Chapter 135: The Settlement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: The Settlement
About a month had passed since we settled in the land we claimed after defeating the Beast of the East. Time had flowed, but not much had changed. It had taken quite a while to bring the Green Skin mothers and children over.
Since the Blood Dagger Clan had to guard the carcass of the eastern beast, the Goff Clan and the Black Spear Clan had agreed to travel to Storm Shadow’s settlement. But as our numbers had grown, so had the logistics. Organizing everything took longer than expected, and time just slipped by as we gathered the necessary materials.
However, it wasn't as if we had simply wasted that time. The very first thing we did was a survey of the ecosystem. We needed to find out what kinds of beasts lived in the forest and what resources the river held.
In the nearby swamp, we found various reptilian beasts, though their numbers were low, likely due to the presence of the former Beast of the East. They were large and slow, posing little threat, but I could imagine it would be a tricky situation if you ran into one while stuck in the mire.
Because of this, the swamp was designated as a strictly off-limits area for the children.
The river was surprisingly deep, so much so that I wished we had a mage or shaman who could use water magic. It was teeming with fish that could be used for food, but strangely, there were no beasts.
A pleasant discovery was the mine located behind our site. It even contained a gold vein, though that was of little use to Green Skins. The endless forest stretching out behind it was shrouded in mist, so we hadn't ventured any further, but I thought it might be worth exploring one day.
To the south and west lay the sea, to the north a frozen ocean, and to the east an endless forest. Even back in my human days, many had set out on adventures to these places, but none had ever returned. I had never entertained grand thoughts of unraveling the continent's secrets, so I had no intention of exploring. Still, it felt strange to have settled right at the edge of the forest.
I peeked through the flap of a tent in our temporary camp and saw the young Green Skins playing around the carcass of the eastern beast. Kim Yoora and Nicole were with them, and seeing the little ones play brought a smile to my face for some reason.
“Its head is completely cut off!”
“I heard our Chieftain flew fwoosh into the sky and sliced it off in one go, sh-sh-shuk! Blood Dagger is great!”
“The Chieftain is… amazing.”
“We have to work hard, too!”
It seemed they were still talking about the battle from a month ago. I chuckled softly as I recalled the children’s faces when they first arrived here.
‘Woooooow…’
‘Wow! Nico-nicole! Look at this! Hurry!’
‘Yoora! Yoora! Look at this! Look at this!’
‘It’s… it’s huge! Kkireuk!’
‘The… the adults are amazing! We have to become cool Green Skins like them, too!’
It wasn't just Nicole or Orbo's son; even Kim Yoora and the human kids had stared at the beast with their mouths wide open. I knew the shock had been immense, but I hadn't expected the side effects to last this long.
Thanks to them, I decided to leave the carcass as it was for a little longer instead of butchering it. Publicly, I reasoned that it was a tool to boost the tribe's morale and solidify the chieftain's authority, but the real reason was entirely different.
The truth was that Goff, Black Spear, and the many other Green Skins who had participated in the hunt were extremely reluctant to dismantle it. Whenever Goff and his Ogres passed by, they would always stop in front of it, either recounting the story of that day or simply staring blankly. The same was true for my clan members and the Black Spear Clan. Fortunately, the carcass of such a large beast didn't seem to rot easily, which was a relief, but we couldn't put it off any longer. I resolved to settle the matter in today's meeting.
As I opened the tent flap and stepped outside, I saw Gark and Hark dragging the tribe's only outsider by both arms.
“We’ve brought him!”
“Mirror Blade has brought him!”
Seeing them puffing out their chests as if seeking praise, I placed a hand over my heart. Gark and Hark mirrored the gesture. The man they brought was none other than Lee Wanyong, the dog that was no longer useful after the hunt. The moment he saw me, he bowed deeply, rubbing his hands together. He looked pathetic to anyone watching, but by now, he seemed completely used to it.
There was a reason this man, whom I had originally planned to let the clan members deal with after the raid, was still alive. As if anticipating he would be cast aside, he had quickly spoken up before I even had a chance to call for Jung Hayeon.
‘Ah… p-perhaps… are you planning to build a settlement here?’
‘I… I can be of assistance. B-back on Earth, I studied architecture… m-majored in it… and… and I’ve also managed urban redevelopment designs.’
‘I will definitely be of use.’
A useful fellow. And so, he was allowed to survive here for a while. Although Gark and Hark were always with him and he lived in a state of near confinement except when he went out to survey the grounds, he seemed content just to be alive. He appeared to be looking for a chance to join us, especially after seeing the young children and Baek Ahyeon, but of course, I had no plans to accept him.
The biggest reason was that I couldn't trust him. To me, he was nothing more and nothing less than a pet dog I could use. To survive, he would have to continuously prove his worth to me.
