Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 212: The Small City

The trio walked away from the two people. There was no reason for them to stay any longer. What they needed to do now was to confirm who could be possible allies. And those two were not allies.

They roamed the larger space, taking note of certain tribes. Whether they arrived before or after them. They attempted to take note of each of them who could become allies down the line.

They took inventory of the tribes over the next several suns. Until one day, three tribes appeared together. Their presence caused the other beastmen to stop whatever they were doing. Their aura demanded respect.

Seeing this, Xeno sent a pack-link to their tribe. Though some felt the aura because their bloodlines were inferior, they had already begun the process of using vital energy. They did not have the same reverence as the other beastmen here. However, currently, it is better to blend in.

They were not sure if they would have the advantage in a fight. In addition, going against the ruling class meant going against their subordinates. They had no inclination to go to war with the majority of the Beast Continent.

So, just as the other tribes are doing, they pretended to be reverent of the ruling classes.

The first to appear were the Condors. They circled the valley. Their wingspan is large enough to provide coverage against the midday sun for the entire valley. Their silhouette cuts across the sky, shocking many birds living in the valley. They cower in fear or fly away from the vicinity.

Diving down towards the valley, the larger condor began to shift until only the wings on its back remained, allowing it a safe landing. Those who did not fly walked into the valley.

Their bodies were tall and long-limbed. Their feathers seemed to merge seamlessly with their skin. Their legs were lean and strong. Their eyes had a golden colour.

Behind them came the Panthers. As soon as they entered the valley, the pressure on the regular tribes escalated. Their aura spread through the valley. Their bodies were tall and powerful.

Their hands had long retractable claws. They had sharp cheekbones, feline ears coming from their thick black hair, and eyes that glowed amber. Some had panther tails swaying behind them.

They wore leather wraps across their torsos, leaving most of their bodies bare.

The mammoths appeared not long after the panthers. Their bodies were large, with big muscles. Their noses extended into short, flexible trunks. Every step appeared to want to break the earth beneath their feet.

The mammoths had heavy bone ornaments hanging from their belts and shoulders.

The Panthers were gracefully lethal. The Condors had aerial majesty. The Mammoths had their immovable strength and endurance.

The ruling classes complemented each other. At least, that’s what Visha thinks.

"They really know how to show off," Visha said in her mate link.

"They aren’t the ruling classes for nothing. We should start making the ground shake when we walk, too," Xeno replied nonchalantly.

"I can teach you to fly instead," Uri remarked.

Visha almost laughed out loud. She knew the kind of flying Uri wanted Xeno to do had nothing to do with actual flight.

"One day, you’ll bully him, and he’ll bully you back," Visha mused.

"I await the day."

The valley was silent as the tribes watched the ruling classes enter. They walked to the front of the valley gate and stopped. They had something to say.

A Mammoth beastman stepped forward, Varek, the leader of the Mammoth tribe. He was a large man, one of the largest in the procession.

He began to speak. "We welcome you to this year’s Full Bloom Festival. The festival will last for the next two moon cycles."

"The first moon cycle advocates Trading. The Bazarr will be open, welcoming all kinds of crafts and goods. Let the flow of wealth strengthen each tribe and foster prosperity. We hope that during this time, you can all get to know each other, gain knowledge, and discover new things."

"The second moon cycle advocates Partnering and Mating. A time like this may also strengthen your tribe and the alliances between tribes. This is a time to strengthen your bloodlines."

"During the second moon, we welcome the leaders and priests to gather with us in the Grand Hall to discuss important matters, resolve disputes, and discuss ways to guide our people forward."

"Enjoy everything the festival has to offer."

With that, the speech was finished. Varek faced the large gate. He took out a whorled piece of metal from the pack slung over his shoulder. He pushed it into the gate until it made a loud grinding sound.

The gate opened slowly, and a city, in all its glory, was revealed. It took into account the beauty of the mountains and the skill of craftsmen.

The entire valley was more than enough to accommodate the number of tribes here. There might even be space for more. It was also at this time that they noticed a waterfall in the valley.

It fell into a large lake. Visha suspects that it leads underground because there is no river in the section where they had been staying for the past few days. She was also pleasantly surprised that the large gates actually shielded the sound of the waterfall.

The city was built in tiers. The lowest level, near the gates, is where the Bazaar is placed. It is a place filled with colourful stones. There are wooden stalls and shops. No matter what kind of ware you might sell, there should be a stall each tribe could use to keep their goods.

Above the Bazaar are houses. The houses vary in size, depending on how many people each tribe brought with them. There were three particularly large houses. Visha didn’t need to guess who they belonged to.

Much further up the mountain is a large building. It stood alone and was the most opulent of all the things in the valley. Visha had already guessed it was the Grand Hall, the place where tribe leaders and priests would be able to talk amongst themselves.

As they stepped into the city, they noticed there were actually guides. Visha had expected they would be fighting for housing. She was under no illusion that beastmen were docile and would take a house according to their actual size.

There will always be those who decide that they want a larger living space, regardless of whether they need it.

And as she expected, there were people foolish enough to fight the guides. She watched as another person from the lion tribe got thrashed by a female from the Mammoth tribe.

She couldn’t help shaking her head at the arrogance of the lions. They would even challenge the ruling class. But she had to admit, they had guts. They were willing to fight even if they were clear that the person was stronger than themselves.

The tribe made its way into the city. They were content with having to fight for a place to live, so it didn’t matter if they went early or late.

As they stepped to the gate, a young female half-shifter from the Condor’s tribe came to greet them.

"Hello, I am Metalla from the Skyward tribe, and I’ll be your guide today. If you follow me, I can show you to your living area."

Her voice sounded gentle, but it was obvious she had no respect for them. She didn’t wait for them to introduce themselves. She walked away as soon as she did her introduction, expecting them to follow.

No one from the Spiritfang tribe moved. It took Metalla some time to realize they had not moved from their spot. The annoyance on her face was comedy for Visha.

This Metalla was the rude one, so who is she trying to show her superiority to?

She noticed them looking at her. They did not move. It was such that others were beginning to stare. The trio didn’t mind if they stared. They aren’t the ones being rude.

In the end, Metalla was the one who walked towards them. She couldn’t keep her dissatisfaction off her face as she walked back to them.

"Are you blind? Didn’t you see me leave?"

None of the people from the tribe answered.

"Are you deaf?!" she shouted.

"Is there a way to get another guide?" Visha asked indifferently.

This made Metalla’s mouth open wide. She had never expected someone to be dissatisfied with her. She was from the Skyward tribe, one of the three ruling classes. As a female condor, she had never been disrespected.

If it weren’t for making a good impression on one of the tribe leader’s sons, she wouldn’t have even volunteered to do this kind of degrading task.

Her face turned red, as though blood was dripping from it.

The Spiritfang tribe stood waiting for someone else to come and guide them or for Metalla to burst. And with the shade of her face, Visha thought she might burst before someone came to resolve the conflict.