The towering canopy of the trees spread out like an enormous open umbrella, covering the sky. Sunlight could only filter into the forest through the narrow gaps between branches and leaves.
Mottled patches of light shifted constantly as the branches swayed, disturbing the vision of those walking through the woods.
Fortunately, they were all savages born and raised here. Long ago, they had grown used to the ever-changing play of light and shadow in the forest, and they knew how to maintain sharp senses and vigilance in such an environment.
Ucha carried a sack of dried meat and walked at the rear of the group, turning his head from time to time to make sure no foraging beasts were following behind.
"Look, we're almost there!"
A shout from the front startled Ucha slightly. He quickly looked ahead, and through layers of branches and leaves, he too saw the deep valley in the distance.
Memories from a few days ago surged into his mind, making Ucha shiver involuntarily.
It had been the most terrifying night he had ever experienced.
Blood, screams, fighting, corpses scattered everywhere… these scenes often woke him in the middle of the night, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.
Fortunately, Ucha had run fast that night. Otherwise, he would have died in the valley—or become a prisoner.
Fortunately, that noble lord was a kind man. Not only did he not hold the Huya tribe accountable for their crimes, he even accepted them as his people.
Ucha didn't really understand the difference between "people" and "savages," but he didn't resist the change in identity much.
At the very least, they no longer had to fight those terrifying Reach people.
And they could eat delicious white bread.
Ucha still remembered the wonderful taste that melted in his mouth. This time, when he brought dried meat to Yingzui Islet, he also hoped to exchange it for some bread.
Of course, that was just incidental.
The more important task was to help his sister find a man.
Many girls from the village had already married into Yingzui Islet. After that great battle, the ratio of men to women in Huya Village had become severely unbalanced. If the girls didn't want to die alone, marrying out was their only choice.
Moreover, savages had always admired strength.
The people of Hewan had already proven their strength, so the girls of Huya Village naturally had little resistance to marrying outsiders.
What's more, the lord had also promised to reward the girls who married into Yingzui Islet.
Over the past few days, many girls from Huya Village had gone to Yingzui Islet to choose a man.
Yes—these mountain girls had always been very proactive.
Ucha's older sister, Wuna, was usually a bit reserved because of her outstanding looks, but now she didn't dare to wait any longer. Otherwise, all the warriors from Hewan would be taken.
By then, only craftsmen would be left.
After walking for a while, the group drew close to the mouth of the valley.
The scene gradually grew lively. Hundreds of savages were busy cutting down trees. The once-dense forest had become much sparser, and a large open area had appeared near the valley entrance.
Ucha knew these loggers well—they were all former clansmen who had been captured and kept on Yingzui Islet to build a castle for the lord.
At first, he had thought their lives would be miserable: not enough food, poor sleep, heavy labor, and even beatings and abuse.
But along the way, he realized that wasn't the case at all.
These lumberjacks were full of vitality and energy, not like prisoners in the slightest.
"Uncle!"
Hearing his sister's voice, Ucha quickly turned his head and saw his uncle swinging an axe at a thick oak tree.
"Hey, Wuna, Wucha, why are you two here?" The uncle stopped his movements, then seemed to recall something and smiled. "Did you come to pick a man for Wuna?"
Wuna nodded openly. She wasn't too shy, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes."Uncle, those people from Hewan… they won't bully us savages, right?"
"No." The uncle shook his head. "The lord has already issued a decree. The people of Hewan and the savages are equal. Anyone who bullies others will be punished."
"That's good." Wuna nodded, finally seeming to relax.
"Uncle, how have you been…" Ucha asked, feeling a little guilty.
He had always felt that running away alone that night was cowardly—and that it had turned his uncle into a prisoner.
"I'm fine. I eat, I sleep, and I get paid."
"Paid?" Ucha was startled.
"Yes." The uncle picked up his axe again. "I'll tell you later. I have to finish today's work, or I'll lose my work points."
