The tall canopy of trees obscured the sky like an open umbrella, and the sun's rays could only shine through the gaps in the foliage.

The mottled points of light change as the branches sway, disturbing the vision of those walking in the forest.

Fortunately, they are all wild people born and raised here, and they have long been accustomed to the changes of light and shadow in the forest, and know how to maintain keen perception and alertness in such an environment.

Ucha walked at the back of the line carrying a bag of jerky, turning back from time to time to make sure there were no foraging beasts behind him.

"Look, it's almost there!"

A shout from the front startled Ucha slightly, and he hurriedly looked forward, and through the layers of branches and leaves, he also saw the deep valley in the distance.

The memories of a few days ago came flooding back to his heart, and Ucha couldn't help but shiver.

It was one of the scariest nights he'd ever had.

Blood, screams, fighting, and corpses all over the ground...... often woke him up in the middle of the night and broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Ucha was a fast runner at the time, so he did not die in the valley or become a prisoner.

Fortunately, the noble lord was a benevolent man, and not only did he not hold the Huya tribe accountable, but accepted them as a lord.

Ucha didn't know exactly how the people were different from the wildlings, but he didn't resist much of a change in his identity.

At least I don't have to fight those terrible riverbenders anymore.

You can also eat delicious white bread.

Ucha still remembers the wonderful taste of melt-in-the-mouth, and this time he came to Hawksbill Island with jerky, also to exchange some bread to go back.

Of course, this is only in passing.

The main task is actually to help my sister find a man.

After all, after the First World War, the ratio of men and women in Huya Village has been seriously imbalanced, and if the girls in the village do not want to die alone, they can only marry outside.

Moreover, savages have always had a tradition of Muqiang.

The people of Hewan have proven their strength, and the girls of Huya Village naturally will not resist marrying.

What's more, the lord also promised to reward the girls who married into Eagle's Beak.

In the past few days, many girls from Huya Village have gone to Eagle's Beak Island to choose men.

Yes, these girls who live in the mountains have always been very active.

Ucha's sister Una is proud of her outstanding appearance, and it is inevitable that she is a little reserved, but now she does not dare to hesitate to wait any longer, otherwise the riverbend warriors will be picked out.

At that time, only the craftsmen will remain.

After a while, the team was approaching Taniguchi.

The scene gradually became lively, hundreds of wild people were busy cutting down trees here, and the originally dense woods were now much thinner, and a large area was vacated near the mouth of the valley.

Ucha knew that these lumberjacks were his former clansmen, and they had been captured before they stayed on Eagle's Beak Island to build a castle for their lordship.

He originally thought that these people would have a miserable life, not enough to eat, not sleep well, have to do heavy work, and even be beaten and abused in various ways.

But when I looked at it all the way, I found that this was not the case.

The lumberjacks were all energetic and energetic, not at all like captives.

"Uncle!"

When Ucha heard his sister's cry, he quickly turned his head to look, and sure enough, he saw his uncle wielding an axe in front of a thick oak tree.

"Hey, Una, Ucha, why are you two here too?" The uncle stopped what he was doing, and then seemed to remember something, and said with a smile, "You picked a man for Una, right?" ”

Una nodded generously, not too shy, just a little worried: "Uncle, those Hewan people won't bully us savages, right?" ”

"No, it won't. The lords have decreed that the rivermen and the savages are equal, and if there is any bullying behavior, they will be punished. ”

"That's good." Una nodded, as if she had finally relaxed.

"Uncle, how are you doing......" Ucha asked with some guilt.

He always felt that it was a coward's act to run away alone that night, and his uncle who had been killed became a prisoner.

"I'm fine. Some eat, some sleep, and get paid. ”

"And the money?" Ucha was shocked.

"Yes." Uncle picked up the axe again, "I'll tell you later, I have to complete today's task, or I'll be deducted." ”

After speaking, he ignored the confused Wucha sisters and brothers, and brandished the axe in his hand again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After the trees creaked, the leading man motioned for his men to pull the thick ropes that had been attached to the treetops.

