CHAPTER 683: CHAPTER 9: THE EMBARRASSED ASSYRIA

The thick scent of blood permeating White River City stirred the killing desire in Shajia’s heart.

Although the battle had already ended, Shajia felt no satisfaction, instead, he experienced an unsettling sense of emptiness.

He yearned for more enemies, especially powerful ones, because only battles with the strong could hone his skills, and defeating them would also harvest great prestige.

He wanted his and the Wing Tribe’s fame to spread across the Continent, making all enemies tremble in fear, thus smoothing the path of their subsequent conquests.

However, Solomon did not think the same way, Shajia felt that he didn’t resemble a general at all but rather a parsimonious merchant, constantly focusing on those dull numbers.

Prior to every battle, he would weigh the pros and cons, and immediately after, he would tally the casualties, always treading cautiously.

But the Wing Tribe should be fierce and invincible, fearing nothing.

Shajia disapproved of Solomon’s approach, especially after learning that the latter planned to stop deploying the large army after this battle, instead relying on allies and recruited local Lords to fight for them. This prompted Shajia to contemplate taking independent action.

As a warrior, he could not tolerate days without battle.

Thus, after the battle of White River City, he called upon a few trusted friends—those who were close to him on regular days and buddies from the same tribe with whom he had grown up since childhood.

They were all young men, like-minded, so they agreed with Shajia’s plan.

And if they were to fight with the strong, they certainly had to go after the strongest one.

Moen was a renowned warrior even among the Wing Tribe, and anyone capable of defeating him would undeniably be formidable, plus Ireya was the Champion of the martial contest.

If they could kill her, they would not only avenge their fallen comrades but also ensure that Shajia’s name echoed across the whole Continent, and even the Wing Tribe would hold him in even greater esteem.

The thought alone was enough to make Shajia’s impulse uncontrollable.

However, after traveling westward for a while, they realized something embarrassing; they did not know where Green Field was located.

As for the Western Frontiers, they only had a vague impression, roughly somewhere to the west, but how far west exactly, no one could clearly say. Worse still, none of them could speak the Universal Language of the Continent.

Although they could rely on looting for food and shelter, it wasn’t feasible to travel without communicating with the locals at all.

Hence, after some discussion, Shajia and his group turned back to Lion Heart Castle to pick up Yaxu.

Yaxu was one of the earliest Wing Tribe members to come to the Bratis Continent and had been lying low here for eight years.

He was well-versed in the customs and culture of the Bratis Continent; despite mostly operating in the east, he had also visited the Western Frontiers, and most crucially, he spoke the Universal Language, making him both a guide and a translator.

However, Yaxu himself was not inclined to join Shajia and the others in seeking Ireya in the West for revenge.

Solomon’s orders before he left were for Yaxu and another Wing Tribe member who spoke the Universal Language, along with the former Empire’s Chief of Intelligence Ivan, to visit the local Nobles in the city and persuade them to surrender and serve the new rulers of the city.

If he left now, it would be tantamount to disobeying Solomon’s orders, but the issue was that Yaxu also dared not offend Shajia.

Shajia was born into the Golden Eagle Tribe, a famous warrior of the Golden Eagle Tribe, the son of Sibulun, who was the leader of all Wing Clans, while Yaxu was merely an ordinary member of the Red Collar Tribe.

And most importantly, Solomon, the commander-in-chief, was still with the main army in White River City and had not returned, leaving Yaxu no choice but to reluctantly serve as a guide for Shajia’s group.

They left Lion Heart Castle and set off westward again, and after three days their provisions ran out.

Yaxu suggested finding a small village to quietly kill a few families and scavenge for their stored food to replenish their supplies, but his idea was quickly rejected.

The one who spoke was Shajia’s childhood playmate, a Wing Tribe member named Balan from the Golden Eagle Tribe, with yellow-brown wings just like Shajia’s.

"What good food could those farmers have? Besides, we are the conquerors of this continent, not thieves. Why should we act sneakily?"

Balan’s words immediately gained substantial agreement, with others teasing Yaxu, "Exactly. Maybe the Red Collar Tribe likes being thieves, but we certainly do not."

Yaxu earnestly explained, "It’s not about becoming thieves; it’s about avoiding some unnecessary trouble..."

"We’re not afraid of trouble because we are the biggest trouble ourselves," Balan’s comment prompted another round of laughter from the crowd.

Someone even vigorously flapped their wings behind them.

"We want to eat meat. I’ve heard there’s a food here called grilled meat pie, which is pretty delicious."

"And there must be wine," another person added.

"Exactly, so we can only go to a town now."

"Are there any towns nearby?" Shajia asked Yaxu.

Yaxu inwardly smiled bitterly but dared not show any dissatisfaction on the surface, maintaining respectful composure, "Yes, if we continue flying forward, we’ll soon reach Hound Town."

"Then tonight we dine there," Shajia declared.

The Wing Clan Warriors cheered.

Seeing the team’s morale so high, Shajia felt very satisfied.

However, Yaxu was somewhat dumbfounded, "We are still at war with the Red Lion Empire, and we’ve just killed their Emperor. The people here hold great resentment towards us, and our... appearance is very conspicuous."

"Just throw on a big cloak and disguise as Camels," Balan said nonchalantly. "I’ve heard that’s what you infiltrating Wing Tribe people always did."

"But back then, we were acting alone. Now there are sixteen of us. Where can you find sixteen Camels together?" Yaxu argued.

"Such a hassle," muttered a warrior from the White Back Tribe named Caleb, "That town must have quite a few taverns, right? We can split up and act separately."

"No need," Shajia countered, "It’s better to stay together for more fun. Once we’re in, just block the door, and don’t allow anyone to leave. If someone dares to question our identity, just kill all the people inside."

"Except for the chefs," Balan added.

"And the pretty women."

Speaking of women made Shajia’s face darken involuntarily as he thought of Heloise, the number one beauty of the continent. It was discovered that she died in Maple Forest outside Lion Heart Castle, apparently by suicide.

That woman would rather die than be with him, which caused Shajia some embarrassment.

Having been Shajia’s companion for the longest time, Balan noticed his displeasure and came over to him, taking the initiative to speak.

"Relax tonight. You’ve fought bravely in the recent battles. Your father would surely be proud of you if he knew."