What Mo'an's tribe called the public square was actually the stump of a gigantic tree. It had an impressive diameter of 45 meters, which meant it was around 140 meters in circumference and had a surface area of 1,600 m². Not only was its width immense, but its height was also imposing; it was as tall as a small hill, which made the Empire's men gasp every time they saw it.
Although they had visited Mo'an's tribe many times before, they still couldn't get used to such a big stump; its size was beyond the scope of their imagination.
In the jungle where Mo'an lived, there were a few trees around 50 meters in circumference that the Empire's men already found impressive enough to make them drop their jaws. However, there were almost no trees that were larger than 100 meters in circumference. Those were rarely seen. Thus, it was commonly acknowledged that the trees with a circumference of 50 meters were the 'largest' living trees in the tribe's territory. Hence, in the soldiers' minds, such a huge stump in the middle of the tribe's settlement shouldn't exist.
Even if the tribe lived in the jungle of the Towering Trees, there was still a limit to how large and tall the plants could grow, although it was true that this particular jungle's flora tended to be bigger than anywhere else in the mainland. But even so, the stump of the public square still appeared excessively big no matter how many times someone had seen it. It was the vestige of the most massive tree that had ever existed in the jungle of the Towering Trees, and it was also the only one of its kind.
For an unknown reason, the ancestors of Mo'an's tribe had cut the tree instead of building houses inside of it, and it became the place where the tribe reunited.
Back then, despite its width, the tree stump still wasn't big enough to accommodate everyone, or at least, to let everyone stand on it without stepping on each other's toes. At that time, their tribe prospered, and their population reached nearly 1,200 – for the tribe, this number was a lot; for the Empire, it was nothing.
When Mo'an's ancestors decided to cut the tree, they also planned to build many stalls on the public square, but there wasn't enough place. Therefore, they built wooden terraces around the stump, and the platform seemed to merge with the trees surrounding the public square. It was on one of those terraces that Mo'an and Shi'an had landed earlier.
Sadly, the tribe had lost more than half of their people in the war ten years ago, and the stump now appeared particularly vast and empty. It wasn't as crowded as it had once been, giving a slight feeling of desolation.
The older generation acted as if they didn't notice it, and the youths who hadn't know that golden age weren't affected by the emptiness. They thought it was normal.
A few years ago, the tribe decided to create a training ground in the middle of the stump, which also served as an open arena. It made the public square look less barren, and with all the sparring matches that were held there every day, it also became a bit livelier. Cheers often resonated throughout the place as people supported their friends or their favorite warriors who were on the ring.
It was precisely at that particular training ground that Mo'an wanted to go, dragging the unwilling Tiel by his collar. Since she landed on the wooden terrace and her destination was in the middle of the public square, she inevitably attracted a lot of attention in her wake.
Today, almost all members of the tribe went to the stump. They were planning on having a feast before the departure of their chief's children. Some were on their way, and many had already arrived, preparing for tonight's celebration. Thus, when Mo'an walked through the crowd, there were many who turned their heads around, giving them a puzzled look as they wondered who was the teenage boy pulling Tiel.
Almost none were able to recognize Mo'an at first glance.
Although they knew the Fake-Reverse pill would slightly change her appearance, they didn't expect her to cut her hair. The new hairstyle seemed to have transformed the teenage girl into a stranger. They were too used to see her with long hair, and the contrast left them speechless.
In the end, it was her honey-colored skin and golden eyes that gave her away. There were only four people in their tribe with both characteristics; Shi'an, Mo'an, and their parents, Ta'an and Milu'en. There was also the fact that Shi'an and Nael were tagging along. That group of four was always together, doing mischief and whatnot.
Hence, that unknown teenage boy was most certainly Mo'an. She was also the only one who would dare to drag Tiel by his collar. Even if that young man was lazy, often oversleeping, he never missed any of his training sessions and always obediently went hunting when it was his turn. His master, who was well respected in the tribe, was also a tyrant, and thus Tiel didn't dare to slack off. For years, the old man poured into him, filling him up with all the wisdom and knowledge that he had. His efforts paid off, and Tiel's rank among their warriors slowly rose before stabilizing in the top 10.
