Chapter 480: Chapter 348: Mission to Norik
According to Leader Maximus’s request, the envoy sent to the Yapode people must be a Commerce Department officer from Illyria. Thus, Commerce Officer Pigeris did not personally go, while Alakosia had other duties.
At this moment, Alakosia gazed into the distance, where lush, continuous mountain ranges came into view.
To be honest, the territory north of Segestica was nothing more than a long and narrow valley carved out over years by the upper reaches of the Sava River, flanked by mountains and river. It could not compare to the Ophelia region or even the lands along the Kupa River—small in area and sparsely populated. However, regardless of its limitations, this land and its people now belonged to the Nix Tribe.
Alakosia sat at the bow of the ship, enjoying the breeze. Behind him, someone shouted, "Lord Alakosia, we’ll be arriving at Sirinos soon."
The speaker was Tanapuas, a squad leader of the Nix Tribe’s naval fleet, tasked with commanding this team.
Alakosia glanced at the sky and instinctively turned back around, only to have the strong wind hit him straight in the face. He quickly turned forward again, coughing as he said, "Cough, cough... I remember it’s about sixty miles from Ophelia to Sirinos—how has it come so soon?"
"We left early," Tanapuas replied. "And besides, the Danu Goddess has blessed us today with a strong southern wind. Look at how this sail is puffed up! How could the boat not sail swiftly?"
Tanapuas was a slave sailor from Campania, who previously always prayed to Poseidon before sailing. Now, under the influence of both the temple and the local tribesmen, he had begun to worship the Danu Goddess, the "Mother of Earth, Source of Water."
Alakosia couldn’t help but ponder at Tanapuas’s words: Traveling from Ophelia to Sirinos via the waterways indeed seemed more convenient than by land. If it were truly possible to navigate upstream from Sirinos to the Norik tribes, it could undoubtedly address the Ophelia Iron Workshop’s logistical challenges and promote faster development...
Sirinos, located on the northern border of Segestica, along the eastern bank of the Sava River, was bordered by mountains to the north, which formed the Norik people’s territory. To the northwest lay a narrow valley carved out by a tributary of the Sava River, formerly the land of the Yapode people. Years ago, Andres led his troops to capture it; however, after the recent agreement between the Nix people and the Yapode people, the land was to be returned to the Yapodes.
Previously, in order to fend off the Yapode people, the Segestica people had settled families from three different tribes here, building fortifications to serve as a northern barrier. Yet even so, they could not completely prevent the Yapodes from occasional harassment.
After discussions within the Nix Tribe’s Political Affairs Hall, the decision was made to establish a town here, seemingly continuing the defensive strategy. However, Leader Maximus bestowed the name "Sirinos" (meaning "iron" in Illyrian) upon the town, implying a far greater ambition.
Sirinos was not a large town; it was even smaller than Todleduo. However, its defensive structures were quite comprehensive: wooden walls, trenches, watchtowers, and deer traps...
As Alakosia arrived at Sirinos, he saw numerous soldiers outside the fort sweating profusely as they dug and set traps.
Alakosia disembarked at Sirinos’s small dock and was immediately greeted warmly by First Legion Commander Fesaros, who had hurried over after hearing the news.
Although both Alakosia and Fesaros were Illyrians, the two had rarely interacted before—not due to any clash in personality, but simply because their professional responsibilities seldom overlapped.
In Italy, one was occupied with training troops and fighting battles, while the other managed port affairs. In the mountain regions, Fesaros and the First Legion soldiers had been assigned to live in Westeni, while Alakosia and most of the other departmental officials resided in Snowdonia. Moreover, the Commerce Department, unlike the Agricultural Department, the Public Works Department, or the Finance Department, had little interaction with the local tribesmen—often no more than an exchange of nods at monthly tribal meetings.
Among the Nix Tribe’s veterans circulated a saying: "Second is brave, third is versatile, fourth is steady, fifth is wise, first is just lucky."
This referred to the tribe’s five current legion commanders: the "first" being First Legion Commander Fesaros, who was teased as having benefited greatly from his close relationship with Leader Maximus during their time at the Gladiator School and being among the earliest to lead troops in Maximus’s rebellion army. As such, Fesaros had received considerable favoritism, with the First Legion often getting more opportunities to fight and thus earning greater battle merits.
Was Fesaros truly more favored by the leader among the commanders? Alakosia preferred not to speculate. Nevertheless, his interactions with Fesaros in Sirinos impressed upon him the meticulousness, earnestness, and dedication of this fellow Illyrian in carrying out his tasks.
Alakosia knew that the Nix Tribe and the Yapodes had already signed a ceasefire agreement. However, the appointment of Sirinos’s administrative officer, the settlement of tribesmen, and the formation of the City Guard would still take time. Therefore, the Political Affairs Hall had instructed Fesaros to oversee the more than 2,000 soldiers who had originally captured Sirinos, maintaining their posts until the administrative officer arrived with the City Guards to assume command.
