Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: From Primitive Era Chieftain to Space Era Emperor
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I'd put off the expedition against the Brown Guys for now.
The profits from hunting that mammoth before weren't small, and no one could forget the memory.
I called the executives together and explained the plan.
"Mobility is key. Attack with bows and javelins, then pull back. Focus relentlessly on just one."
They'd strike in teams of three, rotating turns.
It was a hunting method that hadn't existed until now.
Mammoths were faster than humans but slower than horses, so I figured it would work.
"Any questions?"
"We'll take some damage to the hides."
"Can't be helped."
"What about digging traps?"
At Black Stone's words, Eagle's Eye shook his head.
"They're already moving farther away even now. If we want to hunt them, we have to chase diligently."
"Can't be helped, then."
Meaning there was no time to dig traps and prepare.
I issued the final orders.
The hunting party would be all the scouts skilled in riding.
Naturally, I'd lead the hunt myself.
"Black Stone, track our trail, assemble the wagons, and bring them."
"Got it."
We decided to dismantle on-site after the hunt and haul it back.
According to Eagle's Eye, we had to chase diligently and catch one in a day, maybe two at most.
With such a long distance, without wagons, transporting even a single mammoth back to the tribe would be grueling.
Carnivores attacking on the return trip was a given.
"We leave early tomorrow morning."
The hunting group rose before dawn to prepare.
They armed themselves, packed gear, and set out as soon as light broke.
Chilly weather.
The wind blew from the northwest.
Eagle's Eye gauged the wind direction and took the lead.
Even primitive folk knew wind direction changed with weather and seasons.
You could say their senses and knowledge in such matters were more developed than modern people's.
Since they'd ride all day, they wouldn't track too fast.
Once they had more trained horses, they'd lead two or three and switch mounts, but they didn't have the surplus yet.
Eagle's Eye rode ahead of the scouts, leaving promised markers whenever the trail shifted.
He planted L-shaped signposts, for the trailing group.
The scouts knew the way well, but with endless plains, it was essential for the followers.
After riding half a day or more, mammoth tracks appeared.
Footprints the size of a man's thigh were stamped in the mud, and small trees stripped bark and all lay scattered.
Grey hairs clung in tufts where their massive backs had rubbed.
Unfrozen puddles bore rolling marks, confirming mammoths shared traits with elephants.
"Not far."
Eagle's Eye checked the dung and spoke.
Only the edges were dry; the center still moist.
I'd worried they'd gone too far, but luckily, the mammoths were within a day's range.
The herd had gathered in one spot to settle for sleep, so we'd camp nearby too.
A hill overlooking them.
We were overwhelmed by the massive herd.
"A lot of them."
The words slipped out.
Eagle's Eye nodded.
"Dozens, at least."
One wrong step, and there'd be no bones left with numbers like that.
Even fierce beasts wouldn't dare approach such a group.
If only the males went berserk, it might be manageable, but if the whole herd rampaged madly, their appearance would spell disaster.
"Chieftain. You sure?"
"No problem."
"I'll trust you."
Eagle's Eye wasn't a fanatic like the Red-Haired ones.
Just deep trust.
For a military commander, better the discerning type like him than blind obedience.
"Hunt at dawn tomorrow."
We set about choosing a campsite.
This era's camping skills weren't underdeveloped by any means.
Tribal warriors often chased game for days on end.
Whirlwind Tribe warriors always carried cloaks as essentials.
Cloaks blocked cold, but doubled as blankets for camp.
Pitching huts while camping was impractical, and everyone knew to avoid open plains.
They picked spots under cliffs, ideally in depressions.
No retreat was a drawback, but enemies or beasts attacking meant no rear worries.
The narrow entrance got rough log barricades from nearby trees, covered in brush.
For defense and wind block.
Watch shifts rotated hourly, but without clocks, it was on each man's conscience.
They lit a fire and ate.
Nothing fancy.
Jerky, barley cakes, a handful of nuts.
At least softening the jerky over the fire made it palatable.
Paired decently with nuts too.
No complaints.
Eagle's Eye seemed nostalgic from past hunts.
"Chieftain. Reminds me of those days we starved for nights while hunting."
"......"
"Truly lean times. Looking back, it's a wonder we hunted with just spears, no bows. A miracle we didn't starve."
The scout warriors nodded in agreement.
Even managing meals while camping was recent.
Prolonged hunger was common before.
"Compared to that, things are way better now. Riding horses to chase game easily, killing with bows. But humans are greedy beasts."
"Need anything more?"
"Feels like the time for those dogs you mentioned before."
I'd considered their necessity long before Eagle's Eye brought it up.
I'd expected dogs before horses, even.
Dogs were that intertwined with primitive life.
"Right. Dogs have exceptional noses. Like wolves generally."
"Yeah. They're persistent. Sometimes creepy."
Wolves tracking prey well was common knowledge here.
And their hearing caught distant stealthy beasts.
Better one dog on watch than a man sometimes.
Humans still needed for surprises, but alerts got much easier.
Hunting together would yield war dogs; wars, they'd shine.
Even in hyper-advanced modern society, dogs had myriad uses—primitive era, needless to say.
The issue: taming them.
Other civilizations might have dogs already.
But around here, no one even thought of it.
Meant pioneering from scratch.
"Can't just grab a wolf. Like throwing a feast for it, in your words."
"Target stragglers. Outcasts, low-rank young males, the timid. Lure with food, should work."
"Like taming herbivores?"
"Similar."
"What about pups? We find them in dens sometimes. Killed them before for safety, but raising one might make it obey."
"That's an option too."
We brainstormed methods, refining plans.
Winter wasn't idle, but chatting with Eagle's Eye convinced me: introduce dogs ASAP.
Winter's key project(?): domesticate wolves into dogs within human folds.
The next day, at first light.
We broke camp and headed out to hunt.
Plan core: pick one target, relentlessly damage it.
Team 1 moved.
Eagle's Eye led, three horses charging the herd.
As planned, they hurled javelins at a mammoth—but aimed for a calf, it lodged in a massive cow instead.
-Kuererrr!
The herd roared instantly.
Eyes mad, they charged wildly.
Like poking a hornet's nest.
Still fine.
Mammoths were vicious-tempered but not faster than horses.
Team 2 members urged.
"Chieftain!"
"Let's go!"
Team 1 rode a bit, then peeled off.
To draw aggro, I surged ahead.
The fastest-charging mammoth straight at me: huge, likely the herd leader.
Thump!
Power surged into my spear arm.
Javelin design, balanced forward.
Heart pumped oxygen to muscles, swelling like expansion.
"Hup!"
I hurled from galloping horse.
Splak!
"Kueeek!"
The spear flew at insane speed, embedding in the mammoth's forehead.
Aimed eyes, but hit thickest-skulled part.
Not harmless; leader staggered slightly.
Team members yelled, astonished.
"Chieftain! Target that one!"
Somehow, we'd locked the herd's leader.