Prime Originator

Back in the Darkmoon Tribe.

Half an hour earlier, Leon and the others returned to the palace from the underground water supply cavern before Chief Valencia went and used the long-distance voice-transmission pillar to connect with the other tribes in the alliance.

After Chief Valencia waited some time for the other tribes to respond to her summit call, she headed back to the Great Hall, where Leon and the other two waited for her return to continue their discussion.

"When's the summit decided?" Asked Master Woodrow while seated on the left side's first seat. Leon sat beside him while Darlene stood behind him after going against his wish for her to sit on the other empty seat beside him.

"Seven days later. It should be ample time for them to finish off any unsettled businesses in their tribe and arrive for the summit. Only if they are coming, that is." Chief Valencia said.

"If they are coming?" Master Woodrow raised an eyebrow and asked, "Something like the Celestial Water Spark drying concerns everyone's fate. Did you not mention this to them?"

Chief Valencia shook her head.

"It's too bothersome to explain such a crucial yet sensitive topic to each tribe one by one, not to mention they might not believe it. I would only be wasting my time, in that case. It would be more convincing to get the spy to the secrets before inserting our own assumption."

"True. We, ourselves, did not believe it at first when Little Brother Leonhardt mentioned it. It was only after listening to his reasoning and thoughts that we became more convinced of such a possibility."

Master Woodrow rubbed his chin before asking, "How many ended up responding to it?"

"Only four. The Crimsonfog Tribe, the Fallen Star Tribe, and the Cold Raven Tribe will attend the summit. The Berserk Dragon Tribe said they will think about it. There is no need to mention the Blackwind Tribe. However, the last tribe, the Clearwater Tribe, did not give any response." Chief Valencia said.

Leon was not familiar with the seven tribes of the alliance; thus, he listened quietly to Chief Valencia and Master Woodrow converse.

"The Clearwater Tribe didn't? That's concerning. If I recall correctly, they were also situated quite close to the Black Swamp… Don't tell me something also happened to them like the Blackwind Tribe?" Master Woodrow asked with surprise.

Chief Valencia's expression furrowed slightly in thought before saying, "That shouldn't be the case. Unless something also happened to their Battle King Ancestors, the Clearwater Tribe would not fall that easy. Perhaps the Clearwater Tribe's chief is busy or away from the tribe—?"

"Speaking of which, the Crimsonfog Tribe's chief also did not respond. It was the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman from their tribe that responded in his stead. Seems like something also happened to Chief Baskara and their tribe."

"One-Eyed Venerable Shaman did? That's a surprise." Master Woodrow said.

Chief Valencia was confused by this statement.

"Why is that a surprise to you, Venerable Shaman Woodrow? Is there something about the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman that I do not know about? I do know that he is the Crimsonfog Tribe's best weaponsmith, but this shouldn't be it…"

"Hahaha, it's not strange that you do know not much about the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's history. You were still a toddler when he was making waves in the territory of the Seven Tribes Alliance." Master Woodrow chuckled slightly.

"Before he shattered his core and awakened his Shaman powers, becoming a master weaponsmith thereafter. He was an Extremity-rank Battle Master with only a thin step away from reaching the legendary Battle King Realm. If he had succeeded, the Crimsonfog Tribe would have welcomed their 4th Battle King and assumed the seven tribes' leadership position. Unfortunately, something happened, causing him to shatter his core early."

Chief Valencia soft gasp with amazement. Everyone who can achieve the Battle King Realm was a prodigy of their generation. Although the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman failed, it did not hinder her from having admiration and respect for such a figure.

Nevertheless, she was still confused and asks, "But what's surprising about this person responding to my voice transmission?"

"Well, you see, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman never assumes any managerial roles in the tribe nor participate in them, like never." Master Woodrow emphasized the last part.

Leon rubbed his thoughtfully and muttered, "Someone who never involves themself in the managerial activities went and respond to Chief Valencia's voice transmission in Chief Baskara's stead. One cannot help but what happened in the Crimsonfog Tribe to compel this person to assume the role."

"Right."

Both Master Woodrow and Chief Valencia were also curious about what happened there.

After a short moment, Chief Valencia summoned a scout and assigned the person the mission to determine what happened at the Crimsonfog Tribe. It was quite a distance from the Darkmoon Tribe, but the scout accepted gladly without a trace of unwillingly and left.

