Chapter 41

The valley is located on a fault line in the Gandar Mountains. The widest part of the valley is less than two kilometers, and the narrowest part is only about thirty meters wide. On both sides of the valley, there are steep cliffs several dozen meters high. To the north of the valley lies the settlement of the indigenous tribe of Handanar County.

The dense mountain forest hides this valley well. Even from the mountaintop, it is difficult to spot the valley amidst the thick foliage. Nearly a thousand indigenous people live in seclusion within this valley.

The dwellings of the indigenous people in Handanar County are wooden houses about half a meter above the ground.

The mountains are humid and rainy, and thatched huts built on the ground would soon become moldy and eventually rot.

Only by elevating the wooden houses to allow ventilation underneath can they last longer.

The roofs are made of dried banana leaves tied to wooden frames. These wooden houses generally have no walls, and most of them have strips of thatch hanging down from the roof, like curtains. When the wind blows, these hanging thatch strips sway.

These wooden houses are built on the slopes in the northern part of the valley, giving them a staggered appearance.

...

The swordsman Bajiale led the second squad of warriors to the indigenous tribe. The purpose of this visit was to meet the tribe's great shaman, Inoyatira.

The reason the indigenous hunters accepted Bajiale was that the great shaman Inoyatira had persuaded them.

As they entered the village, most of the indigenous people they saw were women wearing grass skirts, sitting or standing in the wooden houses, curiously peering out.

On the beams of the wooden houses, there were some fish bones of Tim fish hanging, which were likely the ones hunted by the second squad by the river. After the warriors took the best parts of the fish, the bones were cut into small pieces and brought back to the village by the indigenous women.

The indigenous people here have honey-yellow skin, with eyes mostly dark green or light green. Their hair is usually braided into small plaits, and the indigenous hunters are mostly bald. To Hoboqiang, the women of Handanar County do not look beautiful, with their oily appearance. Many women carrying indigenous children have breasts that look like two swinging oilcloth bags.

The indigenous girl who led the second squad into the village disappeared after entering.

The indigenous children in the village are shy and timid. Seeing outsiders enter the village, they quickly hid in the wooden houses and refused to come out.

The great shaman Inoyatira's house is located at the highest point of the indigenous village. Three round pavilion-like buildings are closely connected, with the two on the sides being smaller and the one in the middle being about a hundred square meters, likely used for receiving guests.

Hoboqiang followed the second squad, and some indigenous girls were sitting on the steps of the wooden house. These girls are generally very thin and are the boldest among the indigenous people.

The great shaman Inoyatira is an elderly woman with loose skin and missing teeth, making it hard to guess her age. She stood on the steps of the wooden house, leaning on a cane, until Bajiale approached and spoke to her in the indigenous language.

Her voice was hoarse and particularly steady, and her gaze on Bajiale was intensely focused. However, Hoboqiang and the other warriors of the second squad did not understand the indigenous language and could only stand there like fools.

The great shaman invited Bajiale and the second squad into the large wooden house.

In the center of the large wooden house, there was a pit with a bonfire. Everyone sat around the pit.

At this moment, an indigenous girl emerged from somewhere, took a hissing pot from the bonfire, and threw a bunch of crushed licorice and other herbs into the pot, cooking it for a few minutes, filling the large wooden house with a strange smell.

Hoboqiang thought someone was sick and that the pot contained a medicinal soup. However, after a while, the indigenous girl brought back some wooden cups and served the soup to the warriors of the second squad. Her large, lively eyes made it hard to refuse.

So, a row of fools held the strangely scented soup, sitting in the large wooden house, not knowing what to do.

"She is called Anas Tassia Mori, but you can call her Mori in the Empire's language. She can understand this word. She is the granddaughter of the shaman Inoyatira and the youngest heir of this tribe. Of course, the prerequisite for her to inherit the tribe is that she must become a shaman." Bajiale introduced the indigenous girl to the second squad.

The warriors of the second squad looked at each other, not expecting the young indigenous girl to have such a prominent status.

Hoboqiang had already noticed that the girl Mori was quite casual in the large wooden house and did not realize she was the great shaman's granddaughter.

Bajiale took out two Roman swords and presented them as gifts to the shaman Inoyatira.

The shaman Inoyatira was very pleased and had the weapons put away.

In the indigenous tribe, the standardized weapons of the Green Empire are the most popular.

Speaking of which, these two Roman swords were borrowed from Suldak by Bajiale.

Then, Bajiale began to converse with the great shaman Inoyatira in the indigenous language.

The great shaman Inoyatira sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, nodding from time to time.

Bajiale's main purpose for this visit was to discuss how to deal with the Gate of Demons together, but the warriors of the second squad were somewhat puzzled about how much the indigenous people could contribute to fighting the demons!

The great shaman Inoyatira's aged face showed little emotion, and she seemed to be dozing off.

Hoboqiang took a sip of the medicinal soup in his cup, and it was not as bad as he had expected. Although the taste was strange, it was quite invigorating.

For the warriors of the second squad, the only thing that caught their attention in the large wooden house was the girl Mori, who moved around with her round, long legs swaying in front of everyone. Augustus even spilled the soup on his armor.

This made the girl Mori hide behind the great shaman Inoyatira and giggle.

Bajiale glared at Augustus fiercely.

The great shaman then whispered a few words to the indigenous girl, and she ran out.

Soon, dozens of indigenous hunters gathered outside the large wooden house.

They sat on the ground under the trees outside the large wooden house. The great shaman Inoyatira then walked out and stood on the steps of the large wooden house, speaking to the indigenous hunters, who knelt before her.

The girl Mori came out of a nearby wooden house with a clay pot. As she passed the indigenous hunters, they each drew a bamboo stick from the pot, but those who drew the sticks did not show any particular expression.

"Hey, what do you think they are doing?" Red Socks whispered to Augustus.

Augustus stretched his neck to look outside and said, "It seems they are drawing lots!"

Red Socks also leaned out and said, "Do you think those who are chosen will go with us to destroy the Gate of Demons?"

Augustus, after hearing this, agreed, "You know, I think you might be right!"