novelraw Chapter 311 Differences in Musical Customs
Chapter 311 Differences in Musical Customs
Chapter 311 Differences in Musical Customs
Although the arrows weren't very effective, Hai Xian still carefully placed the arrows he had taken from the corpses and wounded into a long bamboo tube.
Ling Chengen drew an arrow, his fingertips lightly tracing the wooden shaft. His gaze swept over the fletching at the tail and the rope binding it to the end of the arrow, before finally looking at the metal arrowhead.
The arrowhead has a reddish hue.
Ling Chengen wasn't sure if the metal had been purified using supernatural abilities, but he was certain that the arrowhead contained copper.
Ling Chengen handed the blood-stained arrow to Du Qi, who was standing beside him: "Take a look, what metal was the arrowhead made of?"
Du Qi is currently a sixth-tier metal-type warrior. He usually follows Lin Ying to learn, but his ability level is too low. Lin Ying followed Chang Tianchen out of the city to fight, so he left Du Qi in the city to help Ling Chengen run errands.
Du Qi, holding the arrowhead, tilted his head and asked, "What if this arrow is destroyed..."
Ling Chengen pointed to the quiver next to him: "There are still so many here, why don't you give it a try?"
Du Qi breathed a sigh of relief and began to examine the metal composition of the arrowhead.
He learned these skills from the weapon forging workshop in Beast City. Su Weihua was very skilled in this area, so he learned a little bit from him. He might not be able to distinguish complex metal ores very clearly, but he could distinguish the simple ones.
After the metal arrow was melted by his supernatural power, it quickly turned into a harmless purplish-red lump.
Du Qi took the item off the arrow shaft and handed it to Ling Chengen: "It's copper, and it's very pure."
Almost no impurities were separated.
The ability of metal-type warriors to control metals and separate impurities from metal ores is closely related to their ability level.
If a warrior's special ability is too low, such as only being at the second or third level, the metal extracted from the ore using their special ability will have a high impurity content.
Du Qi had no way to highly purify metal ores before, but he learned a new method from Su Weihua that allowed him to use his special ability to distinguish the purity of metals at the sixth level.
Ling Chengen picked up the wooden shaft of the arrow but didn't touch the molten copper.
She stared at the bird feathers at the tip of the arrow, then lowered her head and sniffed: "Goose feathers."
And it was carefully trimmed.
She turned her head and glanced at the remaining arrow feathers in the bamboo tube. Most of them were goose feathers, with only a small portion being feathers from pheasants and other small birds.
Ling Chengen tossed the wooden pole back into the quiver and asked Hai Xian, who was standing nearby, "How many tribes are there near Zhaoshi Mountain?"
"If we're only talking about the tribes on Zhaoshi Mountain, there are three."
“These three tribes are all located on the southern slope of Zhaoshi Mountain, and the place where we were attacked is closest to the Goan tribe.”
Hai Xian has been traveling this salt transportation route for almost two years, so he is very clear about the distribution of power along this route.
So when I talked to Ling Chengen, I was very detailed.
The Goan tribe is less than two kilometers away from the rockfall point above the mountain peak.
However, the Goan tribe is a small tribe with a total population of less than three hundred people. Moreover, they are very timid, have a small territory, and hardly interact with the surrounding tribes. They spend most of their time in their own territory, foraging for food within it.
The Goan tribe is mainly composed of the tamarisk and meerkats.
The koala bear, with its animal form, is less than half the size of a mountain monkey. It has large, protruding eyes and looks rather ugly. The tree mongoose is also a small, tree-dwelling animal, slightly larger than the koala bear, and about the same size as an adult golden monkey.
Both races have long, flexible tails and limbs.
They mainly rely on various plants and fruits from the mountains to make a living, and they rarely even buy salt powder.
It is said that the Goan tribe was very poor because they had little to produce. All the salt powder in the tribe was traded with the Kuangli tribe on the other side of the Huiye River.
Another point is that they are not good at using arrows.
Although he was agile, his small size meant he lacked the strength to draw the bow made of animal sinew.
Their tribe didn't even have many animal sinews for their bows and arrows.
Moreover, the two orcs who died in the stone forest were both large-sized orcs, and their arrow wounds were very deep.
It's clear that the arrow still had considerable force when it pierced the body.
This is something that tree mongooses and bush-tailed tree bear orcs cannot do.
Hai Xian overheard Ling Chengen and Du Qi's conversation, looked at the white goose feathers in the quiver, and said, "However, there is a tribe of goose beastmen nearby. This tribe is located on the upper reaches of the Huiye River, in the direction you came from, facing the westernmost section of Zhaoshi Mountain across the river."
Ling Chengen raised his eyes and asked, "Is it the Wen'e Tribe?"
“Yes, the young city lord knows about their tribe?” Hai Xian was a little surprised. “The beastmen of the Wen’e tribe are very skilled in battle. They are not only good at water, but also at flying and can move on land. They are very aggressive, quite arrogant, and have a bad temper. Therefore, their tribe does not get along well with their neighbors.”
