Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 257 The Doluo Tribe (Part 2)

Ye Ci’s heart almost stopped when the reply came from Dalufar. She clutched at her chest with her left hand to calm her rapidly beating heart. This guy is more than a thousand years old? The battle between the heroes and the Dark Lord Naga happened a thousand years ago! If Dalufar is the brother of Khutak, he is definitely more than a thousand years old.

She spoke up after some slight hesitation, “I’ve never expected to meet someone like you here, Mr.Dalufar.” and she continued, “But if memory serves, Khutak was a Human, but you...”

The sentence remained unfinished, but Ye Ci knew that Dalufar could understand the meaning behind her words.

Dalufar stared at Ye Ci before finally speaking up, “We are the Doluo tribe, born from the union between Humans and Barbarians.”

Ye Ci responded with a nod. So this is why the tribe looks as tough as Barbarians but still possess the intelligence of Humans. They’re descendents of both races!

“You must be thinking that we’re a superior race due to our Barbarian strength and Human intelligence.” it was as if Dalufar could read Ye Ci’s mind. She was shocked by his words. Can he actually read my mind? How did he know? Ye Ci replied despite her surprise, “Yes, it seems like it.”

Dalufar let out a long sigh and led Ye Ci deeper into the village, “But the truth is far from that.”

Ye Ci listened attentively as she followed behind Dalufar, interjecting from time to time as an indication that she was listening seriously to his narration. This was the best way to deal with an NPC.

An NPC would not be happy when his or her narration was disrupted by a player, but as the narrative dragged on, it was easy for players to lose interest in what the NPC had to say. If a player remained in silence for a long period of time, the NPC would assume that the player was not listening to their story and take offense. A player who interacted too frequently with the NPC would also cause feelings of dissatisfaction that might affect their interaction with the NPC in the future.

A quest would usually follow after a long narration. If an NPC took offense over a player’s attitude, then he or she would definitely receive a tougher quest with less rewards from the NPC. This was why interaction with NPCs was also a skill that must be learned by players.

Ye Ci, of course, had a good mastery of such a skill. Aided with her Sly trait, she had always been able to handle a conversation with an NPC well.

She paid attention to each of Dalufar’s words, as she knew that his words would be useful during her quest even if they made no sense to her.

The Doluo tribe was not supposed to exist. They were never recorded in the history of the Jiama Continent. One could even say that history had forgotten all about them because they were too weak. “Doluo” in the language of the Barbarians carries the meaning of “to leave” or “to abandon”. In other words, the Doluo tribe was a race that had been forgotten.

Despite their traits that were inherited from both the Barbarians and the Humans, the Doluo were not as strong as the Barbarians, nor were they as agile or as intelligent as the Humans. They were like the jack of all trades, but master of none. They have been forsaken by both Humans and Barbarians even before the Dark Lord’s invasion of the Jiama Continent.

Tribes that were abandoned by their own race suffered a terrible fate. No aid were sent when they were attacked by the Dark Lord’s forces, and they were treated horribly by the other races as well. Due to their combination of strength and intelligence, the Doluo tribe was hunted by nobles of the other races and many were enslaved.

The Doluo tribe attempted to hide in the harsh wilderness, but were in the end captured. They were loaded into a ship bound for original capital of the Jiama Continent, the Glory City to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The ship sank in a storm, and the slave masters that were in charge of their transport were washed away into the sea. The tribe survived in the wooden cages that have managed to stay afloat.

They attracted the attention of the Mermaids, and the tribe narrowly avoided the fate of becoming food for the Mermaids when their chieftain struck a deal with the ruler of the Mermaids. In exchange for safe passage to an uninhabited island, the Doluo tribe would produce musical instruments for the Mermaids, who hunted their prey through the use of brute force. This proposal was made when the leader of the Doluo tribe realised that Mermaids had a beautiful singing voice.

The ruler of the Mermaids attempted the method of charming prey with her song, and found such a way to be more efficient than the use of sheer strength. Hence the proposal was accepted, and the Doluo tribe settled down in this island that was surrounded by Mermaids. Fearing the ferocity of the Mermaids, members of the other races stayed away from the island, and the Doluo tribe began producing musical instruments that could cloud the minds of their victims for them as a gesture of gratitude.

The Doluo tribe lived in peace and tranquility on the island for many years without fear of prosecution from the other races. They have even developed their own language along the way. The tribe’s inherited strength and intelligence from their Barbarian and Human ancestors made them great Shamans, but many talents were wasted as the Doluo tribe were considered to be at the bottom of society, and were not given the chance to acquire knowledge to be a Shaman. Such situation went on until the birth of Khutak. He was the most talented among the Doluo tribe, and had shown an interest in becoming a Shaman even during his youth. His was eager to learn, and was taught the way of the Shaman by the Mermaids. He became a full-fledged Shaman at the age of 20.

Dalufar eventually became a Shaman as well under the influence of his brother, Khutak.

Khutak was a kind-hearted individual who was full of enthusiasm. Even the knowledge of his tribe’s persecution by the races of the Jiama Continent was not enough to stop him from venturing to forth onto the continent. Despite his status as the next chief of the tribe, and even with the objection from his tribe, Khutak traveled to the Jiama Continent with the help of a Mermaid. When the Dark Lord Naga declared war upon the continent, Khutak went to war as well.

