Chapter 141
hBd3srm“What did you just say?”TavI
VEKThe sharp gazes of the tribal chiefs pierced Otar.EPk2
XhtIelThe pressure radiating from the eyes of four warriors hardened by years of battle was enough to intimidate even a seasoned fighter.lyY
oMkT76pHowever, despite those hostile looks, Otar let out a dry, almost provocative laugh.wOCO
J49“I said you’re dreaming. Before you get your hopes up for nothing and end up disappointed, it’d be better to stop thinking nonsense.”SCrJMr
pQRggjT“What are you saying?”SpMR5
MFDF“Using people in the right roles? Sounds nice, but that only works if we have superior skills compared to the people beyond the tundra. If their technology is more advanced, why bother identifying talent?”suGCk8
MNkIThe blow struck right at the weak point. The tribal chiefs were left speechless.Y2HhUi
i2bGNfNJust as Otar said, if the technology of those who lived beyond the tundra surpassed that of the tundra folk, there would be no reason to handpick specialists.2Tvj
dod7zuIt would be quicker to train anyone from scratch.H5B6
0QlcHSkal, who had been the first to speak, realized that too, but unable to let go of hope, he snapped back bitterly.GoGlr
7wjKb“It doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t know what kind of skills the people beyond have. Maybe we’re better in some areas.”RqsDD
8UregXV“Do you really believe that?”0CZ
Ty7F7D“Why not?”6iBvAG
VwZRo“For someone trying to act like a strategist, you’re pretty naive.”wDnW
7U1“What did you say?”v5zAI6
XYw6kSkal’s face turned red from the sudden humiliation.q7E
SO7GoRRThe atmosphere turned tense immediately, but Otar just let out a long sigh, as if they weren’t understanding something obvious.2FZGBvl
MtaCAF5“Let’s ask just one question. Between a warrior who has swung an axe a hundred times and one who’s swung it a thousand times, who do you think wields it better?”2gAhnne
zja“Are you mocking me?”fhDEL5
VVWBFi“Just answer. A hundred or a thousand?”eeX
rutx“A thousand, if there’s no difference in talent! So what?”mwBa
QHU“Then, between a blacksmith who has hammered iron a hundred times and another who’s done it a thousand times, who’ll craft better items?”LULRy6N
OoV“What the hell are you…?”bVMEO
CZGKazSkal stopped mid-sentence. He finally understood where Otar was going.9yO
UFZOtar clicked his tongue and looked around at the other chiefs, who still didn’t fully grasp it.JNOunQ
SUV5“I don’t know much about what’s beyond the tundra, but I’ve heard a few things. One of them is that compared to us, they have far more resources and people.”PnRX6G
PLkB“And what does that have to do with technique?”pl8u
yWTt0“Think about it. Who do you think has more skill—a blacksmith who can strike metal all day without pause, or one who always works with the same iron and the same weapons?”pdZu5AJ
LXTZf“…!”eHZ
HFqWith those words, the chiefs realized something they had overlooked.AJpaxV
MWtbds1The tundra had a small population and scarce resources, so there were also few artisans.sWdwR
ipFY1weAnd with so few clients, they had even fewer opportunities to refine their craft.bfFLtR
IzIk29OCould those tundra artisans really compete with the ones beyond, who had endless materials and served countless people?F2Up4
XmQFBE“It’s not just blacksmiths. From what I’ve heard, it’s a land that lacks nothing compared to the tundra. So then, with what skills are the tundra folk supposed to surpass them?”u5N
FKk“…”pPA1OQ
MgBUi“In my opinion, the king won’t even bother selecting skilled workers one by one. What he needs from us isn’t technical ability, but loyal warriors.”s8L
RxmIn such a brutal environment, the only thing that toughens is human resilience.8aAu0e
UZuCIf Otar’s assumption was right, Lucian wouldn’t ask for anything more than sturdy soldiers.oa0d
a14lT85And if soldiers were all he wanted, there was no need for complex selection—all tundra folk were strong; he could pick them at random.A6quqDI
uU03ez“T-then… what’s going to happen to us now?”ptDFeC
XyoLn“I don’t know for sure, but we’ll probably be demoted to mere warriors. At the very least, we won’t retain the authority we had as chiefs.”aGFpI
SiAdsh“There’s no way to even keep our dignity as chiefs…?”kX1TJZ6
