As the deputy patriarch of the Bantu tribe, Orka believed that he needed to keep his emotions steady, though he was surprised that the outsiders had overcome Ruug on the ridge and Rabina the avalanche. But on the surface, he pretended not to care, as if he thought that the other party had just won over Ruug by luck. So, just as Maffeo thought, this guy's face is like a piece of frozen meat, and you can't see any emotion on it at all.

Orka slung Ruug's wolf tooth necklace around his neck and turned and walked into the tent. Uma now has reason to believe that Orka has approved of him, though he doesn't know what Orka is doing with Ruug's token around his neck. Uma thought that it was unlikely that Orka would deny Ruug his abilities because he had been defeated by outsiders, thus discrediting him as a disgrace to the Bantu or even expelling him.

In fact, Uma was overwhelmed. Orka only keeps Ruug's token for the time being, and he must prove himself to be a brave warrior once again in order to retrieve the necklace. In this matter, the people of Bantu have a sense of ritual, and they will try their best to prove that they are the bravest warriors no matter what, and tokens are the best things to prove themselves.

Orka led the people to his tent and drew down the curtains, as if not wanting anyone to disturb him. As Uma thought, Orka's tent was not much different from the one for outsiders, and the only extra item was a map. It was densely marked, and they marked each village they raided. They also marked out important routes, whether they were already on the map, or unmarked paths in the forest.

"Since I have promised to speak with the warrior who has defeated Ruug, the beast tamer, then I will keep my promise and explain your intentions. Orka took out a leather-made wine bag and filled the glass with mare's milk. It was certain that none of the outsiders present would be able to drink a full glass of mare's milk, so they rejected Orca's attempt to pour them a drink, with their eyes and gestures, respectively.

"You have raided the borders of the Duchy of Belmar, plundered villages, and unsuspecting troops. Of course, including the Delos who invaded Belmar, I don't think we need to say much about these things, right?" said Mirna.

"I'm not going to deny it, because that's what happened. Orca drank the mare's milk wine from the cup. "So, you've come all the way here for this, to this place where the ice dragon Skasa is raging?" he narrowed his eyes slightly, deliberately raising the volume of his last sentence.

"First of all, I must clarify that we are not emissaries of the principality. Freya said.

Orka nodded, not showing surprise. "As I expected, the nobility of the Duchy would not let you wandering adventurers tarnish their image. There was a hint of banter in his tone.

"There's room for things to turn around, and if you don't want to be the enemy of everyone, then you'd better stop the encroachment on the Belmar border. Mirna said forcefully with her hands on the table. Umma, who was standing behind her, sighed softly, the last thing these irascible Bantu people were afraid of was threats. On the contrary, threats will only give them a better reason to encroach on the territory of other forces.

"Little girl, the Bantu people have never been afraid of threats. If that's the attitude of the Duchy of Belmar or the Delos Empire, then I guarantee that more border villages will be looted. Not only that, but even their weak armies will be attacked by our brave warriors. Not to be outdone, Orka responded.

Freya stepped forward and walked over to Mirna's side. "I'm sorry, Mr. Orka. Mirna isn't threatening you, it's just that you know, she doesn't like this place. To be honest, I don't like it either, but we have tasks that we have to get done. Listen to me, I know that the appearance of the Ice Dragon Skasa poses an unprecedented threat to you, but because of this, it is definitely not a wise choice to create a new enemy. ”

Orka's gaze swept back and forth between Freya and Mirna, and for a moment, he smiled. "It's funny, it looks like you know a lot about the situation here. Then you should also know that coming to the snowy land of Ston is not the result we want, and our Bantu people have their own hometown - the snow capital of Amlos. But the ice dragon attacked our hometown, and we had no choice but to survive in the harsh environment of Ston. But think about it, what is there? permafrost and ice sculptures, and ice caves that are inhabited by many monsters. We are short of food, and we are constantly threatened by the ice dragon, and no one can guarantee that it will one day be hunted down from the sacred Kanak Mountain!" he recounted the misfortunes of the Bantu, all of which told Freya how difficult their situation was.

"Even so, is it really the right thing to do if you attack the other forces directly?" Freya shook her index finger. "On the contrary, all you are doing is creating new enemies. When Belmar and even Delos see the Bantu as eternal enemies, there is no way back for you. ”

"What else else can we do?" Orka spread his hands, deliberately revealing a puzzled expression. But in reality, he knows better than anyone else. "Neither the Belmar nor the Delos are willing to accept us. I know that in their eyes we are a bunch of barbarians who don't know etiquette and can only speak with their fists. If I had to choose between being slaughtered by Scarza and fighting Belmar or Delos to the death, I would definitely choose the latter!"

"If one side is willing to accept you, are you willing to stop attacking that side?" Freya tossed the bait.

Orca fell silent, and with a parched mouth, he drank a full glass of mare's milk. After a while, he spoke, his voice much lower. "If a party is willing to accept us and no longer discriminate against us, I can consider it. After all, survival is the most important goal of the Bantu people, but what can we do to survive this snowy land?"

Mirna and Freya looked at each other and nodded in agreement, then Freya took a letter from her pocket and handed it to Orka, "This is a handwritten letter from Queen Skadi, she asked me to pass it on to the leader of the Bantu clan. ”

Orka took the letter and opened it suspiciously. No one bothered him as he read the letter, and he might need time and quiet to digest the contents. And Freya didn't know what was written on the letter, because from the moment she got it, Boken warned her that she was never allowed to open the envelope without permission. But at the end of the day, there are only three things that the letter says – a declaration of war, a compromise, and cooperation.

After a long time, Orka slowly folded the letter and placed it on the table. "It seems that Queen Skadi has already figured out what to do, and if this is really Queen Skadi's proposal, then as the deputy patriarch of the Bantu tribe, I accept it on behalf of the Bantu people. ”

Although Freya did not know what the letter was, according to Orka's words, the negotiations were undoubtedly successful. "Thank you very much for accepting Queen Skady's offer, and I will pass on your reply to Queen Skady. ”

"No, in order to show the sincerity of the Bantu, I will send an emissary to Huttonmar. Orka said. "In that case, then from now on we are allies. As an ally, I apologize for the bad attitude towards you before. He bowed his head sincerely.

Standing at the door of the tent, Maffeo and Schultz looked at each other in shock, and Orka's cold image collapsed in their hearts, and it turned out that this guy would apologize and be friendly to strangers. It was hard to believe that the letter must have been subjected to some kind of bewitching magic or even sorcery, or that Uma and Mirna were at work. But all in all, Orca made a change if the negotiations were successful, and they had to change their mind.