Chapter 401

401 – The Egg and the Chick

The next day.

I woke up early in the morning and took my seat on the bone chair crafted by the Deep Naraku Tribe. I don’t know whose beast bone it’s made from, but it looks quite sinister, so I wasn’t too keen on sitting on it.

“Lord Hassan, this chair is exclusively prepared for you—especially for you!”

The high priestess of the Tatari Tribe seemed determined that I should sit on this absurd-looking bone chair.

Clank-clank.

This bone chair might as well be considered the supreme council and symbol of power, the throne, of this island. It’s pointy, and it hurts my b*tt.

“It suits you perfectly. Oh! It’s as though you were born to sit here. Hernia, daughter of the Naraku, now has no regrets even if she dies.”

The high priestess of the Tatari Tribe was an old grandmother. She has sparse teeth and cloudy eyes, and it’s clear at a glance that she’s in a bad state.

“Fluto’s only son, coming all the way from that distant hell to save our island! You’re truly our savior!”

This old woman was busy praising me, treating me like some extraordinary person. It seemed she was impressed by the arrogant and confident appearance I showed her last night.

Last night, after escaping from the prison and causing commotion, the Tatari Tribe did not resist much when I revealed myself as the son of Fluto.

I had expected some resistance, but there was none.

And thanks to this old woman, High Priestess Hernia, I was able to take over the tribe bloodlessly. Upon seeing me, she ordered everyone to disarm.

“Let’s all bow and worship him!”

Slick-slick.

As a result, the girls in front of me are now prostrating themselves on the ground, sneakily glancing at me.

There are nearly seventy women from the Tatari Tribe. Their average level is around 25. As befits the famous martial faction of the Ideope Archipelago, they are powerful enough to rival a group of mercenaries or a guild. Add the zombies they control, and their strength is certainly impressive.

Both Luna and Elpride would probably have had a tough time if these girls had attacked us with all their might. We might have been the ones kneeling in defeat.

Yet when I see the pink-haired girls kneeling on all fours, and their horns popping up everywhere, they look like a field of growing Chicorita.

Of course, I wouldn’t say this to anyone.

Through my ears, I could distinctly hear the whispers of the girls bowing their heads, murmuring among themselves.

“How long do we have to stay like this?”

“I don’t know! Didn’t you see him tear apart the ironwood cage with his bare hands? He’s a far stronger fiend than Chrome. He incinerated Chrome with a single punch!”

“No wonder they call him the son of Fluto. Fluto must have given birth to a monstrous son. No wonder his soul seems so extraordinary.”

At that moment, Chief Elder Hernia interjected with a word.

“Very soon, the foolish wanderers of other tribes will also kneel before Lord Hassan. Today, in the name of this old Chief Elder, I have summoned a meeting of representatives from all the islands and tribes.”

With her chuckle, many pink-haired girls in pink outfits gathered in the center of Tatari Tribe’s village in Hill Island.

“What’s up? Are we the first ones here? Old woman Hernia, you didn’t just call us, did you?”

The first to arrive were women draped with snakes on their faces and bodies.

Large pythons were coiled around their necks as if they were scarves, wriggling around rather eerily. They also had prominent tattoos on their faces.

“Holding a tribal meeting at the Tatari Tribe? That hasn’t happened in a long time! So, Chief Elder Hernia, did you lose your marbles or something?”

Ssssshhh…Ssshh…

“I also think so, SnakeSnakes. The weather on this Hill Island is sticky which makes me feel terrible. Also, there are many swamps.”

They even talk to their snakes, making it seem like they’re having a normal conversation. Just watching this makes me feel like I’m going insane.

“Wow, those are the SnakeSnakes Tribe! They live deep in the jungles and are rarely seen. Tsk. They really breed a lot of snakes… There’s even a Golden Python there…”

According to Luna, these are the SnakeSnake Tribe from Coral Island. Though small in number, they preserve the secret art of controlling snakes, toads, or poisonous spiders, making them not to be underestimated.

The population of this tribe is approximately twenty.

Though few in number, they consist of about twenty 20-level powerful warriors.

Then, with a rustle through the bushes, another group of women appeared.

“The fortune says ‘Great misfortune’. Today, d*ath for all. This meeting in such a dark place is not auspicious.”