"Friction often occurs, and physical altercations are common."
"They have influence over several of the larger tribes in the area that have fought with them."
"I suspect that's where the goose feathers on those arrows came from."
"But the Wen'e tribe is less likely to target us because they are very wealthy. They usually buy a lot of salt powder each time they purchase it, and I estimate that they have stockpiled quite a bit. Moreover, they are not good at making friends, so it is unlikely that they have inside information about Beast City and our tribe."
Besides the Goan tribe, there are two other tribes in Shannan.
There is a tribe called Zhaonan, located on the eastern side of the southern foot of Zhaoshi Mountain. They live at the foot of the mountain and are mostly beastmen of the pig-dragon beast race.
Another tribe is called the Youqi tribe, located on the western side of the southern foot of Zhaoshi Mountain, living on the mountainside, mainly composed of the Dongxiong and Banquan tribes.
The orcs of both tribes are quite ferocious. If it weren't for the Goan tribe sandwiched between them, the two tribes would probably have fought to the death long ago.
Years ago, the two tribes realized that neither could defeat the other, and that many of their people were dying every year, so they decided to cease hostilities. The small and weak Goan tribe, caught between the two, escaped this fate, and the two tribes agreed to a non-aggression pact, with the Goan tribe as the boundary.
However, the two tribes had fought earlier, resulting in the deaths of many members of the Goan tribe.
Because they were too weak to resist the two tribes, they lived a very isolated life.
The relationship between these three tribes is quite delicate.
Hai Xian said, "We haven't had any dealings with the Youqi tribe or the Zhaonan tribe, but we know they don't usually come to the north side of the mountain. The mountains here are too steep, with only a narrow mountain path on the mountainside, and it's on the shady side, so there are basically no hunting resources. It's very risky for them to come here, and the returns are minimal."
Ling Chengen asked, "Have they ever had a conflict with the Wen'e tribe?"
Hai Xian nodded and said, "It definitely happened."
“They rarely come here, not that they never come.” “Especially during the cold season, the Huiye River on the north side of the mountain path freezes. Resources are scarce during the cold season, so the Cave Bear Clan and the Half-Dog Clan come to dig ice caves and catch fish.”
"The total length of Zhaoshi Mountain is only a little over two thousand meters, so when they go down to Yejiang to fish, they will clash with the Wen'e tribe, who live by the water and have claimed this area of water as their own."
"Going downstream along the Huiye River, after leaving Zhaoshi Mountain, there is another tribe called Huinan, which was established by the Water Dragon Beast Clan. However, their territory does not include the Zhaoshi Mountain area, so they have no connection with the several tribes on the mountain, or the Wen'e tribe which is far away."
"What about the Mad Fox Tribe?" Ling Chengen asked.
Hai Xian said, "The Mad Fox Tribe is not on the banks of the Huiye River. They are located further north on the north bank of the Huiye River, in a place that borders the Wen'e Tribe. They are at least ten kilometers away, northeast of where we were attacked."
"Is the territory of the Wen'e tribe really that large?"
From his explanation, Ling Chengen quickly analyzed the location of each tribe's territory.
The Wen'e tribe has almost completely dominated the entire Huiye River area near Zhaoshi Mountain, and has even expanded further upstream.
Hai Xian shared his guess: "Judging from the confrontation, I feel that the two tribes on the southern slope of Zhaoshi Mountain are very likely to be involved. The three tribes of Huinan, Kuangli, and Wen'e are less likely to be the perpetrators."
"The orcs who attacked us first arranged a group of men on the mountaintop. After observing us appear on the mountain path, they pushed stones down, deliberately creating a tumble of rocks after the rain. Meanwhile, another group of men lay in wait in the bushes and thickets on the south side of the mountain path, ready to ambush us while we were in a panic and trying to dodge."
Ling Chengen took a few steps outside, glanced at the mountain path of Zhaoshi Mountain, and looked up at the sky.
It seems I'll have to make a trip to the southern foothills of Zhaoshi Mountain.
Hai Xian looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating. Ling Chengen turned around and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Hai Xian looked grave and asked, "Do you really intend to take only this few people to the southern foothills of Zhaoshi Mountain?"
Ling Chengen countered, "What's wrong with me doing this?"
Hai Xian took a deep breath and finally said bluntly, "This is absolutely not going to work, it's too unsafe."
"The orcs of the Zhaonan and Youqi tribes have very bad tempers and will fight at the slightest disagreement. They are very united, and although the tribes are not many in number, each member is very strong."
"The small number of men you brought, even with a few of us soldiers who aren't seriously injured, will definitely not fare well."
Ling Chengen said, "I'm just going to investigate the situation, not to provoke them."
Hai Xian shook his head and said, "You think of them as too peaceful. Not all tribes are like those in the central Mulan Plain. Your Stone Forest already has a reputation in the central region, and with the construction of the Beast City, its scale has continued to expand, thus creating a deterrent effect on the surrounding tribes."
