"Which of them wins and who loses has anything to do with us? Thirty years ago, when the Tiger Gang controlled this place, we were living in poverty.
Our lives have not changed at all in the thirty years that the Sword and Thorn Brotherhood has controlled this place. I believe that it would still not be much better if we were replaced by Leathermen.
I heard that those who really control the Leatherman Kingdom are the mysterious and cruel witches. The reason why the Leatherman Kingdom is so barbaric is because they admire the so-called totem spirits and try to keep the entire land as it is. They did not allow the Leathermen to build their own cities, lay their own roads, or even allow them to wear too many clothes, just to be so-called closer to nature.
It is said that countless old and weak Leathermen freeze to death every year, but they call this natural selection.
Can't you live such a primitive and barbaric life? "
"I agree with the first half of what you said, but what you said about the Kingdom of Leatherman is just a rumor. Although the Leatherman witches are strict and true, they are not as cruel as you said. Those Leatherman people are voluntary. Those who follow them and voluntarily abide by that way of life are just like the residents of the Great Valley who are willing to follow the druids and choose to merge with nature.
They have been committed to resisting the invasion of Ser for so many years, but they have never invaded neighboring countries. Many Leathermen come to the Giant Valley to spend the winter, and they also maintain self-sufficient grazing, and have never plundered from the locals. .
It didn't happen before, and I believe it won't happen in the future. It's thanks to them that Jugu can have a relatively peaceful life.
If they wanted to seize control of Uxmail City, they would have started a war with the Sword Thorn Brotherhood long ago, and would not wait until now.
The reason for doing this now is mainly for the food at the dock. I believe that this food is crucial to the Leatherman Kingdom.
The act of stabbing the Brotherhood with the sword hit their weakness again, forcing them to take action.
I'm afraid they don't have that much interest in controlling the city of Uxmail. "
"I hope so. It's useless to think too much. This matter is not something we can participate in. No matter who wins the final victory, we can only passively accept it."
Ordinary people in Usmail City have extremely keen sense of smell. Before the conflict between the two sides officially broke out, they all went back to their homes, especially those whose homes were located on the main roads, and observed the situation through the gaps.
Although the Sword Thorn Brotherhood has a home field advantage here, except for those who have a direct relationship with them, the hearts of others are not on their side. Their past behavior was too greedy and harsh.
But there are endless worries about the Leatherman people. Even for neighbors like Jugu, the Leatherman Kingdom is a relatively closed and mysterious place. The reputation is not particularly good, especially their way of life. , it is extremely harsh and difficult for most intelligent life forms to adapt to.
The Sword Assassination Brotherhood is very experienced in street fighting. They did not try to block the Leathermen along the street. What they did was just to spread their own manpower and give the opponent every opportunity to defeat them.
After learning that the Leathermans were out in force, they decisively gathered their men back and gathered them all at the port terminal.
This is the best and most open place in the entire city of Uxmail, and it is also the home base of the Sword Thorn Brotherhood.
As long as you hold this place firmly in your hands, you are equivalent to holding the fate of the entire city in your hands and making the people here obey your orders.
"Chief Patram, we selflessly accepted you when you were in the most difficult and helpless times and allowed you to have a place to live here. Is this how you repay our kindness?" A middle school student said The young man stood at the entrance of the pier and shouted loudly.
This man is extremely strong and wears a suit of armor with a style that is very different from that of Faerun. It is made of animal skins, armor pieces, and rivets. It is layered on top of each other. You can feel its powerful protective power as well as its strength. It is nimble, and at the same time has this extraordinary charm, exuding obscure and powerful magic fluctuations.
This kind of armor is not a product of Faerûn, but a specialty of the Far Eastern Empire, called Mingguang Armor, also known as Far Eastern Mingguang Armor.
It is known as the best armor, even above the dwarf plate armor, because while they have a defensive power comparable to that of heavy armor, they are only as restrictive to the human body as medium armor. Some special general Mingguang armor, They are even comparable to light armor, and coupled with the Far Eastern Empire's unique mysterious magic circle, they are very different from Faerun's native armor in many ways.
This kind of armor, which is rare on the west coast of the Falling Star Sea, is not uncommon in Uxmail City. Behind this middle-aged man, a dozen tall and strong elites are also wearing the same style of armor, but there is a magic aura flickering on it. Far less powerful than what he had.
This is naturally the result of Sesk's Golden Road, which is the only road that connects the Far Eastern Empire. The two sides conduct trade through here, and as a close neighbor, the city of Usmer naturally benefits from it.
Seeing these Far Eastern Mingguang armored warriors, Gavin, who was guarded by the Leathermen among them, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Instead of being surprised, he was originally worried that this gang in the market was too weak and would give up before fighting, and would be unable to help him. Testing the combat effectiveness of these Leathermen is not convenient for the next step of my plan.
Unexpectedly, they actually supported a group of heavily armored warriors, which were absolutely deadly weapons in street battles.
