At this, the old Chieftain actually burst into tears, causing the Old People of the Bear Claw Tribe to well up as well.

The Chieftains from the other Tribes mostly had red-rimmed eyes. The rest had complex expressions, sighing one after another.

The old Chieftain had perfectly described their current predicament. If the Lord of High Cliff Castle hadn’t come, it was unimaginable how many living souls this blizzard would have buried.

The entire High Cliff Castle contingent lowered their weapons, their gazes dropping. These Old People reminded them of their past selves. Once upon a time, they too had to worry about filling their bellies and staying warm.

They didn’t even dare to think about what they would do tomorrow, because it wasn’t even certain they would survive the day.

But now, they no longer needed to worry about such things. The young cubs of the Tribe were eating until their bellies were round in High Cliff Castle, wearing Felt Hats and thick woolen sweaters. They even had the energy to study human knowledge and Martial Arts.

Everything was developing into the kind of wonderful life they had never even dared to imagine.

And all of this had been brought to them by that tall, god-like man.

Everyone looked up, their gazes converging on a single person.

Little Buji turned to look at Levi, her two emerald eyes seeming to glow. There are some people in this world who are destined for greatness from birth. Even if they just stand there doing nothing, they naturally draw everyone to revolve around them.

Such people have many titles, but they all ultimately boil down to one: hero.

‘And a hero like that is my, Little Buji’s, dad!’

Sharing in his glory, she stood barefoot on her dad’s shoulder, hands on her hips. A gentle breeze swept her hair back, revealing a delicate, doll-like face flushed with the signature red of the Highland.

“I have heard your plea,” Levi began as the people below waited in anxious silence, his deep and resonant voice easily reaching everyone’s ears. “I will not only provide you with food, but also with warm shelter and clothing. From this day forward, you will no longer need to worry about your safety or your next meal.”

“Oh, you seagulls, drifting homeless in the sea breeze—from now on, High Cliff Castle will be your harbor to rest.”

The words echoed over the Bear Claw Tribe. Just as the golden light descending from the sky warmed their frozen bodies, his promise warmed them to their very souls. The Old People of the Bear Claw Tribe silently shed tears.

Under the combined effect of his Max Level Persuasion Skill and the Holy Light, the result was better than even the Lord himself had anticipated.

On his system panel, notifications to join his party popped up from everyone present.

…

The blizzard still raged, but the moment it touched the borders of the Bear Claw Tribe, the falling snow was instantly vaporized. The frigid gales turned into waves of warm air that washed over the faces of the sniffling children of the Old People.

Now, dressed in their thin clothes, they no longer felt any cold. It was as if the weather had suddenly flipped from winter to a long-absent summer.

They stared curiously at the giant Flame Sword floating in the center of the Tribe. They had heard it was the Lord’s weapon. It was so big! Even if all their fathers tried to lift it together, they probably couldn’t budge it.

The Red Dragon Soul circled Digen’s Howl, internally cursing the one who was using it as a furnace.

‘As a Legendary Weapon, not only do I not get the treatment I deserve, but I also have to perform such a demeaning task as providing warmth for a bunch of humans.’ The Red Dragon Soul fumed.

“Lord Digen!” one of the sniffling Old People’s children, who had heard the name from somewhere, asked timidly, “Were you a Red Dragon when you were alive?”

“Of course,” Digen, who was sitting on the sword’s hilt with one leg crossed over the other, glanced at the little brat and replied casually.

“My father told me that Giant Dragons love to eat people. Are you going to eat us?” The child sniffled, their eyes clear and innocent.

“I will! Giant Dragons love eating the flesh of children the most. It’s so tender and crispy!” Digen floated over the children’s heads and said maliciously.

Although it had never actually eaten a human, that didn’t stop it from trying to scare these little human brats.

“We don’t believe you! Because Lord Levi will beat the crap out of you first!” the group of children said in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed it. Then, they immediately scattered, snickering.

