Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 526 Calming the Raging Spirit (Part 8)

The feasts in the Great Wilderness were simple and unpretentious—or more accurately, the feasts of the Wenduoer tribe were simple and unpretentious.

Because the leaders of the Hart tribes sometimes, in order to demonstrate their power, would also create many red tapes, just like their distant relatives.

The banquets of the Wenduo tribe were even more simple and unpretentious: meat was served and people ate it; wine was served and people drank it; if they were not full, they would ask for more; and when they were full, the banquet was over.

However, in terms of the food, the banquets of the Wenduoer tribe, like other aspects of this community, were inevitably influenced by its leaders:

In addition to the traditional mare's milk wine, there is also pale beer;

In addition to beef, mutton, goose, and rabbit, meat also includes chicken, duck, donkey, and pork;

In addition to wild mushrooms and berries, the side dishes also include vegetables and fruits produced in the fields;

In addition to salt and sauce, the seasonings also included Venetta fish sauce and expensive spices from the Far East;

On the dining table in Wenduo'er's department, there was also a plate of pastries made with lots of honey, butter and sugar, which were very sweet.

This was clearly intentional.

The Hede herders usually eat some oats and barley to fill their stomachs, but wheat is hard to come by unless they have to steal it from their neighbors, let alone make such sweet and delicious pastries.

So the plates of noodles and pastries were emptied first, rather than the plates of meat.

Pierre didn't realize this at first because there was nothing on the table that he couldn't eat.

But when he saw someone in his tent quietly and carefully pocketing the cloyingly sweet pastries, he finally understood what the centurion meant when he said, "'Preparing the banquet' is a very important task."

In this cruel and desolate land, what you eat determines who you are, and what you can offer others proves what you have.

At the same time, careful observation of how the guests under the tent ate also revealed the diversity within Hart's society.

Some of the Hed people put the bones, which still had a lot of meat on them, back onto the plate and called the waiters to bring them out of the palace tent.

Some of the Hede people sucked on the bones, even after gnawing off all the cartilage, and still weren't satisfied.

As Pierre watched the various scenes of feasting and drinking inside the palace tent, a voice in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

This voice emerged during his visits to various sub-camps, grew stronger as his understanding of the old and new white-collar people deepened, and finally became incredibly clear at this grand feast:
On the vast wilderness exists a society whose complexity is no less than that of the settled people's nation;

To crudely label every individual in this society as a "savage" is both ignorant and arrogant.
If we only view society as an enemy, then having this perception may be enough, and may even be beneficial.
However, if those outside the wasteland want to establish dominance there with only such a rudimentary understanding, they will inevitably suffer disastrous consequences.

Pierre increasingly regretted not having considered learning Hedgd sooner.

Thinking about this, Pierre lost his appetite even more. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to win over the new white-collar workers and subdue the old ones, so he just chewed and swallowed mechanically, without any room for enjoyment.

Just as Pierre was about half full, Blood Wolf turned around and asked, "Are you full?"

Pulled back from his own world, Pierre immediately put down the food in his hand: "I'm full."

"Are you really full?"

"I'm really full."

Blood Wolf smiled, turned around and made a gesture, and the banquet immediately moved to the next stage.

The Hud people feasting inside the tent also keenly sensed the change in atmosphere—or rather, the Hud people, having eaten and drunk their fill, were all waiting for this moment to arrive.

Although the people in the tent still sipped wine from the leather jars and continued gnawing on the bones they hadn't finished eating, no one whispered to each other anymore, and no one made any noise with the plates and dishes.

The tent flap was pulled open, and two Hart men entered one after the other.

The Hart who entered later stepped into the palace tent and immediately quickened his pace, catching up with the Hart who had entered earlier. He defiantly stood shoulder to shoulder with the other, yet maintained a considerable distance.

The two Hed people, without even glancing at each other, stiffened their necks and approached the Blood Wolf.

Even though Pierre knew nothing about the two Heds, he could tell that there was probably some conflict between them.

Sure enough, after the two Hed people bowed vigorously as if in a competition, the Hed person who entered later spoke first, shouting a long string of words.

As the Hud man who entered later spoke, the Hud man who entered earlier grew increasingly resentful, so when it was his turn to speak, he raised his voice even louder, creating an echo within the palace tent.

Unfortunately, Pierre couldn't understand what the two Herders were saying at all, but he did see the centurion listening and nodding seriously.

After the two Hed men finished speaking angrily, they bowed vigorously again as if in a contest, then stood under the tent awaiting judgment.

This was already the umpteenth time Pierre had felt frustrated today because he didn't understand Hellen. However, the language barrier was immediately resolved in an unexpected way.

Blood Wolf turned to Pierre and explained, "These two white-clad men under your command are named 'White Sparrow' and 'Willow Grove.' White Sparrow's steed went missing earlier, but was later found in 'Willow Grove's' herd..."

