In order to avoid such a terrible event from happening, in recent years, Maximus has been commissioning the Skodisqi Tribe to convey his intention to establish friendly relations with the King of Dacia.

During the conquest of the Boyi Tribe, he specifically ordered a fleet to use a conquered Boyi river port on the west bank of the Danube River as a base, patrolling the west bank daily.

Simultaneously, a camp was constructed on the west bank, with more than a legion stationed... These measures were all to guard against a sudden crossing attack by the Dacians.

However, since the Nix and the Boyi people engaged in battle, the King of Dacia has shown no response to Maximus' goodwill gestures, but there have also been no movements on the east bank of the Danube River, leading Maximus to believe that the Dacians didn't care at all about the situation on the west bank.

Unexpectedly, just as the Nibo War was reaching its final moments, the Dacians sent a message.

Were they trying to prevent the annihilation of the Boyi Tribe? Or did they want a share of the spoils? ... Although Maximus was annoyed, he wasn't too nervous, as he had discussed the possibility of Dacian involvement in the war with the Military Department several times and made some preparations.

However, the envoy from the Skodisqi Tribe reassured repeatedly: King Brebiusta harbors no ill intentions toward the Nix Tribe; he only wants to personally discuss the relations between Dacia and Nix, and peace for the entire Danube Plain, with Leader Maximus.

Maximus, skeptical yet curious, then dispatched Business Officer Pigeris to join the Skodisqi leader on a journey to Dacian lands to meet Brebiusta and find out the truth.

Pigeris' visit ultimately confirmed the words of the Skodisqi envoy, and subsequently, through multiple exchanges of visits between envoys, a date and location for the face-to-face meeting of the leaders of both sides were finalized.

On the first day of June, as the first ray of morning sunlight fell upon the surface of the Danube River, the narrowest part of the river between North and South quickly gathered a crowd of thousands along both banks.

After the sounding of a deeply resounding and enduring horn, a meticulously crafted wooden ship sailed to the river's center; then, heavy iron anchors tied with thick ropes on both prow and stern were dropped to the riverbed, making the wooden ship steadily poised in the middle of the river.

After confirming the safety of the wooden ship, the whistle sounded again.

Though considered the narrowest part of the Danube, the width of the river surface still exceeds two hundred and fifty meters, and Maximus could only vaguely see a person wearing a tall cylindrical hat, surrounded by people on the opposite bank, stepping onto a small boat.

Thus, he bid farewell to the officials and soldiers who came with him and, accompanied by an official from the Commerce Department fluent in Dacian, boarded the pavilion-like ship docked at the shore.

The Danube flowed smoothly, its water as clear as a great mirror, with plump fish occasionally seen swimming past the ship's bottom, and flocks of wild ducks joyfully playing on the river surface... A breeze blew over the river, creating rippling waves with shimmering golden lights scattered...

Maximus was not captivated by the beauty before him, as his mind was solely on the impending meeting.

Soon, they arrived at the meeting place in the middle of the river.

Maximus took a deep breath, calming his chaotic thoughts, and stepped firmly and powerfully onto the deck of the large wooden ship.

This large wooden ship was provided by the Nix Tribe, a new vessel made by their shipwrights over the years to enhance the capacity to transport soldiers and supplies, designed to sail steadily on the broader Danube River. Its ample hull could accommodate thirty soldiers, over five times the capacity of the original canoe ships.

The shipwrights performed modifications on the vessel, laying flat and thick deck boards, erecting a canopy to block the sunlight, fixing a wooden table at the ship's center, and equipping it with a few chairs... making it look more like a small pavilion standing in the middle of the river.

At that moment, two people were already standing by the wooden table on the boat, and Maximus walked over with steady steps.

Among them, a burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man scrutinized Maximus carefully and said in a loud voice, "I am Brebiusta! Are you Leader Maximus of the Nix Tribe?!"

After speaking, he looked towards the official from the Commerce Department accompanying Maximus, signaling for translation.

Unexpectedly, Maximus responded in slightly awkward Dacian, "I am Maximus! Pleased to meet you, King of Dacia!"

Brebiusta was suddenly surprised, "You can speak Dacian?!"

"My father was an Illyrian, and my mother was a Thracian, both were Roman slaves. I have spoken these two languages since childhood. I heard that Dacians are a branch of Thracians, and their languages are roughly the same, so I specifically practiced with this Dacian-speaking subordinate of mine recently. Although I haven't spoken Thracian for many years, my proficiency is not great, so I ask for your forgiveness."

