Chapter 1450: Never to be Slaves, Migrating Overnight

The clever ones had likely already guessed what was about to happen; they kept their heads lowered and remained silent, but more of them cast suspicious, puzzled glances toward Xia Duo.

*Cough—*

Maka, standing before the altar, gave a heavy cough, drawing everyone's attention to himself. Only then did the crowd notice that the Great Shaman, who should have been standing in the primary position for the ritual, had somehow ended up standing behind Maka.

Noticing this scene, the group of Shamans who had just entered exchanged glances with one another, then fell silent once more.

Subsequently, Maka cleared his throat and said solemnly, "I am announcing one thing: I have decided to lead the Grey Eagle Tribe to join Lord Xia Duo's territory and become his subjects!"

"Ah—Patriarch! Why make such a major decision so suddenly?"

No sooner had Maka finished speaking than a Hunting Leader shouted out. It was fortunate he still remembered he was in the Ancestral Spirit Hall and maintained some restraint, though others were not so restrained.

The next moment, another Hunting Leader shouted, "That's right, Patriarch, this is too sudden!"

The volume of the voice caused many Shamans to turn and glare, but the Hunting Leader seemed not to notice at all, continuing to shout relentlessly while casting glances toward Xia Duo.

In the end, he even shouted slogans like "The Langasi shall never be slaves," which made Xia Duo struggle to keep from laughing.

Of course, Xia Duo held it in; if he were to laugh in this setting, Maka would likely develop second thoughts.

……

Maka had long anticipated the various reactions of his tribesmen.

When it came down to it, the Great Shaman only needed to make the call, but the end of the tribe also meant the dissipation of the Ancestral Spirits. While the Shamans' power did not come directly from the Ancestral Spirits, they still viewed the Ancestral Spirits as beings as vital as life itself.

Maka knew that the Great Shaman's silence was already the greatest form of support; if he had made the Great Shaman announce this personally, it would have been too cruel.

"Leaders, if the tribe wants to survive today, there is only one path to take. Even if you yourselves do not fear death, what about your families? Do you really wish for them to die meaninglessly in the wilderness?"

"The meaning of the tribe's existence is survival. Now, I have found a true place of survival for the tribe, and in the future, there will be no need for the tribe to shelter everyone."

Having said this, Maka subconsciously glanced at Xia Duo, then continued firmly: "Lord Xia Duo is different from ordinary Netheril Lords; he is benevolent, just, and enlightened. I believe that in his territory, everyone will be able to live better than before!"

Maka's attitude was resolute. Not only did the Great Shaman support him, but the rest of the Shamans also had no objections. Even if the few Hunting Leaders were opposed, they could not stir up any trouble.

On the contrary, led by the leaders who had already guessed the truth earlier, the scene became almost entirely one-sided.

At this moment, Xia Duo also stepped forward to state his position: "The Grey Eagle Tribe joining Daxia Territory is a settled matter. Next, I will send you to Daxia Territory. I hope that when you return, you can all diligently soothe the emotions of your tribesmen as they await the migration. I do not wish to see any regrettable incidents."

After speaking, Xia Duo cast a spell to link with the portal in Code Plaza. A portal, mirror-like in its entirety with faint, ghostly blue light glowing at its edges, appeared inside the great hall.

Of course, this was merely a temporary portal spell; it was only more durable than a portal created by ordinary temporary spellcasting because it was linked to a fixed portal facility.

If one wanted to maintain it long-term, fixed portal facilities would still need to be built at both ends.

……

After sending this group away, Xia Duo asked Maka for a training ground near the Ancestral Spirit Hall. After setting up the 【Veil of Concealment】 spell, he began the construction of the portal facility once again.

The Green Vine Tribe would have to be visited, but the portal had to be built first, and the people had to be moved; in case things turned sour, the losses would not be too great.

Of course, Xia Duo speculated that the Elves should not turn against him.

After all, the Northland Alliance had already been established, and both sides had no past grievances or recent enmities. As long as the other side dared to turn hostile, he would dare to go to Evereska to cause trouble.

If this matter were blown open, Xia Duo might lose face, but the various arrangements Yierlan had made in the Langas Plain would also be brought back into the sight of various nations.

Of course, Xia Duo did not wish for this situation to occur. Face was a minor matter; the key was that once everything in the Langas Plain was exposed, it might become impossible to poach large numbers of people from here in the future.

What he hoped for most was that both sides would reach a tacit understanding and not interfere with each other's actions—a win-win for everyone.

……

Having had one practice run, Xia Duo only took three or four hours to complete all the work, including encapsulation and the attachment of magic, when crafting the portal again.

After activating the portal and connecting it to the one at Code Plaza, a stable and long-term retreat passage was ready.

Next came the migration matters.

Considering that work might start in Seventon at any time, Xia Duo did not want to delay here too long. He immediately called for Maka and instructed:

"Go later and call back the people who went over this morning. The migration will begin tonight. When all tribesmen migrate, try to bring only personal belongings. Whatever is abandoned here, I will compensate them for it when we arrive there; there is no need to worry about this."

Realizing that there were no more variables for the migration now that the portal was established, Maka began to change his way of addressing Xia Duo quite naturally. He clumsily mimicked the salute Jibu had used earlier and replied respectfully:

"Yes, Lord."

"By the way, how many people in the tribe speak the Netheril language? Have them move over in the first batch. I will have Laidun send people to guide them in arranging the migration matters. Having familiar people come forward will always make people feel more at ease."

"Yes."

"That will be all for now. If I think of anything else, I will contact you again."

After speaking, Xia Duo left the training ground where the portal was located, concealed his figure, and began to set up warning magic around the Grey Eagle Tribe.

Migration takes time; having these would allow for advance preparation, so as not to be caught off guard and be too passive if something happened.

When the warning magic was set up, Xia Duo cast a 9th Circle 【Blazing Sun】 spell above the temporary settlement of the Grey Eagle Tribe.

Unlike the 【Blazing Sun Array】 at the top of the Watchtower, which could provide intense illumination for dozens or hundreds of miles, or even further, through its constantly erupting energy.

What he was casting now was just a conventional spell; the range of illumination was limited, covering only the area where the Grey Eagle Tribe was located.

Beyond that range, even if one were right next to it, one would not see any light.

This was actually just an oversized 【Light】 spell, while the 【Blazing Sun Array】 of the Watchtower was equivalent to a series of continuous light bursts, equivalent to an even larger 【Light】 spell. It also had an illumination boundary, it was just that the boundary was very far away.

In the early days, one could see the 【Blazing Sun】 above the Watchtower from Seventon during the day; even now, during the day, it could still be seen from dozens of miles away.

By comparison, the conventional spell version of 【Blazing Sun】 seemed much inferior.

Of course, the premise for the 【Blazing Sun Array】 being so powerful was that it required routine maintenance every month; if it were left unmaintained for three months, it would be completely scrapped.