The actions of Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, were naturally observed by Linde. Although the surroundings were a bit noisy, he could still barely hear Kaf's instructions to his subordinates, understanding that White Deer Wenda should have been locked up.
Seeing this, Linde had no intention of waiting for the worship ceremony to finish, because he knew very well that these ceremonies normally took over an hour to conclude, so he transmitted an order to Glory.
Upon receiving the order, Glory, who had been crouching, stood up and let out a low growl at the shaman who was conducting the worship ceremony. Then, she turned and walked to Linde's side, and under the gaze of the shaman and others, she affectionately leaned her head against Linde.
Those who believed in the Old Gods and witnessed this scene were stunned. They had tried to get close to Glory before, but no matter who attempted to approach Glory, they would be threatened by her, even the tribal shaman. Yet, their worshipped deity was now showing such a close attitude towards a knight from the lowlands, which truly made them feel incredible.
"Nameria, begin!" Linde felt the atmosphere was about right, so he signaled Nameria.
Nameria rode forward two steps, positioning herself at the very front of the group. At the same time, her two female attendants stepped out from her left and right, and loudly declared to the Gravel Tribe ahead, "People of the Gravel Tribe, before you is Earl Na Melilia Fudeli, the Lord of Tengshi Town, and also the owner of the land beneath your feet. Where are the leader and shaman of the Gravel Tribe? Step forward now and meet your master."
While the female attendant was introducing Nameria, Linde's personal guards, under his instruction, spread out to both sides, simultaneously taking out their short bows and holding them in their hands. On the other side, Nameria's Earl's guard also dispersed in an orderly fashion around Nameria and Linde, guarding them in the center, ready to block any potential attacks for them.
"We, the Gravel Tribe, are all free people; we have no master." Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, couldn't help but roar loudly after hearing the female attendant's introduction. He then led his people out and came before Linde and his group. He looked at Nameria, then turned his head to Linde and said, "I know you, Bear Hunter Lind. I heard you are the Seven Kingdoms' greatest swordsman."
Linde ignored the greeting and directly asked, "Where is White Deer Wenda?"
Kafu, the Gravel Tribe leader, changed his expression slightly, about to explain White Deer Wenda's situation, but someone behind him shouted, "That traitorous bitch is dead! We've already butchered and eaten her! Her meat is still in the pot right now, do you want a share? Damn lowlanders!"
Linde knew White Deer Wenda's situation and naturally ignored the person's words, but Nameria did not. She had gotten along very well with White Deer Wenda during this time, their relationship like sisters. Hearing that White Deer Wenda had been harmed, her anger immediately flared up. Without thinking much, she directly pulled out the great axe from her saddle and flung it at the person who spoke.
The great axe spun in the air, directly striking the person. The immense force not only split the person from shoulder to chest but also carried the corpse flying, knocking down several people before it landed on the ground.
The moment Nameria flung the axe, she also spurred her horse forward, reaching the corpse as it fell to the ground and pulling out the great axe.
Immediately, the surrounding people, seeing someone had made a move, didn't think much and all took up their weapons, attacking Nameria.
Nameria was equally decisive; her great axe flew, chopping horizontally and vertically, effortlessly dispatching three charging tribal warriors. Another tribal warrior who rushed forward was grabbed by the throat, and with a squeeze, she snapped his neck.
The people around instantly quieted down. Those who had picked up their weapons, ready to attack Nameria, also stopped in their tracks.
Nameria casually threw the corpse to the ground, then rode her horse back to Linde's side and quietly asked, "I think I was impulsive just now. Wenda isn't dead, is she?"
"Probably not. To completely dismember, cook, and eat someone as big as Wenda, fifteen minutes wouldn't be enough," Linde analyzed for Nameria from a different perspective.
Nameria wiped the blood from her face, shrugged, and said nothing more.
