Section 40 Speculation

This is no longer the barren land where they used to live, but a gap between the spheres of influence of two large tribes. In other words, a small vacuum. A river flows near the camp. During this season, you can easily hunt plump fish from the river. All of a sudden, the two most pressing problems of the tribe, water and food, were solved.

In fact, the choice was not so much Claire's idea as Asowen's, for it had been agreed upon a long time ago. They had lived here before they finally moved south to the wasteland. But unfortunately, the two forces around are not easy to mess with, and staying in this kind of cracks is definitely extremely dangerous behavior - if it is detected, it will be a catastrophe. Therefore, after the tribe recovered a little, Asowen decisively led his troops to leave here.

After a few years, Asowen plans to return here for three reasons. The first is that with two consecutive victories, the strength of the tribe has been significantly improved. The original tribe of five or six hundred people, which could not be smaller, has now become nearly nine hundred. The number of soldiers, who had been a mere 200, had increased by nearly half, and the number of regular soldiers (i.e., marauders and above) had more than doubled. Although the strength is still weak at the moment, it is no longer the kind that will collapse when the wind blows.

The second is to avoid the pursuit of the Qajar tribe. When Asowen planned to fish in troubled waters in a decisive battle between the Qajar tribe and the wandering hunter tribe, he expected to be detected. It is obviously impossible to fight against the Qajar tribe by their own strength, and only by hiding here can the Qajar tribe be afraid to pursue them.

The third is that Asowen is keenly aware that there are certain opportunities here. That's right, this is also a "two strong next to each other" pattern. Even Ashrufat had been to one of the tribes, the Tzeentch tribe that had occupied the salt pools.

On this grassland, known as the "Chaos Territory", people live a nomadic life, fishing and hunting, and food, water, and clothing are at least passable, but salt is a big problem. There is really only one source of salt: salt pools. As you can imagine, every salt pond means great wealth, and only the strong can be qualified to have it.

This Tzeentch tribe was originally powerful, strong enough to make most pretenders cleverly dismiss their thoughts. But with the failure of the southern invasion, Tzeentch's camp suffered huge losses. This tribe is no exception. Many warriors and sorcerers participated in the invasion under the banner of God - never to return. This loss cannot be remedied in a short period of time.

Therefore, although the tribe still occupies the salt pond and still tries to pretend to be very powerful, this approach will not always work in the realm of Chaos. Because a tribe becomes weak, it can be verified. A month or two ago, when Ashrufat came to buy salt, things were better. But now, the others have smelled it and are constantly tempting to determine the true reality of the tribe.

The atmosphere was calm on the surface, but behind the scenes, a taut string had been inserted, and it could break at any time. The reason why there has not been a large-scale war now is not so much the protection of the gods as the fact that a group of hungry wolves are holding each other down so that no one is the first to make a move on their prey.

Besides, although it is certain that the prey has become weak, it is really difficult to say how much strength is left. The first person to do it may receive unimaginably large prizes, but they may become another prey, or even be torn to pieces even earlier.

At the moment, Yiqiē is still calm. But the lull was destined to last long. Probably because he knew this, Asowen decided to venture back here to see if there was a chance.

Of course, now that Asowen is seriously injured, the burden of finding an opportunity falls on Claire.

While Ashruphat and Flint were talking, they saw someone coming from ahead. These were the scouts who had been sent out to check on the situation in the vicinity, and this one was also an acquaintance of Ashrufat.

"Gander, how's it going?" Flint said he felt it would be a little inappropriate to be seen with Ashrufat.

"One qiē is good. Gander replied with a grin. "It was better than expected. The footprints of the people in this neighborhood are still what we left a few years ago. In other words, we didn't have to go back then. ”

"That's great, go tell Sù Claire. Flint said.

Gander glanced at Ashrufat. Like all intelligent people, he had sensed that Flint and Aerufat were definitely not as simple as they seemed. Although the northerners are generally regarded as savages, there is no shortage of people with clear minds and a keen sense of smell. At the very least, Gander can be sure that the two men are definitely not together to discuss cooking techniques.