These women wore scarecrow dolls, large nails, and strange wooden cards dangling around their waists. Some carried torches in their hands with dangerous nails clenched in their mouths.

“Careful, they might swallow them by mistake.”

Slightly frowning in concern, I heard a small voice from Luna standing behind my chair.

“They are from the Scarecrow Island, the Wet Mist Tribe. Skilled in curses, superstitions, and fortune-telling. Their words are hard to understand, even in Ideope.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Afterward, various more tribes from different islands arrived. Among them, the last to come were the biggest and most powerful — the Nox Child Tribe.

A woman with blue skin wearing a skull mask appeared, sitting on a sedan chair and fanning herself with a fan made of bird tail feathers.

That must be the elder and her royal guard.

According to Luna, the population of the Nox Child Tribe is approximately 200, with an average level of 10.

However, due to the elder who is as strong as a great warrior of the Continent, the village’s public order is excellent.

The elder of the Nox Child Tribe stated, “Calling all 15 tribes from 13 islands together, Chief Elder Hernia, what’s going on? I came because you summoned me. But we all know that relations between all of us are far from good, so it’s unusual to see everyone together.”

In response, cries of agreement were heard from various points.

After all, until just recently, they were fighting each other to steal resources and men. It’s natural that the atmosphere would become chaotic with all of them in one place.

Clearly, some people were thinking of stirring up trouble here.

Garuru, you b*stard. At that time, you threw stones at my face. Once the meeting is over, I’ll ram a spear into your a**!

I don’t know what you’re talking about. And it’s taboo to use such sharp words during the tribal meeting, don’t you know?

About ten or so people from the 13 tribes. Each person’s shout amounts to about ten dozen phrases. Watching the pink-haired women loudly chatter makes me feel rather annoyed.

The grandmother called Chief Elder Hernia, who is respected by women of other islands, then tapped her staff on the floor to attract everyone’s attention.

“Well, quiet down. I know all of you are busy and have a lot to say. It’s well-known that Ideope women are talkative even in the large lands. So, let’s get straight to the point before things drag on.”

Taking advantage of the brief silence, Hernia swept her dim eyes across the area and continued.

“The Deep Naraku Tribe will cease the war from today onward. It is no longer necessary. Chrome, who ruled the Moonrise Mountain, is dead. Thus, we will once again open this place to all tribes, as it was before.”

There was a brief silence before a great uproar surged around. This atmosphere became even more noisy than the earlier mutual growls.

Opening the spring water, that’s a lucky and good thing, but…

Chrome is dead?

That monster, wasn’t he made stronger by the Tatari Tribe’s Jinmabi magic? If someone like him is dead, is that even possible?

Are you trying to trick us? Perhaps it’s some kind of trap?

They couldn’t easily believe that the three-headed zombie giant was dead.

Nowadays, I’ve noticed that people in this world are too suspicious and unwilling to trust anything right away, which is starting to make me feel exhausted.

Then someone raised their hand. It’s the elder of the Nox Child Tribe.

“Whoever defeated that monster, it wasn’t your Tatari Tribe, was it? So who accomplished such a feat?”

When the question hovered in the air, uncertain gazes wandered around the scene. At this point, sitting on the bone chair, which has begun to hurt my back and buttocks, provided an opportune moment for me to speak up.

“It’s me.”

At this, a sudden moment of silence enveloped the village square of the Tatari Tribe. I used this silence to quickly add a few more words.

“I also decided to open the golden spring water, and opened the port of the Dark Island that the Tatari Tribe had monopolized. But it’s not free. There are conditions.”

*

The noisy discussions finally came to a halt when the morning sun started setting in the evening.

The tribes that had gathered from various islands had all spoken up so much that a day had passed, leading into the evening.

Throughout, we discussed compensations for the damage caused by the wars so far.

And talked about the policy regarding future actions, resulting in quarrels, raised voices, and a few fist fights. It took quite some time.

I was wondering when this endless talk would end.

As the sun set, somewhere a bubbling sound began, and food started to be prepared. Soon enough, the pink-haired girls were seen in groups around a blazing campfire, chatting lively.

The mingling of women from different tribes made the area resemble a bustling market.

“Ah, those mushrooms — aren’t they the incense mushrooms only found on the green island?”

