Chapter: 362
After all the trouble of coming down to the frontlines, the Barandi tribe didn’t stick around for long. Even a kid throwing a tantrum on Sunday morning would have more staying power than them.
But the Barandi’s quick exit sent shockwaves through the other tribes. Up until now, they were considered neutral, but the moment they made contact with the Empire’s envoy, they bolted from the frontlines. It was clear as day that even the Barandi were turning pro-Empire.
Sure, the Barandi tribe’s military might wasn’t going to change the tide of battle or even shake up the lines; their only real strength was their symbolic leader, the priest, who held influence over the northern tribes. They’re basically on par, if not surpassing, Khans in authority when it comes to faith.
“Kirgian tribe has surrendered. They bowed their heads in fear of the enemy’s blade, but now they wish to serve the Empire after finally understanding the heavens’ will.”
“The Virst tribe has disarmed, offering five hundred horses in hopes of favorable treatment.”
With the once-thriving Kaitan tribe alongside the Barandi, named tribes were quickly surrendering to the Empire, and others followed suit, crashing down like dominos. They were likely in such a rush that they didn’t even wait for contact with the Empire to bow down.
Before Barandi teamed up with us, they probably thought they could just play neutral and not actively oppose the Empire, which is honestly what I thought too alongside Vice Captain. Even a pack of mutts being quiet is a win in my book.
However, with more influential figures submitting to the Empire, we didn’t need to wait for the other tribes to capitulate. Why wait for the bus to fill up when we can take just the necessary passengers and leave?
As such, the tribes waiting for the Empire’s envoy scrambled to get on board. There’s no way they wanted to be left behind when the doors closed!
“Chief Digera of the Digera tribe has contacted General Lavirje. He is ready to sacrifice himself for mercy upon his tribe.”
We even had a situation where a tribe engaged with the Imperial army at the front decided to surrender.
‘Faith is important after all.’
It was shocking. The Digera tribe had constantly been visible on the battlefield since the war began, launching fierce offensives even more so after the Barandi made an appearance. Judging by how the priest’s arrival triggered the surrender, they must have been pretty devout.
But that priest just swooped in and surrendered to the Empire. The faith that led them to fight so far had now been handed over to the Empire—what a blow to morale.
“While the crimes committed by the Digera tribe aren’t minor, they recognized their sins and have yielded to the divine will. The chief shall pass down his position to his child and retire as punishment.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I will relay this.”
The judgment by the Vice Captain prompted the aide to bow and take hold of the communicator. The punishment seemed lenient for someone who had caused considerable damage to the Imperial army, but since the Digera chief was the first among the rebellious tribes to surrender, showing some mercy was a smart PR move.
Now, it wasn’t just the tribes that were neutral or surrendering; even deeply devout tribes among the rebellious would be thrown into chaos, and each time they mulled over their situation, they’d think of the Digera tribe and hold on to a glimmer of hope.
If they surrendered now, maybe they could save their skins.
‘Thanks to that, things are going smoothly. Much appreciated.’
The overwhelmingly positive situation prompted me to express gratitude to the Eternal Blue Sky. If it weren’t for cases like the Kaitan tribe, many tribes would likely have surrendered without the Eternal Blue Sky’s influence, but the Barandi’s involvement significantly sped up both the scale and timing of those surrenders—no denying that.
The treasures and marks from the Eternal Blue Sky drew the priest in, uniting parts of the North under his influence. While the circumstances leading to obtaining those treasures might leave a sour taste, I definitely got some help from it.
– …..
But something felt off. Usually, the one I revere would toss out jokes while strutting around in ego, but now… nothing.
What gives? Did some fairies catch him and take him to fairy jail? That would really mess with your conversational skills.
– Strange…
Thankfully, not long after, I finally got a response.
– The priest… shows no reaction whatsoever…
I almost tilted my head at that. I knew the priest wasn’t doing his job, but this priest had just seen the treasures. By the logic of the Eternal Blue Sky, something should change.
– Right now, there aren’t any temples or treasures in the North, so he can’t act like a real priest. But once he’s seen those treasures? He’s gotta feel something! He’ll know I’m still around and be keen to offer worship! That’ll give me power, and I can use that to revive the World Tree!
Before negotiating with the Barandi tribe, I had asked the Eternal Blue Sky what would happen if I handed over the treasures to the priest, and with excitement and anticipation, he had replied.
Hearing that, I had confidently unveiled the treasures to the priest and made the declaration to hand them over. I thought the Barandi tribe would come on board, reclaiming their genuine faith and helping restore the Eternal Blue Sky.
