Green Monster Epic

Chapter 347: Estrangement

… … … …

Allen sat in his original, large armchair, hand on the back, feeling a deep sense of familiarity.

Not much had changed in the stone fortress, except for the faces at the long table. Several important faces were missing, while many shorter figures had appeared.

“Where’s Big Mountain? Why hasn't that guy come to see me?”

Suddenly, Allen thought of someone. He found Big Mountain annoying at times, but now that he wasn't around, Allen missed him a little. Among the villagers, there were only a few people Allen interacted with regularly and who could relax in his presence. Although Big Mountain had plenty of bad habits, Allen had promoted him himself, so he had to accept them.

“Oh, I sent Big Mountain to the Aurora Mine. It needed a trustworthy leader with good skills, since the plains aren't entirely peaceful.”

Flower Snake stated Big Mountain's whereabouts calmly.

“Aurora Mine? Wasn't that arranged for Pavao?”

Allen was puzzled. Hadn't he arranged for Pavao, the advanced Earth Gnome, to manage the Aurora Mine before he left? Could it be that the Earth Gnome wasn't strong enough to handle it?

Allen looked around but couldn't find Pavao. Mauro, who was close to Pavao, also seemed to be missing.

“Then where's Pavao? Where did you send him?”

The color drained from Allen's face. The changes in the tribe's members were significant, differing greatly from his expectations.

“And Mauro?”

Although Allen didn't intend to interrogate, his tone carried some emotion, causing Flower Snake to frown.

“A lot of land has been reclaimed at Raging Tides Bay, and it needs dedicated management to prevent it from being pecked at by birds or stolen by petty thieves. So, I sent Pavao to Raging Tides Bay to help manage the stronghold there.”

“Mauro, on the other hand, was assigned to the Aurora coal mine, specifically to oversee the coal mining.”

“There are no more laborers to capture within hundreds of miles of the Greenwild Plains. The slaves in the two mines in the Aurora Hills need to be watched closely, or it will delay the mining.”

“What? Allen, do you think my arrangements aren't secure enough?”

Flower Snake's tone suddenly became stiff, causing Allen's eyes to flicker slightly. He then replied amicably, “I've been away from the village for so long, I don't know the situation. If you've arranged it this way, you must have your reasons.”

Hearing Allen's reply, Flower Snake's expression softened, and he nodded slightly in agreement.

In the corner, Philip, the human who used to sit next to Allen three years ago, gently stroked the curved beard on his chin, watching the scene with a somber expression. The thing he feared most was slowly happening.

Flower Snake had initially captured the feigning-mad Philip and imprisoned him in the slave cage in the southwest corner of the village, humiliating him. Later, when Allen returned, he released Philip, allowing him to live in the village again and serve as a mentor to the village's youth. However, in Flower Snake's eyes, this human was useless and not loyal enough, so Philip's status had steadily declined over the years, and he was no longer allowed to speak or make suggestions in the stone fortress council.

Philip, however, was open-minded. His earlier clever actions had almost cost him his life. After his wife gave birth to children, he thought about waiting peacefully for his children to grow up and start families, no longer interfering in the tribe's affairs. Philip's open-mindedness not only saved him a lot of trouble but also relieved Flower Snake's worries. The old guy's opinions were no longer trusted, and now that he no longer spoke, both sides were at ease.

However, this didn't mean that Philip didn't care about the village's stability. His children still lived in the village, so he couldn't help but worry about their future.

Camellia arrived late, having been busy preparing food for the returning tribesmen. She hadn't even had the chance to say a few warm words to her son, Bush. With her arrival, the atmosphere gradually calmed down, and a group of leaders reported to Allen about the village's activities and gains over the past few years.

Hearing the tribesmen's reports and gaining a general understanding of the tribe's situation, Allen was very satisfied. It seemed that Flower Snake had done a good job over the past few years. The cultivated land in Raging Tides Bay exceeded a hundred acres, and the tribe's food supply had increased significantly. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to consume all the grain produced, and there was still a lot of old grain left over.

The tribe's continuous stream of newborns and the goblins Flower Snake had subdued in recent years had also brought the tribe's population closer to its peak three years ago. With the addition of the captives Allen brought back this time, it was estimated that the Greenwild Tribe's population would soon reach 2,000.

“Alright, everyone, disperse. I'm a little tired from the journey and want to rest.”