Tiel wasn't the fastest, but it was undeniable that he was strong, and no one would even think of looking down upon him. Therefore, him being dragged by Mo'an was a sight to behold. It always brought a smile on everyone's lips. They couldn't help but find it funny how Mo'an, who was two heads shorter than Tiel, pulled the helpless young man to wherever she wanted to go whenever she felt like it.
While Mo'an was busy dragging the unwilling Tiel, one middle-aged woman couldn't contain her curiosity and asked what everyone wanted to ask, "What's going on?" They had a pretty good idea, but it was better to ask just in case.
As a good junior who respected his elders, Nael answered politely, "Mo'an and Tiel are going to spare!"
Immediately afterward, excited murmurs spread into the crowd, and Tiel felt his face turn red. He glared at this pig friend of his, wishing he could sew his lips. Mo'an had grabbed his collar at the back of his neck, so he was walking backward. Thus, Nael was in his sight. However, Tiel could only growl at him, unable to grab his neck and vent his anger; his friend made sure to stay out of reach.
In the corner of his mind, Tiel told himself that no matter what, he had to beat that traitor to a pulp. Well, if he survived his sparring session with Mo'an.
Not only did Nael throw him into the den's tiger, but he also rallied the crowd to spectate on the sideline while Mo'an destroyed his self-esteem – again. If there was one thing their tribe loved, it was watching their warriors fight in the makeshift ring. It always was a thrilling sight, and Tiel also indulged in this hobby, hoping to find some insight as he watched the veterans fight.
However, Tiel hated it when he switched place with the spectator seat. He knew he would show his ungraceful side while being used as a sandbag by Mo'an. Although he wasn't a weakling, Mo'an was simply a monster, and he couldn't retaliate against her. Her affinity with her inner beast was too strong, almost reaching a perfect synergy. Thus, she could exploit her inner beast potential to a frightening percentage, improving her speed, agility, endurance, and strength by a large margin.
Truthfully, Tiel wasn't afraid to spare with a strong fighter, but Mo'an was a special case. That girl didn't know how to control her strength correctly. Hence, he was afraid that she would accidentally behead him. Once, when they were hunting, he saw her bursting the head of a wild beast with her fists. He clearly remembered the dejected expression on her face and the words that came out of her pretty mouth, "I just wanted to knock it out, not kill it."
Back then, it had scared the hell out of him, which lead to numerous nightmares in the following days.
So, Tiel didn't want to take any chance and did everything to avoid sparring with her. These past few days, he had been particularly prudent only for Nael to destroy his 'low profile' plan, sending him to his death with a smile.
Tiel was still very unwilling, but he knew struggling was useless. Thus, when they finally arrived at the training ground, he had already given up and accepted his dreadful fate. Since he couldn't escape, he had to put on a good show for the spectators – Tiel couldn't lose too badly in front of so many people, could he?
Along the way, the crowd gathered around them and followed them to the makeshift arena. No one wanted to miss a fight between those two young fighting prodigies. Some hurried off to the rope bridges that passed over the public square near the training ground, then sat on the wooden boards next to each other, their legs falling into the air. A few climbed a rope ladder not too far and sat in the middle of it even though the wooden rod wasn't that much comfortable. Some sat on tree branches, squinting to see the training ground. Others, who were fearless or confident in their skills, stood on the stump, closely surrounding the small ring.
The training ground was shaped into a circle. To protect the tree stump, the tribe had covered the surface with flat, sturdy rocks, then added black sand on it so the fighters wouldn't hurt themselves when they fell. If someone stepped outside of the ring, they would immediately lose.
Once they arrived, Mo'an finally let go of her friend's collar and leisurely strolled to one side of the ring, waving at the spectators. As for Tiel, he dejectedly took his place with his head hung low. A few seconds passed before he took a deep breath and lifted his gaze.
After stretching her body, Mo'an looked into Tiel's eyes and smirked, "Shall we start?"
'Can I say no?' thought Tiel as he placed himself into a defensive fighting stance, his arms in front of his chest and his legs firmly rooted to the ground. He couldn't help but wonder how long he would last before collapsing.