“Agh! Just let me find out which son of a bitch put you up to this!” Digen was stunned for a moment, then his nose practically twisted with rage. He vented all his anger on a nearby pine tree, which instantly turned into a wisp of black smoke under the heat of his Dragon Breath.

As a Red Dragon that had lived for so many years, it knew at a glance that someone had put these little human brats up to mocking it.

Hiding behind a house with his rear in the air, Zat was almost convulsing with laughter. He barely managed to keep from making a sound.

Mier, who was handing out malt candy to the children of the Old People as a reward, had a helpless look on his face. “Zat, don’t you think we went a little too far?”

“Hmph. Serves that red lizard right for being two-faced. The moment the boss leaves, he goes on strike,” Zat snorted, puffs of air jetting from his wide nostrils.

“You’re right. It’s good to teach him a lesson,” Mier agreed with a nod. He then said, “The supplies from the Iron Ore Camp are about to arrive. Let’s go get some people to help move them.”

The two partners in crime slipped back out from around the corner. As they passed the Red Dragon Soul, which was viciously glaring at everyone near the Flame Sword, they strutted away with their heads held high.

These Old People were already sallow and emaciated from hunger. Making them immediately undertake a long journey was no different from sending them to their deaths.

Therefore, Levi decided to first transfer some food and clothing from the Iron Ore Camp to the Bear Claw Tribe to ensure these Old People were fed and warm.

Then, he ordered the Griffin Knights to return to High Cliff Castle with a message, dispatching people to transport a large quantity of supplies.

Evacuating all these Old People from the Kas Mountain Range was not something that could be accomplished overnight. They could only be brought out in batches.

During this time, to prevent the Old People from starving to death in the mountains beforehand, he needed to provide them with enough food to survive.

Fortunately, High Cliff Castle now had Griffin Knights, which made transporting food to the other Old People’s Tribes much simpler.

Batches of supplies departed from High Cliff Castle, with Giants serving as the labor to pull the carts. In this weather, only these creatures had the strength to drag the wagons forward after they sank into the snow.

After these supplies arrived at the Iron Ore Camp, the Griffin Knights delivered them in batches to the various Tribes that had agreed to join High Cliff Castle. Although it wasn’t enough to fill their stomachs completely, it was sufficient to get them through this difficult period.

The Lord wasn’t idle either. With an ingenious idea, he used this time to order the Feder Craftsmen to build a giant, hollow boat, about seven or eight paces wide and twenty-some paces long.

The bottom was flattened with iron plates, while the sides and top were constructed of airtight wooden planks. It had openable windows on both sides and a large door at the stern for entry and exit. A thick iron chain, as thick as a Beastman’s arm and about thirty paces long, hung from a hook connected to the main frame of the hull.

At first, the Beastman Barbarians pointed and muttered amongst themselves, all thinking their leader was so bored he was just making up busywork, building something useless just to look occupied.

But when the Sai Dai Golden Man began to pull the giant, hollow boat, causing it to glide across the endless snowy plains, they seemed to understand.

…

The Old People, having just endured the wind and snow to emerge from the Kas Mountain Range, not yet knowing how many days it would take to walk to High Cliff Castle, saw a peculiar flat-bottomed boat lying across the plains.

When they learned its purpose, they joyfully scrambled inside, peering at the scenery outside through the open windows.

As the colossal Sai Dai Golden Man gripped the iron chain and began to stride forward, the heavy, people-filled boat was dragged across the snow, leaving a tightly packed path in its wake.

…

“My Lord, your Wisdom is always a source of great admiration,” Leiden said, standing on the city wall and watching the Old People disembark from the boat, his face filled with respect.

These Old People were already weak from lack of food and warmth. If they had to make the long trek in the heavy snow, it was hard to say how many would have survived the journey to High Cliff Castle.

But this simple “mobile snow boat” could transport a thousand people at once, saving the Old People from the harsh weather and physical exhaustion.

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