CHAPTER 458: CHAPTER 336: REUNION

Thinking of this, Budocaribas observed more carefully. He noticed the villagers were a mix of Skodisqi people, Segestica people, and old clan members of the Nix tribe. He even saw a peculiar scene: A Skodisqi man and a Segestica man farming side by side. The Skodisqi, who was guiding the plow, shouted at the Segestica man leading the oxen to slow down, and surprisingly, the Segestica man complied. After a while, the Skodisqi man shouted ahead, "Turn now!" and the Segestica man responded, "Got it!"...

Their expressions were wooden, voices cold and sharp, and they avoided eye contact. The entire interaction seemed awkward, yet they managed to plow a whole field in coordination.

Of course, the villagers’ ability to cooperate without major disputes could not have been achieved without the efforts of a middle-aged man.

This man stood at the edge of the field, directing the villagers as they worked, assigning tasks as needed. Whenever a situation turned tense, he sternly yelled, preventing conflicts among the villagers...

After a while, the villagers stopped their labor, picked up their tools, and led their oxen back to the village. Only the middle-aged man walked toward them.

As he approached, Budocaribas noticed for the first time that the right hand he kept tucked against his chest was actually severed.

With a stern expression, the middle-aged man questioned, "I am the village chief. Who are you, and what do you want here?"

A subordinate from the Commerce Department stepped forward, promptly introducing himself and then introduced Budocaribas and his party.

The middle-aged man listened but remained skeptical until he noticed the ten fully armed Nix Soldiers standing behind Budocaribas. Only then did his wariness dissipate, and he said seriously, "I am Torkilas, the village chief here. Yesterday, the tribe sent someone to notify us that the Alde Tribe would be migrating here. They instructed us not to be alarmed and to avoid any drastic actions upon your arrival...

Rest assured, I have already warned the villagers. As long as you behave, they won’t cause any trouble for you!"

The Chief? He must be the leader of the village... Budocaribas thought to himself, feeling slightly awkward at the clear caution in Torkilas’s tone. However, he understood: although many Aldeans used to come to the Nix Territory to work as laborers, this time the entire tribe was migrating—several thousand people entering a land that the Nix had only recently seized. It was natural for the locals to feel wary.

"Please rest assured, we will strictly discipline our tribesmen and absolutely will not cause trouble for you!" Budocaribas promised earnestly.

"Good," Torkilas nodded.

"As far as I know, the Segestica and Skodisqi are mortal enemies. Yet, in your village, these two groups coexist in significant numbers as well. Are you not concerned about potential conflicts?" Budocaribas asked, voicing his most pressing concern.

"What’s there to worry about?" Torkilas replied straightforwardly. "Yes, the hatred between these two tribes runs deep, and it’s not a small grudge. They only recently joined our tribe, so such animosities can’t be resolved so fast.

The Segestica in the village might still desire to dominate the Skodisqi, as they did before. But now they are either old or young and lack the courage. Conversely, the Skodisqi may want to retaliate against the Segestica, but they fear severe tribal punishment, fearing the loss of the rare, good life they now have.

In recent days, there have been several incidents in other villages where Skodisqi killed or injured Segestica out of anger. The offenders were paraded through the villages by soldiers, shamed in public, and ultimately executed or harshly punished. Just the mention of this now makes my villagers pale.

Additionally, both tribes swore an oath of peace in the Dana Temple. They fear divine retribution and dare not break their vow lightly.

Sometimes, tempers flare, and small clashes occur. I don’t know how other village chiefs handle it, but I beat and scold them here. I warn them that if they repeat such behavior, I’ll parade them through the nearby villages the same way the Legal Department does. They’re afraid of losing face, so now they’re much more obedient...

I can tell you, over time, as they work together more and more, their hatred will gradually fade. I’ve seen this before—when I led troops, some of my recruits were Segestica and Skodisqi. At first, they quarreled, but on the battlefield, they became real comrades, coordinating and fighting enemies together."

"Chief, which unit did you serve in before?" a subordinate from the Commerce Department interjected.

