Chapter 102: Native Residents

The Holy Fox Highlands.

Vast and gloomy forests, rugged and narrow roads, mosquitoes and crawling creatures covering the mountains, and a cold, damp climate. In just five days, this mysterious and unfamiliar land had already caused us plenty of trouble. It had broadened the knowledge of our army, which had endured years of warfare. At the very least, it taught us that not every place had a dry and cold winter.

It wasn’t all bad news, though. At least we didn’t have to worry too much about supplies. Although no one had yet transported food for our isolated army, the rich resources here were enough to sustain us for a while. Millia, with her extensive knowledge of plants, and Red Flame, with his wilderness survival experience, were a huge help. Whenever we set up camp, they could always find large amounts of edible wild vegetables and fruits. Under their guidance, within a few days, the soldiers could already tell apart many types of wild plants that could fill their stomachs, and they began finding their own supplies on their own initiative. Likewise, ever since we set foot on this land, the wild animals of the highlands had also started having bad luck: our plates were never short of delicious meat like wild pheasants and wild rabbits. Even fierce beasts like leopards and tigers were warmly welcomed in our army. Of course, that was understandable: when facing a hunt by over ten thousand people, no matter how ferocious a beast was, it wouldn’t be any harder to deal with than a domestic pig. Besides, the first to greet them were often large devices like siege crossbows. In truth, not many soldiers actually got the chance to face them head-on.

Although we didn’t have the problem of lacking food or clothing for now, and no casualties had occurred, and the pursuers behind us were still nowhere to be seen, we still felt uneasy in our hearts. This wasn’t strange: if you walked through a strange land for five whole days without seeing a single local resident, you would feel a bit creeped out too.

You heard that right—we hadn’t seen a single person. In this vast jungle, we hadn’t seen a single unfamiliar figure. It was as if this were a land forgotten by civilization, as if no intelligent creature had ever cared to visit this place.

“I don’t like this place!” Dakla announced rudely during the rest. “This place makes me uncomfortable.”

“I don’t like it either. I have a strange feeling, as if every move we make is being watched.” Poirot took a sip of the loving wild vegetable soup carefully cooked by the Dark Elf, while shrinking his neck and looking around.

No one answered the Necromantic Warlock’s words. Silence spread among us, carrying an eerie atmosphere. A cold wind blew past, scurrying sinisterly between the branches, making sounds like the shrill laughter of otherworldly creatures, sending a chill through my heart. I brought the wild vegetable soup to my lips and took a gentle sip. Unexpectedly, the thick liquid rushed into my mouth and made an especially loud noise, startling even myself.

“Sht…” Roll silently put down his plate, drew out his dagger, and walked toward the forest not far ahead. He walked very slowly, like a beast in the middle of a hunt.

“Roll, where are you going?” The sudden awkward silence made Poirot a little nervous. It wasn’t his fault. He had only honestly spoken his feelings. But the problem was, he wasn’t the only one who had that feeling.

No wonder I had been feeling restless these past few days. Before this, I had assumed it was just a natural reaction to a strange environment. It wasn’t until Poirot finished his words that I suddenly understood: this was the unnatural feeling of being watched. Once this feeling was pointed out, it became extremely strong—so strong that food lost its taste and sleep became impossible.

“I… am going for a walk.” Roll answered Poirot’s question coldly. The dagger gleaming with cold light kept spinning in his left hand, forming patterns that made people’s hearts tremble.

After quite a while, when Roll walked out of the forest again, the dagger had already been stained red. His left hand was holding a badly injured wild rabbit, and rabbit blood covered his whole hand. The rabbit’s hind legs kept twitching slightly, then gradually went still. Roll casually tossed the prey into the middle of our group.

“There really is someone.” He only whispered a few words, then turned and walked toward his own tent.

No one knew what had happened in the forest, but judging by Roll’s expression, it must not have been something pleasant.

The journey after that became strange. Although the soldiers went about everything as usual, our feelings were completely different. At the slightest sign of trouble, I would nervously look around, trying to search the deepest parts of the jungle for one or two unfamiliar figures. My companions behaved much the same as me. The only somewhat relaxed one was Red Flame, but his behavior couldn’t exactly be called normal either. He would often sit alone somewhere, staring blankly as if lost in thought. If someone disturbed him at such a time, he would become very tense. And what was especially abnormal was that, ever since stepping into the Holy Fox Highlands, Red Flame had started to love his leather helmet. He wore it at all times, no matter when, as if he wished he could sew it onto his scalp. Naturally, the long pointed ears that the Elves took such pride in could no longer be seen.

This bizarre journey continued for another three days. Just as we gradually let down our guard, thinking that everything was just a delusion caused by our nerves and that this was simply a god-forsaken place rarely visited by people, we finally saw the masters of this land.

