The Gattu steppe was originally known by another name, and the oldest historical records of the Royal Academy record its original name "Patet Lunam Reverti", which means "the land of the moon". Its current name, "Cato", is not even pronounced in the native language of Pande, and the wandering Cato tribe is not a native of the mainland, they were originally a mercenary group that Osa followed during the invasion of Pande, formerly known as the nomads of Barcos, and Osa took a fancy to their superior fighting skills on horseback and hired them to serve as cavalry pioneers in the expeditionary force. However, as Osa took advantage of the civil strife in the Barcos Empire to declare independence, realizing the transformation from a military strategist to the founding emperor, and his focus gradually shifted from opening up territory to consolidating the monarchy, so the huge military expenditure of the Cato cavalry became a burden - this group of mercenaries full of blood and honor was obviously not suitable for incorporation, so with the acquiescence of Osa, the Cato broke away from the imperial legions and found a regional battle similar to their homeland in the Pander continent - that is, the vast steppe bordering the great forest in the east, Return to the original clan structure. They naturally transitioned from mercenaries back to nomads, without any delay, as they were adept at killing people on the battlefield or grazing cattle on the steppes. And with the arrival of the Gatu people, the steppe also had a new name: the Gatu steppe. From then on, another piece of land became a colony of the invaders, and it was even more completely lost than in the south. The only thing that reassures people is that the tribes of Cato are not monolithic, and the clans have their own warlords and fight for pasture, water, food, and women.

The merchants of Pander feared and loved Cato. Far superior to the average horse bandit, they were disciplined, simple tactics, and unmatched in their mobility, and caravans of all countries, especially Saarion and Ravenston, which bordered the Gato steppes. This grassland was once an excellent smuggling route and open-air trading ground, as long as you try to cross the Laria River, and then the sky is high and the king is far away, without any legal constraints, compared to the precipitous, fierce beasts of the Mendelssohn Mountains are very daunting, not to mention that it is also at the junction of Livingston, Saarion, and Fieldsway, even if you go out of the mountains, you can be drawn into the battlefield at any time. But since the growth of the Cato in the steppes, even the caravans from Laria have chosen to make a detour through the Mendelssohn Mountains for no other reason, because the horses of the Cato are so fast, that they may have just shown their tracks on the horizon a moment ago, but before long they began to charge towards the caravan with their spears in their spears under the cover of a rain of arrows. Few caravans were able to cross the steppes unharmed by the raiding forces of Cato; However, Cato is by no means an ordinary rogue, they are not only natural cavalry, but also have a lot of experience in horse breeding, the pure-blooded war horses of the Barcos Empire are crossed with wild horses in the local steppe, and the hybrid war beasts born are strong feet and endurance, and they are valuable in the horse market. Therefore, merchants from all over the world sharpened their heads and wanted to establish good relations with the Cato people, and trade with some relatively "friendly" Cato tribes - the dinar was not easy to use in the Gatu steppes, and the only real "currency" that could be circulated was fresh water, grain, and fertile women. However, the Gatu people were able to export far more specialties than war horses, they were also the largest Noldor hunters in all of Pande. Since the Gato settled in the steppes, the eastern forests have never been at peace, and the Noldor patrols have often been attacked by Cato who has penetrated deep into the forest. If you want to buy some Noldor art for home decoration, or a good collection of Noldor weapons and equipment, or a beautiful and delicate Noldor elf bed warmer, as long as you are given enough food, the Cato will try to get your hands on it - although they are lawless rogues, they are unexpectedly reluctant. Although the focus of Eschu's trip was to capture horses, he also hoped to establish good relations with several Cato tribes in the steppe if conditions permitted. If one day Eshua had the financial resources to organize a caravan for cross-border trade, the road from Ice Stream to Gatu Steppe to the Long River would have to be opened. It's unrealistic to call all of Cato brothers, of course, but it's enough to impress one or two warlords—it doesn't have to be positive, it often requires a lot of money, as long as it's deep enough to achieve the goal, and Eshua is confident that he is good at making an impression.

Beyond the border of Fort Aywasod, the air is filled with the warmth of spring, but the edge of the Gatu steppe adjacent to the north is still within the reach of the cold currents of the Misty Mountains, and as far as the eye can see, there is a gray, withered wasteland with occasional sparse vegetation. However, as Eshua went deeper and deeper, from north to south, from west to east, the grassland showed a gradual change of abundance and prosperity. Later, Eshua did not know his exact position in the grassland, and when he first reined in his horse's hooves and looked back at the way he came, the misty shadows of the misty mountains had disappeared beyond the horizon, and he was in the midst of a turbulent green wave.

Estheus didn't stop his horse for the sake of enjoying the scenery, some of the Cato riders had their eyes on him for some time, after confirming that Eshu was alone. Seeing that Esthew had stopped, they rode their horses close in with a big grin, and galloped around Essiu to show off the strength of their mounts, while shouting and shouting. However, these riders did not seem to belong to the same clan, and seeing that Eshu had no intention of escaping, they immediately split into two distinct sides, and the two riders at the head began to quarrel in difficult language, perhaps fighting for Eshy's ownership.

Estheus loosened his grip on the wolf's axe a little, and quietly observed the two Gatu riders. To his left were seven men, all of whom were lightly armoured, mainly in various types of leather armor, the main weapons of which were mounted spears of varying lengths, with short bows and unsheathed sabers pinned to the saddle; And the six people on Ai Xiu's right hand are a little unrestrained, from cloth armor to iron armor, the weapons are even more unified, and some people are even carrying heavy wooden mallets, and they are all over their bodies interpreting what "miscellaneous cards" are. The rider at the head of the pack wore a pair of dark-colored metal shoulder armor on his leather armor, and Eshy's gaze swept over it and he was immediately attracted to it, the craftsmanship of the shoulder armor was so exquisite, the texture on it was like vines and branches, and it showed a graceful pattern, mixed with a mess of armor that looked out of place.

As Eshua stared intently at the pair of shoulder armor, speculating on its origin, the argument between the two Cato riders finally came to a happy conclusion. "You, Pande Pig!" The Cato horseman, with his most fine shoulder armor, said to Esher in a very stiff lingua franca, "Thy axe, and thy horse, and thy garment, thy flesh—" and he pointed to the other side of the Catu, "to them!" ”

Eshu glanced at the cavalryman, and calculated from which angle he should slash after jumping off his horse so as not to hurt the pair of shoulder armor. He didn't deliberately hide his intentions - in fact, the wolf axe had been raised as soon as the other party's words fell.