At Riverden City, James stood by the city gate. Beside him was Martin, the City Lord of Riverden City. They had received word in advance that today was the day both the Lord of Sedona City and the leader of the beastkin tribe were scheduled to arrive.
"Mister James, who do you think will get here first?" Martin craned his neck, looking from the northwest to the southeast, trying to see which party would appear.
"It should be the beastkin. They're on horseback, so they'll be faster," James said calmly. He had already received instructions from Aiden: they must let the beastkin arrive first. This would give them a chance to scout the situation and ensure it was safe. The beastkin were afraid of human tricks, and the humans were just as afraid of a beastkin ambush. Everything was for the Master's sake; they had to be cautious. Without the Master, Sedona City would eventually collapse.
He had been busy in Riverden City recently, all in preparation for this meeting and to help Martin reform the city, namely by organizing the spring planting and clearing land for pasture.
"I see." Martin's lips twitched. There was something he wanted to ask, but he didn't know if he should.
"City Lord Martin, if you have something to say, just say it," James said lightly.
"Will Camilla... be with them today?" Martin asked, his voice hopeful. He missed his daughter; this was the first time she had been away for so long.
"Of course. Miss Camilla is accompanying the Master," James replied, slightly amused.
"That's good, that's good," Martin repeated. He had been so worried she wasn't being treated well in Sedona City, which would have defeated the entire purpose of sending her.
Thud-thud-thud...
The ground began to vibrate. James, Martin, and the others looked up, staring southeast. A moment later, they saw several hundred beastkin knights galloping toward them at full speed.
"The beastkin tribe is here," James said, his eyebrow raised and his expression growing grim. "Their military strength is impressive. At least three hundred knights."
"Don't panic! They are not enemies!" Martin turned to reassure the civilians who had gathered to watch. The flustered crowd slowly settled, but the fear in their eyes didn't fade. The thunderous sound of hooves was terrifying.
*
Ten-some minutes earlier, within Perry's beastkin column...
"Your Highness, you really didn't need to come personally. I could have handled the negotiations with the humans," A monkey beastkin woman said, exasperated.
"Sally, this is our first important negotiation with the humans. We cannot afford a single mistake. This determines whether our tribe can survive and grow," Perry said seriously. The tribe's development had been completely stifled.
"Especially salt. We have no access to salt, and human caravans refuse to trade with us. That is our greatest crisis. Furthermore, I've received news that humans are also short on salt. The price has already been driven up to fifty copper coins per pound."
"Now that a human noble is willing to trade with us, I must set aside some of my prejudices. Besides, I know most of you have no love for humans. If I didn't come, and the humans made some excessive demand, it would almost certainly provoke you into a conflict. If that happens, this hard-won opportunity will be lost."
"But you are a Princess, and he is just a minor Baron! Shouldn't he be the one coming to our tribe to talk?" Sally said, annoyed. She felt this was disrespectful to the Grand Princess.
Sally was a monkey beastkin with long brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a suit of iron armor and radiated a valiant, dashing aura. She was Perry's Captain of the Guard, incredibly strong, skilled with a spear, and had followed Perry into battle for years.
"We are the ones who lost. We are starting over, and we must have the attitude of those who are starting over," Perry said calmly. She knew Sally's hot temper. She was naturally restless. If she were sent to negotiate, the talks would almost certainly collapse. "What we need most right now is a stable channel to sell the tribe's draft horses and sheep. I'm willing to take a small loss if I must. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come myself."
"That was a natural disaster! If not for that, Your Highness would have already conquered vast territories! You would have taken at least a hundred cities by now!" Sally shouted, growing emotional.
Before the disaster, Perry had led her knights in plundering dozens of cities. If not for the sudden, catastrophic blizzard, they might have seized vast lands from the surrounding kingdoms, or even annexed one or two of them entirely.
"That is in the past. Right now, our priority is feeding our people," Perry said indifferently. She wore a veil, making her expression unreadable. "Natural disaster or man-made, it doesn't matter. We failed. Dwelling on past glories only brings anger and despair. It does not help our current situation in the slightest."
"..." Sally knew she had misspoken and quickly changed the subject. "Your Highness, should we give the humans a little show of force? It might make them more... respectful... during the negotiations."
"Oh?" Perry paused, looking around at her knights. She had hand-picked the tribe's most elite warriors for this trip, precisely to guard against any human treachery. She considered it. A show of force, displaying their strength, could be beneficial. She nodded. "You may. But do not go too far. We don't want them to think we are simple barbarians."
"Of course not! How could we?" Sally waved her hand dismissively. "If we were actually serious, we'd scare them half to death!"
"Hahahaha!" Her words made the surrounding knights laugh. They'd seen plenty of human caravans where the men wet themselves before the beastkin even got close.
Perry shook her head but said nothing. With her here to restrain them, she wasn't worried they'd take it too far. This was a negotiation, after all, not a war.
"One more thing. When we arrive, do not call me 'Princess.' You will call me 'Chief'," Perry instructed. She did not want to reveal her identity.
"Understood," Sally nodded quickly. The surrounding knights also affirmed, "Yes, Chief!"
"Chief, we are about ten kilometers from Riverden City," A scout rode back to report. The scouts had to investigate the area around Riverden City first, to check for any human ambushes. The beastkin's vigilance toward humans was at the highest level.
"Good. Prepare to increase our speed." Perry waved her hand and spurred her mount into a gallop.
"Hiyah!"
"Giddyup!"
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