jI0uHvD“If there is, I’d be the first to want to know it.”h7ROc6P
uz7As the last hope they had clung to vanished, the chiefs’ faces darkened once more.kK7
UhC8kFOtar shook his head and let out yet another sigh—he’d lost count of how many by now.uCgy
rCG“It’s come to this. What else can we do? We just have to accept reality. At least we have experience ruling tribes, so maybe from time to time, they’ll come to us for advice. If we cooperate, maybe we’ll get some honorary post.”WPXC
GvUOf course, they wouldn’t be granted real power.n5z
BzKGiving authority to former rulers would only plant seeds of rebellion. For the chiefs, it was an absurd but inevitable downfall.0bB
UYj4la1The flap of a giant bird’s wings drags countless people along with it.XCzY
WLmPThose who can’t ride on its back end up crushed by the pressure and fall.0x8pz
fPyMThat’s how power had always worked.7lBgmL
RpG1eX***Mdo
5kQQVGThe next day, Lucian gathered the five chiefs and all the tribe members at what had once been the sacred sanctuary of the Blue Dragon Tribe.5yy57C
1nAxjL6He would use the artifact and the dragon heart to stop, once and for all, that damned snowstorm.kyXjT
d38wL“They say the king’s going to stop the storm today.”9bQMU
k6oQ“Is this infernal cold really going to end at last?”2Ruu
BCiHl“Shh, shut your mouth. Don’t jinx it.”I5gI6cU
zeTRJmUnder the curious gazes falling from all directions, Lucian regulated his breathing.pNgYM
K5EBdThe stares didn’t bother him, but what he held in his hands wasn’t just anything—it was an artifact capable of bringing ruin to the entire North if misused.2wswgVL
lnTbEven Lucian couldn’t help but feel tense handling such a relic.wZB
GNgR6Y‘He told me not to touch anything except stop and activate it.’BbzCyVM
09mKjLucian recalled the warnings Marius had repeated endlessly the day before.qhQjY
kAe3— I understand the basic workings, but I haven’t tested it even once. If handled carelessly, we don’t know what kind of disaster could occur. Stopping the storm is just returning something already activated to its original state, so it’s not difficult. But altering the environment again artificially is another matter.6gMl
XdG9According to Marius, in the worst case, it could unleash a disaster even worse than the tundra barrier.jKpoBd
zYy‘I would’ve liked to test it slightly, like the White Castle’s defense systems… but better forget it.’EbsH7J
XHbeuaSwallowing his regret, Lucian placed the artifact on the snow and reconnected the separated dragon heart.4Xiv
XJuBUThough it had already lost about half of its magical energy, it didn’t seem to have any problems activating the artifact.owxPP
XDLCarefully ensuring his hands didn’t slip, he rotated the spherical control mechanism several times.Sp9Ge
CdJGcX7Whirr.KOx
109ptl‘Done!’DWc
uYxmAAfter completing the activation, Lucian took a few steps back from the now brightly glowing artifact.DxY6X
Z5CA moment later, the green light gathered in the dragon heart burst upward toward the sky.TPy5iG
j5A510The crowd murmured in surprise, but the flash was brief. The beam of light dissipated into the air, leaving only silence.fCP
9XSMM1“W-was that it?”nYKd3d
O1LaRd“Is it over already?”gX1
GJDr5Disappointment showed on the faces of the tribespeople.4zuTYY
BummxThey had expected something as spectacular as when Lucian was chosen by the dragon, not just a fleeting flash.AW7
1BjwBut, unlike their disappointment, the effects of that brief glow were anything but small.77X5b
4QB“L-look at the sky! Look at the sky!”SBjgTf6
9ixGv9“The clouds are clearing!”5hNdv
K3nPclJ“The snow’s stopping!”w4jRO7
2tSuAt the near-hysterical cries, all eyes—including Lucian’s group—turned to the sky.NgSaOlv
doqaThe dense clouds, which only cleared about ten days a year, were disappearing as if washed away with water.T5qwBrw
C8JLgbThe snow and blizzard halted instantly, and the temperature began rising rapidly.2At3
MYyvEfWhile everyone watched in stunned silence, Lucian slightly raised an eyebrow.pqEKV
iLCMx‘This is insane. All I did was return the temperature to its original state. If I had manipulated the weather with ill intent…’hhW
NtT7R5TJust imagining it made his skin crawl. If used offensively, that artifact could wipe out nine out of ten people in a region.LtGwPpN