Fesaros only needed to manage his troops and remain stationed in peace for a period—just enough to fulfill his mission. But he had not simply rested on these laurels.
He organized his soldiers to strengthen Sirinos’s fortifications, repair homes and streets within the town, and expand the dock. In order to prevent unnecessary tension and suspicion among the Yapodes, he reduced the patrol frequency of fully armed soldiers along the town walls and built several simple rugby fields outside the town, where daily matches among Centurion teams became so heated and entertaining that even the Yapodes came to the banks to watch from their border.
He also utilized the opportunity of returning captured Yapode prisoners to deploy clever and resourceful clerks disguised among the escort teams to gather information about Yapode border settlements. Upon their return, these clerks even sketched detailed maps.
Additionally, Fesaros sent Celtic soldiers from his units disguised in Celtic tribal clothing to infiltrate the northern mountain ranges and investigate the Noric tribes.
When Fesaros shared the gathered intelligence about the Noric tribes with Alakosia, the Commerce Department deputy officer was naturally filled with gratitude.
By evening, at the banquet held to welcome the envoy group, Alakosia experienced Fesaros’s warm hospitality and witty conversation, leaving him with only one thought: It was no surprise that such a capable commander garnished the leader’s favor!
The next morning, Alakosia bid farewell to Fesaros.
Fesaros initially wanted to assign a Centurion team to escort the envoy group to the Noric tribes, but Alakosia politely declined, reasoning, "We’re here to make friends; bringing soldiers might alarm the Noric people and negatively affect negotiations."
Afterward, he took just two subordinates and a guide, boarded a boat, and departed Sirinos, continuing upriver toward the north.
Not long after, the vessel entered a canyon nestled among the mountains.
The shores on both sides were lush with greenery—towering ancient trees intertwined with low shrubs formed an unbroken tapestry. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows that gave this serene forest a touch of warmth.
The boat moved steadily through the narrow waterways. The river wasn’t turbulent, but clear and transparent, revealing fish playfully darting around, creating ripples.
As the craft ventured deeper, the mountains grew taller, the canyon increasingly secluded, and the air more refreshing. However, the sounds of chirping birds and calling beasts gradually faded away, making Alakosia wonder: Did the Noric tribes really live here?
Just then, the guide spoke, "My lord, we’re almost at the Noric Iron Core Tribe’s settlement!"
Sure enough, before long, a cluster of massive tree trunks appeared across the river, blocking the passage.
Following the guide’s suggestion, the boat docked on the eastern riverbank.
Alakosia followed the guide forward, while his two subordinates carried a wooden chest closely behind.
After walking no more than fifty meters, they encountered a sharp turn in the riverbank, where a three-meter-high wooden wall had been constructed, sealing off the narrow shoreline path.
"Hey! Strangers, you’re about to enter the territory of the Noric Iron Core Tribe—leave at once!" shouted a voice from atop the wooden wall.
The words were spoken in Celtic. Over the past year, the Nix Tribe had been advocating for its long-time tribesmen to learn Illyrian and Celtic languages as much as possible, to better integrate into life on this land. For Commerce Department officials tasked with diplomacy, fluency was mandatory.
As a deputy officer, Alakosia had naturally led by example, diligently studying the Celtic language until proficient enough to undertake this envoy mission to the Noriks.
At this moment, Alakosia raised his head and looked up, seeing several fully armed warriors atop the wooden wall. They wore Celtic-style helmets, robust iron armor, and swords at their waists, holding javelins, their vigilant gazes fixed on him.
Without hesitation, Alakosia confidently replied in fluent Celtic, "I am an envoy from the neighboring Nix Tribe, bringing sincere goodwill and requesting an audience with your leader!"
The Noric warriors gathered to discuss among themselves for a moment before responding, "Stay where you are. I’ll inform the leader to see if he’s willing to meet."
After waiting for a good quarter-hour, the wooden gate opened, and one of the Noric warriors stepped out, announcing, "Envoy from the Nix Tribe, our leader agrees to meet you. Follow me."
"Thank you!" Alakosia replied with composed gratitude, nodding calmly.
The Noric warrior asked, "Just the four of you?"
"There are four sailors remaining aboard, but they’ll stay on the boat and won’t enter the settlement with us," Alakosia said straightforwardly.
"What’s in the chest?" the Noric warrior asked again.
"It’s a gift from my leader to yours, as a token of goodwill."
The Noric warrior’s expression softened as he led Alakosia’s group past the wooden wall, where a tributary of the Sava river came into view.
The small river, with water that appeared dark yellow and carried a faint scent of burning, flowed from a mountain hollow. The mountain pass was fortified by tall walls constructed not of wood but of stone, while smoky mists swirled behind the fortifications.