Chapter 73: Attack
Chapter 73: Attack
"Deity?"
Fierro and the others' faces turned grave.
They didn't think Christina was intentionally teasing them. In the Gold Oak Tribe, few actually believed in the rumored deity, except Christina, who firmly believed.
Therefore, she couldn't possibly be joking in the name of a deity.
But could this be possible?
In truth, even Christina didn't know how to describe it.
Her ability of Farsightedness allowed her to see scenes from incredibly distant places, gathering information from them.
But this time, she was preparing to observe the Crimson Star Tribe.
She didn't see any tribe, only an endless ocean, with a tremendously large tree growing on it, obscuring the entire sky.
Just when she thought she might have made an observation error, eyes appeared in the sky.
Those eyes, filled with majesty and utmost sanctity, yet tinged with a hint of puzzlement.
Luckily, those eyes did not detect Christina.
Then, as those eyes vanished, so did the endless ocean and the towering tree that spanned the sky. Christina took one last look, completely stunned.
Vast lakes, neatly red houses, bustling markets, comfortable clothes of various colors...
Was this the tribe Douglas had described?
Christina couldn't believe it. According to Richard's description, the tribe's wonders mainly centered around that priest, but now, the entire tribe was filled with stunning miracles.
There was only one explanation--
After Douglas left, the Crimson Star Tribe's development became incredibly rapid, achieving such astonishing changes in just a few months.
Could the managers of the Gold Oak Tribe achieve such changes?
No.
Christina answered herself in her mind.
Those people had become a cancer within the tribe, destined to lead the Gold Oak Tribe into the abyss of ruin sooner or later.
But before that happened, Christina needed to consider her own actions.
Therefore, she decided to visit that miraculous tribe herself.
In the headquarters of the Flame Association, upon hearing Christina mention "deity," Douglas and the others were stunned, silent for a moment, until Fierro finally broke the silence.
He emphasized, "Selling these goods quickly is unlikely unless we lower the price."
Christina replied firmly, "Then lower the price!"
After finishing her instructions, Christina glanced over at Douglas and Roman with unwavering command. "Douglas, Roman, both of you go and purchase large quantities of yaks, animal skins, and those slaves. Remember to negotiate."
Douglas and Roman nodded together. "No problem!"
Christina then stood up and turned to Richard. "Richard, you're coming with me to Xavier's camp. I'm sure they'll appreciate the colorful pottery Douglas brings back."
Richard nodded silently, following Christina.
Due to the immense size of the Gold Oak Tribe, even with its six rings, each ring remained vast. Therefore, each ring was further divided into different camps. The owner of Xavier Camp was Xavier, who controlled the sale of numerous materials outside of the second ring, making him the wealthiest traveling merchant in the outer second ring.
The impact of the colorful pottery was undeniable.
When Christina took it out, the gazes of many traveling merchants fell on it with greed and desire, wanting to possess such beautiful pottery.
Xavier was no different.
In his mind, he couldn't help but think, "Where did Christina get this colorful pottery from? If I can find out, it could bring me immense wealth!"
However, he didn't show his greed.
In the luxurious hall, Xavier touched the colorful pottery and smiled. "Christina, I can offer you fifteen hundred gold leaves each. Of course, for the safety of the goods, I need to ensure the source of these colorful pottery is clean. I don't want any trouble."
Christina replied coldly, "There's no issue with the source, but I can't tell you where they're from."
Xavier shook his head and waved his hand. "I'm sorry then."
Christina said nothing more, collected the pottery, and began to leave. As she neared the door, she heard Xavier's regretful sigh. Christina paused, a faint smile appearing briefly on her lips before vanishing. She turned back and said firmly, "Xavier, the price for these colorful pottery has just gone up!"
Xavier cursed loudly, "You're not being fair!"
Christina remained unmoved by his protestations.
In the end, the five pieces of colorful pottery were sold as a set for a total of nine thousand gold leaves, leaving Richard amazed and Douglas and the others utterly shocked upon hearing the price. They couldn't fathom such a sum of nine thousand gold leaves.
However, Christina had a deep understanding of this. She remarked, "If it were within the inner ring, the price would be even higher. For the big shots in the inner ring, they don't care how many gold leaves they have to spend.They only care if the goods are unique."
These words left Douglas and his companions deep in thought.