Linde turned to the enraged Kaf and said, "Gravel Tribe leader, that is the price of speaking incorrectly. You must think carefully about what you say, otherwise, you will only find death."
"Are you threatening me, Bear Hunter?" Kaf glared at Linde, then turned and shouted loudly to the people of the Gravel Tribe, "Are we, the Gravel Tribe, afraid of threats? Tell me loudly, are we afraid?"
At this moment, the people of the Gravel Tribe should have shouted in unison, and the morale that had just been dampened by Nameria would have returned to its peak.
But just as Kaf's voice fell, Glory let out an extremely loud roar that scared all the surrounding animals into scattering. Those who were about to shout in cooperation with their leader were all so startled that they swallowed their shouts. Everyone fell silent, making Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, look like a clumsy clown who had put on his best performance but received no applause.
"Leader of the Gravel Tribe, I am not threatening you; I am merely stating a fact." Linde rode forward a few steps, coming before Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, then loudly declared to the Gravel Tribe members who were still stunned by the roar, "The Earl Nameria and I have only one purpose: to make the entire Gravel Tribe citizens of Tengshi Town."
"We don't need a master, we live very well!" Someone shouted in rebuttal.
"Whether you need a master or live well, we don't care. I'm just telling you what we are going to do, and you only have one chance," Linde said, looking coldly at the people of the Gravel Tribe. "If you give up this chance, then the next time we come, we will only bring you death."
"Our tribe has a thousand warriors, we can kill you right now!" Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, also recovered from his embarrassment and shouted loudly.
"Yes! We have a thousand warriors, we are not afraid of you lowlanders!" Someone in the crowd immediately responded, and their morale seemed to start recovering again.
"A thousand warriors!" Linde scoffed, then dismounted directly and walked to Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, saying, "I stand right here. Your Gravel Tribe can send a thousand warriors to duel me. As long as you can kill me in the duel, then Earl Nameria will acknowledge that this land is yours and will never drive you away. But if I kill your thousand warriors in the duel, then... it seems you have no other choice. How about it, do you dare to gamble with me? This duel, no matter how you look at it, you are completely in a favorable position. Don't you even dare to do this?"
Facing Linde's provocation, none of the Gravel Tribe people spoke, even those who had shouted the loudest earlier fell silent.
Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, knew Linde's identity and had heard of his reputation. He naturally knew that Linde had almost achieved the feat of killing a hundred people in a team martial arts tournament, and those hundred people were all experienced warriors.
Facing such a powerful person, he felt that even if the Gravel Tribe had a thousand people, it probably wouldn't be enough for him to kill.
Just as the surroundings fell silent, the shaman, who had not spoken since the beginning, suddenly asked, "What benefits do we get from becoming citizens of Tengshi Town?"
"Grandma Viz, are you crazy! How dare you..." Kaf suddenly turned his head, glaring at the old shaman and questioning her.
But before Kaf's question could be fully uttered, the old shaman calmly said, "Can you escape the fangs of the Shadow of Death?"
Kaf was stumped. With a hint of fear in his eyes, he looked at Glory not far away. He wanted to say he could, but he knew very well that if that giant beast wanted to kill him, even if he hid in his cave, protected by others, he would still die, just like the leader of the Dan family in the tribe.
The old shaman then turned to everyone present and asked, "What about you? Can you escape the reaping of the Shadow of Death?"
Everyone present fell silent. The shock, fear, and reverence Glory had brought them recently were too intense, so intense that once anything involving Glory came up, they couldn't muster any resistance.
The old shaman then turned back to Kaf and said, "Since that's the case, what are you still holding onto? Do you really want the entire tribe to become piles of white bones before you are willing to let go of your power?"
Hearing the old shaman's words, Kaf seemed to realize something. He turned to the old shaman and asked, "Did you see something?"
The old shaman did not answer, only looked at Linde and Glory, who had already walked to Linde's side.