“H-here it is.”
With trembling hands, he began to hand me a piece of leather. Since we had no paper, it was a proposal written on the back of a white beast's hide. The quality wasn't bad; it seemed he really had done related work back on Earth.
It was the culmination of a month's worth of effort, a collection of knowledge dedicated to his survival, all written on that white hide. It detailed defenses against external enemies and designated areas for the children to live and play. Since it was written from a human's perspective, some adjustments were needed, but his time spent in a Green Skin settlement had clearly given him a perfect grasp of our behavioral patterns.
“Good.”
His face instantly brightened. He looked overjoyed, as if his dream of extending his life had come true. I didn't look at him any longer and spoke to Gark and Hark.
“Put him back in the tent and give him something to eat.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
I turned and started walking toward the tent where the meeting would be held.
Of course, I didn't forget to carefully read the leather proposal in my hand as I walked. It was quite interesting. As if he also felt the carcass of the eastern beast lying in the center of the temporary camp was a nuisance, the very first page was dedicated to how it could be utilized.
His idea was to install the bones of the beast each clan had hunted in the center of the settlement.
A landmark, so to speak.
The head of the eastern beast was certainly worthy of that.
In a way, the beast was proof—a kind of proof that the brothers had overcome a trial and become one.
Rather than leaving it as it was, dismantling and utilizing it was definitely the better choice. Its hide and bones would become our tents, our weapons, and our armor.
Lost in thought, I arrived at the tent where the executive meeting was held and took my seat in front of the already-gathered members of the Blood Dagger Clan. I must have been quite late, as Gark and Hark were already seated.
Once I was settled, Black Spear spoke up, as he always did.
“Then… let us begin the meeting on what kind of settlement we will build in the Brother’s Land…”
Goff and I nodded, and the meeting began. It was funny, but the only result we had achieved so far was naming this land the "Brother's Land."
There were reasons for the slow progress, like needing to gather materials or stockpile food since we wouldn't be able to hunt once construction began in earnest. But the truth was, the delay was because everyone was of one mind.
The desire to not get rid of the eastern beast in the center.
At times like this, I couldn't tell if they were pure-hearted or just foolish, but it was obvious someone had to bring up the topic. As soon as Black Spear finished speaking, I carefully opened my mouth.
“First, I think it would be best to dismantle the eastern beast in the center.”
“Ahem…”
“Hmm…”
As expected, a heavy silence fell over the tent.
It was absurd to see that even Gark and Hark, who would normally jump at my every word, were among them. Goff’s expression, too, looked uncharacteristically regretful.
After a brief silence, the one who spoke was Gara, the Twin-Headed Ogre from the Goff Clan.
“Gara thinks it wouldn’t be bad to wait a little longer. We are not yet ready to build the settlement properly!”
As far as I knew, the general preparations had been finished a week ago, but the real problem was that everyone was agreeing with his ridiculous statement. I sighed softly once more and spoke again.
“Once we dismantle the beast, our preparations to build the settlement will be complete. The bones of the eastern beast will become the frames of the homes we live in, and its hide and scales will be the roofs that shield us from the rain. Taking apart the eastern beast does not mean the glorious battle of that day will be forgotten.”
“It will be just like the formation we are sitting in now. We will build the settlement in a circle, and in the empty space where the tribe members can gather, we will erect the skull of the eastern beast. It will be like the Great Tribe Leader’s banner. We will resolve all disputes and hold all festivals beneath the face of the beast we brothers hunted together, and these bones will be proof that we have not forgotten that battle. We will never forget that battle.”
“Oh…”
Perhaps my words stirred their pride and honor, because their eyes began to sparkle.
I had expected it to work, but their all-too-predictable reaction was almost laughable. The first to agree with me was Goff.
“Blood Dagger is right. We cannot leave the eastern beast in that state forever. A trophy is only meaningful when it is used. There will be plenty more battles where our three tribes can join forces in the future.”
Black Spear was of the same mind.
“I, too, agree with Blood Dagger. It would be good if we could also create a space for the children of the three tribes to run and play.”
With all three chieftains in agreement, the others began to nod as well. Not only could we finally build the settlement, but we could also use the beast’s materials to reinforce our weapons.
And so, for the first time in a long while, the meeting proceeded in earnest.
During the meeting, I heard various ideas and the needs of each tribe. Just as with the great beast hunt, I was put in charge of overseeing the construction of the settlement.
The actual work would mostly be handled by Lee Wanyong and the Ogres anyway, but a supervisory role like this wasn't bad.
“We will begin construction of the settlement tomorrow. As soon as we wake in the morning, we will commence the dismantling of the eastern beast.”