Hidden Fire Peak

Sola, the little fangirl, was one of the prettiest girls for miles around.

On top of that, her father was an elder of the Painted Dog Tribe.

So the chieftain who had been making things difficult for Jon recognized Sola as well.

Seeing Sola like this, he could not help but curl his lips into a smile.

"Ha, Vidor, your daughter really is outgoing."

Vidor was not pleased to see his daughter acting this way.

It was a father's instinct.

Originally, Vidor had planned to marry his daughter to Haken and use him to help solidify his authority.

Haken, standing nearby, wore an extremely complicated expression—shock, anger, and disappointment.

"Sola! Get out!"

"Father..."

Sola blinked her deep blue eyes and looked at Vidor pitifully.

Xiuwolf, watching this scene, found it rather amusing.

If Jon could take Sola away, it would be highly beneficial to him.

At the very least, Haken would no longer stand on Vidor's side.

Old York, meanwhile, felt a sense of crisis beneath his surprise.

His own daughter was not as beautiful as Sola, and now it seemed she probably was not as proactive either.

As far as he knew, children like Jon, who had grown up without a mother, were the least able to resist such a straightforward offensive.

Perhaps he should prepare a more generous dowry?

Old York shook his head, wondering what nonsense he was thinking. Things were practically at swordpoint right now!

Seeing this, the leader who had challenged Jon suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha, you're really something, kid. You've only been here a few days, and you've already plucked the prettiest flower of our Mountain Clans.

My name is Cheek. So you're called... Jon?"

"Yes, Elder Cheek."

Jon looked at the tribal leader before him, a man in his early thirties whose narrow eyes held the cunning of a wolf.

"I'm not an elder." Cheek planted his sword in the ground and sat back down. "Everyone, I think we can trust this young man."

At his words, the others all nodded.

The reactions of Sola, her father, and Haken were far too genuine to be faked.

In truth, what Cheek feared was Jon conspiring with the Painted Dog Tribe against them.

Xiuwolf probably never imagined that his nearly tireless efforts to help Jon contact these people had instead aroused their suspicions.

They had thought the Painted Dog Tribe intended to join forces with Jon, this outsider, to scheme against them.

Afterward, everyone took their seats again, and Old York secretly let out a long breath.

He turned to look at Jon and found that Jon's expression had not changed at all, as if nothing had happened.

This suddenly gave rise to another thought in his heart: Was my granddaughter worthy of him?

Old York quickly found his answer.

Setting aside his status as a bastard, Jon was truly outstanding.

His martial skills were exceptional, his strategy first-rate, and his courage extraordinary.

If those counts, or even dukes, had heirs like him, they would probably grin from ear to ear every day.

"This may be... a joke of the gods."

Yet Jon himself had not figured it out either.

This "conflict" had come quickly and ended just as quickly.

He had only realized that the clans of the Moon Mountains were deeply suspicious of one another.

After sitting back down, Cheek and the others did not immediately accept Jon's request for an alliance. Instead, they raised a very practical question.

How was Jon supposed to prove that he could lead their tribal warriors to victory?

"He..." Sola, who had not yet moved away, immediately wanted to interrupt, but her father stopped her.

Sola had wanted to say, "He defeated Haken," but the words caught in her throat.

"Jon, right? Jon, I've seen the Lannister army you mentioned. Their soldiers nearly filled the valleys, and their banners almost blotted out the sky.

Yet you've only brought this many men. How am I supposed to believe you? And you should know that we often shed blood over a well, a stream, or a wild boar.

Even if those tribal warriors were placed in your hands, how would you convince them to obey your command and fight for you?"

"Elder Cheek, name your conditions. I will do my utmost to meet them."

"Right now, you are the one who needs to prove yourself to me."

Although this Cheek had kept making things difficult for him and was rather irritating,

he laid everything out in the open, so Jon did not actually dislike him deep down.

But how to prove himself was truly a difficult question to answer.

At that moment, Xiuwolf, beside him, spoke up.

"Everyone, I have a good idea."

Everyone turned to look at Xiuwolf, and Jon was no exception.

He always seemed to step in and help at crucial moments.

If he demanded benefits afterward, that would be easy enough to handle. But if he wanted nothing at all, Jon would have no choice but to be wary.

Xiuwolf stood and said,

"Everyone knows that our Painted Dog Tribe has Hidden Fire Peak. Long ago, our first Fire Shamaness lived within it.

But a hundred years ago, the mountain collapsed. The path up Hidden Fire Peak had already been incredibly dangerous, and ever since then, no one has been able to reach its summit.

I think that if Jon can climb Hidden Fire Peak, perhaps he can prove himself. And perhaps it will show that the Mountain God and the Moon God recognize him. Then our warriors should no longer reject Jon either. What do you think?"

So the test was climbing a mountain?

After hearing Xiuwolf's suggestion, Sola's face immediately tightened with worry.

She had grown up listening to stories from the tribe.

She was also very familiar with Hidden Fire Peak. The mountain path destroyed by the collapse was simply impossible to climb!

"Agreed!" Elder Cheek, who had been challenging Jon all along, approved Xiuwolf's suggestion.

"I agree as well."

"If he can truly climb it, then it proves that both the Mountain God and the Moon God recognize him. I agree too."

Seeing everyone agree to his proposal, Xiuwolf said happily,

"Then, if none of you object, I will serve as Jon's witness. Of course, everyone can also watch from the hillside west of our tribe." He looked at Jon again. "Jon, if you reach the summit, remember to light a fire so everyone else can see it."

"Hold on, you're testing me, but I haven't agreed yet!"

Jon stood and said,

"Elders, I am only a bastard. There are countless warriors among the Mountain Clans. I do not believe I can necessarily reach the summit.

I would like to see Hidden Fire Peak first before making my decision."

"Good!" Cheek said, with a trace of approval in his eyes as he looked at Jon.

If Jon had agreed immediately, Cheek would have been uneasy about entrusting the tribe's warriors to him.

But Jon's caution earned his appreciation.

Thus, under Vidor's lead, the group came to a hillside from which they could see Hidden Fire Peak.

"That is Hidden Fire Peak."

Xiuwolf pointed toward the mountain ahead.

In truth, he did not even need to point it out. Jon could tell at a glance which mountain was the steepest and most perilous.

On the eastern side of Hidden Fire Peak, it was as if a gigantic axe had chopped away a piece of the mountain.

It had left behind a flat, smooth "cut surface."

The sheer rock face was nearly a ninety-degree vertical wall!

That must have been the mountain path the Painted Dog Tribe had once used to climb up.

"How could anyone possibly climb that?!"

Seeing such a steep mountain, Old York could not stop himself from exclaiming.

"Well, kid? If you think you can't do it, it's not too late to give up."

Cheek spoke again in a teasing tone.

Xiuwolf, beside him, watched Jon even more nervously.

If Jon refused this test, all of his earlier efforts would have been for nothing.

Jon looked at the distant peak, constantly weighing the possibilities in his mind.

Then suddenly:

[Remaining level-up attempts: 2]

"I am willing to give it a try."