Chapter 85: 85. The Hospitable Ailin

After the battle plan was finalized, Luoning led his men halfway around this circular mountain and arrived directly in front of the Ziguo Tribe's stockade.

Only upon arriving here did he see two simple watchtowers standing on the hillside to the southeast of the Ziguo Tribe, with two figures swaying atop them; their defensive awareness was slightly stronger than that of the Qingzhu Tribe.

According to the accounts of Wodun and Dandi, the Three-Party Alliance took the Huitu Tribe as its "head," and its geographical location was also the closest to the Heiling Tribe.

If the latter wanted to attack the Qingzhu Tribe or the Ziguo Tribe, they would inevitably have to pass through the Huitu Tribe's territory. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to take Along detour through the Shanlin.

Therefore, Luoning guessed that the purpose of these watchtowers was to monitor enemies coming from the southeast, namely the people of the Heiling Tribe who had detoured around.

From this, it could also be seen that although the Ziguo Tribe had fewer people, their defensive awareness was still relatively strong.

It was just a pity that they could never have imagined that someone would come from the direction of the Qingzhu Tribe. When the two sentries on the watchtower saw Luoning leading his men standing before the stockade gate, they were both stunned, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Meanwhile, the people inside the stockade, seeing a group of strangers blocking the gate, also revealed panicked expressions; one by one, they were frightened into scattering and fleeing, shouting in alarm and confusion.

Only the boldest young people would duck into some place they considered hidden, secretly observing this group of strangers with one eye.

"Everyone, there is no need to panic; I am a guest of your leader."

Luoning assumed the identity of a guest to first soothe the emotions of this group of panicked savages, then said to Wodun and Dandi: "Alright, now it is time for you two to perform."

"You have both been to the Ziguo Tribe before and know the location of its leader's dwelling. Now, I hope you will invite her over with my utmost sincerity so that I may have a proper talk with her."

Since he wanted to resolve this through negotiation, Luoning decided to show the other party some respect; he chose not to lead his men to block their house directly, but instead chose to wait quietly at the stockade gate.

Wodun and Dandi looked at each other; the Lord's promise from yesterday was still clearly ringing in their ears. Facing the first task the Lord had entrusted to them, both were eager to complete it cleanly and efficiently, so as to leave a good impression in the Lord's heart.

"Rest assured, my Lord, we will definitely invite them over!"

They immediately ran toward the depths of the stockade to search for the figures of Magician Jennie and her husband.

While everyone was waiting, a group of five or six children came running from the mountain path on the right, laughing and giggling. That laughter made Luoning feel a bit dazed, as if such a sound should not appear in a place like this.

He turned his head to look, and the people beside him also turned their heads almost simultaneously. This scene directly frightened the group of children into freezing in place, and the sounds of their chatting and laughing came to an abrupt halt.

Luoning noticed that these children were not very old, estimated to be around eleven or twelve. Looking at them, their eyes held fear and evasion, and many of them shrank toward the center.

Luoning could not help but size up the girl in the middle.

This was an ordinary little girl, wearing simple clothes without any ornate decorations. But it was not hard to see that the linen used for her clothes was relatively new, unlike the tattered ones of her little companions.

Her appearance was not particularly outstanding, but her eyes were quite bright. Although she was also a bit afraid at this moment, with her little companions huddled beside her, she still bravely asked: "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Her tone had a feeling of treating this place as her own home.

Luoning smiled slightly, signaling the people beside him not to be too hostile. He stepped forward two paces and said with a smile: "Hello, I am a guest of the Ziguo Tribe, waiting here for the arrival of Magician Jennie; you may call me Luoning."

Hearing this, the tension and fear in the hearts of these little ones immediately eased. The girl who had spoken even walked forward with a smile, bowing with somewhat clumsy movements.

"Hello, sir, I am Jennie's daughter; you may call me Ailin."

She asked with a smile: "What do you want with my mother?"

Looking at this innocent little girl, Luoning hesitated for a moment; he could not bear to tell her that the purpose of his trip was to annex the Ziguo Tribe.

He had no choice but to change the subject: "I heard that the Ziguo Tribe has a kind of purple fruit that is quite delicious, so I wanted to come and see it for myself."

Hearing this, Ailin laughed out loud: "Then you've come at the wrong time; there are no Purple Fruit in this season. If you come back next June, I will definitely prepare a big bag for you."

Speaking of this, she seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up: "Oh, that's right, there is 'White Fruit' to eat right now; would you like to try some?"

White Fruit?

Luoning raised his eyebrows; this Ziguo Tribe really had many fruits. First Purple Fruit, then White Fruit—were there also Black Fruit and Green Fruit?

"Alright, that's a promise; you must let me have a taste in a moment," Luoning said with a smile.

"This thing is different from ordinary fruit; it needs to be fried in a pot."

Ailin introduced it enthusiastically: "It would be even more delicious if you could add some oil! It's a pity that my family doesn't seem to have much oil left. But don't worry, my mother often tells me that one must be polite to guests; she will definitely take some out to treat you!"

"Magician Jennie is truly a hospitable person!" Luoning echoed.

Just as the two were conversing happily, a middle-aged couple hurried over. When they saw Ailin talking to Luoning, their expressions changed drastically.

"Ailin, what are you doing!" the woman screamed.

Her attire was very ordinary, the fabric even worse than the clothes Ailin was wearing. However, her skin and facial structure were quite good, pulling her five-point appearance up to a six.

The man with the goatee standing beside her, however, looked more weathered, with many traces of the years on his face.

Luoning glanced at Wodun and Dandi behind the two and knew that the couple before him were the leaders of the Ziguo Tribe, Magician Jennie and her husband, Hong Knight.

Ailin, hearing her mother's cry, still did not realize the danger of Luoning's identity, but instead said with a smile: "Mother, Mr. Luoning says he is your friend visiting here, and I was preparing to take out White Fruit to treat him tonight~"

This child...

Jennie's heart went cold the moment she heard this. She hurriedly bowed to Luoning: "Your Excellency Baron, please forgive Ailin's rashness; she is still just a thirteen-year-old child."

Beside her, Hong Knight bowed deeply: "Yes, Lord Luoning, Wodun and Dandi have already conveyed your intentions to us, and I think we can have a better exchange."

Although the two said this, their gazes remained fixed on their daughter, truly afraid that Luoning would make some dangerous move to harm Ailin.

Only then did Ailin realize from her parents' uncharacteristic words that Luoning's identity was extraordinary; she stood there stunned, not knowing what to do.

Luoning smiled slightly and patted Ailin on the back, signaling her to return to her parents' side.

He smiled and said: "Please rest assured, I have come with the utmost sincerity and will not harm your child, nor the people here."

Luoning said: "Ailin is very enthusiastic, very lively, and very brave. The world is so big; letting such a good child be trapped in the deep mountains without the opportunity to go out and see the world is a very regrettable thing for her."

His tone shifted: "But now she has such an opportunity—no, you all have such an opportunity. As Ailin's parents and as the leaders of the Ziguo Tribe, I hope you can make the right choice."

(End of chapter)