Chapter 472: Chapter 340: The Way Home
There are some tents set up inside the camp, and a large pile of supplies stacked on the open ground. Outside the camp, several rows of carriages are parked, and many people are moving supplies from the ships onto the carriages. The air is filled with the sounds of human voices and cattle calls, making for a lively scene.
It turns out that after the Sava River area stabilized, exchanges between the two regions increased. The people in the Sava River area became very interested in the daily supplies provided from the Kupa River side. However, due to road construction, the tribe had to prioritize waterway transportation. Hence, they built a dock here and stationed transport teams... As a result, not only did goods shipped from Sladia get transshipped here, but supplies transported from Ophelia to Todleduo also accumulated, gradually turning this place into a materials distribution center.
Siris led his team into the dense forest following a transport team.
Due to increased interactions between the Kupa River banks and the Sava River area, the tribe had the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Management Bureau deploy some foreign auxiliaries at the start of the year, in January and February. They cut down trees along the dense forest roads, expanded the roadways, filled in potholes, and solidified the roadbed, greatly improving the road conditions and laying the foundation for future road construction.
The refurbished dense forest road was indeed much easier to traverse. However, with time, and being constantly tread upon by fully loaded carriages, this dirt road became burdened again and turned bumpy and uneven.
Fortunately, Siris was there to help. He led the captives to eagerly assist, pushing the carriages out of the mud when their wheels got stuck...
Learning from Siris yesterday about the positive changes in their hometown, the captives were highly motivated. This gratitude moved the transport team leader, who insisted that those captives with leg disabilities, making walking difficult, sit on the carriage.
With mutual help, the progress was naturally swift, and by afternoon, they reached Lin Kou Village. It hadn’t changed much, only the tribe had renamed it Lin Pass Guard Station.
The nearby camp saw significant changes, not just in the remodeling of the Nix Inn, but also in setting up a market within. This aimed to help residents from villages far from Ophelia City purchase the necessities they needed. The noise emanating from the camp suggested the market was bustling.
However, considering how eager his compatriots were to return home, Siris did not plan to linger at this camp. He led the captives continuing eastward. The transport team only diverted a third of its carriages into the camp since Ophelia City’s market also urgently required more supplies.
The captives set foot on the Sava River Plain, breathing in the exceptionally fresh air. The river wind was gentle, and vast fields of wheat swayed, making rustling sounds as if smiling and welcoming them home...
Suddenly, many were moved to tears, and some couldn’t help but shout out loud.
Siris immediately reminded them loudly: Don’t forget the promise they made to him last night—do not disturb the residents here, do not leave the team, and absolutely do not violate discipline at the last moment, risking punishment and being taken back to the Kupa River banks, unable to reunite with their families...
Under Siris’s warning, the captives struggled to suppress their excitement but could not resist greedily gazing at each relative patrolling the edge of the wheat fields.
But soon, they felt panic because squads of Nixes appeared in the fields holding shields, short swords at their waists, carrying armor, coming out from various villages and all heading towards the road the captives were on...
The captives were nervous because the shadows of last years’ crushing defeat haunted them.
"Uncle Siris, are they... going for military training?" Tirisis’s voice trembled. He had seen young tribesmen from a few towns along the Kupa River summoned during the agricultural offseason for several days of military training.
"You don’t have to worry, they’re going to Ophelia!" Siris said loudly to the captives: "The Yabod people invaded our northern territory a while back. This must be the tribe engaging in military mobilization to form an army to drive the Yapode out!"
"The Yabod people are here again!" someone exclaimed, vividly recalling the Yapode invasion a few years ago.
Some were indifferent: "What’s there to fear? Back then, Andres led us to defeat the Yapode, and surely the more robust Nix Army can defeat them more effortlessly!"
These words reassured the captives until someone said, "But I heard the northern territory hasn’t been captured by the Nix Tribe. Our original tribes are still living there. If the Nix Army moves north to fight the Yapode, wouldn’t that be invading the northern territories of those tribes as well!—"
"Hahaha..." The head of the transport team going to Ophelia with Siris’s group couldn’t hold back his laughter: "We Nixes and the Segestica have always been enemies. It’s perfectly normal for us to send troops to capture the northern territories after occupying this vast land. Actually, the leader should have done this long ago to alleviate the sufferings of the Segestica citizens in the north."