In the following days, they procured yaks from various places, gathered manpower to form a large caravan.
At the same time, they purchased a series of goods in preparation to depart for the Crimson Star Tribe.
...
Meanwhile.
At another location, in a two-story bamboo building.
What was once a spacious courtyard had become somewhat cramped. Enzo had planted seeds throughout, using the power of totems to accelerate their growth. Among them were many flowers and some vegetables, including previously unseen varieties like the red lantern fruit, sweet when ripe yet offering a unique flavor when cooked.
These innovations were highly popular within the tribe.
In addition to these, there were blue eggplants, mutated giant pumpkins...
There was a growing variety of vegetables within the tribe. Offering a level of luxury allowed different delicious meals to be enjoyed repeatedly for several days, which was something unimaginable to any tribesperson in the past.
"Enzo!"
Amy's shout echoed through.
Enzo put away his scepter, which he had just used to sense the current situation of the tribe. He discovered that the tribe's activities had expanded several times over. Due to the involvement of many outsiders, especially in the easy-to-learn field of farming, suitable areas outside the camp had been almost entirely converted into fields, where potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other staples were now planted.
However, during his observations, he sensed something was amiss.
Someone was casting a gaze from a very distant place.
Unfortunately, when he tried to use the scepter again to perceive this, the prying gaze disappeared, as if it had never been there.
Seeing Amy, Enzo smiled and asked, "Amy, what's the matter now?"
Amy was there to report joyfully, "The tribe has now built ten large warehouses made of bricks, with some hay used for moisture-proofing. Currently, three warehouses are filled with potatoes and sweet potatoes, and one warehouse stores a large amount of smoked meat, along with salt, dried chili, and other supplies. Ward and I discussed it; the warehouses are sufficient for now, so we can move on to constructing other facilities."
Upon hearing this, Enzo fell into thought.
Since implementing the promotion of currency and establishing the Adventurer's Association, the various resources of the Crimson Star Tribe had been growing rapidly. The tribe's footprint had reached every corner of the jungle, collecting all kinds of crops growing there, yet cotton had not been found, nor any suitable substitutes.
Moreover, the weather had begun to turn colder.
In the marketplace, the price of animal skins had skyrocketed, but there were few buyers.
The food stored in the warehouses was sufficient, but the next consideration was how to safely get everyone through the coming winter. Perhaps they could build large brick houses to shelter from the wind and snow, encouraging people to stay indoors and reduce outdoor activity.
Or perhaps they could raid Plata Plain.
Just as Enzo contemplated these options, Neville hurried over.
Breathless, he spoke urgently, "Lord Enzo, our people have been attacked on the edge of the jungle! Not just ours, but many members of the Adventurer's Association have also been attacked!"
Enzo furrowed his brow and asked, "You mean an attack?"
The jungle where the Crimson Star Tribe now resided appeared to be composed of many tribes on the surface.
In reality, however, it had become the territory of the Crimson Star Tribe.
This was never explicitly stated, but all tribes deeply acknowledged it. After the establishment of the Adventurer's Association, Gene, along with priests from many tribes, proposed naming this jungle the Crimson Star Jungle, thereby highlighting the Crimson Star Tribe's status.
In other words, the Crimson Star Tribe was the uncrowned ruler of this jungle.
There was no reason and no courage for tribes within the jungle to launch attacks against members of the Crimson Star Tribe.
Clearly, the attackers came from outside the jungle — from Plata Plain.
Neville nodded and reported, "Lord Enzo, upon learning of the attacks, we investigated the areas where they occurred. We found footprints of Giant Bone Wolves and evidence of wind-blade cuts. We can be certain these attacks originated from tribes in Plata Plain, most likely the Mpondo Tribe."
Neville's report plunged Enzo into deep thought.
He called for Jessica and asked, "Jessica, how many teams from the Adventurer's Association have taken on the mission to eliminate the Plata Plain tribes?"
Jessica hurriedly replied, "Ten teams have already taken on the mission."
Since its formal establishment, at Enzo's invitation,Priest Lucy had agreed to become the vice-president of the association, overseeing its affairs, while Jessica also assisted with the association's tasks.
Upon hearing Jessica's report, a smile crept onto Enzo's lips.
He turned to Neville and said, "Neville, get ready. This time, you will lead. The Crimson Star Tribe is about to take the first step towards conquering Plata Plain!"