Let alone a stick, even an ordinary sword would not be easy to break through their defense.
The Leathermen's previous move to abandon their weapons and replace them with sticks now seemed a bit too reckless.
The Sword Thorn Brotherhood is obviously also very afraid of the famous unity of the Leathermen. They are afraid that killing them in large numbers will provoke revenge from the entire Leatherman Kingdom, so they invariably change their weapons to blunt weapons such as sticks.
On the other hand, the Leathermen did not show any fear. On the contrary, they were full of contempt for the soldiers wearing the Far Eastern Mingguang Armor. They seemed to be silently mocking them and regarded them as cowards. A group of people who only dared to huddle in the armor. The cowards in the back, when their armor is broken, they will scream and run away like women who have taken off their clothes.
"Favour?" Leader Patram said with unconcealed disdain on his face, "We live in tents brought by ourselves, drink milk produced by our own cattle and sheep, and eat food collected by our tribe. We have never accepted any food from you. What kind of kindness can you show to us?
Speaking of kindness, our fearless people fought bloody battles at Asen Lake, blocking countless ferocious Tukan people and the monster slaves they drove, preventing them from continuing to move westward and harassing the entire giant valley.
Is this considered a favor?
But look what you are doing?
You take this for granted. Not only did you not think of helping us fight against the invaders, but you tried to use your sad power to blackmail the kind people who supported the front line. Is there anything more shameless than this? "
Of course, this Leatherman Berserker is not so eloquent. He is now just acting as a mouthpiece, conveying the words of the Leatherman Witch beside him.
The three leaders of the Sword Assassination Brotherhood were obviously stunned. They didn't seem to expect that a guy who looked extremely rough in his clothing could actually refute. Then he responded with a sneer: "This is not extortion, this is a rule. If a city has no rules, , has long been in chaos, how can it develop and grow? Without our coordination and protection, Usmail City would have been ravaged by monsters in the wilderness and pirates on the Falling Star Sea countless times, and it would never be what it is now. of peaceful life.
We collect a little reward from it and use it for our own development and growth. That is a reasonable and legal thing.
As for resisting the Tukan invasion, it's not because you have such good intentions, but because you have to do so. If they break through Lake Asen, you Leathermen will be the first to be exterminated.
Don't say it, as if you are doing this to protect the giant valley and the entire world. "
"In the final analysis, it's not just about the weak and the strong." Leader Patram spat heavily and said rudely, "Stop talking nonsense, we will have the ship dock to unload the cargo today, in order to avoid you saying that we robbed you. We will not accept any business or the work of loading and unloading food. We will still leave it to the citizens of Uxmail City. The original price will remain unchanged, okay? Commander Gavin."
Gavin understood and said: "Not only can the work of loading and unloading food be left to the citizens of Usmail City, but also to transport the food to Asen Lake, we also need a large number of vehicles and manpower. If the citizens of Usmail City Be willing to accept employment, whether it is money or food settlement.
In addition to replenishing a large amount of maritime supplies from here, our fleet will also carry a large amount of local goods back. If you are interested in business travel to the Kingdom of Cormyr, we will also undertake the corresponding business, and the safety will be absolutely guaranteed. Along the way, we did not lose a single battleship or a single crew member. "
This is a great opportunity to win people's hearts. How could Gavin, who knows this well, let it go?
He chose this small city in the Giant Valley as the unloading location instead of Tefram in Sesk because he was preparing to find a new base for himself in the desperate eastern region.
Compared with directly using strong force to intimidate and seize, it is a more effective method to use economic means to assimilate and bundle interests to erode, gain a greater sense of identity, and let them elect themselves as their leader or city lord. .
This is the experience accumulated in the valley, and it also applies to the giant valleys where the conditions are very similar.
As soon as Gavin's words came out, it immediately caused a lot of commotion among the citizens of Uxmail City who were watching the excitement, because in this way, this matter directly escalated the relationship between them, and it was related to all walks of life. .
For those at the bottom who are on the edge of poverty, jobs that can directly obtain food are very valuable. They are the biggest victims of soaring prices. Many people are actively preparing supplies for the coming winter.
For those businessmen with small assets, following the opponent's fleet to the Kingdom of Cormyr is an excellent choice.
Although the nomadic army is still five hundred kilometers away, everyone with a discerning eye knows that Lake Asen is the last line of defense in front of them. Once this line of defense is broken, the nomadic army will appear under the city of Usmail with its super maneuverability. , it only takes three to five days.
There is no need for the opponent to come out in full force, and only three to five thousand vanguard troops are needed to capture the city of Usmail with a single charge.
Although going to the Imbutu Kingdom is a retreat, it is still not safe. The nomadic army can still attack this place along the long coastline of the Eastern Gulf.
How could the Kingdom of Cormyr, separated by the entire Sea of Fallen Stars, be safer?
"I knew you outsiders had ulterior motives." Felican, the third leader of the Sword Thorn Brotherhood, said through gritted teeth.