However, to my dismay, it seems the priest only joined the Empire.
– N-No way! If he’s a priest—even if just by name… he shouldn’t be this unresponsive to the treasure…
The pitiful mutterings of the Eternal Blue Sky echoed in my head.
Honestly, even if the Barandi tribe had surrendered, I would’ve been fine with it as is, but seeing the panicked Eternal Blue Sky made it impossible to ignore. After all, I got the easy surrender from the Barandi tribe thanks to him. Flipping it aside wouldn’t be right.
‘Hey. Just in case—’
– What? What? Do you have some inkling?
I cautiously approached, and the Eternal Blue Sky reacted like his hair was on fire.
His response made me hesitate to say what I was thinking, but I finally gathered the courage to speak. At the very least, I should know the cause so I can think of a way to fix it.
‘Are you certain he knows it’s a divine item?’
– Huh?
His voice was between confusion and panic. But then, perhaps it wasn’t entirely out of scope.
‘Can a non-functioning priest recognize a divine item? It’s something that he probably had no clue about until I took it out of the sheath.
If he were a sincere priest, he might have at least sensed it or carefully observed it.
But instead, he just looked at the treasure as I placed it on the table. Come to think of it, he didn’t even touch it. I was impressed he could decipher its importance just by looking, but it seemed he just let it slide by. He probably just assumed it was something he couldn’t identify anyway.
Regardless, that shocking possibility left the Eternal Blue Sky silent for a while.
– …Want to take a shot at being a priest? You have the marks and the divine item, right? You seem like you’d be more devoted than him.
That offer sounded strangely off-key.
‘I’ll pass, thanks.’
That day, I discovered that even gods can cry.
Not that I particularly wanted to know that.
*
It seemed that nearly all the tribes ready to move had made their decision. Giving any more time would be excessive.
“The Barandi tribe has surrendered as well.”
I leaned my head back and muttered. The last remaining priest, the sole survivor among countless priests and the Chief of the Dawn Sect, had bowed his head to the imperial mandate.
The Barandi chief, being the only priest, had kept his role so low-key that it was hard to gauge his overall position. Would he confront the Empire as a priest or aim for self-preservation? That question has now been answered. The priest of the heavens chose to bow before the Empire’s decree. The chances of those with faith still in their hearts following in his footsteps just went up.
‘The distinctions have been made.’
I finally untangled the jumble of threads. Each different strand could finally be separated.
Previously, I had wanted to weave those differing threads into one cohesive piece, but failed materials are just trash. The best I could do is salvage some value from it.
“Khans!”
“Ah, I should get going.”
At the sound of a voice from outside, I stood up. Now that the separating was done, it was time to act.
As I stepped outside the tent, Keshik, the one who had called for me, bowed his head. Warriors atop their horses surrounded the camp.
“Is everyone gathered?”
At that, the warriors at the front dismounted and knelt.
“Solgo from the Chaujid tribe arrives with one thousand three hundred warriors to answer the Khan’s call!”
“Kadana from the Kiulaya tribe arrives with eight hundred warriors to answer the Khan’s call!”
“Hetzha from the Sogul tribe arrives with seven hundred warriors to answer the Khan’s call!”
“Mandaba from the Toorir tribe arrives with one thousand warriors to answer the Khan’s call!”
Afterwards, nearly ten chieftains lowered their heads and shouted in unison. Warriors who had endured three long years for the sake of combat with the Empire shouted under the heavens.
“Halalan Dashan awaits the Khan’s command with five thousand Kesik!”
Nodding at the final report, I stepped forward.
Over ten thousand warriors. Though it was a meager number compared to when the great one led us through the steppes, I had amassed this force through sheer effort. But this army was united for a singular purpose.
“I won’t waste words.”
With my sword pulled from my waist, I faced the warriors who placed their faith in me, as well as the heavens watching over us.
“I, Gaar Udesser Dorgon, shall stand before you. I will run before you until our breaths falter and the gods take our lives.”
No need for long speeches. It wouldn’t look great to ramble on when everyone had already made up their minds. Speaking at length in front of those unified with shared determination would be nothing short of an insult.
“Let’s march. Let’s show those southern peasants the roar of the North!”
All warriors drew their swords in unison. The shamans raised their staffs high instead.
“Dorgon! Dorgon! Dorgon!”
The resounding shouts echoed throughout the encampment.
These idiots still can’t get that the name “Khan” doesn’t work like that, huh?
‘Such fools.’
And honestly, I wasn’t any better.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.