Chapter 481: Chapter 349 Continuing the Mission to Norik
In front of the village gate, dozens of Noric Warriors wearing iron helmets and armor, with long swords strapped to their waists, stood in formation on both sides of the road. One of them, wearing a large horned helmet and gleaming silver armor, was a tall and broad-shouldered man with strong, muscular arms marked by bulging veins. His thick beard entirely concealed his mouth and nose.
Seeing the arrival of the delegation from Alakosia, he stepped forward a few paces and said in a booming voice, "Envoys of the Nix Tribe, I am the leader of the Iron Core Tribe. Welcome to our camp!"
Alakosia bowed and saluted, "Honorable Sphili Leader, I am Alakosia, envoy sent by the Nix Tribe. Leader Maximus has entrusted me to convey his sincere greetings to you, and on behalf of our tribe, I hope to discuss matters of friendship between our two peoples!"
Alakosia pointed to the wooden crate behind him and said solemnly, "This is a gift meticulously prepared by Leader Maximus to express his sincerity. We hope you will find it to your liking!"
"Good! Good!" Sphili laughed heartily, revealing a row of white, clean teeth, and waved his arm energetically, "Your leader is too kind! Come, let’s step into the camp. We can sit down and talk at our leisure."
To be honest, Alakosia hadn’t expected the tribal leader to come out personally to greet them. Still, the line of heavy warriors forming a welcoming display was also a show of strength from this tribe.
Having faced numerous hardships, Alakosia wouldn’t be perturbed by such a spectacle. Calm and composed, he followed Sphili, passing between the imposing Noric Heavy Warriors, admiringly glancing up at the towering stone walls ahead and the fully armed patrols atop them.
He noticed that, compared to the Segestica Army, the warriors of this Noric Tribe had an impressively high armor rate. This was understandable, considering the Noric people were renowned across the Mediterranean for their skill in ironwork and blacksmithing.
Through the gate’s corridor and across the short mountain pass, a relatively flat and spacious valley unfolded before Alakosia’s eyes.
At the valley’s central area stood rows of neat wooden houses and stone cottages, accompanied by a sizable square where children played and laughed while elders basked in the sun, chatting leisurely.
Along the stream near the cliffs, multiple water channels had been constructed, diverting the river water toward a row of stone buildings on the shore. This was where iron ore was smelted. Roaring flames burned ceaselessly day and night, melting impurities that dripped outward under high temperatures. Iron, softened in vertical furnaces, was referred to by the Noric people as "iron fish." Once cooled, these iron fish were carried into a spacious stone warehouse nearby for storage.
On the other side of the valley lay low-lying forests, nestled between which and the valley were additional stone cottages. This was the site where the tribe’s iron tools were forged. Noric blacksmiths, wielding iron hammers, labored tirelessly to pound and shape iron blocks. Through repeated hammering and polishing, exquisitely crafted iron tools gradually took shape—some were agricultural tools, but most were weapons such as long spears, longswords, short swords, javelins, shields, helmets, breastplates... all meticulously displayed in weapon stalls lining the road Alakosia and his delegation passed by.
The air resonated with the unending clang of iron and was thick with the scent of charcoal smoke. Listening to Sphili’s introduction about his tribe and observing the many detailed and refined weaponry along the roadside, Alakosia’s mind couldn’t help but ponder—what were the Noric people’s true motives behind this demonstration?
Entering the main house, Sphili led him into the reception hall, where Alakosia was surprised to find another individual present. Sitting at the head seat was an elderly man dressed in a long linen robe, his hair cascading over his shoulders and a white beard flowing onto his chest. Though advanced in years, his face retained a lean and rosy complexion, and his gaze was profound yet gentle. His refined and ethereal presence contrasted sharply with the rugged Noric warriors Alakosia had encountered along the way.
"Sage, the envoy from the Nix Tribe has arrived," Sphili said courteously, bowing.
This gesture briefly startled Alakosia.
The elder smiled, "Guests from afar, I am Bodamochi, Druid of the Iron Core Tribe, and on behalf of our tribespeople, I welcome you. Please take a seat!"
Druid!... Alakosia, who had previously studied information about the Noric people, was instantly enlightened. In many traditional Celtic Tribes, the primary duty of the tribal leader was to lead warriors into battle, yet the Druids occupied the highest status and wielded the greatest authority within the tribe. They presided over rituals, judiciary matters, diplomacy, education... and even appointed tribal leaders themselves.
