Ch.34Chapter 34. Golden Sun Tribe (1)

Chapter 34. Golden Sun Tribe (1)

A vast plain, like the Serengeti I’d seen on TV.

Barbarians riding horses discovered us as we collapsed from exhaustion.

“You look like a tribe from elsewhere. What brings you here?”

Unlike other tribes that seemed like a half-mix of barbarians and Indians, these people resembled nomads.

That’s not to say they were ethnically Asian, but rather their atmosphere and attire gave that impression.

“I am Nix, chief and priest of the Sky Tree tribe. Are you the Golden Sun tribe?”

Nix, who was still somewhat functional, asked.

“Chief Nix of the Sky Tree tribe, we are indeed the Golden Sun tribe. What business do you have?”

“Loa guided us here. This is Lord Malak.”

Nix raised Totem #2.

I felt like Simba from The Li*n King.

– Warriors of the Golden Sun tribe. I am Loa Malak.

“L-Loa Malak? This sacred energy! It really is Lord Malak! Warrior Paku! Bring food and drink for these people immediately!”

As expected, it’s a free pass.

Nix, who was still somewhat coherent, explained our situation, and we were able to enter the Golden Sun tribe while receiving excellent hospitality.

The Golden Sun tribe was simply on a different scale.

The size of the tribe alone was hundreds of times larger than the Blue Moss tribe.

Dozens of warriors were all on horseback, and hundreds of other soldiers were armed with spears.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this a small nation.

They’re definitely a top-tier tribe. As expected of the Gold Sun tribe, no, the Golden Sun tribe.

They deserve to have those two powerful words—’Golden’ and ‘Sun’—in their name.

Nix entered the chief’s tent carrying Totem #2.

The chief of the Golden Sun tribe was a middle-aged man with a goat-like beard.

He had a trained body, but not the insane bulk like Kanto. More like a lean muscle feel, like Bruce Lee?

“Lord Malak! I never thought I’d see a Loa in person!”

What’s this suddenly? The middle-aged man with hawk-like sharp eyes approaches Totem #2 with a broad smile and kneels down.

Seeing a middle-aged man rejoicing like a child… honestly, it wasn’t something I wanted to see.

“I am Tur, chief of the Golden Sun tribe and son of Matu and Ita!”

As soon as Tur finished his greeting, a masked man who had been standing behind him rushed forward and knelt down.

It was a mask decorated with feathers, horns, and ornaments, giving off a voodoo priest vibe.

“I-I am Bojak, priest of the Golden Sun tribe and son of Rami and Jarun! It is an honor to meet you!”

[Bojak has become a follower.]

Judging by his voice alone, he sounds like a man in his 60s or 70s. Perhaps slightly younger than or similar in age to Muri, the priest of the Brown Rock tribe.

– Chief Tur and Priest Bojak, thank you for welcoming the Sky Tree tribe. I’ve heard much about the Golden Sun tribe. You are as impressive as I’ve heard.

Tur and Bojak. Together they make Turbojak.

“Ooooh!!!”

“Lord Malak!”

The sight of middle-aged and elderly men tearing up while looking at Totem #2… quite unfamiliar.

It reminds me of otaku rejoicing over character figurines.

Truly a favorite totem.

“Ah, if only my father were here, he would have been so pleased!”

“This craftsmanship… it must be the work of Muri, the priest of the Brown Rock tribe…! There’s no one as talented as her when it comes to creating totems.”

“Ah, Priest Muri! So it was her work! She helped me a lot when I was young! Hahaha!”

As the two men showed no signs of calming down, Nix stepped forward.

“I am Nix, chief and priest of the Sky Tree tribe. Thank you for accepting our tribe.”

“Ahem. Chief Nix of the Sky Tree tribe, welcome to our Golden Sun tribe. I heard you had a difficult journey. We’ll talk in detail tomorrow. Rest well today.”

Tur, who suddenly became composed, had a warrior guide Nix to his lodging.

I introduced myself to Tur and Bojak.

I came down to earth at great sacrifice. As a result, much of my power was lost, and to replenish it, they need to hunt demons diligently.

Build a large totem here. Then they can receive better blessings than what comes through this Totem #2.

Don’t be too hostile to civilized people or paladins. They are also necessary to overcome the apocalypse.

Things like that.

I should make a separate manual later. It’s getting tiring to do the same thing every time I meet a new tribe.

“A totem… we do have a good spot.”

Bojak carefully lifted Totem #2 and went outside. Tur, who nodded as if he knew where to go, followed.

The place the two men took me was in front of a wolf totem that was over 2 meters tall.

A Loa in the form of a wolf. This is Lakan.

I think I heard that tribes living in the plains all worship Lakan.

