The Survival of the Wild Tribe

189

In the evening, inside the highest cave of the Kru Lion tribe, several men sat around a fire, while Luca paced near the cave entrance, his face contorted with anger that he couldn't hide.

"It's been three days, and a big mermaid can just disappear like that. Why haven't we found him yet?" Luca vented.

"Isn't it said that a mermaid becomes a bubble after death? Maybe he..." someone speculated.

Luca fixed a stern gaze on the orc warrior who spoke, his tone laced with frustration. "I warned you before, if the mermaid disappears, let me know immediately. Obviously, my words went in one ear and out the other. What's the point of having ears?"

The man felt a cold shiver down his spine, as if Luca could actually unscrew his ears. He quickly moved behind the tall bearded man next to him, whispering, "You weren't there either. We already informed someone in the tribe to let you know as soon as possible. Who knew you would run off to the Black Forest?"

At that time, Luca had left without informing anyone. If the old witch hadn't stopped them halfway, refusing to reveal the secret route, Luca would've returned sooner. Luca knew it wasn't entirely their fault; it was just his anger speaking.

"Could it be the leader of the Panther Clan who took the mermaid?" someone suggested.

The black witch Ni glanced at the speaker and snorted, reminding them, "Don't forget, our leader has returned to the ancestors."

It was unlikely for the returning orcs to treat the mermaid as prey, but taking the mermaid away seemed improbable. The man scratched his nose awkwardly and remained silent.

"We found a cave where people had recently moved. Maybe foreigners discovered humans in our tribe and took them away?" Ke Lang, the leader of the Klu Lion tribe, who had been silent, spoke up.

Luca's mood lightened a bit at the leader's input. "We've already checked the cave. Those people have been gone for a while. Even if they took the mermaid, they shouldn't be around here anymore." Over the past two days, they had scoured every nearby hiding spot, finding no trace of the missing people. They didn't even know how many individuals had stayed in that cave.

Apart from the great witch of the Lion Clan tribe, who followed the old witch, there was also a wizard who remained in the tribe. It was the old man who distributed the grains to the Black Hunters that day.

Since the old man wasn't the tribe's great witch, he didn't bear the title of "Witch." He continued to go by his original name, Kesen. Glancing at everyone present, Kesen said, "Could it be the same group that took Achun? They know about the mermaids, after all."

Luca widened his eyes. "But Ah Chun was in a semi-comatose state when he went to the Tiger and Lion tribe. It's impossible for him to remember the way back to our tribe."

"How could Achun betray the tribe and bring in foreigners?" The Black Witch was furious. He knocked the wooden warrior in his hand to the ground and retorted. He was the only one present who dared to speak with Kesen, the bearded wizard, with a stare.

Kesen glanced at him faintly. "I merely said it's possible. Why are you getting so worked up?"

"What can I know? My daughter was supposed to marry an orc warrior from the Lioness Crus, but she ended up pregnant with a mermaid's child. I also want to know what you're going to do about it." When it came to the mermaid issue, the Lion Clan had always had reservations about the Black Witch. If the old witch hadn't insisted on having a mermaid cub before allowing him to enter the Wizard City, the Black Witch wouldn't have wanted to get involved in these messes.

"Enough." Luca stopped the two from quarreling and sat next to the leader of the Lionel Crus. "Father, if those people took Achun, would they also have taken the mermaid? What's their purpose? I heard someone from the Wizard Hall is opposing the old witch. Do you think they sent them?"