In the jungle, Clara narrowed her eyes and tensed up, watching Tia intently.
At her age, possessing such terrifying strength and exceptional speed, as well as a knack for stealth, could she possibly be the tribal champion of the Crimson Star Tribe?
The thought sparked admiration in Clara's heart.
She smiled and said, "Young lady, you are no match for me. How about becoming friends? As long as you're willing to join the Chagga Tribe, I can guarantee you a position in the tribe's upper echelons, with your own combat team!"
The Chagga Tribe also had a priest among its ranks.
However, the Chagga Tribe's personnel were allocated differently.
In the Chagga Tribe, they were divided into several combat teams, each managing a portion of the tribal people. These combat teams had autonomous control over the food they acquired, unlike in the Crimson Star Tribe, where the priest oversaw the distribution. This disparity resulted in intense competition within the Chagga Tribe, with each combat team being highly formidable.
Moreover, the Chagga Tribe boasted a population of over five hundred, comparable to that of a medium-sized tribe.
To Clara's surprise, Tia firmly declined her offer, saying, "Not interested. You invaded our tribe, and my current mission is to bring you back!"
"Bring me back?" Clara laughed. "You can try!"
Tia struck again, but her fighting skills were too rudimentary compared to Clara's. Clara effortlessly evaded Tia's attacks and seized her arm, warning, "Young lady, if you still want to fight, you may lose that arm of yours."
"Is that so?" A smile played on Tia's lips.
Clara sensed that something was amiss, but it was too late.
Tia exuded a silvery-white aura, her strength surging. She easily broke free and delivered a punch to Clara's abdomen. Clara's eyes widened, unable to even scream, as she dropped to her knees, a look of despair in her eyes, having realized that her internal organs had been shattered by the blow.
In other words, death was imminent.
Tia paid no mind to this, simply lifting both Clara and the middle-aged man and swiftly descending the mountain to return to the camp, where she threw the two onto the open ground.
The commotion attracted the attention of many of the tribal people.
Sovita stepped forward, took a glance, and then reported to Enzo, "They are from the Chagga Tribe. The Chagga Tribe is about twenty kilometers away from us, and we've had a few minor conflicts with them in the past."
Enzo nodded and turned to the middle-aged man, who was still able to speak, and asked, "Who sent you here?"
The middle-aged man, clutching his arm, issued a fierce threat, "You swines, release us and let us go back, or when the other warriors from our tribe arrive, you will all die!"
Swines and boards are of the same species.
But swines preferred filthy environments and would shut their eyes in the face of danger, standing still. It was a term of insult used in many tribes.
Enzo is also aware of this.
Without further ado, Enzo gestured to Amy at his side. Amy was momentarily stunned but then handed him a spear.
Enzo wasted no words, thrusting the spear directly through the middle-aged man's heart and then pulling it out. He then turned to Clara, noticing her severe internal injuries. He reluctantly used the "Stimulate All Things" technique to provide some treatment, allowing Clara to speak. He then asked her again, "If you want to live, tell me your purpose."
Survival was an urgent need for everyone in the tribe.
And Clara was no exception.
Upon discovering that Enzo had the knowledge of healing divine arts and could treat her injuries, Clara immediately said, "Heal me first, and then I'll tell you!"
Upon hearing these words, Enzo once again raised his spear,.
Its tip still dripping with blood, now pointed directly at Clara.
With a cold demeanor, Enzo uttered, "I never ask twice."
He was about to strike when Clara immediately called for a halt.
Internally cursing Enzo as a madman, she dared not show any hint of fear, and truthfully explained, "Our people discovered information about your tribal vanguard squad, including a unique weapon—a slender branch with feathers at the end. Thus, we planned to secretly observe the situation in your tribe."
Upon hearing this, Sovita became restless and inquired, "Did you encounter the vanguard squad?"
Clara shook her head and replied, "No, we only found traces."
With that, she turned to Enzo once more and demanded, "I have answered your questions. Now, tend to my wounds."