Evidently, the Iron Core Tribe was a traditional Celtic Tribe, which explained why Leader Sphili would personally come to greet them outside the village—he was clearly not the tribe’s ultimate master. This system starkly differed from the power structures of the Nix Tribe, Alde Tribe, and Pannonian Tribe!... Alakosia became mentally alert and quickly introduced himself once more.
"The envoy is an Illyrian?" Bodamochi inquired.
"Yes." Alakosia nodded, emphasizing further, "Our Nix Tribe is indeed an Illyrian Tribe."
"But your Celtic is spoken exceptionally well."
Seizing the opportunity, Alakosia responded, "That is largely due to the many Skodisqi people within the Nix Tribe. Although they are Celtic, our tribe still accepts them as tribesmen because our Leader Maximus has always advocated, ’No matter what ethnicity someone belongs to, as long as they are willing to join Nix and contribute their strength to Nix, we should not reject them; we should treat them as our own.’"
"Your leader’s magnanimity is truly admirable! I deeply appreciate how kindly you have treated the Skodisqi people!" Bodamochi exclaimed with visible surprise, his tone warm.
Then, his tone shifted, "We live in the mountains and know little about events to the south, only being aware there is an Illyrian Tribe named the Alde in the south. For a long time, we have been unaware of the Nix Tribe’s existence—a regretful oversight!"
These apologetic words carried a hidden implication to Alakosia, who responded calmly, "Our Nix Tribe’s early tribesmen originally hailed from Illyrian Tribes farther south. However, due to the hardships of living in the mountains, they were compelled to leave the highlands and became mercenaries. Reluctantly, they survived for years while being hired for warfare by various coastal City States.
Later, representatives of the Alde Tribe approached us, asking for assistance in defeating the powerful enemy—the Pannonians—that had invaded their homeland. They promised that if we drove the Pannonians away, they would grant us the lands along the Kupa River to settle. That was how we came here and eventually established the Nix Tribe..."
What Alakosia recounted wasn’t improvised but an official narrative drafted by the Political Affairs Hall and crafted by the Commerce Department to later disseminate among neighboring tribes. This aimed to erase traces of the rebel army, leading other tribes to believe Nix was a local tribe instead.
"I see now." Bodamochi nodded slightly, then remarked, "The Pannonians have a large population and formidable strength—they are a dominant people in the Southern Mountain Great River Plain. Among them, the Segestica Tribe is particularly powerful in combat. For your Nix Tribe, so new to this region, not only to defeat them but also allegedly to annihilate them, is truly astonishing!"
"Honorable Bodamochi Sage," Alakosia earnestly explained, "Indeed, when we first arrived, our strength was far inferior to the numerous Pannonians. However, despite our small numbers, we are seasoned warriors, with every soldier being battle-hardened through years of campaigning.
We also learned advanced military techniques from the Romans and Greeks. To survive on the battlefield, our soldiers invested their earnings to purchase better weapons and armor to equip themselves... Consequently, in terms of warfare alone, the Pannonians are far from capable of matching us Nix.
However, the Pannonians, arrogant about their strength, underestimated us Nix in each confrontation. Thanks to the decisive wisdom of our Leader Maximus, we gained victory repeatedly.
Nevertheless, all wars between us and the Pannonians were initiated by them! It was they who invaded the lands of the Alde people, seeking to extinguish the entire Alde Tribe, which prompted our invitation to help.
After settling along the Kupa River, we even proactively signed peace agreements with the Segestica Tribe. Unfortunately, the Pannonians, discontented with their defeat, mobilized a large army a year later to try to eradicate us completely. Once we decimated the Segestica Tribe in counteraction, we again signed peace treaties with Desitia and several Pannonian Tribes...
But I anticipate the Pannonians harbor deep resentment against us Nix, and it’s only a matter of time before they instigate another war. As Leader Maximus proclaimed, ’The Nix Tribe is new to this land and must strive to maintain friendly relations with neighboring tribes so that our tribesmen can live in peace. But if any tribe dares to bully Nix, Nix will retaliate fiercely, for only victory assures peace!’"
Alakosia deliberately mentioned how the Nix people had learned military techniques and weaponry from the Romans and Greeks because the Nix Army had fought the Yapode people not far to the south of here. Should the Noric people inquire, they would naturally observe similarities between the Nix soldiers’ equipment and Roman styles. Given the Noric Tribe’s trade ties with Rome, Alakosia needed to supply a plausible explanation to prevent excessive surprise that might lead them to disclose findings to Rome, thereby risking exposure of the truth.
Nevertheless, Bodamochi’s focus wasn’t on the military equipment of the Nix soldiers. Instead, the diplomatic stance expressed by Alakosia stirred his emotions, somewhat easing his concerns.