My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 196: The Aslan Tribe’s Hospitality [Part 2]

"Looks like someone got some good sleep last night," Duncan said to Garen, who walked up to him with a smile on his face.

Oswald also gave the newcomer a brief nod before sipping the drink called coffee, which the warriors of the Aslan Tribe had brought them alongside their breakfast.

It was a drink they were just tasting for the first time, and Oswald liked its bitterness very much.

The sun rising from the east was also wonderful view to have, enhancing the surrounding atmosphere.

"This place is better than I expected." Garen smiled. "Living in that villa is very comfortable."

"I agree." Duncan nodded. "I’ll definitely miss it when I return to my tribe. The Aslan Tribe’s hospitality is one of a kind."

"Leone said that we can use these villas whenever we come here to visit," Oswald commented. "Since that’s the case, why don’t you retire and pass the responsibilities onto your son? After that, you can retire here."

"That’s a very tempting offer." Duncan chuckled. "I might just do that, you know?"

Oswald and Garen also laughed. Deep inside, they were also tempted to just dump all their responsibilities to their sons.

However, they understood that it was not yet the right time for them to retire. After all, the Borderlands were still rife with danger.

Their tribes still needed them to take charge, especially with a monster stampede threatening to take place in the not-so-distant future.

"I guess he plans to make Grimjaw Mountain a place where the other tribes can gather regularly," Oswald said. "With that said, our villas seem to be designed to promote carefree talks like this. After everything I’ve seen, I can say that he’s surpassed all expectations."

"I feel like I can embrace the entire world from up here," Garen commented. "Is this what it feels like to be King?"

Oswald and Duncan understood what Garen was talking about. They thought the same when they woke up to watch the sun rise from the east.

It felt like the sun was rising up to meet them, illuminating the world that they could shape with their own hands.

It was a feeling that they had lost after being burdened with heavy responsibilities for the sake of their tribes.

"I really wish this place will not be destroyed by the Darkmane Tribe." Oswald sighed.

"I wish for that as well." Duncan nodded before shifting his attention toward the defensive armaments of the fortress. "I hope those will be enough to defend this place."

"Leone sounded confident when he said that the Aslan Tribe can win the war," Garen stated. "Maybe he has a trump card that we still haven’t seen yet."

"I think the trump cards he is talking about are the Orcs," Oswald commented. "Did you get a good look at Logan? I think only our great shaman can fight that monster head-on and win."

Of course, the barbarians could also kill the Orc Champion through sheer numbers.

However, the price they would have to pay for slaying such a powerful monster would number in the dozens at the very least, perhaps even hundreds.

"I have a feeling that he has other trump cards aside from the Orcs." Garen rubbed his chin. "Damn... if he really wins, the high-ranking tribes would definitely be shaken to their core."

Duncan and Oswald grinned. As fellow middle-ranked tribes, Leone’s victory was something they could take pride in as well.

The young man said that all the middle-ranked tribes should stick together. So, once he proved to the high-ranking tribes that even a middle-ranked tribe could win, then the other middle-ranked tribes would benefit from it as well.

"I bet the Grimhowl Tribe will regret not treating their alliance seriously." Oswald chuckled. "I can tell Leone is the type to hold grudges. Hagen will definitely not have it easy once the ally he tossed to the side suddenly wins against one of his rivals."

"I bet you’re the one who is looking forward the most to seeing that happen." Garen smirked.

"I’m not denying it."

"Hahaha!"

In the past, the Redmaw Tribe, the Grimfang Tribe, and the Ironhide Tribe didn’t get along with each other.

Just like how the high-ranking tribes treated each other as rivals, they, too, did the same.

Though, after the recent events that happened in the Borderlands, the three decided to meet and talk with each other.

That was when they all agreed to visit the Aslan Tribe and meet Leone for the first time.

Now that they had gathered like this, everyone felt like they were old friends that could share their stories to each other.

They also shared the same hope that Leone would win against the Darkmane Tribe, further cementing his prestige.

The three of them should feel envious, perhaps even jealous of him. Yet, after finally meeting him in person, they couldn’t help but see him as a very likable young man.

Garen and Oswald even felt a pang of regret, for they didn’t have any daughter they could partner up with Leone.

The two then shifted their attention to Duncan, who had a carefree smile on his face.

Among them, he was the only one with a daughter. However, his daughter was only eleven years old!

Still, a daughter was still a daughter. Even if she was still young, she could still be engaged to Leone and marry him once she had come of age.

"What?" Duncan sensed the serious stares that were aimed at him, making him feel as if he had wronged the two chieftains for merely existing.

"Lucky guy," Oswald muttered.

"Tsk!" Garen clicked his tongue.

Duncan blinked. He had no idea why his two comrades were acting this way. Fortunately, the mood eased up a bit after they shifted to a new topic.

This topic was about how they would deal with the monster stampede.

"Leone said he would ask the Grimhowl Tribe, Warclaw Tribe, and the Sandreaver Tribe to allow our tribes to evacuate to Eden," Duncan said calmly. "If he manages to convince all three of them, then we won’t need to worry even if the Darkmane Tribe opposes it."

Oswald and Garen nodded in agreement. Truth be told, they were very tempted to evacuate here at Grimjaw Mountain. Anyway, Leone had promised to welcome them.

However, they also didn’t want to be caught up in the crossfire between the Aslan Tribe and the Darkmane Tribe.

Even if they decided to help him, Leone would still politely reject their assistance.

He wanted to make everyone understand that the Aslan Tribe would emerge victorious through the preparations and the alliances they had secured using their own two hands.

"Do you know what would be hilarious?" Garen smirked. "What if, in the heat of the battle between the two tribes, the monster stampede suddenly started? Since the Aslan Tribe has Grimjaw Mountain as their fortress, the Darkmane Tribe will suffer great losses if the monsters choose to attack them."

"I pray to the Goddess that what you say comes true." Duncan smiled evilly.

"Hahaha! Now that is something worth seeing!" Oswald laughed. "I bet Troy will regret not believing the news about the monster stampede just because he selfishly wished to destroy the Aslan Tribe as soon as possible."

The three chieftains were really hoping that what they thought would come to pass. Although the high-ranking tribes were domineering, Troy was especially more so than the others.

Having a monopoly over iron ores, they had the largest stockpile of weapons among the tribes.

If not for the existence of Eden, which also brought powerful ores and resources like cold iron and mithril, the Darkmane Tribe might have really gained the upper hand when it came to negotiations over the sale of iron.

Only the Sandreaver Tribe, which had its own Sand Steel, was unaffected by the Darkmane Tribe’s greediness.

Among the high-ranking tribes, they were the most low-key. They didn’t join any political alliances, nor did they join any quarrels. They simply lived in their desert and thrived there.

Daedalus even told Leone that the quiet ones were the scariest of all. In fact, the grimoire even said that the Sandreaver Tribe might actually be the strongest tribe in the Borderlands.

Though until they really bared their fangs at the world and emerged from their desert home, this would simply be a theory that held no substance.

After the three chieftains finished eating, they saw a pegasus fly over the mountain. On its back was none other than the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe, Leone, who had come to greet the chieftains.

He also wanted to ask them if they had enjoyed their accommodation, which was something that he had prepared with the intention of making their stay as comfortable as possible.