“Whoosh!” An arrow shot down from the hillside, deeply embedding into the dirt in front of Fred’s horse, the tail of the arrow still swaying. Fred’s warhorse was startled, neighed, and reared up on its front legs. If not for our friend’s excellent riding skills, it would have thrown him off its back.

Before we could recover from our shock, the sounds of wooden drums rose from the highlands all around us. Many men with bare upper bodies, painted with white or red markings, holding rough but deadly weapons, swarmed up the slopes and slowly surrounded us. Their numbers kept increasing, making them hard to count at the moment. In the rough rhythm of the wooden drums, these fierce men shouted loudly in voices we couldn’t understand, slapped their own and their companions’ chests, and played with the weapons in their hands in strange poses.

Facing this sudden ambush, our soldiers were a bit panicked at first, but they truly were well-trained warriors. In the shortest time, they calmed down and prepared for defense. No one knew what these savages wanted to do, but it didn’t look like they were recruiting sons-in-law.

“These are the native peoples of the Holy Fox Highlands. Usually they live scattered in small groups throughout the various regions of the jungle, with the largest tribe not exceeding twenty thousand people. It’s strange—there are men from at least twenty tribes here. Except when receiving divine gifts or when major events occur, they rarely gather their people on such a large scale.” Just as we were somewhat flustered, Red Flame said to us with a sigh. For some reason, the look in his eyes when he regarded these natives seemed very friendly, yet also somewhat guilty. I believed that if not for this awkward encounter, Red Flame wouldn’t have revealed a single word to us.

“It’s best not to attack…” Red Flame continued. “Fighting them has no meaning. From a legal standpoint, Fred, they are your people. And considering their fighting strength, we may not necessarily be their match.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Fred asked for the Elf warrior’s opinion.

“Jeff, you shout ‘Alababa Dobson’ as you walk over, place your sword on the ground, then stand there and see how they react.” Red Flame thought for a moment, then said to me, “I’m sorry to make you take this risk. This should have been my job, but unfortunately… their relationship with the Elves is not very good.”

“Understood.” I agreed. Just as I was about to dismount and walk forward, Red Flame called me back.

“Jeff!”

“What is it?”

“If an old man comes out, you wait there for Fred to go over. If a strong young man comes out, you come back right away, and we’ll be ready to fight at any moment. Be very careful!”

Red Flame said this with grave seriousness, and he looked very confident, which made me feel a bit reassured. I walked forward about a hundred steps, drew my sword and threw it toward the slope, then shouted at the natives on the slope: “Alababa Dobson!” This strange slogan was awkward to shout, making one feel uncomfortable inside. After shouting it, my face was burning red, and I could almost hear my friends snickering behind me.

And then I had a mental breakdown.

According to what Red Flame had said, if an old man came out, great—we had a chance to solve this problem peacefully. If a young warrior came out, great—at least we could have a good, clean fight. But if a young girl came out… what did that even mean?

“Outsider, you are not our friend. Leave this land immediately, or die here.” The young girl stopped about ten steps in front of me. She held a spear in her right hand, and like the adult warriors, her face was painted with white, black, or red dye in lines thick and thin. These colored lines covered her face, making it hard for me to make out her features. She wore an emerald green short skirt, with almost her entire right leg exposed below it. Her brown skin looked both healthy and beautiful. Around her neck hung an oddly shaped ornament that looked like it was strung from the teeth of some large fierce beast, adding a touch of wild beauty to her.

Her appearance was so unexpected that I didn’t even realize she was speaking the common language of the continent. If her appearance startled me, I think my reaction must have scared her badly.

“Red Flame, you didn’t tell me what to do if a girl came out!” I shouted wildly toward behind me, waving my arms around, completely not hearing the girl’s righteous scolding in front of me. “What should I do, go back now? It doesn’t look like they want to fight…”

“Um… sir, are you even listening to me?” The girl was dazed for a long moment before coming back to her senses. She asked me in a soft, gentle voice, as gentle as the fragrance of flowers, completely different from how she had loudly ordered us to leave just now.

At this moment, Red Flame made a waiting gesture to me, and then Roll accompanied Fred as they slowly walked out. Relieved, I finally answered the girl’s question.

“I’m sorry, Miss. My companion knows a bit about your people and told me how I should react depending on who appeared. It’s just… none of us expected… that it would be… you.” Judging by Fred’s pace, it would still be a while before he reached us. Having come back to my senses, I felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly apologized to the young lady before me.

“Ah, I’m really sorry for troubling you.” After hearing what I said, the girl hurriedly apologized to me. Although her face was painted with dye to look fierce, her voice was clear and crisp, and she behaved very shyly—not at all like a native lacking civilized education. How strange. Why was she apologizing to me?