"Two days ago, Illegis’s village, the headquarters for defending the Yabod people at Segestica Tribe’s northern front, was overrun by the Yabod people. I heard many died."
Siris followed, saying loudly: "Already, many tribe members have fled from the north here. The tribe has taken them in, and they have petitioned the tribe hoping for army deployment to rescue their compatriots... Now the tribe’s military mobilization is also in response to their request."
Captain Xibarita is right (the head of the transport team), if the northern tribe members had joined together with the tribe when it occupied here, they wouldn’t be suffering today’s plight. They would be living peaceful and serene lives like us."
Siris showed a regretful expression. Having been working in the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Management Bureau at the West Village these months, he had access to information ordinary tribesmen couldn’t. He spoke the truth, but he also knew that the tribe’s military actions weren’t mainly due to the northern refugees’ plea. However, to prevent these captives from harboring resentment against the tribe and to live honestly after returning home, he spoke as positively as possible about the Nix Tribe.
The captives, relating this to their own experiences, fell silent.
By evening, Siris’s team and the transport team finally reached Ophelia Western Fortress, gaining entry after a thorough inspection by the City Guards.
Since it was early summer, even by evening, the sky was still quite bright. After dinner, many foreign auxiliaries were still strolling leisurely inside the fortress, laughing and joking. The security patrol didn’t interfere at all. This scene was a stark contrast to half a year ago when foreign auxiliaries had to stay in their residences, making the West Village desolate by dusk.
Seeing Siris, these foreign auxiliaries approached to greet him eagerly.
Siris had some reputation in the Segestica Tribe and, over the past six months, had led various teams in the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Management Bureau, advising many foreign auxiliaries, helping solve some compatriots’ difficulties. Hence, many foreign auxiliaries distrusted him and were willing to work under him.
However, right now, Siris wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He hurried the captives to the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Management Bureau headquarters, found his colleague on duty, submitted documents, and had him verify the returning captives, then remove their names from the roster (they were under the Foreign Auxiliary Management Bureau after being brought back from the Alde Tribe as they hadn’t officially joined the tribe), simultaneously issuing a confirmatory document and stamping it.
Seeing Siris hurrying out with the documents, his colleague couldn’t help but say: "Siris, no need to rush, at this hour, the Agricultural Department might have closed their doors. Why not have them rest first and take them to the Agricultural Department tomorrow?"
"I just want to take a look." Siris replied: "I just want to send them home as soon as possible, they’ll be happy, and I can rest assured sooner."
"You really are a worrier." His colleague sighed: "Alright, you go ahead, I’ll help arrange accommodation and meals for them."
Siris thanked him repeatedly and led the captives to the East Village.
At the bridge leading to the East Village, they once again underwent inspection by the bridge guards before being allowed through.
Standing on this longer, larger wooden bridge for the second time, the captives looked down as the familiar Sava River meandered beneath, its endless waves rolling, roaring silently but powerfully... This filled them with a completely different sense of awe.
Entering the East Village, they hurried to the Agricultural Department compound, finding the gate wide open, officials still busy at work, and Siris heaved a sigh of relief.
With the impending war, several critical Nix Tribe departments started operating around the clock, and Siris’s timing was impeccable.
As he’d visited many times before, the Agricultural Department officials responsible for managing the Reserve Tribe Members were familiar with him, without any complaints. After reviewing the documents, they summoned subordinates to quickly register each captive as Reserve Tribe Members. They had to locate files of each captive’s family, replace heads of households... The entire process took time, so by the time everything was done, it was completely dark.
During this period, Siris made a special report to the patrol, and finally, the patrol, bearing torches, "escorted" these captives back to their temporary residence at the West Village.
Only one final procedure remained before the captives could return home — taking the oath at the temple.
Unlike last year, they didn’t need to go to the hills near Lin Pass Guard Station anymore because Dana Temple was built inside Ophelia East Village, making things much more convenient.