Alliance

The gloomy sky showed not a trace of sunlight. It seemed it was going to rain.

There was not a breath of wind in the mountains and forests, and the scorching heat was nearly suffocating.

"That frontier lord is leaving? Is the news reliable?"

Dozens of solemn-faced Wildlings had gathered inside the none-too-spacious wooden house.

The smell of sweat mingled with spices, fermenting in the humid, stifling air until it became a strange odor.

"Of course it's reliable!" the Wildling seated at the head of the room said in a deep voice.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall and powerfully built, with fierce light glittering in his eyes. Most striking of all was his dark blue skin—

A trait of the Blue-Skin Tribe.

As the Wildling tribe second in size only to the Tiger Tooth Tribe in these mountains, the Blue-Skin Tribe had also sent men to the battle at Eagle's Beak and suffered devastating losses.

But unlike the Tiger Tooth Tribe, the Blue-Skin Tribe was clearly unwilling to submit.

"Well? Do you dare take this chance to fight again?" Liniya, chief of the Blue-Skin Tribe, pressed them once more.

He had summoned the leaders of thirteen nearby tribes this time in order to avenge their humiliation.

More importantly, he had to reclaim the tribesmen captured by the Reachmen. Without those able-bodied men, the Blue-Skin Tribe would inevitably decline.

Yet Liniya's call did not receive the fervent response he had expected.

Clearly, the crushing defeat last time had cast too great a shadow over these tribal leaders. Even faced with such an opportunity, they lacked the courage to fight again.

"Say something!" Liniya could not help raising his voice. "Have the Reachmen scared the wits out of all of you?"

At last, someone spoke. "We aren't afraid of the Reachmen. It's just that Eagle's Beak is too difficult to assault. Going there again would only waste more of our people's lives for nothing."

"But have you considered this? If we miss this opportunity and the Reachmen truly finish building their castle, we will lose control of these mountains forever! Then we will either submit, or be killed and driven out!

"Of course I know Eagle's Beak is easy to defend and hard to attack, but we have no other choice!

"To hold these mountains, for the glory of the gods, for the honor of Wildling warriors, we must act!

"Even if we must pay in blood!"

The more Liniya spoke, the more agitated he became. In the end, he rose to his feet and tore open his shirt, exposing a chest crisscrossed with scars.

The Blue-Skin Tribe carried madness in their blood. They might not be the strongest on the battlefield, but they were certainly the most terrifying.

Once their eerie blue skin was drenched in blood, they looked no different from demons crawling out of hell.

Now, as Liniya's savage, almost frenzied gaze swept across the room, thick with killing intent, everyone fell silent in fear. They were afraid that the chief of the Blue-Skin Tribe would lose control and begin slaughtering them.

But just as everyone held their breath, a melodious female voice rang out.

"The Wandering Crow Tribe will not take part in this."

The speaker was a woman seated in the corner. Her face was hidden behind a veil, but her beautiful violet eyes alone were enough to draw every man's gaze.

Her skin was fair, her figure slender, and her bearing elegant. She did not resemble a Wildling at all; she looked more like a noble young lady stepping out of a castle.

At that moment, she was like a proud white swan sitting among a flock of chickens.

And those chickens were all casting greedy looks her way.

Well, not all of them were greedy. At least one blue-skinned chicken was looking at her with particular viciousness, as if he wanted to skin her alive and tear out her tendons.

"The Wandering Crow Tribe? Since when did the Wandering Crow Tribe let a woman speak for them? Where is Chief Ruen?"

Facing Liniya's predatory stare, Nara smiled calmly.

"My husband returned to the embrace of the gods three months ago. So now the warriors of the Wandering Crow Tribe obey my orders."

"Your husband is dead, but are all the other men of your Wandering Crow Tribe dead too? You actually bow beneath a woman's knees!"

Hearing such disrespect, the two Wildling warriors beside Nara angrily rose to their feet, ready to draw their swords and defend their chief's honor.

But Nara raised a hand to stop them, her tone remaining unhurried.

"Liniya, the Wandering Crow Tribe will not join your operation. Of course, neither will we submit to the Reachmen. We serve only the Old Gods and heed every divine oracle They give."

With that, she turned to leave the wooden house.

"Stop!" Of course Liniya could not allow her to leave. Otherwise, this alliance would fall apart before it had even been formed.

Seeing the Blue-Skin warriors blocking the door, Nara frowned slightly and demanded, "Liniya, we have eaten the bread and salt of the Blue-Skin Tribe. Are you going to violate Guest Right? Aren't you afraid the gods will forsake you?"

Liniya sneered.

"Woman, don't play innocent with me. I heard that members of the Tiger Tooth Tribe were asking about your whereabouts before. They said that Reach noble wanted to see you. If I let you go, who knows whether you'll turn around and warn the Reachmen?"

Nara sighed and explained, "Yes, that Reach noble was indeed looking for us, but I already refused his invitation. If you are still worried, I can swear before the Old Gods that I will never reveal your plans."

"I don't trust a woman's oath!" Liniya said coldly. "So please remain as my guests for a few more days. Once the war is over, I will naturally set you free."

Nara had no choice but to return to her seat.

Liniya took a deep breath and was about to rally the remaining tribal leaders again when he suddenly saw a figure enter through the door.

"Sorry I'm late. I hope I'm not too late."

Everyone turned toward the voice, and expressions of shock immediately appeared on their faces.

For the newcomer was none other than Chiman, chief of the Tiger Tooth Tribe!

Liniya immediately ran to the door, warmly hooking his arm through Chiman's and laughing heartily.

"My dear nephew, you really came! I knew you could not have sincerely submitted to the Reachmen!"

The old chief of the Tiger Tooth Tribe had married Liniya's sister. But because she had died young, the ties between the two families had gradually grown distant. Still, that blood relationship had always remained.

"Yes, Uncle. I submitted to the Reachmen only because I had no choice, but I have never forgotten the hatred of my father and brothers! And now is the best time for us to take revenge!"

"That's right!" Liniya took Chiman's hand and stood with him in the center of the gathering, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd. "Chiefs, what are you still afraid of? With the Tiger Tooth Tribe's warriors as our agents within, Eagle's Beak is no longer impregnable! Do you still lack the courage to avenge your humiliation?"

The expressions of the tribal leaders had begun to change upon seeing Chiman. Now, after hearing Liniya's words, they hesitated no longer and began voicing their agreement.

"Good! Our Longbeard Tribe can provide two hundred warriors. We swear to breach Eagle's Beak and avenge our humiliation!"

"We can send one hundred and fifty warriors!"

"We can send seventy warriors!"

The atmosphere in the gathering immediately grew heated. The tribal leaders seemed like entirely different people, each bringing out every last resource they had in preparation for a great battle against the Reachmen.

Liniya and Chiman stood hand in hand amid the crowd, accepting their flattery and cheers with triumphant expressions, as though victory were already within their grasp.