Gundar looked at the young man with renewed awe and respect. Leone might not be a warrior, but the old shaman believed he had the makings of a good ruler. It was apparent from how the young lion truly cared for his people.
"For now, hide and sharpen your claws," Gundar advised. "When the representatives of the middle-rank tribes arrive, don’t let them see your n training. Don’t let them climb up this cliff. Don’t let them see you’re digging a tunnel through the mountains.
"Don’t show them anything that will make them think you are a threat to their rule. Bide your ti. And when you’ve beco strong enough to oppose them, there will be nothing they can do about it.
"You are on the right path, but that path will be a thorny road filled with many challenges and dangers. If you want to beco a king, you should know when to fight and when not to fight your battles. Diplomacy is also a way of fighting."
Leone nodded. "Thank you for your advice, Sir Gundar. May I ask you sothing?"
"Ask," Gundar replied.
"Would you like to beco my vassal?" Leone asked.
The old man blinked once, then twice, before laughing out loud.
Even Ulric was surprised after hearing the young man’s bold invitation to invite the strongest shaman of the Borderlands to beco his vassal.
"If I were fifty years younger, perhaps I would have accepted your offer," Gundar replied after his laughter ended. "Also, you have guts, boy! You dare to poach from the Grimhowl Tribe? If my Chieftain heard you, he would definitely tear your limbs apart and feed you to the pigs."
The old man chuckled before he playfully roughed Leone’s hair, turning it into a bird’s nest.
"But this boldness of yours will also be your strength," Gundar added. "This world is harsh, Leone. The timid are trampled, and only those with the courage to reach beyond their limits can carve their own path. That is the way of Kings."
Leone smiled faintly. "Then... if you won’t be my vassal, how about you teach a few things? Like bone reading, for example? Or if you have skills that you can bestow on , I’ll be more than happy to take them all!"
The corner of Gundar’s lips twitched. The brat really knew how to extort old people.
He then glanced at Ulric, but the latter averted his gaze. Clearly, he didn’t want to have any part of this conversation.
"You brat, you really want to take advantage of this old man, huh?" Gundar sighed deeply. "Fine. I’ll be staying here for six more days, so I’ll teach you a thing or two. But on one condition."
"What condition?" Leone asked.
"You must pass my test first," Gundar replied. "If you pass, not only will I teach you bone reading, I’ll also give you sothing precious."
The old man took a polished white stone from his pocket and showed it to Leone.
"This stone is sothing the founder of the Grimhowl Tribe gave ," Gundar said, feeling slightly emotional as he rubbed the stone’s surface. "He told that this stone will save my life once against any kind of danger.
"It’s been over sixty years since he gave this to , but I never got the chance to use it. If you pass my test, I will give this to you. Consider it as a token of friendship from ."
Daedalus, who hung on a strap on Leone’s waist, could feel a sort of power lying dormant inside the white stone.
Because of this, it asked Leone to pass the old man’s test no matter what.
"Can I keep this stone even if I don’t pass the test?" Leone asked as he held the stone firmly in his hand. "I’m weaker than a pig. If you give a life-saving artifact as a token of friendship, I will definitely feel at ease."
"You little rascal," Gundar muttered. "I give you an inch, and you ask for a mile? Just how did your parents raise you?"
"With love and care, of course," Leone answered with a smile. He then put the white polished stone inside his storage ring. This act made Gundar wonder if he should laugh or cry at the young man’s shalessness.
Even Ulric couldn’t help but laugh internally. Who would’ve known that Leone could make even the most powerful shaman in the Borderlands feel this helpless?
"Fine, you can keep the stone." Gundar scratched his head. "Just think of it as a token of friendship. But make sure not to tell my chieftain about it. If he knew I gave you one of their family heirlooms, he would hack you with an axe until you turn into at paste."
"Consider it done." Leone patted his chest. "Your secret is safe with , Sir Gundar. Well, then, shall we start the test?"
"Good." Gundar smiled evilly. Earlier, he had only planned to give Leone a simple trial.
But now, he would make the cheeky brat understand that extorting old people had consequences!
Gundar had always been treated respectfully by everyone. Even the mbers of the War Claw Tribe, who were deed the strongest, weren’t exceptions.
If they saw the scene of Leone extorting the priceless treasure from the old shaman, all of them would simply say that Leone was courting death.
If Gundar told them to run west, they would never head east. If he told them to jump, the only question they would have was how high they should jump.
After eting the shaless little lion cub, the old man knew that if he didn’t teach the other party a lesson, he would grow up to be a crooked ruler!
"Here, wear these bracelets," Gundar said with a smile. "They’re enchanted with magic. The mont you wear them, your body will feel as heavy as lead. Your trial is simple.
"You will walk all the way down to the barracks below and circle it once. After that, you will return here. The mont you enter the cave, you will have completed the trial. You can use any thod at your disposal, as long as you don’t ask anyone for help. The ti limit of this trial is sunset."
"Easy peasy," Leone wore the bracelets with confidence. "Just watch , Sir Gundar. I’ll be here in no ti at all—ackk!"
The mont the magic activated, Leone almost fell to his knees. His body felt so heavy, like he was carrying a sack of wheat on his shoulders!
"What’s wrong?" Gundar crouched down and lightly patted the young man’s shoulders. "I thought you said this is easy peasy?"
Leone gritted his teeth and tried to stand up. However, no matter how hard he tried, he failed. It was too great a challenge.
In the end, he decided to crawl down the mountain like a turtle carrying a heavy shell on his back. He was also just as slow.
When Yuni exited the cave and saw Leone crawling down the mountain like a defeated snail carrying the weight of his ancestors on his back, she almost took a step back from shock.
This made her wonder if the young man had seen another tragic vision.
"...What are you doing?" Yuni asked as she approached Leone anxiously.
Leone slowly turned his head toward her, his face pale and drenched in sweat.
"Training..." Leone replied. "Sir Gundar taught an advanced crawling technique..."
Yuni tilted her head. "A crawling technique?"
"Yes," Leone nodded weakly. "Very rare... only the chosen ones can learn it..."
From behind her, Jason was half-tempted to carry his great chieftain and help him go down the mountain.
"Should we help him?" Jason whispered to Yuni.
Yuni shook her head. "He said it’s a rare skill. We might interrupt his enlightennt."
"I see." Jason nodded in understanding. "As expected of our Great Chieftain."
anwhile, Ulric had already turned his back, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Gundar, on the other hand, stroked his beard with a satisfied smile.
"Good," Gundar muttered. "Suffer more. That will teach you to be more modest and humble in the future."
Leone, who was currently face-planting on the ground for the third ti, raised a trembling hand forward.
With great effort, Leone dragged himself forward inch by inch. Yuni and Jason followed behind him closely.
They were there to ensure that nothing would happen to the young man, who was being punished for extorting a priceless treasure from the strongest shaman of the Borderlands.
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