Not even two breathes after the scout exited the Great Hall, another of warriors entered and greeted with a respectful gesture, "Chief Valencia."

"Venerable Shaman Woodrow."

"Er... Big--Young--Ahem, Divine Doctor Leonhardt."

They proceeded to greet the other two awkwardly, uncertain of which would be the appropriate form of address. Leon narrowed his eyes and commented, "Quite the unique title you got for me there."

"My apologies, Divine Doctor. I did not mean to offend you." The group leader said with his head lowered.

Leon waved his hand, nonchalantly, "No offense committed. Big Brother Leonhardt, Young Master Leonhardt, or Divine Doctor. Just pick whatever. No need to try and fuse them all."

At the same, Darlene giggled softly from behind Leon, taking delight in his plight and taunting him. Leon shortly conjured a palm of air from behind her and smacked her supple rear with his Divine Will.

"Ahh!"

Darlene immediately exclaimed and turned around to check who slapped her butt but failed to see anything. She became lost as to what could have hit her.

"What's wrong?" Leon turned around with surprise.

"S-Something hit my butt!"

"Oh? Who would dare do such a thing to you while in my presence?" Leon said defensively, but he could not hide the wicked grin on his face.

Darlene noticed this and pouted. She could not explain how Leon might have done it, but it must have been him. There was no other reason why her butt would be targeted.

"Ahem!" Chief Valencia coughed and asked the group leader, an Early-rank Great Warrior, "What have you come to report?"

"Reporting to Chief Valencia, we have finished the task of scouting the Black Swamp, as per your orders." The Early-rank Great Warrior stated.

"Oh." Chief Valencia nodded and glanced at the subtly glowing new Soul Weapon; a Tier 4 Bone Sword hung at the person's waist. "I see your trip has been quite fruitful. And what have you found out for me?"

"The entire Black Swamp's Outer Region disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes. The cloud of darkness has receded, and even the black water has too. The entire outer region has been revealed. We have also spotted large numbers of tribesmen from the Clearwater Tribe exploring the area."

"Oh? The Clearwater Tribe?" Chief Valencia repeated with surprise. She exchanged a brief glance with Master Woodrow before asking the Early-rank Great Warrior, "Did you also spot their chief? And what about the inner region? Did you find anything on that?"

The Early-rank Great Warrior shook his head and said, "No, we did not get close enough to find out if the Clearwater Tribe's chief was among. Due to our party's limited strength, I did not dare risk my group members' lives to lead them too close to investigate. There were many Wraiths and Horned Demons in the area."

"I see. Alright, if you have nothing else for me, then you may return home with your group members to relax and entertain yourselves. I'll summon you when I have another task for your exploration group." Chief Valencia nodded before adding, "Oh, don't forget to collect your reward from the Mission Hall."

"Understood. Thank you, Chief Valencia!" The Early-rank Great Warrior and his group expressed their gratitude.

Shortly after they left, Leon asks, "Does Chief Valencia have any plans?"

"There's seven days until the summit. Until then, there are a few things I want to settle. Considering the Clearwater Tribe's movements, it seems like there is something good to be found in the Black Swamp. Such a good thing should not be missed by us. I will organize an expedition and lead it myself."

Chief Valencia shortly turned to Master Woodrow and said, "However, before that, let us gather the Venerable Shamans and pool together ancient book collections like we have discussed earlier, Venerable Shaman Woodrow."

"Of course. I was just waiting for you to say those words! I will go talk to those Old Fogies right now!" Master Woodrow responded with eagerness.

Ever since the ancestors created the Darkmoon Body Forging Method, the Darkmoon Tribe all enjoyed its benefits. However, it had always been Master Woodrow's greatest wish to improve this body forging method, which had not been modified and improved since its creation.

After Master Woodrow disappeared from the Great Hall, Chief Valencia said to Leon, "I heard that Little Brother Leonhardt is also proficient in the runic language. You will be joining us, won't you?"

"If Chief Valencia does not mind my presence, I will naturally be happy in joining you and the Venerable Shamans during the pooling of ancient book collections." Leon agreed.

"That's great! We will be relying on your profound knowledge to understand the secrets of the past."

"Chief Valencia has spoken too humbly."