Chapter: 200
“Other way…?”
The two Beastmen looked at me with expressions full of confusion.
Hmm. The Bear Beastman looks fine with just being pretty, but the Tiger Beastman is… quite intimidating.
Let’s not dwell on the suspicious looks they’re giving me. I still have something to discuss.
“Right. An alternative method. If fighting for several days won’t resolve this, then it would be best to compete in a different way.”
If the conflict between them isn’t being resolved, it makes all the more sense to try another method.
Of course, it would be simplest if they could just battle it out and settle it that way.
“Another way…?”
“But I only know how to fight….”
Their reactions weren’t exactly enthusiastic. Well, it must feel awkward for two fighters to consider a different method of settling things.
However…
“Well, it’s not that difficult. In fact, it should be quite familiar.”
So,
“First, let’s head to your tribes and discuss this.”
Just because I’m proposing this idea doesn’t guarantee that everyone else will accept it.
If I’m going to persuade them, I need to convince everyone.
With that thought in mind, Asterios and I took the lead, guiding the two Beastmen toward their tribes.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
At the edge of the continent, a gigantic tree stands in the tranquil land, facing the sea where the sun rises.
The Divine Tree, also known as the Great Tree of Resurgence.
The trunk of this tree is so wide that even hundreds of people holding hands couldn’t wrap around it, and its height is such that you could climb for days without reaching the top; it’s so massive that even the ten suns, children of the Heavenly Sovereign, take turns resting in its shade.
As people naturally began to gather beneath this auspicious tree, they collectively formed a nation.
They called this nation the Land of the Quiet Morning.
P.S. While the size of the Divine Tree is beyond comparison with other trees, it pales in comparison to the World Tree worshipped by the elves.
In previous editions, this point was not properly reviewed, and due to personal opinions of the editor, it was recorded as larger than the World Tree. However, due to elven objections, this will be amended.
– Regarding the Land of the Quiet Morning.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
As we led the two Beastmen onward, we found ourselves confronting the enormous tree.
“Ooh. That’s quite a large tree.”
“Quite large…? It’s enormous!”
Asterios tilted his head at my words. Hmm. It is big, but compared to Yggdrasil, it’s small.
Well, it might be the largest among trees apart from Yggdrasil. During the time when dinosaurs roamed and everything was huge, a tree of this size was still quite rare.
But… I don’t recall seeing such a tree here when I traveled with the Hero. Hmm. What’s going on?
For a tree this size to grow, it must have taken hundreds of years… Hmm.
Ah, right. Just considering I’ve been in hibernation for just over 300 years, my sense of time feels a bit skewed.
If something else was causing the rapid growth during that time… it might explain how a tree of this size came to be. Perhaps something special in the ground nourished it, or the people’s faith surrounding it turned it divine. That could be a possibility.
I turned to look at Asterios, who was following behind.
Since he was trapped in a maze when he was younger, he probably thinks this tree is the largest in the world without having seen Yggdrasil.
“The World Tree that elves worship, Yggdrasil, is larger than this tree. Haven’t you heard any rumors about it, Asterios?”
“Yggdrasil…? Hmm… I’m not certain.”
Hmm. It seems he hasn’t heard of it. Minoa isn’t too far from the Great Forest where elves reside, but perhaps their isolation has kept the rumors from spreading.
“Anyway, there is a tree larger than this one. If you were to see that tree, you’d realize how presumptuous it is to call this tree the Tree of God.”
It can truly be said to be the true divine tree. Yggdrasil, that is.
After boasting about my “child,” I looked at the Tiger Beastman and asked,
“By the way, I haven’t asked your names yet. Care to enlighten me?”
I can’t keep calling them Tiger Beastman and Bear Beastman forever; a proper introduction is in order.
Then the Tiger and Bear Beastmen glanced at each other, then back at Asterios and me, nodding their heads.
“Speaking of which, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I am Goma from the Snowfield Bear Tribe.”
The Bear Beastman said with a shy smile. Goma looked slightly younger in the face, but his body was quite muscular, creating an imbalanced impression.
“I, I am… Hwan. From the Tiger Tribe.”
“Though many often call me Hwan, they usually use ‘Hohwan’ instead.”
Hohwan? Is it the same “Hohwan” as in “Hohwan Mama”?
If I recall correctly, “Hwan” uses the character for worry… Did they name their child “worry”?
Seems this place also has its share of unfit parents.
Anyway, having learned their names, it’s our turn to introduce ourselves.
“I… go by Tiamat now. This large fellow is Asterios. We’re on a journey around the world.”
“Tiamat? Asterios? Western names are quite peculiar.”
Well, it’s natural to feel a difference between Western and Eastern names.
The language is unified, but there’s little that can be done about names.
Wait, even though the language and words are unified, why is there such a difference in names and proper nouns? It’s puzzling.
It feels like someone is guiding it that way. The frequent appearance of names similar to what we have on Earth is also odd.
Anyway, as we exchanged introductions and walked towards the gigantic tree, we eventually came upon a large village.
“This village, which was formed under the Tree of God, was created by combining our tribes. Originally, we lived in different villages, but… due to our union, we made this larger village.”
Hearing they were tribes, it didn’t sound like it would be that large, but seeing it now, it appears quite populated. It is not inferior in size compared to city-states in the West.
A vast village enclosed by a wooden palisade. Throughout the village, people were patrolling with bronze-tipped spears.
Humans, Bear Beastmen, Tiger Beastmen, and various other Beastmen were all living together in this village.
“It seems there are more than just Bear and Tiger Beastmen.”
“Ah, yes. While the largest tribes are the Bear Tribe and the Tiger Tribe, we decided to merge other smaller tribes as well.”
“To be precise, the Bear and Tiger tribes grew in power by absorbing the smaller tribes due to competition.”
Hmm. Indeed. Population is essentially the number of troops. To be stronger than the other side, increasing your numbers is a priority.
The Bear Tribe and Tiger Tribe — two huge tribes competing and absorbing smaller ones.
“First, we should speak with the chieftains of both tribes, right? Then we’ll guide you to our Bear Tribe’s chieftain.”
“No, our Tiger Tribe’s chieftain should come first.”
“Hmm?”
Goma and Hohwan began to glare at each other, creating an intense atmosphere.
Are they getting into a pride battle over something so trivial? That sounds rather exhausting.
Still, in situations like this, there’s usually a simple solution.
“You both should go fetch the chieftains.”
There’s no need to run back and forth; just calling them should suffice.
The thirsty person digs the well first, the one in a hurry will surely come first, right?
Of course, it might not guarantee they’ll do something just because they arrive first.
But if I talk about how I easily subdued the strongest in both tribes — Goma and Hwan — they won’t be able to ignore the urgency.
“U-us?”
“Yes, you two. If we go to one tribe first, it would likely create issues with the other, so it would be easier for you two to fetch them.”
Upon hearing my words, Hwan nodded, realizing I had a point.
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“Wait! You can’t just leave first!”
As Hwan dashed toward the village, quick as a flash, Goma followed at a slower but more solid pace. I casually cut a nearby rock to create a simple seat for myself.
Seeing this, Asterios opened his mouth with a confused expression.
“Tia. What are you planning? Competing in a different way?”
“Another way, huh.”
I’ve thought of about two options thus far.
However, to ensure the competition is fair, I should come up with one more idea since it should be a best of three format to avoid dissatisfaction.
Of course, for it to be considered a contest, it must be balanced, so I need to carefully choose a fair competition. Hmmm.
What might the last option be? The first two were simple enough. Hmm…
Anyway, let me think until Goma and Hwan return.
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