My Kingdom Building Done Right!

As Leone’s advance vanguard kept up their harassment of Troy and his army, news of what happened in the city of the Darkmane Tribe had reached the ears of the other high-ranking tribes.

Knowing the Darkmane Tribe was about to launch a campaign against the Aslan Tribe, the Warclaw, Grimhowl, and Bonegnash Tribes had sent scouts to pay close attention to both tribes.

When news of the Darkmane Tribe being set on fire reached the Grimhowl Tribe, Elder Yun hurriedly sought an audience with Gundar, reporting the tragedy that had just happened to one of their rivals.

"The city went up in flames?" Gundar frowned.

"Yes, Great Chieftain!" Elder Yun reported. "Rumors are even starting to spread because of it, saying that it was us who are responsible for this because the Aslan Tribe is our ally!"

"Hmm..." Gundar played with his beard, ignoring the Elder’s anxious gaze.

A few minutes later, he finally spoke while staring into the distance.

"Form a team that will bring twenty wagons of food supplies to the Darkmane Tribe," Gundar ordered. "I will head there first to better understand the situation."

"Understood!" Elder Yun hurried to look for people who would become part of the support team that would head to the Darkmane Tribe.

After that, Gundar rode on the back of his giant hawk and flew toward the west, where the Darkmane Tribe’s city was located.

He already had a suspicion as to who had been responsible for this tragedy. Yet, he still didn’t expect that they would actually do something this reckless.

A day later, he arrived at his destination and saw countless tents that were propped up several hundred meters away from the burnt city.

The sheer damage was visible from the sky, making Gundar frown.

After circling the city twice, he ordered his giant hawk to land where the tents were located.

A few banners that represented the Bonegnash Tribe fluttered in the breeze.

Due to their close proximity to the Darkmane Tribe, they were the first ones to arrive at the scene and offer their support to the survivors.

Gundar was well known in the Borderlands, so the moment he appeared, he was greeted by the captain of the guards from the Darkmane Tribe.

However, he and his men looked at the shaman with coldness and distrust.

"Before you say anything, I would like to make it clear that we are not responsible for what happened here," Gundar said before anyone could speak. "Your chieftain and my chieftain have an agreement that we will turn a blind eye to the war between the Darkmane Tribe and the Aslan Tribe."

"Can you make an oath to the Earth Mother to prove that you’re telling the truth?" the Guard Captain asked.

The Grimhowl Tribe and the Darkmane Tribe had a complicated relationship with each other, especially since Gundar had once killed their chieftain in the very city that was burned down to the ground.

"I can," Gundar replied calmly before raising his hand to make a pledge. "I swear upon the Earth Mother that the Grimhowl Tribe and I are not responsible for this tragedy. If my words are false, may the Earth Mother reject me from her embrace."

All the barbarians took the pledge to the Earth Mother seriously. Since Gundar himself had pledged, the Guard Captain and his warriors soon gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"My people are on their way here to bring food and other consumables," Gundar stated. "However, it will probably take them a day or two before they arrive here. Now, tell me what happened."

The Guard Captain explained everything that had happened to the great shaman, venting all the hardships they had suffered.

"Just who would do this to us?" the Guard Captain asked. "Who dares do this to us?"

Gundar was very tempted to tell them that the Aslan Tribe dared. Though even if he did, he felt that no one would believe him.

Since that was the case, he kept his lips sealed.

Truth be told, the survivors were also starting to suspect that the Bonegnash Tribe had taken the opportunity to set fire to their city while their chieftain and warriors were away on a campaign.

If not for the fact that Gundar believed that Leone’s vassals were the ones responsible for this carnage, he might have suspected them as well.

’However, I don’t think Leone is this brutal,’ Gundar thought. ’Someone must have taken his orders to the extreme.’

Even now, Gundar believed that Leone wouldn’t give this kind of order.

And he was right.

Instead, Hassan was the one who carefully planned everything after staying a few days inside the city.

