After dismissing the envoy from the Eagle God's Kingdom, Garrett and his party returned to their quarters for a private discussion. As Bernard bent over to enter, the chieftains crowded in behind him. Garrett grabbed Lynn and whispered urgently:
“Brother Lynn, the snake woman Nierka who had captured you is now my prisoner. I promised them I’d release her once you were free. Now…”
As he spoke, his eyebrows raised high with interest. Brother Lynn! The perpetually single Brother Lynn!
Always stern-faced and spending all day with various bones, Brother Lynn actually has a woman interested in him!
Even though Garrett found Nierka's personality and actions distasteful, and likely Lynn did too, it didn't stop him from gossiping…
Hehehe, hehehehe…
As he spoke, Cirilla leaned over, her eyes blinking brightly. Lynn's steps faltered, and for once, he stumbled, moving in an awkward way before he raised his hand to push Garrett’s forehead firmly, his voice gruff:
“What are you waiting for? If you promised, then let her go! Immediately! By the way, what’s the deal with you and Cirilla? She actually agreed to accompany you to the New World…”
“I’ll release her right away!”
Garrett sprinted out of the tent and consulted with the high shaman of the Red Hawk Tribe, asking him to send a message to their settlement so that the Golden Eagle Warriors and the snake woman could come to fetch her.
By the time he returned, Lynn was already seated in the center of the tent with Cirilla, leaving a space between them. Garrett stifled a laugh and sat between them. On his right, Cirilla immediately elbowed him:
“How did it go?”
“I let her go, what else?” Garrett lazily spread his hands at her:
“She’s not an important figure, just a basically useless snake woman. Keeping her is pointless, and Lynn has no interest in her…”
Lynn kept his pale necromancer's face, pretending not to hear, and focused on petting his cat. As long as I don't react, it's not awkward for me, he thought.
Cirilla clicked her tongue, then reached out to grab Mr. Troka but paused and instead took the Lightning Cat from Garrett's shoulder, petting it gently.
After petting it twice, she glanced at the black cat, then petted it twice more, and glanced again…
On the third glance, Garrett took the black cat and placed it on his lap. Stroking it from head to tail, he looked up at the chieftains and high shamans:
“When Mr. Troka escaped from the Eagle God's Kingdom, part of his ‘existence’ was torn away, causing severe injuries. These wounds aren’t physical; I can’t heal them.”
As he spoke, he observed Lynn's reaction. Lynn leaned forward slightly, listening intently, eyes filled with concern as he watched Mr. Troka.
Garrett knew Lynn wanted to find a way to heal Mr. Troka. He lifted the black cat to show everyone:
“Can any of you totem gods recognize this? When you saw it last year, was it already injured?”
The tent fell silent. The shamans exchanged glances until the high shaman of the Black Panther Tribe shrugged:
“The Panther God has noticed this little one. He said he’s not skilled in this area and can’t help.”
Of course, the Black Panther God is a powerful magical beast with a physical presence in the world. Garrett hadn’t expected much from him. He thanked the high shaman and looked to the others with hope:
What about you? Your totem gods and ancestor spirits should be better at dealing with such spiritual injuries, right?
The shamans exchanged looks again, and soon the high shaman of the Bison Tribe stood up shakily and approached.
He drew out a polished horn and blew it. Immediately, Garrett felt a suppressive force gathering in the tent:
The golden decorations on the high shaman’s headdress, the rings on his ears, all jingled without wind. Even the totem tattoos seemed to rise from his face, ready to soar into the night sky.
The fire in the tent crackled, casting his enlarged shadow on the walls. Behind that giant shadow, a pair of massive horns seemed to rise…
Garrett looked up and met a pair of gentle, golden-brown eyes in the void.
The eyes watched him for a moment before lowering to focus on Mr. Troka. Gradually, they bent lower, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled forcefully.
The exhaled breath materialized, eventually forming a ghostly black light in the high shaman’s palm.
“The Bison God says he has never seen this one before.” The high shaman offered the black light to Garrett, relaying the words of his god:
“But such an injury comes from a very powerful deity… stronger than him, with a fierce and violent attack. He can’t heal it but can offer some power to make the little one feel better.”