94nStill shaken by its power, Lucian hid his thoughts and proclaimed calmly.DaxLW
OpN9“The path is open! In fifteen days, we march beyond the tundra—so prepare yourselves! The land of salvation awaits!”tyXbDdJ
60tH— Uooooooh!Pe8XQ
g9ke3A roar of joy erupted and shook the entire tundra.ldH8W0
MFPUvFIt was the moment when the wall that had separated the tundra from the Empire for over a thousand years finally vanished.kCo
YnZl***7dsZgGZ
iIVnQPreparations for the migration of the tribes progressed at full speed.RLEEG
G78yiSince they lived in a tundra with scarce food and extreme blizzards, they always had provisions for about fifteen days, and since their household goods were simple, there was almost nothing to pack.O7JjPg
3vxQtjThe only concern was the women and children, who might struggle with such a long journey—but even that turned out to be unnecessary worry.5CNbUr
EfxQJIq“There’s a saying in the tundra—a healthy child crosses two mountains a day, and a weak one, at least one. You can’t compare the endurance of the people here to that of Empire folk.”NO7Yzt7
csR“You mean even the women and children should be treated like sturdy adults?”V2pFho
fdIjTY“More than that. It’s not unusual for a woman who was bedridden to go out and hunt a wild beast as warm-up the moment she recovers.”9WB8
B35“…Are you joking?”yLHq2B
rb3TO“No. To be precise, the animals considered fierce beasts in the Empire are treated here as little more than mountain rabbits.”08FA9
dcQ9lMarius explained that, given how resilient the people were and how scarce the food was, any regular fierce beast was simply considered prey.IEa7
VGw7ZdDespite the tradition of protecting women strictly from danger, they didn’t see those beasts as real threats.x9lI87
idU“You think I said they could be used as an army for nothing? Until now, Your Highness has only seen the warriors, but even the women here are strong enough to snap a grown man’s neck with ease.”D0hSo
qj6At Marius’ smile, Lucian clicked his tongue.7GK
JiY9mHe already knew each inhabitant had strength comparable to a knight, but he didn’t expect that hunting was also a basic skill.enW
NLAgAt this level, even if they recruited anyone in an emergency without distinction, they could form a fairly solid army on the spot.yqM
X2j‘Even without a standing army, they could repel most common forces on their own.’8TFB4sB
pKKaaGThat the inhabitants of his territory possessed such military power would normally be a huge risk for any feudal lord, but Lucian had no reason to worry.rBKkwq
61eJHnxHe had already shown too much to the tundra tribes.ERI
FPysVAs long as they saw him as the prophesied king and their savior—as long as he didn’t let them starve—they wouldn’t dare rebel.zXKh74Z
MPP3eod‘On the contrary, they’ll fiercely reject any ruler who can’t prove their worth. If handled right, they might become a volunteer militia without me lifting a finger.’rLc
zFXyIf he had returned by the easy path, Lucian would have been seen as just another invader, and hopes like this wouldn’t have even crossed his mind.EJkgB
X3quGwHe smiled in satisfaction, thinking all the suffering in the tundra had been worth it.j7uVmd
u9lxKsIt was then—jP5W
rYkMYT“My lord!”BYZQ1X
0EbSLY2Ainar, who had been overseeing the tribes’ migration, came running toward Lucian out of breath.awX
wJp6SSeeing him so flustered—something quite unlike him—Lucian wore a confused expression.Tjnz
D4NjF0“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”jP7nNQ
8jHHThough he’d given a rather tight deadline, there was no one emotionally tied to this land, nor anyone so frail they couldn’t endure the migration.TPgUl2c
ccFMDrUPreparations had gone smoothly for ten days straight, and Lucian had begun to relax, thinking everything was under control.K7cR
wMLoHad something finally gone wrong?bJv
sDm“No. There’s no issue with the migration. But…”FvyoK
uro6AY“But?”A8v
zQL28dv“Some outsiders have arrived—dressed in white iron armor, shouting that they’ve come to see Your Highness. If I’m not mistaken, that’s how they refer to you.”aoLxZ
Zt3KcdV“…!?”19CZ
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