“Yes. When added to a pot dish, they enhance the broth, making it delicious.”

“In that case, I’ll bring out the snakeberry wine from our island as well.”

As they shared the food they brought from each of their islands, cooked in pots or roasted over the fire, it was hard to believe they had just been shouting and even warring against each other.

Of course, this was quite a pleasant sight.

Luna chirped beside me.

“It looks like the conversation went well. Normally after the tribal meetings, they exchange goods they’ve brought along.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At this point, Elpride, who had been silently standing beside me for some time, finally spoke.

“This exchange must also be a form of communication among different tribes, talking and falling in love…”

Following Elpride’s gaze, I saw groups of young boys and girls who looked quite young. They were standing stiffly and looking at each other from the corners of their eyes.

Youths full of the charm of adolescence.

They must be taking an interest in the girls and boys from other tribes.

For some reason, they look enviable.

Their innocent and young reactions were truly brimming with the feeling of youth and vitality.

Hey, your tribe doesn’t have these kind of things, yeah? This autumn sweet potato tastes great!

What are you saying? Go away!

I was once a teenager too, of course. Though at that time, unlike these boys, I was too shy. Whenever a girl talked to me, I used to blush, not knowing what to do.

Even as I got older, it was quite the same.

The fact that I can now talk to women without much trouble is largely thanks to Elpride standing there coolly and Luna.

Right at that moment, Luna quickly darted behind my chair.

“Uh… Cloaking voodoo-!”

The Cloaking Voodoo is a skill Luna uses to evade when she encounters an opponent too strong for her. Suddenly using this indicates that a being just like Luna’s natural enemy has appeared.

Turning my head, I saw an elder with blue skin walking toward me. She was carrying what looked like a long, horn-like drinking cup and offered it to me.

“To have defeated that fiend Chrome, you do seem to have the abilities worthy of being called Fluto’s son. You even managed to subdue the strong Tatari Tribe in just one day.”

I took the horn-like cup, where an intriguing translucent sky-blue liquid was bubbling.

Is it alcohol?

“This is snow flower wine prepared by me, Elder Kirke. It tastes good and is also beneficial for men’s health.”

“Beneficial for men’s health?”

Just as I’ve been feeling a bit drained after forcefully growing those trees, this was the perfect timing.

Taking a sip from the horn, I was surprisingly delighted to find it tasted like a refreshing cider with alcohol added.

“Delicious.”

“Both medicine and alcohol should not only be beneficial but also taste good. In that sense, Noxdotty’s potions are still far behind. They lack flavor.”

At this, there was a rustling sound from behind my chair.

“Um… Elder… How did you know I was here?”

“Your cloaking voodoo is not quite refined yet. It’s quite poor.”

After facing each other for a few seconds in silence, Elder Kirke spoke first.

“Noxdotty. Pulling off such a reckless maneuver, causing such a huge uproar without us knowing… What would you have done if it had gone wrong?”

“Uh…”

Luna was floundering, at a loss for words. At this, the elder fell silent again. Then she clenched her fist and lifted her arm as if to strike Luna’s head.

Whoosh.

“Silent Honey Bump!”

“Whhh… Whhhiiiiip!”

This was the Silent Honey Bump, a signature move Luna often used on Paranoi.

I had thought that Luna had given random names to these moves, but it seems she herself had suffered countless Honey Bumps during her childhood from the elder.

Could it be the numerous Honey Bumps that damaged her brain cells and made Luna often talk nonsense?

In that case, it explains why Paranoi, who has been repeatedly on the receiving end of Honey Bumps from Luna, talks even more nonsense now.

I fell into deep thought about the problem of physical punishment through corporal impact. At that exact moment, the sound of the elder’s hand slipping through the air could be heard, “Slic.”

“Not anymore. You’ve outgrown the age of Honey Bumps. This matter is far too serious to settle with just a Honey Bump. Noxdotty, after consulting with our senior members, the fact stands that you deceived the tribe and acted recklessly without any thought. Therefore, you are disqualified as my successor.”

“Phewt! Hooray!”

Luna celebrated with her arms raised at losing the right to succeed. But the elder wasn’t finished.

“Also, from now on, you, Noxdotty, are formally expelled from the Nox Child Tribe.”

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