most had not even managed to get on horseback before they were cut down by Landen's cavalry.