He demonstrated an unprecedented talent on the battlefield, and was quick to be recognised as the youngest Elder Shaman in the Jiama Continent. Khutak refused to reveal his lineage to the surprise of the other races, and his race was finally revealed when he fell in battle against Naga. His bravery and kindness was burned into the hearts and minds of every citizen of the Jiama Continent. Even when the continent was split into five after the battle against the Dark Lord, the statue of Khutak can still be seen in major cities of all the continents.

The Doluo tribe would eventually find out about Khutak’s death years after the battle when the Mermaid who ferried him away from the island delivered his staff back to the tribe. The Doluo people were grief-stricken, and Dalufar became the new leader of the tribe with the death of their chieftain.

Ye Ci stole a glance at Dalufar’s staff and thought to herself: Damn! This thing is an artifact of the hero Khutak. According to the history of the Jiama Continent, the heroes that fell in the battle were granted godhood as a reward for their valor. They were not as powerful as the other gods, but it was still an amazing feat.

This means that even if Khutak is dead, he is still a low-tier God. And an artifact left behind by Khutak... Is a godly artifact!!!

A godly artifact...

Even when Ye Ci was not a Shaman, she could still not resist the urge to stare at the staff. This thing is a godly artifact! I can’t believe it! It looks like a Purple Equipment at most! I can’t believe that it’s actually a godly artifact!

Ye Ci was one of the best Sorceress in her past life, but even she had never seen a Godly artifact during her 10 years of gaming. Then again, there were only dozens of godly artifacts scattered throughout the world of Fate. Even if a player was lucky enough to get his or her hands on one of the artifacts, the player would definitely not made their discovery known to the public. This was the first time Ye Ci was able to lay her eyes upon a godly artifact in both her leves.

She even had a brief thought of snatching the staff away, but it was soon snuffed out by her rationality. Angering a Legendary-tier Shaman armed with a godly artifact was not something that an intelligent person would do.

“The Doluo tribe is very amazing, but why don’t you go and interact with the races in the outside world?” Ye Ci voiced out her curiosity about the primitive village.

Dalufar stopped and stared at Ye Ci before shaking his head, “The outside world is filled with excitement, but it also contains a lot of temptation. Our race is lacking when it comes to ability in reproduction. If people are to leave our village, our population will drop, and we will be bullied.”

Despite her difference in opinion, Ye Ci wasted no time in changing the topic, “That watch tower is beautiful. Was it built by your tribe?”

“Yes. We Doluo are good Shamans and skillful builders. We could’ve built a mighty fortress if there were enough materials in the area.” Dalufar’s love for his tribe was apparent as a smile lit up his face when the topic was brought up.

His words might be unintentional, but to a listener with a motive...

Ye Ci’s heart leapt as she heard Dalufar’s words.

Talented builders! Does it mean that they will be able to build an indestructible fortress as long as they have the materials? With the introduction of abandoned cities and fortresses into the game, Builders are becoming a popular class. This particular character class, however, is very hard to train as the only way for this class to level up their skills is by building structures. The cost and materials needed for such a thing was not something that could be afforded by solo players and small guilds.... And this includes Upwards Ho!.

But...

If I can gain the trust of the Doluo tribe, they might be happy to lend me some of their Builders. From how well their watch towers were built, the Builders of the Doluo tribe are definitely at the Grandmaster tier. If I can get them to help me out... I might just be able to build a fortress at the Mithril ore vein and fortify it with Goblin weapons. With all this in place... We will be able to defend the mine!

Ye Ci’s mood was immediately improved, and a grin appeared on her face. She had originally planned to leave the island as soon as possible, but this was no longer her objective. Before I leave, I must at least form a good relationship with Dalufar, am I right?

Even if Dalufar was highly perceptive, it was merely the trait of a high leveled NPC. He was not capable of comprehending the little schemes that was going through Ye Ci’s mind. Why is she suddenly beaming at me? thought the NPC to himself.

To avoid suspicion from Dalufar, Ye Ci retracted her gaze and nodded, “Dear Mr.Dalufar, I thank you for the chance to have a tour around your village. The Doluo are indeed great people.”

Dalufar was happy to hear Ye Ci’s words. He nodded with a smile and responded with a warning, “Do not attempt to bring outsiders to this place, Elf, or the guardian deity of our tribe will hunt you down.” and with the wave of his staff, Ye Ci received a debuff.

It was “The Mark of Doluo”. Ye Ci would be hunted down by the members of the Doluo tribe if she revealed the secrets and location of the Doluo tribe to anyone who was not a Mermaid.

Damn it! Isn’t this a bit of an overkill, old man? Do you think I’ll be that stupid? Of course I will not tell anyone your secrets! Is this curse even necessary?

Despite her thoughts, Ye Ci voiced out her affirmation and bowed at Dalufar. The chieftain was apparently satisfied with her actions as her prestige with the Doluo tribe was immediately increased to “Friendly”.

Well, since I have not figured out a way to raise my prestige with the Doluo tribe, I might as well proceed with the Mermaid’s quest. Dalufar was apparently thinking of the same thing. He led Ye Ci into a large tent that was surrounded by totems, with their eyeballs gazing at each and every passer by. A sign with the carving of musical instruments was hung at the entrance of the tent.

There were eight young Doluoians in the tent and each of them were focused on their work. A middle aged man noticed Dalufar’s presence in the tent, and immediately greeted his chieftain in an unknown language.

Dalufar responded in kind as well, which was a headache to Ye Ci. Do they know that this is a torture to me? Dalufar rested his hand against Ye Ci’s head after a brief conversation with the man. He muttered a short incantation, and his palm began to glow.