Chapter 24: The Strong North Wind (1)

Everything was moving along its own course—some in line with people’s wishes, others not.
Sami Tagore rarely felt this tense. As the king of the Tiger Clan and the ruler of the Bimon Kingdom, nothing should have scared him. His innate royal demeanor always made him appear calm and composed. Yet after receiving this news, he grew anxious. It involved the fate of the entire Bimon Kingdom. Despite his outward composure, the pressure on his shoulders still filled him with inner tension.
“Dasler, are you sure this news is accurate?” Sami instinctively licked his upper lip, staring intently at the leader of the Snake Clan, his eyes flashing with hostility. This was a rare display from a Tiger Clan king, but no one paid attention at that moment.
The Snake Clan leader was displeased by the way he was addressed. He hated such familiar-sounding titles and preferred to be called Snake. But right now, he had no time to worry about such things.
“Hmm, based on the information gathered by our scouts from various sources, it seems the Light Church—the most powerful religious force among mortals—is involved in this. Or rather, they’re the instigators. Some countries south of the Ural River and Ural Mountains are their accomplices. We found clues through a group of mercenaries who once helped transport goods to Slav Fortress. Eventually, these mercenaries seemed to suspect something and were all killed to silence them.”
“The strangest part is that few people on this land seem to know about this. Moreover, those who carried out the killings all had significant backgrounds—knights and court magicians from the countries west of the Ural, as well as clergy from the Light Church. From this, we found a breakthrough. This mercenary group was quite strong, and despite several attempts, the killers failed to eliminate them all. A few managed to escape from the territory of the Northern Alliance of Mortals and head south. The last assassination attempt seemed to have taken place in Prague, the capital of the Bohemian Kingdom. After that, the fugitives disappeared, and our men didn’t dare pursue further. The mortal forces there are too strong, especially their magicians, whose powers are extraordinary. As a result, I lost seven of my best Snake Clan warriors.”
At these words, even Dasler Snake, who usually showed no emotions, showed a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Dassler, we will remember this. Blood debts must be paid in blood. Whatever mortals have done to us, we will return it a hundredfold. Shami Tagore nodded in understanding; he was very understanding in this regard. It was precisely this trait, different from that of previous Tiger Clan kings, that earned him more firm support in the current Bimon Kingdom than any previous Tiger Clan king in that position. Besides the strong support from the Bear and Ox clans, he even won the goodwill of the Snake clan, which had never participated in the king competition. Even his rival, the Wolf Clan king Kater Wolf, felt envious of him.”

“From this, we have gained an advantage and obtained a lot of intelligence. Based on what we know, the Light Church is likely the mastermind, with some countries in the western part of the Mortal Northern Alliance involved. But whether it’s the Light Church pulling the strings or just the intentions of some individuals, and whether those people in the Northern Alliance are acting on behalf of their countries or as individuals, it’s a bit unclear. We can’t be sure yet. But one thing is certain: even if it’s individual actions, these so-called individuals are undoubtedly high-ranking figures among them,” Dassler Snake said with great certainty.

“Everyone, Dassler has already informed you of some of the situations. You may not yet understand the significance of what he’s told. I’ll explain the other aspects later, and then you’ll understand.” Shami’s brownish-yellow beard trembled slightly as he spoke, his tiger-like eyes exuding an aura of authority without even raising his voice—a natural display of the Tiger Clan’s courage. “The mortals who contacted us last time have come again. This time, they brought us more surprises, as well as more doubts. This matter concerns the fate of our Bimon Kingdom, so I had to summon you all for a discussion.”

“Shami, stop keeping us in suspense. Everyone knows this is no trivial matter. Just tell us plainly,” Kater Wolf said, expressing what everyone was thinking.

“Well, don’t be impatient, Carter. This time those guys brought us more battering rams, and the experiments showed even better results. According to them, since these battering rams are made of magic metal, their durability has greatly increased, and their power has also risen significantly. The experiments proved their claims—our soldiers have used them, and it’s indeed true.” A faint smile appeared on the Sha Mi’s face. No matter what plans these mortals had, at least these battering rams were now in the Bimon Kingdom’s possession. As for whether to follow their demands or not, that would depend on the situation. The warriors of the Bimon Kingdom weren’t mere pawns to be used and sold by others; he, Sha Mi, wasn’t that foolish.

“Oh?” Carter Wolf’s green eyes darted around quickly, his palms instinctively rubbing together. “Sha Mi, how many?”

“Eighty, exactly eighty. I ordered our soldiers to test each one, and none had any problems. The quality is quite excellent.” At this moment, Sha Mi’s expression became much calmer.

“Sha Mi, Carter, we need to think carefully about what consequences handing over such a large number of weapons to us could bring. The mortals surely understand that, right? I just can’t help but feel there’s some trick here.” Kristin’s fiery red eyes also rotated nonstop, full of suspicion.

“That’s right. There must be something wrong here. Eighty battering rams—isn’t that a small number? Sha Mi, we need to be cautious.” Even ModaBill, the leader of the Bear Clan, rarely agreed with the Fox Clan leader’s opinion.

“What are their demands?” Wolf also realized he had lost his composure. It was crucial for a leader to maintain a calm mindset.

“Their demands are also somewhat suspicious. So we need to discuss them carefully. On the surface, they seem like very favorable terms for us, even too generous. I find it strange that the mortals could be so kind.” Sha Mi Tagore smiled self-mockingly. “When I think about this, I ask myself—can we really trust their goodwill?”