"What did you say?" A tremendous roar erupted from a wooden house within the Earth Tiger Tribe.
The people in the Earth Tiger Tribe froze immediately. There was no mistaking it, this was the Chieftainās voice.
They had never heard the Chieftain roar so loudly before. It had carried to very distant places within the Tribe.
"Whatās wrong with the Chieftain?" Hu Kao asked in confusion.
"How should I know? Probably Yini caused some trouble. After all, only Ci came back this time." Hong Yun shook his head.
Both were Totem Warriors of the Earth Tiger Tribe, veterans from the older generation.
"It shouldnāt be anything serious, should it? But why would that person return? Sheās clearly from another continent," Hu Kao frowned.
"Who knows? I think this matter is probably quite serious."
Hong Yun waved his hand. "Didnāt we agree not to discuss this anymore? The Shaman said that as long as she joined the Earth Tiger Tribe, the past wouldnāt matter."
"I know, I know. Why such a big reaction? You startled me," Hu Kao patted his chest.
"Alright, get back to work. Donāt speculate here," Hong Yun rolled his eyes.
The two only paused briefly before dropping the matter, as there was still much work to do. After all, the rainy season was approaching. If something had happened to Yini, they would find out eventually.
There was no rush. The urgent priority was to prepare protective measures for the incoming rainy season.
Inside the wooden house, Hu Huziās expression was extremely dark. His body had completely risen from his seat.
"Everything I said is true. The Chieftainās plan was discovered. Now, the Flame Dragon Tribe demands we pay reparations," Ci repeated.
From the time the Flame Dragon Tribeās Warriors sent her back until now, only two days had passed. Ci rushed towards the Tribe as soon as she left the hot air balloon. Such an important matter could not be delayed.
"Pay reparations to the Flame Dragon Tribe? What kind of joke is this? Does that Tribe even have the qualifications to demand reparations from us?"
Hu Huzi appeared completely unconcerned. He had never taken the Flame Dragon Tribe seriously. "But why did you return? Whereās Yini? Donāt tell me this is a trap you arranged with another Tribe?"
Upon first hearing they had made this demand, his immediate reaction was anger. Now he almost wanted to laugh.
Finally, he began worrying about his Daughter, since only one person had returned.
"Chieftain, the Flame Dragon Tribe seems to genuinely have some strength, so we shouldnāt take risks. Theyāre holding Yini as a hostage precisely to ensure we comply with their demands." Ciās tanned face showed concern. She worried about Yiniās safety and felt somewhat guilty that she should have returned as the representative instead.
As for her assessment of the Flame Dragon Tribeās capabilities, this was her conclusion from spending those days there.
She felt the Flame Dragon Tribeās possession of so many amazing items was not that simple. This might be related to their strength.
Of course, this was merely speculation. There might be other reasons.
Otherwise, with so many powerful Tribes on this continent, why didnāt they have the great items that the Flame Dragon Tribe possessed?
"If they had strength, they wouldnāt be a Small Tribe. If they had strength, they would be more assertive. They wouldnāt be using you to convey demands for reparations like this."
Hu Huzi took a large gulp of Ferocious Beast Blood. He clearly didnāt regard the Flame Dragon Tribe highly. "To think I would be afraid just because theyāre keeping my Daughter at the Flame Dragon Tribe? Utterly laughable."
"Chieftain, wasnāt their territory occupied by the Black Snake Tribe for a time? They only reclaimed it recently. To have developed to this extent is already impressive." Yini was still somewhat worried. "So we should still be careful. The rainy season is approaching, and we shouldnāt take risks. Yini is still in their hands."
"Tell me about the Flame Dragon Tribeās situation. Then Iāll decide what to do next," Hu Huzi asked.
After all, Yini was in their hands. No matter how much he looked down on the Flame Dragon Tribe, he had to understand the opposition properly.
"The Flame Dragon Tribeās has a lot of Warriors patrolling. I specifically observed for several days and discovered that each batch of Warriors seems somewhat differentā¦" Ci recounted everything from the previous days. "Besides that, they have some very strange weapons that weāve never seen before."
For this, she had specifically asked many people from other Tribes at the Central Market. The answer she received was that no one had seen them before.
"Based on what youāre saying, the Flame Dragon Tribe is indeed a peculiar Tribe. However, they might also be putting on a show." Hu Huzi frowned. "Precisely to make people think the Flame Dragon Tribe is very strong. This Tribe is quite clever in this regard, but itās merely a pretense."
"Thatās hard to say, Chieftain. Youāre not planning to abandon those Warriors, are you?" Ci immediately began worrying.
Her deepest concern was for Yini, as she had placed so much trust in her. She absolutely could not fail this mission.
Moreover, cultivating a Warrior required tremendous time and energy. Warriors were a Tribeās foundation.
"Why did it have to be Yini? If only it were someone else." Hu Huziās expression was also unpleasant. He naturally understood the importance of the Warriors, and more so his Daughter.
However, comparing Warriors to Shaman Bone Tablets, the Shaman Bone Tablets would certainly stand out more.
Properly utilised, Shaman Bone Tablets could exert power comparable to several Warriors. Moreover, the time required to craft Shaman Bone Tablets might exceed that of training a Warrior.
If his Daughter were not in their hands, he would definitely consider abandoning those Warriors.
"Chieftain, although theyāre demanding many Shaman Bone Tablets, we can negotiate with them. Perhaps the number will decrease," Ci suggested.
She now felt Yiniās words were correct. She was glad she had returned this time. Otherwise, the Chieftain would definitely abandon the remaining Warriors. This was evident from what the Chieftain had just said.
"Demanding fifty Shaman Bone Tablets right away? Do they think our Shaman can create that many each day? That is simply impossible."
Hu Huzi was livid. "We can only give them ten at most. No more than that."
"Chieftain, what about the number of slaves? And the quantity of dried meat?" Ci immediately asked.
"The number of slaves must also be halved. A thousand slaves is impossible. Five hundred at most. This represents over half our Tribeās slaves."
Hu Huziās face had turned red with anger. He continued, "The dried meat is the same. We canāt give too much. Cut it in half as well. We also need to survive through the rainy season."
"Yes, Chieftain. Iāll negotiate with the Flame Dragon Tribeās people immediately," Ci nodded at once.
She was almost eager to leave the Tribe and properly negotiate with the Flame Dragon Tribe.
"Tell them to treat Yini well, or theyāll get nothing." Hu Huzi knew the Flame Dragon Tribeās people were currently not far from the Tribe.
"Yes." Ci nodded emphatically.