Tur, who was looking at the Lakan totem with mixed emotions, called over some nearby warriors.

“What are you doing! Move Lord Lakan to another location!”

His gaze contained what could be described as a love-hate relationship.

“Yes, sir!”

The warriors who received the order tied up the Lakan totem with ropes and dropped it to the ground.

Not directly on the ground, but onto something like a cart.

The Lakye’s dad figurine collapsed limply.

“C-Chief. Is this really okay? After all, he’s the Loa who has protected our tribe for hundreds of years.”

A woman anxiously watches the Lakan totem being carried away on the cart.

Tur shook his head.

“It would be disrespectful not to give this place to the one who has come down to earth directly for us.”

…I understand to some extent.

Tur must have been disappointed in Lakan, who remained silent despite numerous requests for help.

The faces of the warriors lowering the Lakan totem also showed bitterness and regret.

Somehow I ended up NTR-ing Lakan’s followers. The golden sun was not them but me.

Well, I think it’s all Lakan’s karma.

Lakye hated Lakan intensely too. Of course, she wouldn’t like him when she couldn’t see her mother’s face and was ostracized from the village because of Lakan.

In human terms, Lakan is like a man who raped a woman he had been watching as soon as she became an adult, then ran away. The woman died slowly after giving birth, but he never showed his face till the end.

As that woman’s daughter, it’s only natural for Lakye to hate him.

Thinking about it again, he really was a wolf-like bastard.

With a bastard like this as a Loa, you get “victims who become perpetrators” like the necromancer Charon.

“This is a sacred place passed down from ancient times. We will erect Lord Malak’s totem here. With the help of other priests, we can make it very majestic!”

Priest Bojak proclaimed confidently.

“The reason this spot is auspicious is…!”

Ah, I’m tired and exhausted after navigating the Sky Tree tribe for days.

Grandpa, I’m tired.

***

The long and tiring explanation session finally ended.

I agreed to occasionally visit and help the Golden Sun tribe, which has now become the first branch of the Tribal Alliance (it’s a secret that it’s bigger than the headquarters).

I also told them not to stir up the demons too much and to attack gradually from nearby areas, just in case.

Anyway, now I can collect points from other places too.

I’ve turned the Sky Tree tribe’s crisis into an opportunity for our Tribal Alliance.

Afterward, I told Lakye, Kanto, and Paya about my heroic deeds.

‘Lord Malak will regain his strength faster. That’s good. Perhaps seeing the real Lord Malak someday isn’t just a dream.’

‘Hahaha! That’s our Lord Malak for you!’

‘Will we be able to meet people from other tribes someday?’

Their positive reactions made me feel proud.

I couldn’t call Grandma Muri to Totem #1 because she was recuperating. For an elderly person, regaining stability is the priority.

She’s done her part by making two mini totems for me.

Now I’m back at Totem #3, watching the Tribal Alliance leadership having a meal.

“It’s been five years since demons appeared in the world. The Empire, having lost its capital, couldn’t last even a year before collapsing.”

Harry pierced a well-cooked lizard with his fork.

“Grandfather and I were in a private shelter for four years.”

After saying that, Luna popped a scorpion from the stew into her mouth.

It’s called a meal, but it was closer to an information gathering session where I listened to what Harry and Luna had experienced.

Lakye was sitting quietly, occasionally glancing at me while nibbling on her food, perhaps not wanting to interrupt my conversation.

Kanto was focused solely on eating.

“Munch munch. Today’s meat is more tender and soft.”

This bastard Kanto just has no intention of listening. He’s like those athletic students who sleep during class.

His brain is probably the size of a snack. Like a Kancho cookie.

Paya was listening with sparkling eyes, apparently finding this conversation quite interesting.

– Then you don’t know much about what happened during those four years.

“I exchanged magical letters with professors from the same university and fellow golem scholars, so I’m not completely ignorant. Even that stopped after two years, though.”

– Do you know why demons appeared in the world?

Harry’s expression darkened.

“I heard the Empire was conducting some kind of experiment and summoned them. …I have some suspicions, but they’re just my conjectures.”

– Tell me.

“The Emperor at that time didn’t look favorably upon the goddess Ishtania and the cathedral faction that served her. He felt that power and authority that should be concentrated in the Emperor were being dispersed.

So while searching for a force to check the goddess’s power, he opened a dimensional gate and probably summoned demons.”

Aiming for a divide-and-conquer strategy but ending up being acquired instead.

Stories of countries that tried to bring in a third force only to be backstabbed and destroyed are common in Earth’s history too.

– Is it true that demons will perish if the dimensional gate is closed?

Now we’re getting to the main point.

I need to verify if the information that George’s raid party discovered at the end is accurate.