The African tribes and the nomadic tribes in Central Asia are known for their good-hearted nature, unrestrained by outsiders.
When a foreigner visits, they grill a lot of meat and serve drinks with utmost hospitality.
In some tribes, they even send their wives to the sleeping quarters out of fear that they might get neck pains.
The reason isn’t that those folks are kind-hearted and simple-minded; it’s because external guests are precious sources of information, treated with care.
“Get any closer, and I’ll kill you!”
At the same time, an arrow fell quite far from where we were.
It’s obvious that they didn’t miss due to a lack of archery skills; it was more akin to the warning shots used by military forces.
‘Even if words don’t get through, arrows and bullets surely do.’
Chloe asked me, “Didn’t you say that the tribes here are kind to guests from outside?”
There’s always an exception to the rule in this world.
And let me check the cause of this strange situation.
Thinking about it, nomadic tribes usually herd animals in numbers far exceeding that of the tribe members.
Right now, there are only a few hundred animals at most.
Unless there’s been a terrible epidemic, it’s likely that I, the local lord, had to flee in haste due to a massive invasion.
‘It’s like going bankrupt in a business.’
“People here probably can’t afford to welcome any guests from outside.”
It’s hard to see clearly from this distance, but this tribe is likely in a state of famine or a similar crisis.
If we were to attack with about 150 men in such a dangerous situation…
‘If we even think like that, we could turn the entire tribe into slaves.’
Of course, unless they openly attack us first, I wouldn’t have such thoughts.
“Abdullah, let them know we have no intention to fight.”
Just because I say we won’t fight doesn’t mean they’ll lower their guard.
However, at least they shouldn’t shoot arrows at me while I’m trying to have a conversation.
“Understood, Baron.”
Abdullah hurried off after hearing my words.
“There’s really no need to run, but he’s putting in so much effort to win my favor, huh.”
After a short wait, Abdullah brought a native of the Free Kiya tribe with him.
With skin as dark as charcoal, a towering height, and long limbs.
Right now, his body is emaciated and frail from hunger due to poor food conditions, yet he looks so grand.
What must he look like in his prime?
He probably resembled a muscular powerhouse, as strong as a bolt of lightning.
Abdullah hurriedly introduced me to the man in front of us.
“This man is Taiyo, the warrior chief of the Motzwan tribe. He said he’d like to converse but claims no one from their village can come in right now.”
“But those guys are the type to kill if they truly intend to. It’s too dangerous.”
If they really intended to kill us, they wouldn’t just waste a warning shot; they would have shot one of us instead.
I hired nearly a hundred fighters with mercenary experience just to prepare for this.
Are they afraid of just this much?
‘Those who betray easily are always the ones with a lot of fear.’
“Enough with the nonsense. Just convey my words without misrepresentation. If you don’t follow my instructions, I’ll hand you over to the local lord.”
My predictions seemed accurate as sweat dripped down Abdullah’s back.
“I’ve committed a grave sin; please don’t do that…”
I gently patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“Let’s do well together. Otherwise, I might have to bring you some sorrow.”
Having persuaded him with kind words, he should perform well now.
“Greetings, Warrior Chief. I am Baron Pierre from the Kingdom of Granada, far across the sea.”
To deceive the enemy, one must also deceive their own allies.
Otherwise, a spy could leak my carefully crafted plans to the enemy during the night, potentially leading to the annihilation or severe injury of my forces.
‘It’s no wonder the military takes security seriously.’
Besides, the local lord would be in a tough spot during such times.
It seems the Granada folks want to use firearms to eliminate you.
If I present this situation well, those guys will undoubtedly believe me.
Because until only twenty years ago, the Granada Kingdom and the Sultanate were waging a war called ‘Reconquista.’
Nowadays, they aren’t engaged in full-blown war any longer, thanks to being completely expelled from the Albanian continent.
Taiyo tilted his head in confusion as he listened to me.
“What is a kingdom, a baron?”
“A baron is the leader of a tribe, and a kingdom is a very large tribe formed by the leaders of several tribes.”
Well, the barons of the Empire tend to have a complicated hierarchy of nobility involving legal nobility and landed nobility.
That said, it’s hard to assert that the concept of an empire is merely a coalition of tribes.
However, when explaining something to someone who knows nothing, it’s fine to keep it within the ‘facts’ and explain sufficiently.
I’ll keep it to this for now and explain the concept of a nation later.
“So, are you a tribe leader then?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Why would someone like a tribe leader come all the way across the sea?”
There’s no need to speak unnecessarily long when telling a lie.
Otherwise, the more I talk, the more likely loose ends will appear.
A good con artist—or rather, a great pioneer of colonial management in the British Empire—always operates like this.
‘99% fact, 1% lie.’
To be more precise, they preserve all the little details and ensure that they seem trustworthy.
Then, at the crucial moment, they deliver the hardest blow possible to their opponents.
This kind of treacherous wisdom is well utilized by conmen who borrow money and vanish.
At first, they might borrow a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand and pay it back well, then eventually borrow millions and disappear.
“We cannot coexist peacefully with those who believe in other gods. Although we’ve halted the fighting for now, we never know when those wicked raiders will strike us.”
Not a single lie mixed in that statement.
The Toscana Empire is officially at war with heretics, and one never knows when they might decide to attack.
Ah, of course, some merchants engage in spice trade and buy various slaves.
Among the nobles, owning a ‘heretical sex slave’ is a significant bragging point, and while I have close ties to Al-Cini and the local lord, that remains merely an unspoken truth.
“You have no idea who we are. But those wicked Nadors openly shoot at us while we do nothing and enslave our tribe members to sell them. They keep pushing us away from our land.”
One of the fastest ways to get close to someone is to gossip over a ‘common enemy.’
“Even though we have just met, we share a mutual enemy. We should get along, right?”
“Those words are true.”
“I’d like to speak in more detail with your chief, is that alright?”
The warrior chief readily accepted my proposal.
“Those who fight alongside a common enemy are friends. Baron Pierre and his group, follow me; I will guide you to the chief.”
The warrior chief led us into their village.
“Don’t stray away from us. If you do, the angry tribe members might kill you.”
The state of the village was as dreadful as I had imagined.
While not all on the verge of starvation, their faces and limbs were gaunt, showing only worry and distress instead of vibrancy.
Livestock, usually abundant in tribal communities, was surprisingly scarce.
‘I bet the tents over there are full of people who are wounded and dying.’
And nearby, the residents were eyeing us with hostility.
“Chloe, Chris. Never act alone.”
Both of them nodded at my words.
Before long, the warrior chief took us into a tent adorned with gold decorations.
Inside was an old man adorned with various golden trinkets, seemingly trying to display his authority.
‘That old man is surely the chief.’
“I greet the chief of the Motzwan tribe. I am Pierre, a small chief from the large tribe of the Kingdom of Granada.”
The chief looked down at me and spoke.
“I called you here because you share a common enemy and wish to trade. So, what have you brought?”
I instructed my porters to open a crate loaded on a cart.
“I’ve brought weapons used by those wicked raiders. I wish to trade this for gold.”
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