A powerful, fierce, violent deity?
Like the Red Hawk and Black Panther gods?
Or even stronger?
Garrett quickly thanked him, holding Mr. Troka up to the black light. Mr. Troka, impatient, leaped into the air—
“Meow!”
He swallowed the black light and landed steadily, then curled back up on Garrett’s lap.
After the Bison God’s inspection, the high shaman of the Red Hawk Tribe played a bone flute to summon their deity. The Red Hawk's phantom appeared, examined Mr. Troka, then suddenly raised a claw to strike. Garrett cried out:
“Wait!”
He quickly reached out to block. The cold, ghostly claw passed through his hand and gently tapped Mr. Troka’s back before retracting.
Like light entering water, it entered and exited without causing harm. The black cat purred contentedly, whiskers twitching, clearly enjoying the Bison God's gift.
Garrett sighed in relief. Looking up, he saw the high shaman of the Red Hawk Tribe lowering the flute, his expression serious:
“Our god says the little one's wounds are very similar to the ones he inflicted—both in location and method of attack. But the one who attacked him is much stronger.”
Garrett's expression grew serious. He glanced at Lynn, who nodded slowly:
“This is the most likely explanation.”
Attacked by the Eagle God while escaping from the Eagle God's Kingdom—this had been Lynn's theory for Mr. Troka’s injuries.
If you were to chase a fast-escaping enemy, would you send the Serpent God or the Eagle God?
“So we need to negotiate with the Eagle God?” Garrett looked at the black cat on his lap, scratching its chin, then glanced at the high shaman of the Bison Tribe.
The black light from the Bison God seemed to have benefited Mr. Troka greatly. The cat’s fur looked shinier, and it seemed to weigh more.
If they couldn’t retrieve the piece of his ‘existence,’ they could at least demand similar compensation from the Eagle God. Slowly but surely, they could heal him.
“How powerful is the Eagle God?”
“Should we return first?”
Garrett and Lynn spoke simultaneously. They exchanged a look, and Lynn shook his head, taking the black cat from Garrett’s lap and pressing down on him:
“I should go back first. No matter what, I need to report to my teacher and the Black Crow Swamp.”
Garrett lowered his eyes. Again, he thought, Brother Lynn still doesn’t want to put me in danger unless necessary. But Brother Lynn, I’m already level 10, stronger than you. I’ve even witnessed legendary battles—
“Let’s not rush back. We need to understand the situation first.” He looked up, determined, stopping Lynn with his gaze. Then he turned to the native warriors:
“How powerful are the Eagle God and the Serpent God compared to the Plague Maiden we defeated? Besides the Twelve Golden Eagles and the Seven Snake Women, how many other strong warriors do they have? How many White Eagle Warriors and Black Eagle Warriors?”
“Respected Son of the God, if you want to know all this, why not ask us?” A soft, seductive voice floated in from outside the tent. The flap lifted, and the snake woman Tetra entered, smiling and bowing:
“Our Chivacoatl specifically instructed me to inform you about the Eagle God's Kingdom. Chivacoatl said to earn your trust and convince you to help us against the White Ghost, I must tell you the truth and not lie—”
At least someone has a clear head, Garrett thought. At the same time, Lynn's voice echoed in his mind link:
“I’ve met that Chivacoatl. He seems to have some sense.”
A leader with a brain is good enough. Garrett nodded slightly to Lynn, then turned back to Tetra with a stern, slightly annoyed expression:
“I know nothing about the Eagle God's Kingdom, so I can't tell if you’re lying. If you truly mean it, would you dare let me use a [Detection Spell]?”
“Of course!”
Tetra smiled, leaning back and proudly raising her chest. She spread her hands, adopting a completely unguarded stance:
“Feel free to verify it any way you like, with spells or other methods…”
Cirilla snorted softly from the side.
Garrett didn’t hesitate to cast [Detection Spell]. The spell detected no lies, and as he listened to Tetra's information, only two thoughts came to his mind, one after the other:
Add money?
Or bring reinforcements?
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