"Wait! My Lords!"
At this moment, the previous clan chief had also regained consciousness from his faint, kneeling respectfully before Leilin.
From the glimpse of power Leilin had displayed earlier, he could tell how strong these two were. And after sending someone into the cave to confirm that their ancestor was also perfectly fine, how could this middle-aged man not understand that these two were truly friends of his tribe?
With their power, if they were enemies, couldn't they simply crush them outright?
So, if he didn't seize this opportunity to build a relationship, when would he ever get another chance?
"My Lords, you are friends of our ancestor? Then please, do stay here for a while and allow us to serve you…"
The clan chief of this village-type tribe appeared to be a middle-aged man nearly two meters tall, wearing a smooth, spotted leather coat. The muscles on his body bulged in chunks, giving an impression of steel.
He had thick lips and a high-bridged nose. His slightly narrow eyes carried a hint of cold cunning, and the crisscrossing scars on his cheeks were proof of his bravery.
The natives who could survive here might be cunning or savage, but they could not lack courage!
At this moment, however, he was trying hard to put a smile on his face, expressing the humility of a lesser being.
As the most knowledgeable person in the tribe, he naturally understood what these two powerhouses represented. Even the mere ability to annihilate their entire village at will was enough to make them set aside all pride and serve with humility.
Not to mention that these two were actually friends of their tribal ancestor?
Didn't that mean they were also monsters who had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years?
The middle-aged man felt a deep chill in his heart. He knew with sorrow that his people were nothing in this territory.
Various powerful native tribes, or even roaming wild beasts, could easily destroy this place! And the shortage of food only made the struggle for survival even more desperate.
Only their ancestor, who had been slumbering all along, was the guarantor of the tribe's continued existence!
"If I could obtain the power of these two lords, perhaps even the orders from the city could be resisted?"
A thought turned over in the middle-aged man's mind. Then he raised his head and met a pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything.
"You want us to stay?"
Leilin smiled faintly, walking noncommittally to the middle-aged man who was prostrate on the ground. An invisible force lifted his chin.
"Then. Tell me your name!"
"Hussein! The headman of the Thorn Flower clan — Hussein! Willing to obey all of your commands!"
Hussein knelt down again along with the other tribesmen. That posture of completely exposing their backs represented absolute submission to the powerful.
"Bodak! Looks like we'll need to stay here for a while…"
Leilin, who had nothing better to do anyway, agreed without much enthusiasm. Besides, the incident involving Jillian had piqued his research interest.
"I have no objections!"
Bodak glanced at Gadobeli nearby and curled his lips, but didn't say anything in opposition. After all, he knew that once Leilin made up his mind, he had absolutely no grounds to refuse.
…
Inside the largest and most luxurious building in the village.
One wall had a fireplace burning, sending waves of warmth. A yellow brass brazier sat on a swirling table of red Huangsuan wood, burning some unknown powder that emitted plumes of white, fragrant smoke.
Gadobeli curled up in a corner, watching the two who had been respectfully invited to sit on soft goose-down silk cushions. Before them lay an abundance of exquisite food and drinks, and his throat rolled violently.
"So extravagant…" the youth thought silently, then glanced outside the window. The light outside was growing increasingly dim, and a layer of fine white frost had already formed on the windowsill. Together with the eye-catching red silk curtains, the stark contrast of colors made the youth turn his gaze away.
"Outside, it must have already become cold and dark…"
Gadobeli thought silently. This territory had no sun, no moon — only a dim, grayish light. The natives distinguished day from night by the brightness and darkness of this light.
And once night fell, the temperature on the wilderness outside could drop to minus ten degrees or even lower!
Although the youth had no concept of temperature, he knew that every year there were unlucky souls who froze to death at night. Without enough food and fuel, there was not enough heat to resist the coming of death.
That was the case even within the village, let alone outside. Those elders who had left probably couldn't survive a single night.
The youth's eyes grew hot, and some moisture silently seeped from the corners of his eyes.
"Come! My Lords! Please!"
At the banquet, Hussein didn't have so many thoughts. His face was flushed red now, even the area around his scars turning crimson, as he offered drinks to the two lords at the head of the table.
"Mm!"
