"I really want to see what the inside of the castle looks like with my own eyes," Galande said, sounding rather childlike.

Along the way, Gowinck and Zakaliki boasted to each other nonstop, afraid there was something the other didn't know. Only Galande had never seen any of it before. Other than the strange slit in his dreams, he had never seen brick buildings, pools, or the hundreds of well-equipped knights.

"Then pretend to be a merchant from Tasser and sneak into the castle!" Gowinck suggested casually.

"Oh, can we really do that?" Galande was instantly intrigued.

"Why not? I'm from Tasser, so I can teach you how to blend in!" Gowinck said confidently. "The people in the castle can't tell us nomads from different tribes apart anyway. We'll bring some hides as goods, march right through the front gate, and that's it."

Galande wasn't totally convinced this plan would work. He looked to Zakaliki for a second opinion.

"What kind of person from Tasser is he? He's just a slave. He wants us all to sneak in disguised as slaves!" Zakaliki said scornfully.

"That won't work?" Galande instantly became much more disappointed.

"Hmm..." Zakaliki thought for a moment more. "I know a group of real Tasserian merchants who trade with the castle. Let's sneak in with them!"

Hearing Zakaliki say this, Galande perked up again. His current mood was like an eager child looking forward to an outing.

"Ah, you! Such a kid at heart!" Zakaliki sighed, then continued, "In a few days, after my sister's wedding, come find me! We'll blend in with the Tasserian merchant party and take a look inside the castle."

"Alright, it's a deal! Don't forget!" Galande was very excited to hear this.

The two chuckled for a bit, discussing many more topics about the north. Saji frolicked ahead, extremely cheerful. Zakaliki's sister Azan followed silently at the very back, as if she didn't know them.

After walking a stretch, Zakaliki suddenly had a thought and asked Saji, "Do you think my sister is pretty?"

"Of course she's pretty!" Saji replied, his tone a bit childish. What he said was quite amusing. "She's a total beauty!" This cracked everyone up.

"But Sister Jinhua is also very pretty," Saji went on. "I always thought Sister Jinhua was the most beautiful big sister in the world. Now that I've met Sister Azan, I think they are both the most beautiful big sisters in the world. Equally beautiful."

He said this specifically to Galande. Hearing another woman's name, Azan instinctively pricked up her ears to listen, a hint of jealousy creeping onto her face.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Who is this Jinhua?" Azan fiddled with her braid, feigning nonchalance as she asked.

"She's my big brother's fiancée!" Saji blurted out.

"Don't talk nonsense, we could never be together," Galande retorted.

"But she really is gorgeous, and kindhearted, and caring. She cares a lot about you too, big brother! You should be together." Saji argued.

"Saji!" Galande put his hands on his hips. "Marriage isn't just about the woman being beautiful and kind. Look at my situation - I can barely provide for my own family. How could I provide for her too? She wouldn't want to marry me and suffer!"

This unpleasant topic led everyone to ponder different things quietly.

"What's this about your family's circumstances being poor?" Zakaliki asked casually.

"That's a story for another day," Galande didn't want to sob and spill his guts in front of everyone.

"I see. When I have time, I'll come visit your tribe and take a look at how you all live," Zakaliki nodded thoughtfully. "You'll have to show me good hospitality!"

"Sure, come anytime."

Continuing onward, the terrain became completely different from the Kozt tribe's territory. The land rose in elevation, large rocks appeared more frequently, the soil grew barren, luscious green grasses diminished, and drought-resistant bushes clustered together in groups, with occasional small groves of trees.

As they walked and admired the scenery, Zakaliki proudly introduced the names of the various sights to everyone. From afar, they could see the Gerdan tribe's encampment - colorful round tents dotted along the hillside. Each one was dome-shaped. Around the tents were various wooden fences and small courtyards. They still kept the nomadic tradition of living in tents, but had begun building more permanent villages, settling down somewhat.

Compared to the Kozt, the Gerdan were much smaller, around 100 families in the tribe. Since they did not herd livestock, they did not live dispersed, and the entire tribe was gathered here before their eyes. So the encampment appeared quite large.

Originally everyone was happily observing the tribe, but Zakaliki's expression suddenly changed. He pointed to a group ahead, looking rather worried. "That party seems odd, not the usual merchants."

Galande looked where he pointed. Outside the Gerdan village, a party of over 100 men on stocky ponies was approaching in an impressive troop. Their passing kicked up clouds of dust.

The men's builds were all very large and sturdy. They wore rough furs and hides. Some had single layers of clothing while others went bare-chested.

Some wore helmets made of animal bones, gleaming white with horns - ox, deer, and such. The bone was too weak to actually protect their heads, so this was more for decoration and to signify their hunting feats.

The Gerdan tribesmen had all come out to confront this group. At a glance, Galande thought, wow, these fellows are huge! Their leader was nearly twice the size of a single Gerdan. He was practically a giant. Even the boastful Gary would have been more than a head shorter if he stood before this brute.

"Judging by their garb, they must be the Seza," Zakaliki said.

The Seza were the third tribe, alongside the Kozt and Gerdan, that the elders often spoke of - one of the forces that had attacked the Northern Castle 15 years ago under the command of the Great Chieftain of the Wastes. So by rights, they should have been like kin to each other.

"This lot has no grazing lands, doesn't farm, doesn't trade, just knows how to raid and plunder! They always bullied our small tribe like bandits and highwaymen!" Zakaliki ground his teeth as he spoke. "They've caused trouble for us plenty of times!"

Galande tightened his grip on the scimitar at his waist and asked warily, "What should we do?"

Zakaliki gritted his teeth but forced himself to stay calm, pondering:

"Father is away trading. The ones left in the tribe are mostly elders and children. Looks like we lads will have to parley with them for a bit."

"Alright, I'm with you," Galande encouraged Zakaliki. "We'll take them on!"