Enzo retorted, "Did I promise that?"
He then instructed several tribesmen to dispose of the deceased middle-aged man outside the camp in the wilderness and had Tia drag Clara into a cave for confinement. He then dispersed the other tribesmen, leaving only Sovita and Ward, and inquired, "What are our chances in a conflict with the Chagga Tribe?"
After pondering for a moment, Sovita replied, "Not great. The Chagga Tribe outnumbers us...twofold."
In tribal warfare, numerical superiority often proved to be a critical factor.
Especially in smaller tribes, while the tribe's warriors were significantly stronger than ordinary people, they could only match a dozen opponents at most. When faced with a significant numerical disadvantage, their strength was not decisive.
Deep in thought for a dozen seconds, Enzo asked, "What if we add Tia to the mix?"
Ward was puzzled at this moment. Tia... wasn't she just an ordinary warrior?
He was in charge of the daily affairs of the Crimson Star Tribe and was not familiar with Tia's situation.
Sovita noticed Ward's confusion and explained, "Lord Priest has activated the totem, and as long as the Crimson Star Tribe grows stronger, it is bound to become a totem tribe! And Tia is the first totem warrior of the Crimson Star Tribe."
"What!" Ward exclaimed, "A totem warrior?!"
His eyes shone with fanaticism; this was the totem tribe!
Sovita patted him, gesturing to stop, then continued, "Lord Enzo, even with Tia, I still think our chances are slim. The people of the Chagga Tribe are skilled in combat, while many of our tribe are injured and unable to fight."
Enzo nodded, "I understand."
At this point, Sovita added, "Lord Enzo, if necessary, we can choose to relocate the camp. The Chagga Tribe should not be quick to realize that their people have been captured by us, and there will be enough time."
Enzo sneered, "Move? Why should we move?"
The construction of the tribal camp had just begun.If they were to relocate now, wouldn't all the previous efforts be in vain?
Enzo was not considering this approach.
Moreover, in Sovita's understanding, the battle was just a matter of everyone joining in, poking each other with spears, with no strategy involved.
The Chagga Tribe only had twice the number of people compared to the Crimson Star Tribe; this advantage was not significant.
Just imagine, arranging dozens of people to hide in the trees and shoot cold arrows at the passing forces of the Chagga Tribe. A round of simultaneous shooting would certainly reduce the Chagga Tribe's numbers, and then setting up traps... perhaps most of the Crimson Star Tribe wouldn't even need to show themselves to deal with the Chagga Tribe.
Therefore, how to deal with the Chagga Tribe is not a problem in Enzo's eyes.
What he is contemplating is - how to devour the Chagga Tribe.
The people of the Chagga Tribe are extremely important labor force, and if they can be subjugated, it will definitely greatly enhance the strength of the Crimson Star Tribe and accelerate the development of the tribe, which is exactly what Enzo desires.
However, at present, it seems not quite feasible.
Thinking of this, Enzo felt somewhat restless.
Moreover, with the appearance of Clara and another person, there was some chaos in the camp.
Enzo had to gather the tribal people together and announce a new order: "Next, the tribe will form a new combat team, with a total of thirty people! Tia will be the captain of the combat team, and the members will be selected through a selection process - the ones with strong strength will be chosen! Members of the hunting team are not involved in the selection process!"
After that, he instructed Sovita, "Sovita, you are in charge."
Sovita nodded and immediately organized the strength comparison. This didn't take too long, and with the ceramics still in production and the fields already cultivated, there was plenty of time available to allow the tribespeople to disperse some of the anxiety brought about by the Chagga Tribe.
Enzo then returned to the cave, with Tia and Amy following.
Inside the cave, Tia couldn't wait to ask, "Enzo, I seem to have some strange strength belonging to the tribal warriors, much stronger than Heru, Rhode, and the others."
As she spoke, a silver-white light once again lit up on Tia's body.
Seeing this scene, Amy instinctively exclaimed, "This is... the power of the totem!"