Chapter 843: The Second Kingdom Expedition, The Canine Leader's Sinister Grin
The old Militia was captured. None of the twenty-one crew members escaped.
Everyone had their weapons confiscated, their gemstones taken, and their ship seized. A Canine Hunter tried to snatch the golden Sun Amulet from around Priest Mekate's neck. Mekate shouted in anger, fighting back to the death. As a result, the red-haired Canine Captain came out, scolded the hunter a few times, and surprisingly let it pass.
"What did he say?"
"I couldn't understand his words."
Priest Mekate shook his head, a look of puzzlement on his face.
"But I think I heard the Chief Divine's name... does he believe in the Chief Divine?"
No one knew the answer, and they were all herded like some kind of goods into the Elder's large thatched house in the village, becoming captive prisoners. However, surprisingly, this group of Canine Warriors, who appeared out of nowhere, still provided them with food and treated the wounded after stripping them of all their possessions and weapons.
"Mekate, did you notice? The weapon their leader is holding seems like one from the Kingdom…"
"Of course, they robbed us…"
"No. I mean, he was holding it the first time we saw him."
"What?! The first time we saw him?"
In the pitch-black hut, Priest Mekate suddenly stood up. He pondered for a moment, a hesitant look on his face.
"You mean..."
"These are not the savage Canine from the Wilderness... they've had contact with the Kingdom!"
"Contact?... What kind of contact then?"
With that, both fell silent simultaneously. Considering the Kingdom's consistently strong-handed approach, it was unlikely to be a good contact. And now, any day might be their last.
"Ah! May the Chief Divine protect us! Sleep now…"
The days of captivity were dull and tedious, yet filled with anxious torment. The group was imprisoned in the small village for more than ten days without any communication. The guards were Canine warriors of the same number, fierce yet simple, stubbornly silent, and unable to communicate due to language barriers.
"Oh Chief Divine! Where on earth did these Canine come from? They can't even understand the language of the Guajili?"
Priest Mekate squinted his eyes, peering through the cracks of the hut at the warriors outside guarding them. He noticed their blue face paint, long hair, and the leather headbands they wore, all of which left no impression on him. It wasn't until he saw one of the warriors' horns that he seemed to realize something.
"A Bison horn from the North? Tribes from the farther northern plains?…"
Several days of hard captivity passed again, and the smell in the hut became somewhat stifling. The fields outside the village were lush green, the corn being already half as tall as a person. It seemed already July, and even the seriously injured prisoners could now walk.
It wasn't until then that the red-haired Canine Captain gathered his men, preparing to escort the prisoners away. But just as the old Militia was led to the village entrance, they saw a red-haired Scout rushing in from the Northwest, speaking a few words to the Canine Captain.
"What? They're coming?"
The Canine Captain was visibly shocked, hesitated for a moment, then reordered the crew prisoners back into the house.
Another two days passed. Not until the morning of the third day did another group of over a hundred Canine warriors arrive swiftly from the Northwest. From the crack in the hut, the sharp-eyed scout Mountain Bird noticed these Canine were carrying long spears of two to three meters, many with dyed red hair, clearly more elite than the village's troops.
Under the anxious watch of everyone, the new Canine leader, wielding a Bronze Axe and accompanied by several trusted aides, came bounding towards the hut after asking just a few questions. Then, the red-haired captain from the village hurriedly arrived, blocking their path outside the hut.
"By the Chief Divine and Ancestors! Why are you here so quickly?"
"Ancestors witness! Of course, I came in a hurry! If I were late, you'd have sent the people to the South already!"
The newly arrived Canine leader, with menacing red face paint, projected an aura of aggression, clenching his teeth fiercely.
"Let me in!"
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you think I'm going to do?"
"The Great Chief said it! The Mexica are our allies now. You can't kill them!"
"Ha! Allies? If they're allies, why did you rob them?"
"That's another matter. Their weapons and armor were too numerous, and they were injured... Giving the weapons to us can truly utilize them! Besides, I haven't killed them; I even treated their wounds…"
"Ancestors witness! The Mexica are not our allies!"
The young painted leader roared, letting out a wolf-like howl.
"They're just using the tribes! They had the best armor but never gave us any… Have you forgotten? Who drove the tribes from the Highland to here?"
"Everything you said, the Great Chief knows! Alan Little Chieftain knows too! That's why we took the Otter City and didn't give it to them."
The red-haired Canine Captain gritted his teeth, suppressing his internal urge to kill, and answered angrily.
"They attacked the tribes, hunted us down, killed so many of our warriors from various tribes! Even the mighty Chichika Great Chief fell to their hands…"
"All these years, I've never forgotten! I remember their wooden beasts, their Fire Arrows, their Thunderbolt, and their heavily armored warriors... I wish to kill them too!…"
"But now is not the time to turn against them! The Great Chief is continuously relocating the subservient Vastec tribes to new nests in the North. There are also the armies of City Pamus at the outskirts of Otter City... The Silver Raven Tribe, loyal to the Mexica, is becoming increasingly active in the South… Therefore, the Great Chief said to treat them as allies, no killing allowed!"
"No killing allowed... ha!"
Upon hearing this, the young painted leader suddenly calmed down. He let out a sneer, paused for a moment, then softly said.
"Hand them over to me... let me kill them! No one will ever know…"
"But…" "
"You know of the blood feud I have with the Mexica! Our blood feud with the Mexica!... The people I brought are more than yours…"
The young painted leader squinted his eyes, exuding both killing intent and threats.
"Hand them over! I promise, no one will ever know!…"
"You!…"
"I also promise… all the weapons and armor you've seized, will remain with you, no one will take them!"
"…"
After hearing this last statement, the red-haired Canine Captain paused for a moment. After some time, he asked softly.
"You promise?"
"I promise!"
"You all promise?"
"We promise!"
"Alright then."
The red-haired Canine Captain stepped aside, pushed open the hut door, revealing the terrified crew members to the young leader's view.
"Chief Divine and Ancestors witness! They're yours… make it clean, don't let anyone know…"
"Ancestors witness! Don't worry!"
The young painted leader grinned, showing sharp teeth. He then strode into the hut with personal guard warriors, chuckling sinisterly with his Bronze Axe.