The tall tree, which was already crumbling, finally fell to the ground with a bang, stirring up a large cloud of dust.

After clearing the excess branches, the people carried the log on their shoulders and walked into the valley.

The Ucha siblings followed.

"Uncle, you just said you still have money?"

"Yes. The lord said that we are captives, not slaves, and that we should be paid for our work. However, after all, we are atoning for our previous mistakes, so the pay is not high, and we can't get it right away. ”

"When will you get it?"

"When the castle is completed, the lord will settle the settlement with us. Score your work now. ”

"Labor?"

"Yes, one point is awarded for completing the required work every day, and each person in the group who does the most work gets an additional point, and this point is equivalent to a copper plate. Don't look too much, you know, the lord is in charge of our food, and it's full! ”

"That's really good." Seeing that his uncle was doing well, Ucha quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a merciful lord!" Una also sighed, looking forward to marrying Eagle's Beak Island even more.

"yes, the only bad thing is that for every six days of work, you have to stop for one day. The lord said that this was a rest day for us. Hey, but I won't be able to earn any work on this day. Uncle sighed and said, "I don't even know what to do on this day." What is there to rest. ”

"You can go back to Huya Village and have a look. Oh yes, uncle, can you leave Hawksbill Island? ”

"Yes. The lord did not restrict our freedom. But why should I go back? The woman had remarried, and my mother and son were now living in a welfare home on Eagle's Beak Island. There is no home for me in Huya Village anymore. ”

"Auntie, she thought you were unfortunately killed in battle, so she ......"

"Alright, don't make excuses for her, I don't have anything to do with her anymore. After the castle has been built for the lord and the wages have been paid, it will not be easy for me to find another woman, anyway, there are many widows in the village now. ”

Ucha scratched the back of his head and said no more.

After walking for a while, I saw a small group of people gathered in front of me, and there seemed to be an argument.

Ucha recognized from the appearance of the other party that they were all members of the Longbeard Tribe, who had also participated in the Battle of the Gorge at the call of the three Cheka brothers.

This section of the road in the valley was very narrow, and Ucha and the others couldn't help but hear some conversation as they passed by.

"Tell the patriarch that we're not going back."

"Why? Since the people of the river bend have not restricted your freedom, why don't you run? ”

"Why are you running? I'm well fed here, I'm sleeping well, and I'm getting paid, and I'm not going back. ”

"But here, you're going to have to work all the time."

"Isn't it also going back to hunting? In contrast, cutting down trees is not yet life-threatening. ”

"Yes...... But...... The tribe needs you! ”

"Either the patriarch will also surrender to Lord Caesar, just like the Huya tribe."

"Yes, yes, so that we can all become Caesar's subjects."

"Bastard! Have you forgotten the glory of the Bearded Tribe? ”

"What glory is there...... It's all been beaten like that......"

"Shut up! You ungrateful guys! Just a few copper plates will buy you off! ”

"It's more than just a few copper plates! It will be a long time before the castle is built, and that will be ...... A lot of copper plates! If I run away now, my previous work won't count, and I won't leave anyway. ”

"yes, I'm not leaving."

"Me too."

……

"Only fools run." Listening to the dispute among the longbeard tribesmen, my uncle commented, "Not only has no one escaped, but the number of people in our captive camp has increased these days. ”

"More than that?" Uca was a little stunned when he heard this, "Is there anyone who has volunteered to be a prisoner?" ”

"Yes, you heard it yourself, the prisoners here are treated so well, why don't you come." The uncle glanced at his nephew, and suddenly said, "Ucha, or you should stay as a prisoner." Anyway, your sister is going to get married, and you can stay and take care of her. ”

"What?" Ucha was dumbfounded.

But on second thought, it seems like that's not bad either.

Can...... But how can anyone be a prisoner himself? What about the glory of the savage warriors?

For a moment, Ucha was entangled.