The morning dawn light rose from the hills of the eastern side, and seemed to surface from the distant great river. The cries of all kinds of birds rang joyfully through the surrounding mountain forests as they searched for early-rising insects.
At this hour, the Tribal Relay Station was quiet yet full of life. Fires burned in the open-air kitchens, and the tribal folk of several dozen Banner Units carried baskets of grain, preparing breakfast for more than a thousand people. The food they made was the simplest and most filling: Corn Cakes, pumpkin paste, and Bean Paste.
Among the carrying and the busy tribal folk, a group of Red-hair Hunters and a few Capital Region Warriors also quietly moved goods back and forth through hidden cellars. And when all the dealings in the dark were complete, the two leaders of both sides, Woodpecker E-Zhuo and Red-hair Leader Mikui, warmly bumped shoulders. By now, the way they looked at each other really was like true brothers.
"Woodpecker Brother! This Western Expedition is meant to swallow that Feather Great Chieftain whole! And that great chieftain, ah, the Banner Units have fought him several times already... He's some kind of bird-god God-descendant, and he runs faster than anyone!..."
Red-hair Leader Mikui grinned as he reminded the good brother he had just made.
"So, I reckon you lot won't have any really tough big battles this time, but you'll probably have to run a very long road! If you want to finish the fight and come back, that'll take quite a while!..."
"Ha! No matter what Divine Eagle God-descendant that Feather Prince is, once the Kingdom Two-pronged Army presses in, his only ending is to obediently be sacrificed!..."
Hearing the red-haired leader's reminder, Woodpecker E-Zhuo was somewhat dismissive. He knew how formidable the