“Not at all, I was the one being rude. Our commander is about to arrive here. If you have anything to say, you can say it directly to him.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Thank you so much. My uncles only told me to loudly say that one sentence in front of you. If you agreed, that was fine; if you opposed it, they told me to go back right away. I didn’t know I had spoken to the wrong person. Thank you for telling me.” The girl bowed to me again and again. I only felt dizzy: I never expected that my negotiation counterpart was also a poor thing being controlled by others.

At this moment, Roll and Fred had already walked up behind me. Roll took two quick steps forward and carefully studied the girl. The girl seemed greatly frightened. She let out a soft cry and hid behind me, peeking out half her head from beside my arm.

“We’ve met before.” Roll said to the girl with no expression on his face. The girl fearfully pulled her head back behind me again, as if she didn’t dare to look at Roll even once.

“In the forest, you hid very well, and you ran very fast too.” As Roll’s voice came, the air around seemed to freeze. I felt a bit of sympathy for the young girl behind me: she had witnessed Roll’s bloodthirsty appearance with her own eyes, even though what he had caught was only a rabbit. That must have left a deep impression on her.

“This is Fred, our commander. He has the highest authority to make decisions. If you have anything to say, you can say it to him.” I gently pulled the girl out from behind me and introduced Fred to her.

“Hello, my name is Evlinna.” She shyly greeted Fred, then suddenly wore a solemn expression, pointed her spear tip at Fred’s face, and said loudly: “Outsider, you are not our friend. Leave this land immediately, or die here.” She must have been strictly trained by her uncles. When she said this sentence, her entire demeanor changed greatly, carrying a strange authority like a Chieftain. But this authority was limited to that one sentence. After saying it, she timidly hid behind me again, once more becoming that gentle, lovely little girl.

Fred didn’t answer her. He tentatively asked in a small voice: “Where is your grandfather?”

This question was like a spell that took effect in an instant. Evlinna suddenly pouted and couldn’t help but shed tears. At first, she was only sobbing softly, but who knew, she gradually got into it, and finally burst into loud wailing. Tear drops as big as beans, like a threaded necklace, kept pouring from her eyes, and she wiped them away handful after handful. The dye on her face, washed away by her tears, gradually couldn’t hold its position, turning into patches of darkness and lightness. It looked terrible.

You can imagine how awkward our situation was at that moment. Even though we hadn’t done anything, I felt as if the three of us big men had bullied a little girl into crying. Oh, that feeling was just terrible.

“Fred, have you lost your mind? Why would you ask such a thing!” I let Evlinna sit on the ground wailing loudly. I didn’t dare comfort her, and I didn’t dare help her up. I could only reduce my guilt by shouting at Fred.

“How can you blame me? Red Flame told me to ask. He said she was wearing the ornament of the High Priest, and the High Priest had always been held by elderly males, who could only be replaced upon death. In case of an accident, the High Priest’s relatives would hold it. So it could only be her grandfather.” Fred had never seen such a sight either and didn’t know what to do.

“If you ask me, this is all your fault, Roll.” At the critical moment, Fred had learned the trick of shifting blame from somewhere. “If you hadn’t kept such a stiff face all the time, how could you have scared the little girl into crying?”

“It’s… it’s not my business!” At this point, Roll was also so frustrated his face was red, struggling to refute Fred’s accusation. However, his eloquence was nowhere near as good as his combat skills.

All around us on the slopes, the noisy drumming of the natives kept coming, growing louder and louder. The natives, who didn’t understand what was going on, must have been very displeased with us. To be honest, even our own soldiers were probably displeased with us too. Three tall, burly officers making a young, lovely girl cry would not bring us honor anywhere.

“Miss, Miss?” Seeing the situation gradually become serious, and realizing that we might start an inglorious battle because of the girl’s crying, Fred had no choice but to steel himself and try to soothe the girl.

“Please don’t cry, I beg you. If there’s anything, you can tell us. We will help you solve it. I promise!” As he said this, Fred handed over a silk handkerchief. If I remembered correctly, it should have been a gift from Millia.

The poor handkerchief instantly turned into a color palette.

“Stop crying. If you keep crying, you won’t be pretty anymore…” I heard from my older brother that when I wailed as a child, saying this to me would make me stop crying quickly. However, right now, it didn’t seem to have much effect…

“Stop crying!” Finally, Roll couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out an irritable low growl.

For some reason, his voice always made me think of many ominous signs. It seemed that no matter what words came out of his mouth, they would inevitably carry a certain bloody and cruel meaning.

A chill went through my heart.

Then, to our pleasant surprise, we found that Evlinna abruptly stopped crying. Her little hand grabbed my sleeve, and she looked at Roll in terror, as if she were looking at a dangerous beast.

“Stop. Crying. Now.” For some unknown reason, Roll still looked at Evlinna with no expression on his face, saying the words one by one, slowly and deliberately.