My Kingdom Building Done Right!-Chapter 80: A Token Of Friendship [Part 1]

A day had passed since Gundar’s arrival at the Grimjaw Mountain.

He observed the people training in the barracks and was surprised to see them using wooden spears as their main weapon.

Usually, barbarians use swords, bows, and axes. Although there were a few who used the spear, it was still considered unusual and wasn’t really popular among the barbarian tribes.

Seeing the kids also train with the spear, Gundar couldn’t help but think that Leone was planning to make every member of their tribe capable of fighting with spears, including the women and children.

’There are also those monsters,’ Gundar thought. ’I can’t believe I’m seeing Raptors in the Borderlands.’

The old shaman didn’t always stay in the Borderlands. At some point in his life, he had traveled the world and had seen many things during his journey. Because of this, he recognized the Raptors as soon as he laid his eyes on them.

It also surprised him a lot. He was sure that this kind of monster was not native to the Borderlands.

Instead, they typically lived on the western side of the continent, where the surrounding kingdoms also used them as mounts of war.

As he was deep in thought, he sensed someone walking in his direction to stand at the cliff overlooking the barracks and the forests below.

"Great Uncle, what do you think about our camp?" Ulric asked.

"Based on what I see, this place can be considered the strongest among the low-ranking tribes," Gundar replied. "This is why I feel a little worried about what will happen a few weeks from now when the middle-ranked tribes come to ask for tribute.

"They will definitely try to intimidate Leone and make unreasonable demands. They will probably ask to add a few of those Raptors to the tribute as well."

Ulric didn’t say anything because he had also thought of that a few days ago. The middle-ranked tribes would do anything to ensure that the lower-ranked tribes wouldn’t pose a threat to them.

It was also why they had rejoiced at Arlo’s death. With him gone, they no longer had to worry about his ambition threatening their authority.

"How is Leone?" Gundar asked. "Is he feeling better?"

"He’s still having breakfast with Yuni and Jason," Ulric replied. "He... looks better now compared to yesterday."

Gundar nodded. "Did he tell you what he saw in his vision?"

"Yes," Ulric replied.

The old shaman didn’t ask what the young man had seen in his vision.

He was curious, yes. But he was still an outsider at the end of the day. Even if Ulric and Leone held him in high regard, a stranger like him couldn’t be fully trusted with the secrets of their tribe.

Gundar knew this, and he also had no plans to make things difficult for Ulric.

As the two men continued to observe the training in the barracks from the cliff, Leone finally exited the cave and walked towards them.

"Good morning, Sir Gundar."

"Good morning, Leone."

The old shaman looked behind him and saw the young man, who was no longer wearing his mask.

Since he had already revealed his face when he had taken it off before puking, he thought there was no point in hiding his identity anymore.

"Sir Gundar, I’m sure you’ve already seen many things about my budding kingdom," Leone said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Sir Gundar nodded.

"What do you think we need, Sir Gundar?" Leone inquired in a serious tone.

Gundar didn’t answer right away. Instead, he shifted his attention back to the barracks to look at the men, women, and children, who were all busy training.

"What all of you need is time," Gundar replied calmly. "If you are given enough time, your faction will definitely reach the status of a middle-ranked tribe. The only question is whether the other tribes will give you the opportunity to grow."

Leone smiled faintly as he stood beside the old shaman. He shared the same opinion as Gundar. He sincerely believed that what they needed was time.

"Leone, would you like me to give you some advice on how to buy more time?" Gundar asked, still looking at the barracks below the mountain.

"I would love to hear your opinion, Sir," Leone answered.

"Then you should pay the tribute," Gundar stated. "The middle-ranked tribes usually ask for food rations and weapons as tributes. Since your faction is quite big, they will probably ask for a month’s worth of food, enough to feed a thousand people.

"You should prepare that in advance. Also, you must be prepared to part with a handful of your Raptors. I’m sure they will ask for them to be added to the tribute. As long as you pass this hurdle, you will have enough time to grow.

"Lastly, I want to see you at the gathering of the tribes that will be held in Eden six months from now. That will give you the opportunity to see just how strong the high-ranking tribes are. I hope you get an idea as to how you could get in their good graces."

Leone remained silent as he carefully pondered the old shaman’s words. They were always turning the extra meat of their hunts into beef jerky to be used as rations during emergencies.

Although preparing enough meat jerky to feed a thousand people for a month is hard, if that would buy him enough time to grow, then so be it.

As for the Raptors... he could buy them with BP.

Losing two or three of them wouldn’t be a big deal in the bigger picture.

’If I can upgrade my territory rank to Rank 2, then paying a tribute this time is not a problem,’ Leone thought.

However, he also planned it to be his first and last tribute. Once he upgraded his territory, he would also unlock the High Quality Work Bench.

This would allow him to build better structures, weapons, and armors, as well as unlock other blueprints that would further strengthen his kingdom.

By then, he believed that he wouldn’t need to worry about the middle-ranked tribes. Even if they tried to invade them, Leone and his army would be ready for them.

He remembered the vision he had, which he believed was a warning that they were still not ready for a confrontation with the barbarian tribes.

They were still far too weak. And if paying the tribute once would give him some breathing time to complete more missions that would further strengthen him and his people, then fine. He’d do it.

Also, he was very curious about the gathering of tribes that would be held in Eden. Ulric had explained this gathering to him last night, and from that, he gained a general idea of what was going to happen.

The tribes would send their representatives to fight in the tournament to determine who would become the Regent of Eden for ten years.

While the middle-ranked and the low-ranking tribes wouldn’t dare to send their champions to fight for them, Leone had a different idea.

He believed that during the gathering, an opportunity for his kingdom to show its prowess would come.

"Understood," Leone said after a few minutes had passed. "We will pay the tribute."

Gundar sighed in relief, fearing that Leone would try to be stubborn and refuse. He was truly worried that the young man would antagonize the middle-ranked tribes, forcing them to unite to erase him from the face of the world.

Ulric glanced at his Great Chieftain and noticed that he looked calmer than before.

It was clear that the young man had already thought a lot about the tribute last night and had made a decision even before consulting his Great Uncle for advice.

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