~
The snowflakes of October swirled ever more thickly, and this winter seemed colder than last year's. Though the waters of the Heilongjiang still surged as fiercely as ever, no one knew whether, once a Cold Wave from the far north swept south, it would freeze over. And so the Kingdom's Longships had reached the time when they had to set sail for home.
The Kingdom's "blood oath" and "marriage alliance" with the Maha Tribe had established the Kingdom's first local tribal ally along the lower reaches of the great river. And the closer bond of interest between them was the mutually complementary trade in military supplies and able-bodied men.
"Aguda, my brother-in-law, my good brother! You've counted it yourself. We've basically left behind all the supplies on the ships. In total, one hundred Iron Spears, ten bundles of Iron Arrows, ten Iron Axes, ten Iron Pots, ten dan of rice, ten crates of liquor, ten bags of Salt... Enough for you to arm the tribe and get through this winter well!"
"And besides that, I'm also leaving you four suits of Cloth-covered Heavy Armor! When you go out to war, you can keep the armor draped over you at all times... And there is also the Amulet of the Main God, bearing the Main God's protection. It will surely let you win a hundred battles and return safely!..."
Zuwaro's expression was sincere as he gripped Maha Aguda's arm tightly. The other man nodded as well, happiness and approval showing on his face.
"Ancestor, my brother-in-law, my good brother! These forty-four tribespeople, four big horses, and that pile of extra furs the tribe has saved up are all yours!..."
"Of these forty-four, Tiger Slave is the strongest! He was born with Divine Force. As long as he gets training, his