No matter how proud the barbarian warriors were, they knew very well that Black Rock's defeat was not unjust.
The woman in the arena hadn't won by mere luck; she had truly overpowered him with strength and skill.
"Lord Water Stream wins!" Black Hammer's voice echoed at just the right moment. "Anyone else wants to challenge?"
There was a peculiar mockery in his tone, but it was directed at the newly arrived half-orcs and barbarians, not at Water Stream.
Laughter rumbled from the crowd, one of the veteran barbarians who had been here from the beginning. He scratched his head, his superior feeling rising as he saw the wide-eyed expressions of the newcomers. He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride.
More laughter followed from other veterans.
Black Rock raised his shield to hide his face, feeling a bit embarrassed. As a warrior known for his bravery, this was his first time feeling like a helpless lamb, almost as if he were being treated like a chicken by a human woman.
The barbarians had always respected strength, not caring about one's race or gender. This respect was embedded in their blood. Since the woman had beaten him fair and square with her overwhelming power and skills, she could become a queen. A queen of the human race.
"I know that some of you might not accept this and think we, who serve Lord Kent, have brought shame to our tribe!" Black Hammer's voice rang out. He pointed at the barbarians and half-orcs, his gesture somewhat rude, but it didn't incite the usual outrage from the half-orc crowd.
"Brothers of the barbarians, whether you are from the Stone Cliff tribe, the Flame Tribe, the Black Earth Tribe, or the Maple Forest Tribe, if you have ever lived in the mountains of the Blade Hills, you must have heard of my name, Black Hammer, and my brother Black Axe!"
"Children of the Blade!"
"Warriors of the barbarians!"
The barbarian warriors responded loudly in unison.
"We all serve Lord Kent in the Spear Valley! Do you know why?" Black Hammer's voice rose higher.
"You know him as Stone Fist!"
"Why did he, too, serve Lord Kent? Do you know why?" Black Hammer asked again, his eyes sweeping the crowd.
"I'll tell you!" he shouted. "Because Lord Kent promised us freedom!"
"Freedom!"
"Not to be slaves!"
"Freedom!"
The crowd responded with wave after wave of shouts.
"Yes, freedom! But that's just one reason!" Black Hammer paused, his voice lowering with anticipation. "You've seen the skills of Lord Water Stream, our chief instructor and trainer!"
A sudden silence fell, followed by a murmur. Even Black Rock couldn't help but soften his stance, nearly bowing before Water Stream.
"But even Water Stream is not a match for Lord Kent!" Black Hammer inhaled deeply before announcing, "Because Lord Kent is a…"
"A M-A-G-E!"
The crowd erupted with awe and respect, as the words seemed to explode in the air. Even the cave dwellers, who already knew the truth, couldn't help but enjoy the atmosphere Black Hammer had created.
To hear such praise from the once disdainful giants, calling their leader Kent a godsend, a son of the gods, the savior of their people, a king with unrivaled strength—this was the honor of the entire cave tribe.
"That's so lively over there," Xiao Dao said as he turned to look at the training grounds in the distance. "Udo, why aren't you over there watching the match?"
Udo didn't respond. She just hugged her knees and sat on the edge of the city wall, lost in thought.
Her hunting bow and quiver lay beside her, but the bow was no longer the wooden one from her training days. It had been replaced by a real ironwood bow, and her arrows were now black-feathered, three-pronged hunting arrows.
The wind from the northeast was mild, not as harsh as in early spring. Everywhere she looked, green and yellow covered the land, and the transition of seasons brought a calmness to her heart.
This rare moment of rest was the perfect time for the children, around ten years old, to train under Skinny Stick and Fatty Bull. Instead of watching the competition, they were busy with their sparring training.
Since they had joined the territory department, their lives had changed. The group of young ones had formed a youth leader guard, and now it had grown into a youth camp. More children had joined, and the leaders even said that they could have the guards take time to train them in combat skills.
Udo, especially, had always dreamed of becoming a great hunter like the legendary Thuo Luo, a renowned female archer from the Red Leaf Tribe. She had always wanted to be a powerful archer and had even begged her mentor to make her a bow when she was younger.
Though her mentor didn't oppose her becoming a hunter, he was completely against her joining a military corps. But Udo's heart had never wavered. The only problem was that in a small place like the Spear Valley, there were no great teachers to help her improve.
Now, under the guidance of Lord Kent, she and her friends were receiving formal training and learning new knowledge. It was said that only reserve cadres of the department had access to such teachings, like the construction process of castles, calendar calculations, field medicine, star navigation at night, herbology, and more.
But the main teacher was always Lord Kent. Udo regarded him as her true mentor. Unfortunately, because Lord Kent was a mage, he couldn't teach her archery. If only he could, she would be happy to learn from him forever.
As she thought about this, her face flushed slightly, but Xiao Dao didn't notice. Even if he did, he wouldn't understand why her face had turned red.
Her eyes suddenly caught a flicker on the mountain slopes.
She looked up, and saw movement at the mountaintop, where a tower was situated. Someone was waving a flag. Though it was far, she could make out the shape of the figure.
But then, the urgent call of a signal horn reached her ears. It wasn't the usual long-short pattern of a warning, but a rapid succession of short blasts.
She exchanged a glance with Xiao Dao. Their expressions changed instantly.
An unknown army was approaching.