After understanding the situation and encouraging the leaders, Allen smiled amiably and waved his hand, signaling everyone to return, without leaving anyone in the stone fortress, including Flower Snake.

Watching the departing figures, Allen's face, which had been wearing a faint smile, slowly calmed down. The changes in the village's leaders were minor and didn't bother Allen. It was the estrangement between Flower Snake and him that troubled Allen.

Others were easy to deal with, but Allen felt somewhat guilty towards Flower Snake.

Flower Snake had initially devoted himself to improving his strength, almost like a martial arts fanatic. The Ripple Step, which almost everyone in the tribe's speed-oriented group now learned, was a combat skill Flower Snake had developed himself. If Allen hadn't arranged so many tasks for Flower Snake, asking him to help manage the tribe and oversee it during his absence, perhaps Flower Snake would have already started searching for his own path.

But it was precisely because the tribe lacked talent and Allen didn't have many trustworthy people that Flower Snake's path to becoming a strong warrior was delayed. Now, Flower Snake's change in mentality and pursuit of external things was essentially the choice Allen had made for him.

“Sigh!”

Allen sighed. Perhaps in the future, he would lose his last friend and partner with whom he could interact as equals in this tribe.

Flower Snake's steps were heavy. He returned to his stone house with his confidants, Black Head and Tony.

“You're back. Do you want me to prepare something to eat?”

Flower Snake's mate, Shali, greeted them as the group entered. Inside the house, the two little girls, Ke'er and Masha, were gleefully playing with fluffy dire wolf cubs.

Masha, with her strong father, Flower Snake, and her powerful older sister, Ke'er, had also embarked on the path of a warrior. Although females were physically weaker than males, Masha was still a Bear Goblin. Now, at the age of 15 or 16, she was standing on the threshold of an 8th-level warrior, and a single stimulus could potentially allow her to advance.

“No need. Take Ke'er and the others out to play. I need to discuss something with Black Head and the others.”

Flower Snake shook his head, glanced at the two children in the distance, and said in a low voice.

“Alright, Ke'er, let's go out and play for a while and give your father some space.”

“Okay!”

Ke'er, who was naturally carefree, didn't care about the adults' affairs. Hearing her mother Shali's call, she pulled her younger sister out, followed by a little tail, Flower Snake and Shali's son, Duncan, born a few years ago.

After the family left, Tony spoke up, “Chieftain, if Chieftain Allen messes up your arrangements, what should we do?”

This was what everyone was most concerned about. During Flower Snake's reign, Black Head, Tony, and several others had been heavily relied upon, holding positions of real power. But Green Lake Village was only so big, and there were only so many powerful leader positions. Their gains naturally came at the expense of other leaders, such as Pavao and Big Mountain, who Flower Snake had sent to outposts outside the village.

Judging from Allen's questioning attitude in the stone fortress today, he seemed to have some objections to Flower Snake's arrangements. If he was truly dissatisfied and wanted to reshuffle the leaders' positions, then the ones most likely to suffer would definitely be those present.

“Hmph!”

“Don't worry. As long as you work hard and don't make mistakes, I guarantee nothing will happen to you!”

Flower Snake said sternly, looking directly at his confidants, assuring them.

Flower Snake believed that everything he had done was for the development of the tribe and that he had no selfish motives. If Allen disrupted the current layout simply because he felt uncomfortable, then Flower Snake wouldn't let it go.

In recent years, Flower Snake's strength hadn't declined. He had now firmly stood at the level of a 15th-level Sword Dancer. Even if there was a slight gap in strength between him and Allen, it wouldn't be much. Moreover, even if they fought, as long as Flower Snake didn't want to face him head-on, he was confident that Allen wouldn't be able to touch him.

Of course, Flower Snake hadn't thought about taking it this far. He had regarded Allen as a target to chase since a long time ago. Wasn't this also Flower Snake's idol?

“So, in the time to come, you all need to be on your toes and absolutely not let Allen catch you making mistakes, understand?”

Flower Snake had only brought these guys home to remind them of this. Allen's return was too sudden, and not only him, but his confidants had basically not been mentally prepared.

“Understood!”

“Don't worry, Chieftain!”

The group of confidants, assured by Flower Snake, relaxed a little and responded.

“… In the future, don't call me Chieftain anymore. Allen is back, and the position of Chieftain still needs to be returned to him!”

“… Okay.”

“… Yes.”