In fact, the assassin had even paid close attention to where the wind was blowing that day, targeting places that would help spread the fire faster.

Only an assassin would have such great attention to detail. His profession made sure that he would use everything, including the terrain, to his advantage.

The shaman then paid close attention to the warriors of the Bonegnash Tribe.

Although he believed that they were innocent, that didn’t change the fact that they were secretly happy because this tragedy had happened.

They were the Darkmane Tribe’s neighbors, after all. This meant that they knew more about the Darkmane Tribe than anyone.

Although their chieftains got along on the surface, they were secretly trying to find ways to bring each other down to absorb each other’s territory and people.

In fact, when the Chieftain of the Bonegnash Tribe, Osteon, heard what happened to the Darkmane Tribe, the first thing he did was laugh out loud.

After he finished laughing, he then gave an order to his people to offer "support" to the Darkmane Tribe, making sure their neighbors would have a good impression of them.

While Gundar was busy talking to the survivors of the Darkmane Tribe, the high-ranking officials of the Bonegnash Tribe were having a meeting.

"How are the survivors?" Osteon asked with a faint smile on his face.

Clearly, he was still in a very good mood because of the hardships that their rival was experiencing right now.

"We have given them food and tents," Bjorn replied. "It will only last them for a week, but we have done enough for them already."

"Good." Osteon nodded. "I wish Troy could see what happened to his city."

"Should I send some messengers to tell them what happened to their tribe?" Bjorn proposed.

"No," Osteon replied with a smirk plastered on his face. "Save it after his war with the Aslan Tribe ends. Besides, if I guess correctly, I believe the fire is caused by the Aslanians."

Bjorn’s eyes widened in shock at his chieftain’s statement. "I think you’re giving them too much credit, My Chieftain. How can the Aslan Tribe possibly do such a thing?"

"Tell me then. Who else dares to do such a thing?" Osteon crossed his arms over his chest in return. He was clearly in a good mood.

"The Grimhowl Tribe," Bjorn replied without hesitation. "They are the Aslan Tribe’s allies, so they might have attacked the Darkmane Tribe while Troy is away."

"That just proves that you have no idea how the Grimhowl Tribe handles things." Osteon shook his head. "Hagen wishes to declare himself as the Barbarian King of the Borderlands. As such, he will never use such underhanded tactics. If he wants war, he will do everything openly and boldly.

"And last but not least, since the Darkmane Tribe went to war, this means that they had consulted the Grimhowl Tribe before doing so. Troy might be ambitious, but he won’t just attack someone who is supposed to be an ally of the Grimhowl Tribe. He is not that stupid, you know?"

The Elders of the Bonegnash Tribe, who were gathered at the meeting, all nodded in agreement.

Bjorn still felt somewhat doubtful, but after careful consideration, he realized that his Chieftain had a point.

The Warclaw Tribe was similar to the Grimhowl Tribe.

They would not suddenly attack another high-ranking tribe without warning.

As for the Sandreaver Tribe, they were pacifists and had never liked to have conflict with any other tribe.

’Is the Aslan Tribe really the ones who set the city on fire?’ Bjorn was still doubtful, but he was starting to accept the possibility.

"If that’s the case, is the Aslan Tribe a threat to us?" one of the Elders asked.

"We’ll know if they manage to win against the Darkmane Tribe," another Elder replied.

Bjorn glanced at the two Elders before lowering his gaze.

As far as he was concerned, the Darkmane Tribe and the Aslan Tribe were done for.

He then shifted his gaze to his chieftain, who was currently smiling, revealing his teeth that were as black as obsidian.

Unlike the Elders, Bjorn was within Osteon’s inner circle. He knew information about things that, if known by others, would cause the Bonegnash Tribe to suffer a great calamity.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel that his Chieftain was playing with fire right now.

Because if the gamble Osteon took backfired, the Bonegnash Tribe would suffer a tragedy that would make the incident in the city of the Darkmane Tribe look like child’s play in comparison.