The opponent's policy is extremely vicious and will directly shake the foundation of their Sword and Thorn Brotherhood in Usmail City. Everyone is running to work for the other party, who will pay attention to their Sword and Thorn Brotherhood?
From the beginning, they had a tough attitude and blocked the entire port, preventing the other party from docking to unload cargo. This was the most correct choice.
"Give you the last chance to get out of the way and let go of the port." The fang leader Patram issued an ultimatum.
"Impossible, unless you step on our corpses." Felican raised his head not to be outdone.
"Attack!" Patlem didn't waste any time. He waved his hand and led his fang team to rush towards Felican.
"Tear them apart!" All the fangs team let out a shocking roar and followed closely behind.
These Leathermen looked very rough, but when they started charging, everyone discovered that they were proficient in tactics.
They did not rush towards the Sword Brotherhood in a swarm along the street, but rushed forward in small groups of fangs. Although they did not hold defensive weapons in their hands, they made full use of the buildings in the street. bunker.
This is naturally done to avoid becoming a group attack spell such as fireball or being covered by arrow rain.
However, neither the Sword Assassination Brotherhood nor the Leatherman Fang Troopers have launched large-scale magic attacks such as fireball.
It's not that there is none, but they are afraid that the situation will become uncontrollable. They neither want to offend the forces behind the opponent to death, nor do they want to set the city's buildings on fire.
If the latter situation occurs, there will be no winner in this battle, and the citizens of Usmail City will hate them to death.
Gavin also made back-up preparations for this. The light rain that started falling when the Leathermen stepped into the city of Uthmer was not a normal weather change, but the weather controlled by extraordinary druids. It was poured by the rain. The difficulty of starting a fire in a transparent building will be greatly increased.
At the same time, it also made the war extremely unfavorable to the Brotherhood of Sword and Thorn. Like Felican, the magic equipment that was bounced away by the invisible magic shield when the rain was half a meter away from him was in the minority. Most of the Brotherhood of Sword and Thorn They are wearing ordinary cotton armor. After absorbing enough water, their weight will increase from several kilograms to more than ten kilograms.
The Leathermen, who were not wearing armor and were only wearing simple animal skin armor, were extremely little affected.
"kill!"
The running speed of these Leathermen is quite amazing, not affected by the muddy road at all.
The metaphor of a tiger descending from a mountain is perfect for them.
Although they do not have the huge physique of tigers, their momentum is no less than that of ferocious tigers. There is irresistible ferocity and perseverance in their eyes. The long wooden sticks in their hands make a whining sound as they dance, and they walk completely Open wide and focus solely on offense.
Many of the gang brothers of the Sword and Thorn Brotherhood were so frightened that they did not immediately follow the large forces to act.
"Block them." Felican also led his gang elites and rushed towards the Fangs, not to be outdone. He also ignored his own defense and used attack to attack.
They are not as fearless as the Leathermen, but they are fully confident in their armor's defensive capabilities.
boom! boom! boom!
It was the sound of a solid wood stick hitting the flesh directly.
when! when! when!
This is the sound of solid wood sticks hitting metal armor.
puff! puff! puff!
This is the sound of solid wood sticks hitting wet cotton armor.
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
The Leatherman who was hit by the solid wood stick did not howl in pain, but howled in excitement similar to that of a wild beast. The plateau red skin began to become congested with blood, and veins like earthworms bulged under the muscles, making them An already strong and robust body becomes even stronger.
Berserkers are not just the traditional profession of the Leathermen, but go directly into their souls and blood. Even ordinary people who have not yet started the Berserker profession, after being stimulated, enter a state similar to In the frenzied fighting state, both strength and physique will be slightly improved (both +1).
The most astonishing changes were those berserker warriors with totem tattoos on their bodies.
Infused with the surging blood, the magical light flashing on those totem tattoos was extremely dazzling, and each one seemed to have come to life, crouching in their bodies in the form of phantoms.
This made the bodies of those Leatherman Berserkers grow several times in an instant, which was very visually impactful. Some of the timid ones were so frightened on the spot that they couldn't help but scream, turned around and ran away.
These totem phantoms are not simply bluffing tools, but have real magical effects. At the very least, they can provide these Leathermen with inner attribute blessings, but the direction is different.
Those with totem shadows such as tigers and giant bears have become stronger and their bodies have become stronger and more majestic.
Those with totem shadows such as elk and eagle have become obviously more sensitive.
Leatherman's berserkers and Uthgar's barbarians, one in the east and one in the west, are considered the best barbarians in Faerûn.
Although the two are separated by thousands of kilometers and are completely different in terms of beliefs, looks, attitudes, and customs, they have the same purpose in pursuing wild power.
They are not simply pursuing their own strength, they are all borrowing the power of totem spirits to strengthen themselves.
This allows them to have a level of totem enhancement before activating the berserk ability. This enhancement is only half of the berserk (strength and constitution +2 or agility +2), but they will not lose their mind, nor will they be weak.
(End of chapter)