"But these tribes living in the mountains in the east have no idea what's happening outside. They may not even have heard of your Stone Forest, let alone know of the existence of the City of Ten Thousand Beasts. If you go to the southern foothills, they might mistake you for wandering beastmen who have trespassed, or for enemies who have gone to scout the situation and prepare to start a war and invade their territory..."
"They will absolutely kill them!"
"Even if they knew you were harmless, they would probably still kill you all in the mountains, and no one would know who did it, or even find your bodies."
Ling Chengen asked in surprise, "Are these two tribes really that brutal?"
Hai Xian sighed and said, "You don't come to the eastern region often, so you don't know the situation of the tribes in these deep mountains and forests. Not to mention anything else, just take the Zhaonan tribe. When there is a severe drought or cold and resources are extremely scarce, they will directly attack other tribes, plunder the beastmen of other tribes, and even eat people."
"The situation in the Youqi tribe is similar, but since they changed their leader to a Cave Bear tribe in recent years, there have been no more cannibalism incidents."
Ling Chengen immediately decided, "Then let's go explore this Zhaonan tribe first."
Hai Xian: "..." So, all his talking during the day was for nothing, right?
What's the deal with this young lord of Ten Thousand Beasts City?
Why would someone knowingly walk into a tiger's den?!
If something really happens, not only will he be unable to explain himself to the City of Ten Thousand Beasts, but he also won't be able to explain himself to the old and young clan leaders of the tribe when he gets back!
Ling Chengen looked at his bitter and gloomy face and smiled: "You and the others stay here to recover from your injuries. I won't risk my life. Besides, even if we run into each other, it's still very easy for me to get away."
Ling Chengen screwed the cap off the quiver and tossed it to Du Qi, who was standing to the side. He then said to Shu Dan, "You all stay here too. All the warriors of the Crow Clan, except for Ya Lian, are coming with me."
Ling Chengen jumped onto Du Qi's back, and with a flock of crows, they soared into the sky and flew straight to the mountaintop.
However, instead of going directly to the Zhaonan tribe, she first went to see the legendary little tribe that Hai Xian had mentioned, the Goan tribe, which was said to be bullied by both sides.
The Goan tribe did not have a fixed dwelling, a fact that Ling Chengen discovered after arriving at the southern foot of Zhaoshi Mountain.
Those beastmen, not much bigger than squirrels, mostly live in animal form, looking like small animals in the mountains. They live in tree holes in the primeval forest. Some don't even have tree holes; they just make a nest out of branches. The whole family sits neatly in the makeshift nest, hugging each other and sleeping soundly, or licking each other's fur and catching insects.
Ling Chengen initially thought they were animals, until a member of the Lin Ya tribe whispered that they were actually members of the Tree Meerkats tribe. She was astonished and widened her eyes in surprise. She landed lightly on a high tree branch, using the branches to cover her body, and used her supernatural abilities to observe these timid and frail beastmen.
The forest raven orcs were very bold. They disguised themselves as crows and landed not far from the tree mongoose orcs. They turned their heads and stared at them curiously, occasionally peeking out to peck at the tender buds and the small insects that were active on the tree trunks.
Ling Chengen observed for a moment and noticed that the crow-clan beastmen were quietly approaching. He then sat cross-legged above them, watching how Lin Ya approached these timid beastmen.
The meerkat tribe beastmen initially paid no attention to the suddenly appearing crow, until the crow pecked at insects and kept approaching, getting only a meter or two away from them. Only then did the meerkat tribe beastmen straighten up and warily stare at the large, slightly chubby crow with glossy, flat feathers.
strange.
The little tree mongoose moved back a bit, its tail tightly wrapped around the tree trunk beneath it, staring at the crow with its ugly-cute big eyes, occasionally taking a bite of the peeled white root in its hand.
The crow-tribe beastmen did not approach further, but turned to look at the family for a long time before suddenly speaking, "Are you tree meerkats beastmen?"
He suddenly spoke, startling the little tree mongoose so much that its fur stood on end, and the food in its hand fell directly into the pile of dead branches and leaves below that emitted a strange smell.
The other tree mongooses around also turned their heads and started squeaking, making the forest noisy for a moment.
The crow-tribe beastmen were also on guard, fearing that these tree-mongoose beastmen might suddenly attack.
He wasn't a highly aggressive orc either.
As a small orc, he was crouching among dozens of tree mongoose orcs, and his safety was actually not guaranteed.
However, he knew that the young city lord was nearby and would definitely be able to save him in time, so he was not panicked.
He spoke again, and the surrounding tree-mounted orcs babbled a bunch of things, but unfortunately...
He couldn't understand.
Ling Chengen couldn't understand either.
Okay, now that they've left the central region, they've encountered their first problem.
Language barrier.
In some areas of the east and south, the mountains are towering and the orcs living in the mountains are mostly isolated and slow to receive information. Each tribe may have its own dialect.
Let alone the saying "different accents every hundred miles, different customs every thousand miles."
The pronunciation might change every five miles.
So I can't understand it at all!