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Time flows, and the cow tribe, which has a good nature, gradually developed a deep sense of guilt over their past atrocities. However, this history cannot be exposed to the light, so the Minos tribe has always been excluded from the cow tribe. In the legends of common folk, they are considered a mutated subterranean minotaur tribe. Yet, the upper echelons of the cow tribe have been quite lenient towards the Minos tribe, even expressing willingness to allow them to return as a new race to settle on the grasslands. However, the Minos people, who have not forgotten history, rejected this invitation, preferring to live in the mountains. "Not coexisting with any tribe of murderers on the same grassland" is the tribal creed. The only ones among the cow tribe who can peacefully coexist with them are likely the yak tribes that live in high mountains and did not participate in the massacre.

A few years ago, when I was wandering around and practicing martial arts, I once visited here. At that time, the Minos tribe was under attack by a group of lightning-toothed lynxes. Although these Minos warriors were stronger than any other cow tribe warriors, even combining the strength of thousands could barely match a tenth-level war Beamon. However, facing six or seven eighth-level magical beasts skilled in using lightning, they were just being suppressed. After all, their speed couldn't keep up with the agile lynxes, and the long-range attacks caused them great trouble. Later, I guided them to set up a massive Eight Trigram Formation with boulders at the mountain pass, trapping these magical beasts and slaying them one by one. Afterwards, Chief Bloodhoof promised that whenever I was in trouble, I could call upon them for help. Seeing these strong yet impoverished people, I didn't take this promise, akin to "repaying me in my next life," seriously. But now, I had no choice but to come and try my luck.

"Little White Wolf, why did you wait until now to seek our help? Don't you consider us trustworthy friends?"

As soon as I finished recounting the situation, Chief Bloodhoof loudly accused me of my negligence and immediately lit the beacon fires to summon the tribespeople living on various mountain peaks, preparing for battle. However, my goal went beyond this, and I immediately began to persuade Chief Bloodhoof not to forget that there needed to be enough warriors to protect the elderly and children in the mountains. During the argument, I learned that due to the Eight Trigram Formation I left behind, the tribe's casualties during hunts had significantly decreased while the quality of prey had notably increased. In recent years, village life had continuously improved, and the Minos warriors, who value clear debts of gratitude, were exceptionally grateful to me, their benefactor, and naturally wanted to help me wholeheartedly in my time of need.

However, I also learned that the village's population had been steadily increasing, and the demand for resources was expanding, while nearby prey was gradually decreasing. Even if there wasn't an immediate crisis, it would certainly become a problem in the near future, which troubled Chief Bloodhoof. Hearing this, I took the opportunity to propose the suggestion I had prepared: moving the entire Minos tribe to Fontainebleau, which would solve everyone's troubles.

After a discussion among several tribal elders, they quickly reached a consensus: Chief Bloodhoof would personally lead three thousand warriors with me, and the other elders would lead the rest of the tribespeople to migrate in stages.

Seeing the fully equipped Minos warriors, I suddenly realized that among the three thousand warriors, there were actually two hundred Shamans. Though their ranks were indiscernible, this ratio already exceeded the configuration of the War God Temple’s Magic Armored Knights. I never expected to see such a luxurious lineup in this mountain valley.

Upon further inquiry, I learned that due to the past atrocities, many penitent ascetic Shamans chose this place as a site for redemption. The people here unexpectedly possessed a talent for totemic divine arts. After learning the divine arts passed down by the Shamans, more and more people gained the ability to summon totems, leading to the current situation.

Returning to Fontainebleau with the mighty Minos army took two months. By then, the triple-tiered walls of Qingcheng Fortress had been completed, the wolf tribe forces had reached a thousand, and the training of the half-orcs was nearly complete. The troops I brought back perfectly filled the gaps in main combat forces and the shortage of Shamans.

However, at the same time, the spring flood of the Red River had arrived, signaling the beginning of the war.

Author's Note: These two chapters lack passion; I apologize. I have a thesis due at the end of the month, so updates will be irregular in the coming days. I continue to apologize, but I won't abandon this work!

Chapter 26: Thorny Path of Estranged Siblings

The human world refers to the region south of the Never-Setting Sun Mountains, spanning twelve thousand kilometers north to south and eight thousand kilometers east to west on the Mainland. Apart from the mermaid empire of Njord in the ocean, the elven nation on the island of Vreth, the underground realm, and the Orc Alliance, all other areas fall within the domain of the human world.

Four hundred years ago, after humans established their dominance on the continent, they divided the land into seven major kingdoms based on their contributions and power during the wars. These included the Radiant Temple's "Holy Kingdom," the mages' "Mage Kingdom," the dragon knights' "Dragon Kingdom," the knights' "Knight Kingdom," the rebels' "Hero Kingdom," the mercenaries' "Mercenary Kingdom," and the merchants' "Free Kingdom." The seven kingdoms swore blood oaths to remember their friendship, watch over each other, and never betray one another, known as the "Eternal Alliance."

However, as the proverb known to all races on the continent goes, "Believe in a human's promise rather than a slime creature's intelligence." The "Eternal Alliance" of the seven kingdoms was destined to be a joke from the start. Ten years after the alliance was formed, the mages, who were dedicated to seeking the relics of the Twelve Sages, were divided among other countries under the pretext of "relieving the suffering of the people" by the Radiant Temple. Subsequently, the Dragon Kingdom erupted into civil war, with three giant dragons slain, prompting the dragon race to declare that unless humanity faced extinction, the "Dragon Deity Edict" (a tenth-level giant dragon's call to gather wyverns, dragons, and earth dragons to form a dragon legion) would be forever forbidden. Thus, the dragon knights transformed from commanding troops to decisive combat troops, losing their dragon legions and becoming the second kingdom to be divided. Over the following century, through force or strategy, the remaining kingdoms were gradually swallowed up by the Radiant Temple. However, just as Pope Syce I was crowned emperor of the sacred great empire of the human world, a short sword slit his throat.

In the four hundred years since, humans have experienced over five hundred wars, with more than a hundred small and large nations. The once glorious seven kingdoms have diminished: the Radiant Temple now controls only a territory of two hundred square kilometers, the dragon knights' Sacred Dragon Mountain has a population of less than a million, and among the mages, only necromancers possess the territory of Ghost Island. The kingdoms of knights, mercenaries, and heroes have long been lost to history, while the merchants' Free Alliance has thrived, encompassing many coastal cities.