At this moment, White Deer Wenda emerged from the crowd, showing no signs of distress. It seemed she held a certain status within the Gravel Tribe; even when captured, no one dared to do anything to her.
"Earl, Lord Linde, I apologize for making you worry." White Deer Wenda bowed to Nameria and Linde respectively.
Linde, who already knew White Deer Wenda's situation, merely nodded slightly in response.
"It's good that you're alright," Nameria said with a smile, though the bloodstains on her made her appear less friendly.
White Deer Wenda then turned to Kaf, the Gravel Tribe leader, and said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the Stone Hall! Call all the family leaders of the tribe. This is not something you alone can decide, Kaf."
Kaf wanted to retort but didn't know how. He could only glare at White Deer Wenda, then turned and stomped back into the tribe.
The old shaman did not press further about the treatment they would receive as citizens. After bowing to Linde and Nameria, she walked to Glory and bowed to her as well, then led her people back into the tribe.
At this time, some people also came out from inside the tribe and tidied up the few individuals Nameria had just dealt with. As they cleared the bodies, they occasionally looked at Nameria, but their gaze held no hatred; instead, it was filled with awe.
Although it couldn't compare to the shock brought by Glory, Nameria had dispatched four or five tribal warriors in plain sight with just a few moves. Such formidable martial prowess was something they had never witnessed, which caused some of the more strength-worshipping individuals in the tribe to involuntarily develop a sense of reverence for Nameria, and subconsciously felt that even becoming a subordinate of such a powerful warrior like Nameria was not unacceptable.
White Deer Wenda knew that the worst was over, and that the complete subjugation of the Gravel Tribe would not be a major problem going forward.
She let out a slight sigh of relief in her heart, turned to Linde, and said, "I never imagined that your way of subduing the Gravel Tribe would be so tough, so direct?"
"This is the Savage Tribes," Linde replied.
White Deer Wenda naturally understood Linde's unspoken meaning and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Then she turned to Nameria and said, "Lady Nameria, you stay outside for a while. Lord Linde and I will go in..."
Nameria rejected White Deer Wenda's suggestion, stating in an unyielding tone, "No, I must go in. They are becoming citizens of my Tengshi Town; I must personally participate in this matter."
Linde said nothing. He didn't think there would be any danger entering the Gravel Tribe, and even if there were, he wasn't worried about Nameria's safety. From Nameria's performance just now, it was clear that there was probably no one in the Gravel Tribe who could threaten her. Even if it came to a fight, Linde wouldn't have to worry about Nameria and could fight without restraint.
Afterward, Linde instructed his personal guards to remain outside the tribe but to stay vigilant. Although he felt that things wouldn't change much and that subduing the Gravel Tribe was a foregone conclusion, circumstances are unpredictable, and until the very last moment, who can be absolutely certain?
Although Nameria also didn't want the Earl's guard to accompany her into the Gravel Tribe, Linde and White Deer Wenda both advised her not to take such a risk, which made her change her mind.
After making their decision, the group entered the Gravel Tribe, with Glory following alongside.
It was interesting that on their way to the Gravel Tribe's council hall, many ordinary people of the Gravel Tribe looked at them with fear, or more accurately, at Glory. Many of them even knelt and bowed to Glory by the roadside, and those around them didn't find anything wrong with it.
"This is the first time I've felt my prestige is inferior to a beast?" Nameria couldn't help but mock herself after noticing this scene.
"Glory is no ordinary beast." Linde smiled and reached out to stroke Glory's head. The moment he stroked Glory's head, all those who witnessed the action gasped in admiration and looked at Linde with an indescribably complex expression.
Linde momentarily felt that his action of stroking Glory just now was a very foolish one.
Fortunately, this path was not very long. After crossing several steps, they arrived at a stone house built beneath a protruding rock, using the rock as its roof.
When they entered the house, a dozen people were already seated. Everyone's gaze immediately fell upon Glory, as if Glory was the one who had initiated this tribal meeting.
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