Chapter 16: Beamon (1)

Although the mountain winds sweeping over the wilderness in the North now carried a hint of chill, the soldiers who had long lived on this land seemed already accustomed to the climate.

Bare arms revealed coppery, robust muscles, with veins and tendons twisting about like earthworms, invariably fierce-looking with tiger heads and leopard eyes, and curly beards brandishing three-meter-long wooden spears topped with fluttering red tassels. However, the spearheads just above the red tassels were rather rough, clearly the result of simple crude grinding, which somewhat diminished the otherwise formidable presence.

Rings of tents joined end-to-end filled the entire wilderness. At first glance, it felt as though one had stepped into an army base that stretched endlessly into the horizon, with the diverse colors and materials of the tents indicating the distinct tribes they belonged to.