Many simple houses had already been built in the natural shelter near the coast of Vilost. The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea breeze and the smell of smoke from the bonfire.
The tribe was very quiet. Most of the men had gone out, and the dark-skinned women were holding small hooked knives. They sat in groups of three to five, patiently sharpening the knives on the grindstones until they shone brightly.
The women of Vilost were as fierce as the men. They carried knives with them. When conflicts broke out with other tribes, they would also cut the enemy's throat if they had the chance.
The man stared silently at the women sharpening the knives and the cold light on the blades. He coughed softly a few times.
The man was the leader of this remote tribe. As he had been to the City of Gold before, his knowledge was much greater than that of the ignorant tribesmen. The City of Gold was the greatest city in history. It was the center of the world, the crown of Vilost.
The soldiers there wore bronze scale armor, long-snouted helmets made of molten copper teeth, and long red capes. They rode camels and sat high above on saddles inlaid with gems. It was said that each of them had received the blessing of the God King, Attuso. Ten soldiers could defeat a tribe.
The low growl of a wolf was like thunder.
Everyone turned to look in unison. Then, they bowed their heads and groveled. They whispered, "Prophet."
On the huge white wolf was a man in a black cape. The hood covered his face. He sat on the white wolf and did not turn his neck to look at the crowd.
The man walked forward slowly and bowed in front of the white wolf's fangs. He paused and walked forward again until he reached the wolf's head. He said respectfully, "Prophet."
Only then did the man in the cloak react. His eyes scanned Pi Pu's face through the hood, and he said with a hoarse voice, "You are very powerful. Among the dozens of tribes that fought in the Black Sea, you are the only ones that captured a living captive."
"Yes," the man said. "But we don't understand the language of the sea tribe. We can't communicate with him or interrogate him."
"That's why I'm here."
The prophet took off his black cape, revealing a shiny bald head and a dark body covered in paint. He jumped off the wolf's back lightly. "Where is he?"
"He is waiting for redemption," Pep said, turning back and calling, "Kaman."
A rustling sound came from inside the tent. Not long after, the companion of the captive came out with a person tied up in vines. He threw the captive in front of Wolf Head, looked at the captive with disdain, and bowed to greet the prophet. Then, he left.
The captive's mouth was stuck by the vines. When he saw the huge white wolf in front of him, he let out a series of "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
"Release him," the Prophet said.
The escort used his dagger to separate the vines from the captive's body. The captive immediately jumped up and tried to escape, but his physique was far inferior to the natives'. He was caught and kicked in the knee before he was dragged back by the escort with his dagger.
"$^ *% …" The captive roared for a while with a ferocious expression. The escort then looked at the prophet, indicating that this was the situation. Although he could guess from the captive's expression that what he said was not good, the language barrier made it difficult for them to communicate with the sea tribe.
The prophet nodded, took Pep's dagger, cut a small hole in his finger, dipped it in blood, and drew a round rune on the wet and soft ground at his feet. Then, he forcefully separated the captive's arm and poured his blood on the rune.
“*%。”
The captive was still cursing, but halfway through, his words changed. "Stupid and ignorant natives of Villoster, you don't know what you are facing. When the real power of the empire arrives here, you will all be turned into bloody mud under the rolling iron hooves."
"Empire, what is it?" the prophet asked expressionlessly.
"You can understand what I'm saying?"
The captive asked in horror. Then, he suddenly realized that he could understand what the prophet was saying. He subconsciously looked at the strange rune on the ground. The blood was gradually sinking into the ground and disappearing.
This was magic.
His eyes widened. This must be magic!
The empire's intelligence was wrong. Villoster could also use magic!
And some of these natives already knew how to use magic!
"Empire, what is it?" the strange native in front of him, who was covered in colorful paintings, continued to ask.
"Empire, is our home."
"I understand."
The prophet nodded, equating the empire and the tribe in his mind, and then asked, "Merfolk, we have lived in peace with the sea for thousands of years.
This time, why are you here? "
"Merfolk …"
The captive was silent for a moment, and said, "There has been a huge change in the sea. We can no longer survive, and we are eager to open up a new home on the land.
We came with friendly intentions, but it was you who attacked us first. "
"The land is ours. If you want to live on this land, you should first ask us for permission before you can land," the prophet said.
"It was our mistake," the captive admitted.
"This is a misunderstanding. If you agree to let me go, I can persuade our leader to apologize for the previous mistake. I think we should have a good talk."
… …
Twenty minutes later, both sides suddenly found that they could no longer understand each other's language, which meant that the rune had failed. The prophet motioned for the men to take the captive away, and then walked out with the captive.
"Is what he said true, Prophet?"
The captive asked.
"Some of it is true, but most of it is false. Do you still remember what he said at the beginning?"
The prophet shook his head and repeated the captive's words in Villoster. "Foolish and ignorant Villoster natives, you don't know what you are facing. When the true power of the empire arrives, you will all be turned into a bloody pulp under the rolling iron hooves."
"The natives he is talking about should be 'us'."
"Without those flaming iron pipes, their bodies are as laughable as frail old people," the captive said with disdain. "With these, they want to occupy the land?
The warriors of the City of Gold are not afraid of those things at all. "
"No," the prophet said in a low voice. "Disaster is coming.
Ah Duo is also the leader of the tribe. Do you still remember the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation? "
"You mean the God King Atuso?
Of course, I remember. "
"What about Egon?"
"Atuso was the most powerful enemy in his life. It is said that Atuso fought with Egon for thirty-three years, but he was still unable to defeat this terrifying monster. In the end, he could only borrow the power of iron and fire to create eight thousand chains, barely locking Egon in place. After that, he used all of the power of the Archerons to strengthen the chains, and finally expelled Egon and sealed him in the eternal depths of the sea."
The captive recounted the story he had heard when he was a child. "But isn't this just a legend?"
"It is not a legend," the prophet said.
"The elders of the temple have received a revelation that Egon has awakened.
He has spent a hundred thousand years in the icy depths of the sea, swearing to repay Atuso's descendants hundreds of times the iron and fire he endured. The weapons these seafolk use are the best proof. "
"In the following period of time, it will drive its servants to spread fear and blood across the land. Finally, when Egon's mountainous body reaches the earth, the entire world will be submerged in a flood. That will be the end of the world."
"How can we stop him?" the captive asked, trembling.
The prophet shook his head. "No one can stop him. Whether it is the master of the City of Gold or the elders of the temple, everything the mortals do is futile. This is the end we are destined to meet."
"Only when the world is flooded will Atuso appear and wage a thirty-three year war with Egon. He will then seal him in the sea and start a new era."