Chapter 1444: Facing Reality and Accepting It

Regarding this, Xia Duo smiled and retorted without any hesitation:

"Is the Grey Eagle Patriarch still deceiving himself? I presume this Shaman elder has long since divined that this year's winter will arrive earlier and last longer than ever before. You don't need me, a Netherese, to explain what that means, do you?"

Xia Duo's words were like a pebble cast into a calm lake; though seemingly ordinary, they instantly stirred a ripple, and the expression on the Grey Eagle Patriarch's face was no longer as calm and composed as it had been at the start.

Instead, a trace of panic and fear appeared.

As the tribe's Patriarch, he naturally understood the inside story better than an outsider like Xia Duo.

As early as a month ago, the Great Shaman had divined that the north wind was approaching and had anticipated the coming weather conditions; subsequent divinations had only proven that those predictions were true.

This year's winter was indeed arriving earlier and lasting longer than in previous years, which meant the tribe needed to prepare more winter supplies, the most important of which was food.

There was always a surplus of clothing from previous years, and even if clothing was scarce, it was not difficult to stay warm as long as one did not go outside, but food was indispensable.

People would die if they did not eat; in such a situation, one either had to go out to wage war and plunder to obtain extra food, or be forced to banish the elders in the tribe to reduce food consumption.

Aside from the very few large tribes that did not lack food and only fought to expand themselves, this was the fundamental reason for tribal warfare on the Langas Plain during the autumn and winter.

It was very simple: it was to successfully survive the winter (by obtaining food or consuming the population).

Because small tribes had fewer people, it was actually not difficult to survive the winter peacefully if there were no other external factors, because the old and weak would have already died off during normal times.

But many large and medium-sized tribes had large populations, making it difficult to provide food for the entire winter.

Whether to send one's own tribespeople to their deaths or to raid weaker tribes to let one's own people survive—anyone who wasn't a fool knew what to do.

The Grey Eagle Tribe was indeed a large tribe, but it was not yet large enough to be free from food shortages, especially with winter arriving early and lasting longer, making it even more necessary to obtain supplies from the outside.

In previous years, this hurdle would not have been difficult to overcome, but this year was somewhat special.

Because of frequent contact with the Netherese, and even rumors of intending to defect to the Netherese, they had been caught in a vulnerable position by some large tribes.

On the Langas Plain, it was difficult for large and small tribes to coexist; even small tribes under the protection of large ones were still largely considered food reserves—whenever food was scarce, they would be used to supplement the supply.

The relationships between large tribes were even more brutal; everyone wanted to be the one and only "great tribe among great tribes," so various schemes and struggles never ceased.

Situations like this, where several large tribes united to encircle and annihilate another large tribe, rarely appeared in the history of the Langas Plain, but once they did, the outcome of destruction was almost impossible to change.

With one large tribe falling, there was no telling how many large, medium, and small tribes would be able to enjoy a bountiful winter.

The Grey Eagle Tribe was now on the verge of destruction, and the Grey Eagle Patriarch, having had the truth laid bare by Xia Duo, finally realized that if anyone could save the Grey Eagle Tribe from its fate of destruction, it might just be the person before him.

Before this, he had even wanted to negotiate terms with this Netheril Lord, but now it seemed that such an idea had been far too naive.

The Grey Eagle Patriarch suddenly recalled that when he had first received news that several large tribes were going to hunt the Grey Eagle Tribe, the Great Shaman had seemed to age more than ten years overnight, and since then, he had not refused a single word of his.

The Great Shaman had known of this outcome back then!

Thinking of this, the Grey Eagle Patriarch turned to look at the elder beside him; at this moment, he seemed to see a trace of relief, a trace of expectation, and a trace of desolation in the other's eyes.

The Grey Eagle Patriarch seemed to understand something; the panic in his eyes gradually vanished, replaced by a sense of realization, and he said calmly to Xia Duo:

"Do the promises made by Steward Yarman on behalf of Lord Xia Duo still hold?"

"Which ones are you referring to?"

"The one about 'being able to send some people to your Territory to take a look'!"

Xia Duo understood immediately upon hearing this that they were preparing to defect, so he gave his word personally: "Even now, those words still hold!"

He added: "Does the Grey Eagle Patriarch want to see the place where you will live in the future? I have a Langas tribe there as well, and they are living very well now."

"Oh?" The Grey Eagle Patriarch's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Which tribe is it?"

"The Kewu Tribe; has the Grey Eagle Patriarch heard of them?"

"I seem to have heard of them, but I have no impression of them."

The Grey Eagle Patriarch was too embarrassed to say he had never heard of the Kewu Tribe, and just then, the Great Shaman, who had been silent all along, suddenly interjected:

"The Kewu Tribe is a small tribe in the east. I met their Shaman when I was young; we met in the wild and once hunted the same Wasteland Savage Lizard together."

By the end, a nostalgic expression appeared on the Great Shaman's face, and he finally asked: "Is that Shaman still alive?"

"I think I can guess who you are talking about! I am sorry to say that he has passed away; he exhausted the last bit of his life's strength to save the tribe's Warriors."

Come to think of it, Xia Duo had personally presided over that Kewu Shaman's funeral!

At that time, the cemetery in Linshui Village had just been completed and required a formal burial ceremony for its Baptism; plus, since the Kewu Tribe had just joined Daxia Territory, Xia Duo had presided over it personally to show his respect.

"It does not matter; the meaning of a Shaman's existence is for the tribe, so he died as he should have," the Grey Eagle Shaman said, appearing calm.

Xia Duo was silent, then steered the conversation back to its original track: "I wonder which people the Grey Eagle Patriarch intends to send to Daxia Territory?"

"May I go myself?"

"No problem. Shall we go now, or—"

"Let's go now!"

Since he had made up his mind, the Grey Eagle Patriarch was no longer hesitant; if he hadn't yet seen the actual situation of Daxia Territory with his own eyes, perhaps he would have already agreed to it.

Immediately after, the Grey Eagle Patriarch requested of the Shaman, "If anyone looks for me, just say I am praying to the Ancestral Spirit, hoping the tribe can survive this crisis."

"Patriarch, go ahead; I will handle things here in the tribe."

"Mm, thank you for your hard work, Shaman."

The two did not hide their conversation from Xia Duo, and soon they had finished arranging the various affairs within the Territory. Afterward, the Grey Eagle Patriarch wore a look of resignation and said to Xia Duo:

"Lord Xia Duo, I am ready."

"Haha, no need to be so nervous. The Teleportation Spell is very safe; you will be able to see the Reality of Daxia Territory in a moment!"

As he spoke, Xia Duo opened a Portal directly inside the Ancestral Spirit Hall leading to the Code Plaza of his Territory, then stepped through first and beckoned to the Grey Eagle Patriarch from the other side.