Flint is the only Chosen Warrior in the tribe, and he has two additional advantages, the first is that he is still young and has unlimited potential. The second is the great feat that has just been accomplished - even if he killed Atolian by sneak attack, it is a dizzying achievement. But it is strange that such a person, a man who has always held himself in high esteem, who even breaks his oath (albeit an ordinary oath) in order to compete for the highest position, suddenly becomes humble. It stands to reason that if he killed Atorian, he should have become even more arrogant...... But the truth is quite the opposite.

The key to this turning point was in that battle. Twenty people went out, and only two returned...... One is Flint and the other is Aerufat. Except for the two of them, no one knew what the details of the battle were. From this, it can be seen that Flint's change in attitude is undoubtedly related to Aerufat.

In fact, it is not only Gander, but also people with a clear mind or a sharp intuition can guess or deduce this. The only thing that can't be inferred is what happened. Was it Ashruphat who gave Flint a lot of help at a critical moment, or did Ashruphat help think of a good way to trap Atolian and finally let Flint accomplish such an achievement?

However, all the people only dared to guess, but did not dare to ask. Everyone knows it's a secret, and people who keep it don't want anyone else to share it.

Gander left the camp, and Ashrufat breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like he's done here. In fact, Ashrufat had already made up his mind that when the camp was completed, it would be time for him to leave. He's been here for two months, and he's approaching the limit of his original plan.

As for Flint - well, Ashrufat can't think of anything to do with it just yet. Maybe a silent departure would be more appropriate one night?

In the distance, a giggling sound was heard. It was the children who had returned from fishing by the river. Fishing in shallow waters is no better than hunting, and you don't need special skills, even a child can do it well. The children of the tribe - teenagers over 10 years old and under 15 years old - were assigned to catch fish today, and it was clear that they had a good harvest.

Although this is a gap between various forces and full of dangers, this refers to the danger of the overall situation. Judging by what Gander said, the tribe will not be in danger, at least for a short time.

By the time it was dark that day, the entire camp was halfway built. At this rate, the fortifications of the camp will be completed the day after tomorrow.

Ashrufat wrapped himself in a blanket and lay down in a tent. As a cook, he had finished his work this morning and left, without hearing the details of the entire tribal council - for he had already made up his mind to go.

The tent's curtain door was pushed open, and Claire walked in. After becoming the temporary leader of the tribe, her daily routine was much busier. Or rather, she is trying her best to play her part.

"Ashrufat, the fish soup you cooked today is so good, after you left, we drank all the soup bowl by bowl. ”

"Hehe, that's a big pot...... Ah, what were you talking about today?" asked Ashrufat casually.

"Nothing, anything about the perimeter guard...... Thanks to our high salt supply, we have decided to make as much dried fish as possible as a staple food for some time to come. Claire said.

"What does it feel like to be a leader?"

"Very good...... Claire's eyebrows fluttered. "That feeling...... It's really amazing......"

Ashrufat braced himself halfway around his arms and looked at Claire. There was a penetrating ability in his gaze that Claire found herself completely unable to perform. The smile on her face froze.

“...... Well, to be honest, not as good as it seems. She sat down, clasping her knees with her hands, a lonely expression on her face. "Gander told me that the reason no one came here was that no one could have imagined that anyone would be so crazy. This place...... Close to other tribes. As soon as the news leaks out, it will take only one day, two days at most, and our camp will be uprooted by the army. Build such a camp...... Maybe it doesn't make any sense at all. ”

She let out a long sigh. "If the news leaks, even the slightest clue can wipe out the tribe. Everybody was under a lot of pressure. ”

"That's true. Ashrufat replied. In fact, in the final analysis, it is because the strength of the tribe is too weak. The laws of chaos are cruel, and the weak are not qualified to survive.

"But we're not fleeing here...... The Qajars will not let us go. Claire sighed again. "We killed their leader, Chaos Lord Atolian...... By the way, Ashrufat, what the hell happened that day?"

"I said, I led the three of them around in a circle, and then Flint was left alone in the center of the battlefield. Artorian was killed by him. The men who were chasing me saw the leader killed, and immediately fled in fear, only to be caught up and killed by Flint. Ashrufat replied. His deliberate nonchalant tone made it clear that he was not telling the truth.

"Is Atolian really dead?"

"I buried the bodies. Ashrufat replied. "He who is dead cannot die anymore. ”

"Later...... What should I do?" Claire asked suddenly.

"Patiently waiting for the opportunity. Ashrufat replied. "There is no second way. ”