The Magician's Journey

  The tribe quickly sprang into action and soon set up a simple defensive position, with the outermost being a shallow ditch. Although time was too short to dig it too deep, it was enough to cause trouble for the cavalry. Behind the ditch, a row of abatis was placed, which had been prepared by the tribe long ago and only needed to be put out. We were surprised that a tribe of over 200 people always carried abatis with them at all times. Chief Sindah, however, said that the grasslands were not peaceful, and nomadic tribes often suffered from small-scale bandit attacks, so not only were all members of the tribe, young and old, strong warriors, but these combat materials were also essential to have on hand.

  As expected, looking around, there isn't a single idle person in the entire tribe at this moment. Even children are helping adults transport arrows and other items. Everyone who can hold a weapon is at their post, armed and ready to face whatever comes next. There aren't any elderly, weak, women or children that need protection - something unthinkable in human society.

  "No wonder the beastmen are so powerful. If one is always fighting, they can't help but become strong!" Ivan exclaimed.

  Dakuru said proudly: "In our tribe, anyone who can walk is a warrior. Every green-skinned orc is a brave warrior. The weak have already died on the battlefield. As many orcs as you see, that's how many brave warriors you'll see!"

  "Hmph, brave warrior, I wonder who was chased away by a bunch of small snakes?" Xiluo sneered from the side.

  Daku Lu awkwardly scratched his already disheveled hair, laughing: "Bravery and recklessness are two different things, we Shamanic beastmen are wise, why would we go to the extent of sacrificing our own lives for no reason, heh heh..."

  Xi Lu snorted disdainfully and stopped arguing with him.

  Just as they were speaking, a dense cavalry appeared on the distant horizon, moving quickly but seemingly making no sound. The chieftain and Dakuru's faces changed color at the same time, and they exclaimed in unison: "It's the Wolf Cavalry!" Then the two of them stared at each other in shock, with the chieftain saying in confusion: "At this time, how can Imperial Wolf Cavalry appear here? And isn't our rear direction the Imperial City?"

  Dakuru shook his head and said, "There is only one explanation. The Tartari chieftain who guards the western border of our empire, the younger brother of our great chieftain, has rebelled! These wolf cavalry legions are their vanguard! Our teacher had long ago said that Tartari was dissatisfied with his older brother's succession to the position of great chieftain. When Great Chieftain Safiros appointed him to guard the western frontier, our teacher strongly opposed it. It seems that this has now become a reality."

  "What's to be done now? Fighting is out of the question and running doesn't seem like an option either," Ivan said.

  Xinda furrowed his brow, hesitated for a moment, then resolutely beckoned to his son, a robust and powerful beastman. He looked deeply into his son's eyes and said: "Kuka, now I will pass on the position of chief to you, and as my last command as chief, I order you to lead all the young and strong men in the tribe to follow Shaman Dakuru-sama and retreat, and protect their safety. We'll hold out here for a while, giving you time to withdraw!"

  Kuka was shocked and stared at his father, saying: "No! Father, let me stay with you and fight side by side. Our tribe is full of brave warriors, there are no cowards who fear death!"

  Xinda kicked Kuka to the ground with one foot and shouted loudly, "It's not your turn to speak! Do you want the whole tribe to perish because of your recklessness? You are carrying the mission of continuing the tribe and avenging us! I'm old, only you are the hope of the tribe! Go! Follow the footsteps of Shaman Master! Take the children with you and complete your own mission!"

  Kuka scrambled to his feet, crying loudly, and knelt down on the ground to kowtow to his father several times. He said: "Father, please take care of yourself! If you're lucky enough to break through in the end, please come find your son!"

  Shinda's expression softened, and he gently pulled up his son, Kuka, who was looking at his father with red eyes. Shinda smiled slightly, looked up at his towering son, who was a head taller than him, and patted his shoulder lightly, saying: "Don't worry, I just need to delay them for a moment, we'll break through, and if we're lucky, we'll meet again. Don't be so downhearted. You've grown up, you're no longer the little wolf cub that needs to snuggle in your mother's arms to drink milk. Now you are a wolf on the grasslands, accumulating strength, waiting for the right moment to show your sharp teeth and make the enemy's flesh and blood your delicious meal!"

  Kuka nodded, knelt down on one knee, and lowered his head. Sindra took out the symbol of the chieftain's scepter, gently placed one end of the scepter on Kuka's shoulder, and loudly declared: "I, as the 72nd generation chieftain of the Lang Wolf tribe, solemnly declare that you, Kuka, become our tribe's 73rd generation chieftain. I hope you inherit the unyielding will of our ancestors, lead our Lang Wolf tribe to grow and develop continuously, and become the strongest force on the grasslands!" After the simple ceremony, Sindra handed over the scepter in his hand to Kuka.

  Kuka took over the sceptre, stood up and immediately gathered the young men and children of the tribe to prepare for departure. Those who heard the news did not show any signs of panic; fathers handed their weapons over to their sons, wives helped their husbands, girls helped their lovers pack, mothers fed their young children one last time and added a piece of animal hide clothing... Everyone was busy quickly and quietly, as if they were just sending their loved ones off on a distant hunting trip.

  Soon, the team was ready to depart, and we noticed that the people who stayed behind had given all the war wolves of the tribe to those who were about to leave, while there wasn't a single wolf left in the camp for riding. It was clear that none of these people who stayed behind wanted to leave. Sindar's words to his son about breaking through were also clearly just comforting Kuka. Seeing this scene, Freya asked with some sadness: "Our custom is indeed to let the old and weak women and children think of ways to retreat, why do they do the opposite?"

  Evan said calmly, "For the tribes on the grasslands, everything is about survival. The probability of young and strong people leaving is obviously higher than that of the old and weak. Moreover, as long as the elite of the tribe remain, they can continue to grow and develop, while even if the old, weak women escape, they cannot continue the tribe."

  Evan's words left everyone speechless, we all knew he was right, but it felt extremely cruel.

  As our troops set out, the bonfires in the tribal campsite behind us became a small dot. Kuka and all the young men of the tribe stopped their mounts at the same time, turned their heads to look back at where their loved ones were, remained silent for a moment, then turned their heads together and galloped towards the distance. Faintly, the distant sound of killing roars came from afar, countless fire arrows crisscrossing in the night sky.