Inside the tent, the Wenduer people were shocked to see Batu, the sovereign of the people, actually seeking the opinion of the young men beside him.

Fortunately, they couldn't understand the languages ​​outside the wasteland either, otherwise they would have discovered that Batu was not only seeking the young man's opinion, but also acting as his interpreter.

Pierre was equally shocked.

What shocked Pierre was that the case that was brought before the centurion was just a dispute over a horse.
Seeing the two Hart men under his command acting like sworn enemies, he thought it was a major case involving at least two lives.

If it weren't for the language barrier, Pierre would have grabbed one of the Hedren by the collar and yelled at them both:
“Sitting before you is the dignified Lord of Iron Peak County, the ‘Khan’ of the newly reclaimed lands, one of the leaders of the Fourth Republic of Palatine, the Wolf Blood who commands respect across the wilderness—Winters Montagne. You ran to his feet, spat so much, and wasted so much time, all for a horse?”

Pierre then understood the meaning behind the centurion's enigmatic smile at the start of the banquet.

He calmly suggested, suppressing his temper, "Then let both sides find witnesses and physical evidence to prove who owns the horse."

"There is no dispute over the ownership of the horse." Blood Wolf's expression was serious, but his words were not so serious: "The problem is that White Sparrow's foal is very capable. During its time living with the horse herd in Willow Grove, it bred six foals with Willow Grove's mare."

Pierre was stunned.

Blood Wolf continued, "White Sparrow believes that at least three of the six foals belong to him; Willow Forest believes that the six foals have nothing to do with White Sparrow. That's where they're arguing. What do you think?"

Pierre found it somewhat amusing, but seeing the centurion's serious expression, he couldn't help but take it very seriously.

After a moment's thought, Pierre replied seriously, "Then we should first clarify whether 'White Sparrow's' foals went missing on their own, or were stolen or lured away. If it's the latter, then 'Willow Grove' should be held accountable for stealing the horses; if it's the former, then the six foals have nothing to do with 'White Sparrow,' because the foals can always be found, and mare can only conceive once a year. The cost 'Willow Grove' paid for the six foals is far greater than that of White Sparrow."

Pierre saw that the centurion seemed to smile, then turned his head back.

Next, the chief of the Wenduo tribe asked the two Hed people a few questions, and the two Hed people answered them respectively.

Then, Blood Wolf called out several names in succession. Each time a name was called, an elder would stand up inside the palace tent and respond, whether at length or short, seemingly offering their opinion.

Finally, Blood Wolf gave his verdict. The Hurds who came in later were overjoyed, while the Hurds who came in earlier were very unhappy but had nothing to say.

The servants brought the two men leather urns, and the two Hed men drank the nuptial wine in public, bowed to Batu again, and then swiftly and decisively withdrew from the palace tent.

Pierre breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, the second pair of Hed people came in...

Over the next few hours, Pierre's goal of "learning more about Hart society" was achieved quickly in an unexpected but very effective way.

Pierre witnessed firsthand the "diversity of contradictions within Hart society"—from horse theft to human theft, from seizing pastures to stealing wives, there were both trivial economic disputes and serious criminal cases with equally severe punishments.

What impressed him most was an accusation of "bride kidnapping".

A runaway slave abducted a female slave from a small tribe that had later submitted to the Wenduer tribe and married her.

Logically speaking, this is nothing serious; similar things happen every day in the wilderness.

Being robbed only shows that the robbed tribe is incompetent; being able to rob someone single-handedly shows that the person is highly capable.

It's probably self-evident which side is more respected.

The problem is that while others kidnap brides from rival tribes, this runaway slave kidnapped his own "family."

Furthermore, most of those sitting under the tent at this moment were former commoners who had surrendered with their possessions, so they naturally preferred the small tribes that had been robbed.

Therefore, the kidnapped female slave, heavily pregnant, pleaded desperately for the man's life, while inside the palace tent, shouts of killing and clamor still filled the air, as if they wished to pierce the escaped slave's heart with a thousand arrows.

The newly minted white men who participated in the banquet were outnumbered and completely overwhelmed by the old white men, and dared not utter a sound.

The only person who stood firmly and fearlessly on the side of the runaway slaves was Pierre.

In order to be able to speak to his men, Pierre even made a special request to the centurion to have Bell act as his translator.

Ultimately, this great debate, in which one man faced a hundred, ended with Pierre finding a loophole in the accusation—that when the runaway slaves were abducted, the tribes they were abducted were on their way to surrender and had not yet sworn allegiance—and he emerged victorious.

The escaped slave, nicknamed "Needle and Arrow," who had been given a second chance at life, kowtowed three times to "Batu's Arrows That Shoot Near and Far," his eyes filled with tears. He kowtowed so hard that his forehead bled on the thick felt that he was bleeding. Then, he helped his wife out of the palace tent.

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