"I was a Centurion in the Third Legion. During the battle against the Panoni Alliance Army near the Kolana River, I had a stroke of bad luck—my hand was injured... and I was sent here to be a village chief." Torkilas raised his severed right hand with a casual gesture, but there was a trace of bitterness in his tone.

"Thank you, Chief Torkilas!" Budocaribas said sincerely. "After hearing what you’ve said, we can now live here with no worries!"

"I’m glad to help," Torkilas replied. "But I must remind you—your group is sizable. Be careful not to trample our fields when passing through tomorrow!"

"Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to remind my tribesmen!"

.....................

The next morning, the migrating group departed the camp and continued their eastward journey.

Along the way, Nixes with their families steadily left the procession. By the time they were near Osharilia Ophidilia Western Village, the once-massive Nix migration group was nearly halved, leaving behind mostly First Legion soldiers and their families.

"My lady, there it is—our Nix Tribe’s new main camp, Ophelia!" Pigeris exclaimed loudly to Nexia, pointing ahead.

From Nexia and the others’ perspective, a wide river, even broader than the Kupa River, stretched before them. A fortress straddled both banks of the great river...

"It’s considerably larger than Snowdonia!" Acronis couldn’t help but exclaim, then shouted excitedly, "Look! It’s the leader! The leader is here!"

A group emerged from within Ophelia Western Fortress, quickly heading toward them, led by none other than the Nix Tribe Chief, Maximus.

Geniandafra, overwhelmed with emotion, yelled joyfully and rushed forward.

"This Daphra, so unruly! Should I reprimand her later?" Acronis muttered disapprovingly under her breath.

Nexia frowned slightly but soon regained her composure, saying calmly, "Let it go. Everyone hasn’t seen the leader for a long time. It’s natural to be overly excited. Just remind her later."

As he was about to reunite with his wife, whom he hadn’t seen in over a month, Maximus felt equally excited. His pace quickened, leaving the older Volenus and others unable to keep up.

At that moment, Maximus heard an exclamation ahead. A familiar figure dashed toward him quickly.

Worried she might trip, Maximus sped up, opened his arms, and soon embraced her warm and fragrant form. Her soft lips pressed against his face, raining kisses while she excitedly exclaimed, "Leader, I’ve finally seen you! They wouldn’t let me meet you! I... I..."

Geniandafra’s words were soon choked with sobs, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Alright, don’t cry. Everyone is watching..." Maximus gently wiped away her tears, softly comforting her.

Though they hadn’t been married long and had been strangers before their wedding, Maximus was moved by the passion and trust reflected in her tearful face.

He understood: Geniandafra, unlike Nexia or Florist Luscia, had not endured many hardships. She had grown up doted on by her parents and cared for by her clansmen, making her somewhat spoiled and headstrong but without guile. Not yet 18, she would have been a high school student in modern terms, yet here she was, bearing the weight of maintaining the alliance between the Aldeans and the Nix Tribe. She tried hard to support her mother country, but she was reprimanded by Nexia. Her entourage had been dismissed; she was alienated, even looked down upon, by others in the main house. The only person she could rely on in the Nix Tribe was her husband.

Maximus sighed to himself, suppressing his rising tenderness. He smiled, released her from his arms, and lovingly patted her back: "Come, let’s go greet your two elder sisters."

With that, he continued walking forward.

Maximus had three wives. To create a sense of unity in his family, he had established a rule: the later arrivals must address the earlier ones as "elder sister." Hence, though Florist Luscia and Geniandafra were close in age, Geniandafra had to call her "elder sister." However, Geniandafra remained stubborn and had yet to publicly do so.

Departing Maximus’s embrace, Geniandafra felt a moment of disappointment but quickly followed him.

Maximus approached Nexia, embracing her passionately and saying, "Nexia, I’ve missed you terribly during this time!"

Nexia reciprocated his enthusiasm with a kiss and said with a smile, "Did you miss me? Or were you thinking about Florist Luscia, my younger sister?"

"Both!" Maximus replied without hesitation. He then gave Florist Luscia a gentle hug: "Thank you for all your hard work! Was the journey tiring?"