After saying that, he ignored the still-confused siblings and once again swung the axe in his hands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After the tree creaked ominously, the man in charge signaled his subordinates to pull the thick rope already tied to the treetop.
The towering tree, already on the verge of collapse, finally crashed to the ground under everyone's combined effort, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
After clearing away the excess branches, everyone hoisted the log onto their shoulders and carried it into the valley.
The Wucha siblings followed along.
"Uncle, did you just say you still get paid?"
"Yes. The lord said we're captives, not slaves, and our labor deserves payment. Of course, since we're atoning for our past mistakes, the reward isn't high, and we can't get it right away."
"Then when can you get it?"
"When the castle is finished, the lord will settle everything with us at once. For now, we just record work points."
"Work points?"
"Yes. You earn one point for completing the required work each day. On top of that, the person in each group who does the most work gets an extra point. One point is equal to a copper coin. Don't underestimate it—you know, the lord is responsible for our food and making sure we're full!"
"That's really good." Seeing that his uncle was doing well, Ucha finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What a benevolent lord!" Wuna also sighed, her anticipation of marrying into Yingzui Islet growing even stronger.
"Yes. The only bad thing is that after every six days of work, we have to stop for one day. The lord says it's a rest day. Sigh—but you don't earn any work points that day." The uncle sighed deeply. "I really don't know what there is to rest for."
"You could go back to Huya Village for a visit. Oh right, Uncle—are you allowed to leave Yingzui Islet?"
"Yes. The lord hasn't restricted our freedom. But why would I go back? That woman has remarried, and my mother and son now live in the orphanage on Yingzui Islet. Huya Village is no longer my home."
"Auntie… she thought you died in battle, so—"
"Enough. Don't make excuses for her. I have nothing to do with her anymore. Once I finish building the castle and get my wages, it won't be hard for me to find another woman. Besides, there are plenty of widows in the village now."
Ucha scratched the back of his head and said no more.
After walking a bit further, they saw a small group of people gathered ahead, seemingly arguing about something.
From their appearance, Ucha recognized them as members of the Longbeard tribe—people who had also joined the Canyon Battle under the call of the three Cheka brothers.
The road in the valley was narrow, so as they passed by, Ucha and the others inevitably overheard part of the conversation.
"Tell the patriarch we're not going back."
"Why? Since the people of Hewan haven't restricted your freedom, why don't you run away?"
"Why would we run? We eat well here, sleep well, and even get paid. I'm not going back."
"But here, you have to keep working."
"And going back means hunting. Compared to that, cutting trees isn't life-threatening."
"But… but the tribe needs you!"
"Why doesn't the patriarch submit to Lord Caesar too, like the Huya tribe did?"
"Yeah, yeah. That way, we could all become Lord Caesar's subjects."
"Bastards! Have you forgotten the glory of the Longbeard tribe?!"
"What glory… I got beaten like that…"
"Shut up! You ungrateful dogs! I paid a few copper coins to ransom you!"
"It's more than a few copper coins! It'll take a long time to finish the castle, but that's a lot of copper! If we run away now, all the previous work points are wasted. Anyway, I'm not leaving."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
…
"Only fools would run away." Listening to the dispute, the uncle commented calmly. "Not only has no one escaped, the number of people in our prison camp has actually increased these past few days."
"Increased?" Ucha was stunned. "There are people who volunteered to be prisoners?"
"Yeah. You heard it yourself—the prisoners here are treated so well. Why wouldn't they come?" The uncle glanced at his nephew and suddenly said, "Wucha, why don't you stay as a prisoner too? Your sister's getting married anyway. If you stay, at least someone will take care of you."
"What?" Ucha was completely dumbfounded.
But after thinking about it… it didn't actually sound so bad.
Yes… but how could someone willingly become a prisoner?
And what about the glory of savage warriors?
For a moment, Wucha fell into deep conflict.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)