King of the North: My Lord's Diary Weekly Summary

Potter smiled and said, "The chieftain said that young people should exercise more."

Moreover, Cindy is more suited to be captain than I am—she's the best tracker and wolf tamer among us.

Cindy gently touched his arm, signaling him to keep quiet.

"So."

Potter looked at Wayne: "Did the Baron come here specifically to see us?"

"right."

Wayne nodded: "I brought some salt and grain as a gift."

I didn't expect to run into you guys on the road first—looks like I'm in luck.

Potter's eyes lit up—he hadn't even known that Wayne had brought salt, even through the cart! This was exactly what the tribe needed.

"You're too generous."

His attitude was noticeably more enthusiastic: "Please allow me to lead the way to our camp."

The clan chief and elders will surely welcome a guest like you.

"certainly."

Wayne couldn't possibly refuse a guide who was offered to him.

Seeing that Wayne agreed, Potter turned to Cindy and said, "You ride back first and report to the chief."

"His Excellency the Baron has prepared so many gifts for us; we certainly cannot accept them empty-handed."

Wayne instantly understood his meaning—this was to return early to inform the tribe, giving them time to prepare for the welcome, and also as a precaution:

Strangers are not allowed to enter the core of the camp.

As expected, ordinary young people can't be team leaders.

This sense of vigilance and emotional intelligence are, of course, just the basics, but they are essential for someone who can stand on their own.

"Go quickly."

Although he knew he was being watched, Wayne was delighted—he hadn't even arrived at his destination yet, and had only just encountered the Wolf Barbarian tribe, but he had already discovered such a capable young talent, so of course he was overjoyed.

Cindy nodded, and one of the wolf pack members brought out a horse from somewhere.

"Oh? The werewolves ride horses?"

Wayne became interested and thought he could have a good chat with Potter about the wolf tribe later.

After receiving Wayne's permission, she mounted the horse—she rode quite steadily, but not particularly skillfully.

The wolf beside her trotted to catch up, and the two of them quickly ran north.

The group regrouped, carrying their prey and gifts, and continued their journey under Potter's leadership.

On the way, Wayne and Potter chatted casually.

"I didn't expect you guys could ride horses."

Wayne said, "Seeing is believing. Before meeting you, I thought the Wolf Barbarian tribe was more accustomed to walking."

Not everyone can do it.

Porter frankly stated, "We are more used to traveling with our wolf companions."

Horses are not plentiful in the tribe, but each team usually tries to have one member who can ride a horse to facilitate the relay of messages—though they are not very proficient.

After all, developing a bond with our wolf companions is already a very important task for us.

In fact, even in wolf tribes with many horses, probably more than half of the members cannot ride horses—and there are even fewer like us.”

What does it take to develop a bond with a wolf?

"a lot of."

Potter said seriously, "A wolf companion needs to be trained from cubs, and it takes several years of living together day and night to build a true understanding."

Many people have only one wolf companion in their entire lives, and once that companion dies, they will not accept a new one.

Many people in the kingdom misunderstand this point—we wolves do not tame wolves as pets or battle companions, and the vast majority of our wolf companions cannot be ridden.

We've always considered them partners, like family.

He patted the head of the gray wolf beside him: "This is my partner, Gray Shadow."

It was brought to me when I was just a child.

The gray shadow raised its head and rubbed its nose against his hand.

Wien observed their interaction and gained a deeper understanding of the Wolf Barbarian tribe's culture.

This way of forging a deep bond with wild beasts is truly unique.

They talked about the tribe's customs and traditions—the difficulties of hunting in winter, the wolf-taming ceremony in spring, and the tribal gatherings in summer.

Wayne did not directly inquire about the tribe's numbers or armament; he did not want this friendly first contact to turn into an intelligence gathering exercise.

Potter was also very tactful, mostly talking about trivial anecdotes, but his words revealed the outline of tribal life:

It was probably a community of less than a hundred people, who lived by hunting and a little farming. The chieftain and the shaman were the high-ranking members of the community.

After walking for about an hour, the outlines of buildings gradually appeared among the hills ahead.

It wasn't the simple tent or shack that Wayne had imagined, but rather houses built of wood and stone, rough but neatly arranged.

There was a low wooden fence around the perimeter, not for defense, but more like to demarcate the area.

To Wayne's surprise, there were already people waiting at the camp entrance.

There were only a few people, about a dozen.

But the old man standing in the very center was wearing a black and silver fur cloak—the fur shimmered with an unusual luster in the sunlight, clearly the fur of some precious wild animal.

The cloak was decorated with bone fragments and feathers forming intricate patterns—Wayne knew this represented the identity of the chieftain of the wolf tribe.

The clan chief personally greeted them.

Wayne was certain.

The Wolf Barbarian tribe valued this contact even more than he had imagined.

It seems this will be a pleasant establishment of diplomatic relations.

The clan chief bowed slightly, performing the etiquette used by the kingdom's nobles. Although the posture was a bit awkward, the manner was correct.

"Baron Wayne Lancaster, I am Ugo, the current king of the Thrall Wolf Clan. Welcome to the Thrall Wolf Clan's camp."

His voice was deep and resonant: "On behalf of the entire clan, I express my gratitude for your sincere visit and generous gifts."

"Chief Ugo, you're too kind."

Wayne returned the greeting: "It's my first visit, so please accept this small gift as a token of my appreciation."

Wright directed the soldiers to unload the salt containers and grain from the cart, while Porter's men carried over the antelope meat they had just hunted.

"Just call me Ugo—I don't deserve to be called 'King' by you."

Ugo looked at the supplies, a complex expression flashing in his eyes: "Thank you for your gift... but I'm sorry, we are not well prepared, and I'm afraid we will have to treat you to the game you hunted."

He paused, then added, "We also apologize that we did not take the initiative to establish diplomatic relations with you."

"Since the territory has been taken over, we have been trying to get in touch with you, but the tribe has many things to attend to..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Wayne understood the unspoken meaning: the wolf tribe was also observing, waiting, and making a choice.

"Shall we go inside and discuss this in detail?"

Ugo nodded and stepped aside: "Please."

……

The patriarch's house appears more spacious inside than from the outside.

The charcoal fire in the central stone hearth was burning brightly, dispelling the winter chill of the North.

The walls were adorned with various animal hides and bone crafts, as well as several well-preserved weapons.

The most striking item is a map drawn in charcoal on leather—rough, but clearly marked with hills, forests, and several important locations.