Chapter 824 - Flames (1/2)

Chapter 824

Flames

Gui He stared at King City, deep in thought. They weren’t too far away from it now.

King City really was King City.

It laid in the distance like an ancient giant beast. Even if it was silent, it still radiated a majestic and powerful aura. It felt as if the city would start devouring everything that came near in the next second. There was this suffocating tension floating about in the air. Any first-timers to the city would certainly be intimidated.

The slave masters and the descriptions coming from Zheng Luo had diminished any good impressions Gui He had on the city. His hatred towards the people of King City was considerable. However, he could not deny that the city itself was huge. It looked absolutely superior to the cities they had passed along the way. There were definitely good reasons tied to its power. Logically, Gui He felt the need to learn from them to be a better tribe chief.

“So this is King City.”

There were many that shared Gui He’s sentiment. Many had thought that the Flaming River Trading Point was huge enough but this… was certainly out of their expectations. This was probably the largest trading area they had seen in their entire lives. It was only then that they realized that there were indeed bigger things in the world.

Gui He finally understood why Shao Xuan had brought them along to King City. If it wasn’t for this visit, many of the Flaming Horn tribesmen that were blinded by confidence would not be humbled down. The direct experience was much more effective than reprimands. Most of the participants involved in this journey were born and raised on the other continent. There was a considerable difference between their limited knowledge and Zheng Luo’s party. They had benefited greatly from this trip.

The Flaming Horn tribe was developing at an alarming rate. Its rapid speed was too fast for their mentalities to catch up with their ambitions. They needed to sober up for there were still many things to accomplish.

“Do you think our Flaming River Trading Point could achieve such scale in the future?” asked Ao.

“Our Grand Elder said we can,” replied Tuo confidently. The trading point was in the midst of expansion. Following the continuous expansion of the Flaming River Alliance, the trading point would continue to grow in size. Though they too wished to reach a scale as huge as King City, getting too ahead of themselves would create a pompous image. It was better to be rooted and build a solid foundation. The shamans too reminded that defences, population and the human heart were factors that must be considered in this case. Even if he wouldn’t be alive to see their glorious days, he believed that the Flaming Horn’s time would eventually come.

Gui He’s lips were curled into a smile. “I feel the same too.” As soon as his words died, his expression went serious. Gui He raised an arm and swayed it hard.

Patter patter patter—

In front of King City was a huge wide plain. Six flags that bore a totemic pattern were brought forward, lined up in a row and waved in the wind.

Why six totem flags specifically?

Back then, only three flags were used at Chao Qiu City- The Double Horn totem flag of the Flaming Horn tribe, the Dragon flag of the Flaming River Alliance and the totem flag of the Longboat tribe. In this trip to King City, they were joined by the Hui tribe, Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe. The three tribes had gathered together their members and did a headcount. They felt like they were at a loss. Though not many of their tribesmen were involved in the journey, it would be a pity to give up on a chance to show off their existence, piggybacking on the Flaming Horn’s status.

But the totem flags couldn’t be created at ease. In the end, they found a middle-ground approach. They wouldn’t be drawing the totem flag on behalf of their tribes but only to represent this small bunch of members that participated in this journey. This would definitely create a gap in production quality among the totem flags. However, the slave masters and tribesmen here had no idea of how the tribesmen on the other continent worked. As long as the totem flags were shown to them, they would know that the particular tribe had visited King City before. With that, it wouldn’t be a total loss for the three tribes.

Ta held the Flaming Horn’s totem flag and stabbed its pole into the ground. Pang!- The surface dirt and grass flew up. He released his grip and allowed the totem flag to stand independently in silence.

He rolled his shoulders, locking gazes with Ao in a silent exchange. As someone who was a seasoned hunt leader, Ta could clearly feel the hostility coming from the city gates. Perhaps it wouldn’t be an easy feat for them to get past King City’s gates.

Were they afraid?

Of course not!

After exercising his joints, Ta wrapped his fingers around the flagpole again and plucked it out from the ground.

The earlier thud that rang from the totem flag’s landing had snapped the tribesmen back to reality from the sheer surprise of seeing King City. As the flags flapped in the wind loudly, their fears were chased away.

Was King City scarier than the fearsome beasts and forests? They weren’t afraid of the fearsome beasts lurking the deep forests. What was there left to fear of King City? Plus, they all believed that the Flaming River Trading Point would someday surpass King City. The Double Horns would succeed in everything they wish to accomplish!

Perhaps the shift in the Flaming Horn members attitude was contagious. Soon, the other tribesmen slowly adjusted their emotions.

Indeed. What was there to be afraid of? Plus, the Flaming Horns would protect them from any potential trouble.

The horn from the city gate sounded after the long wolf howl. A commotion was detected at the gates, the guards’ armours were glowing with a golden sheen as they moved.

Noticing that, many began to step forward with their respective leaders. They rolled their joints, the knives, swords, axes and hammers in their grips thirsty for action. Some were even screaming out in excitement as they strode forward. Their behaviour seemed more like they were about to invade the city rather than anything else.

Frankly, the shock was mutual. While the tribesmen were blown away by King City’s majesty, the city guards were equally surprised by the sheer number of visiting tribesmen. The sight of the approaching army of tribes sent shivers down their spine. Though many among the Flaming River Alliance weren’t necessarily as skilled in battle, the tribesmen had chosen the right time and right location to conjure an intimidating impression. The tribesmen looked like they were capable of tearing down thousands of soldiers! Currently on this continent, perhaps only trained troops or even a few tribes that lived in the deep mountains were able to achieve this. This was the advantage of the tribesmen’s recent fire seed merging. With united hearts, the influence of ancient fire seeds was present.