Leilin politely lifted the wooden cup and took a small sip, while Bodak beside him couldn't even be bothered to raise his cup.
The wine here, based on Leilin's earlier observations, was brewed from a type of starchy underground root vegetable.
Due to the primitive and backward technology, even the filtering process hadn't been done properly, leaving the liquor somewhat cloudy. Bodak naturally looked down on it.
However, for ordinary natives, this seemed to be quite the delicacy.
Even Hussein was the same. What surprised Leilin was that every person in the village, except for the infants still in swaddling clothes, had been given a cup. The adults sipped carefully, content smiles on their faces.
"Equal distribution within the clan?"
Leilin shook his head slightly to himself, then looked at the table.
Hussein had apparently gone all out to entertain them — the food on the table could be called sumptuous. The snacks were purple fruits with a slightly astringent sweetness, the staple was starchy flatbread baked to a light golden color, and even the hard-skinned mouse that Gadobeli had hunted today had been brought out as a rare and precious meat dish.
The abundance of rich food aromas made the other tribesmen clench their teeth, struggling to maintain their composure.
Unfortunately, for Leilin and Bodak, all of this was rather crude. Given Bodak's original size, devouring the entire village would barely count as an appetizer, not to mention the fine foods and wines Leilin had experienced.
So, facing all this, Bodak couldn't be bothered with any of it, and Leilin merely ate a few fruits out of politeness before stopping.
"Our village's food is crude and rough — I'm afraid our honored guests find it laughable…"
Seeing this, a trace of ashamed blush appeared on Hussein's face. He was even too embarrassed to call over the beautiful young women he had carefully prepared earlier.
"It's quite sufficient. Come, let us raise a toast to our friendship!"
Leilin lifted his cup.
"To friendship!" The others followed Hussein's lead and did the same, finally managing to somewhat ease the atmosphere.
"I share a bond with your ancestor, so if you have any requests, please feel free to speak openly…"
After setting down his utensils, Leilin said politely. Of course, this was merely out of courtesy. If the request was something he could handle in passing, he might be in a good enough mood to help out of respect for their past connection. But if they made some difficult demand — asking Leilin to become their guardian, for instance — he would likely turn on them and leave immediately.
"It's truly embarrassing to say, but we have encountered a problem that our own strength cannot solve…"
Hussein's voice grew heavy: "We survive on this land, but we must also pay Saige grain and slaves as tribute to Masi in the east… It's just that this year, their demands have far exceeded our capabilities…"
Through Hussein's explanation, Leilin gradually came to understand.
It turned out that in this territory, the Thorn Flower clan was not the only tribe — they all paid allegiance to a powerful city-state: Masi. At regular intervals, they were required to pay a type of food called Saige, as well as provide slaves as proof of submission. Otherwise, they would face attack.
This year, due to several accidents and mishaps, the Saige crop had suffered severe yield losses, making it obviously impossible to meet the target.
But the Regent Elders of Masi wouldn't care about that. Once Hussein failed to deliver enough food, the only outcome would be a forced relocation — otherwise, they would be attacked. Coveting this land were not only the Dream Beasts roaming the wilderness, but also wraiths.
"Although our ancestor can provide us shelter, Masi City also has Regent Elders of comparable strength… Plus, our ancestor is still in a deep slumber…"
Hussein said with a bitter smile.
The other tribesmen had also stopped eating. They understood that if this wasn't handled properly, it meant the annihilation of their entire clan!
Compared to that, even the most delicious food seemed to lose its appeal.
"Regent Elders? A title representing power or authority?"
Leilin stroked his chin, having to admit that he had developed a certain interest in that city-state called Masi.
"A city-state where large numbers of native Dream World inhabitants gather? Perhaps with a few powerhouses comparable to fifth or sixth-rank Wizards?"
In such a city-state, there would certainly be a great deal of civilization and glory from before the power of dreams had waned — of immense, indescribable significance to Leilin, who now wanted to study the history of the Dream World.
Moreover, a city-state without a Rule-level guardian — what did it count for in Leilin's eyes?
"I understand. Another day, have Gadobeli take me and Bodak there!"
Leilin nodded in agreement, and received a shower of gratitude from Hussein and the others.