Maximus, while explaining the reason, deliberately or unintentionally revealed a bit of his own background.

As expected, the lean, somewhat aged attendant beside Brebiusta immediately asked in surprise, "Leader Maximus, please allow me to be bold; with your parents being Roman slaves, how did you become the leader of the Nix Tribe?"

Maximus looked towards Brebiusta, "And who might this be?"

"He is Deqineu, our Dacian High Priest, the most respected person to me!" Brebiusta introduced.

Maximus showed a solemn expression and said earnestly, "I've long heard that High Priest Deqineu is a wise man among the Dacians; what a fortune to meet you today, indeed an honor for me!"

"That's just the clan members spreading stories; I merely assist my Great King with some minor tasks," Deqineu said modestly.

"The High Priest indeed has greatly helped me; without him, there would be no Dacia of today!" Brebiusta loudly praised, without concealing his reliance on Deqineu.

"Leader Maximus, pardon me; was my earlier question somewhat too bold?" Deqineu redirected the topic, tenderly continuing the inquiry.

"Oh, there's no need to worry about boldness; nothing about my past is unspeakable," Maximus smiled openly, "My parents were Roman slaves, and naturally, so was I. But as I grew up, I couldn't endure the oppression of the Romans any longer, so I joined other slaves in escaping from the Roman estates and towns. Along the way, we fought the Romans several times, and later, we fled Italy and arrived here, where, with the help of my fellow Aldeans, established the Nix Tribe..."

Brebiusta and Deqineu exchanged glances.

Deqineu continued asking, "From what it seems, Leader Maximus, you must greatly resent the Romans?"

"Of course I do!" Maximus didn't hide his emotions, resolutely declaring, "I wish to lead an army to conquer Rome and turn all Romans into slaves! Not only do I hate the Romans, but the tribespeople who came with me here also hate them! Oh, I forgot to introduce you; this is our tribe's official in charge of foreign affairs — Medavratris. He too hails from Dacia and was once a Roman slave!"

Medavratris promptly saluted and said, "Honorable King of Dacia and High Priest, #$&#!"

Medavratris specially said a Dacian slang phrase used for greetings, which made Brebiusta feel congenial, and he curiously asked, "Which tribe did you originally belong to?"

"To be precise, I am a Getae, and my original tribe was west of Histeria," answered Medavratris.

"The Getae are also a part of us Dacians, and now all of Dacia and the Getae have united into a strong tribal alliance!" Brebiusta replied without hesitation.

"Is that so? That's wonderful!" Medavratris exclaimed, aptly displaying a look of delight.

The Carpathian Mountains divide the mid-lower Danube Plain into two parts, simultaneously dividing the Dacian land into eastern and western parts. In the region of Eastern Dacia near the Yoke Star Sea, Getae, a branch of Dacians, was formed after a long conflict and amalgamation with nomadic tribes such as the Scythians migrating from the north.

Brebiusta didn't lie, and in recent years, he had incorporated the various Getae tribes into the Dacia Alliance through military conquest and political persuasion.

"I never thought, Leader Maximus, that both you and your subordinate have familial connections with us Dacians!" Deqineu exclaimed with a smile.

"Since we're not strangers, let's sit down and chat leisurely," Medavratris smiled, inviting everyone to sit, then picked up the water jug on the wooden table, pouring each a bowl of sour wine. Both the wooden ship and the cabin arrangements were provided by the Nix Tribe, and Medavratris proactively took the host's stance to serve everyone.

Maximus raised his wooden bowl and exclaimed loudly, "I am half Thracian; Medavratris is a Getae. We traveled from Italy to reach here, and meeting Great King Brebiusta and High Priest Deqineu today must be the arrangement of the Divine! How about we four regard this special moment, toasting with water instead of wine?!"

"Well said! Let's toast first!" Brebiusta enthusiastically raised his bowl for a toast.

After drinking a bowl of sweet sour water, seeing the atmosphere in the cabin becoming more harmonious, Maximus deliberately sighed and said, "Great King Brebiusta, I am somewhat dissatisfied with you. I had asked Ipodiles (leader of the Skodisqi Tribe) to convey my intentions of goodwill to your people long ago, yet there was no response from you, which prevented me from daring to send envoys directly to Dacia to pay a visit, causing years to pass before we met today."

"Well, this..." Brebiusta's expression turned a little awkward.

Deqineu quickly interjected, "Leader Maximus, when Ipodiles first delivered your message, our Great King was ready to send envoys to contact you, but I stopped him—I must apologize!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.