Chapter 17

"What the hell is that?" One of the cultivators asked, with fear showing on his face.

Then the woman turned around to look him in the face.

"Aren't you able to use magic too?" She asked, disappointed. "It looks like you are just as barbaric and primitive as those beasts from the Guburg village. "

"Who are you calling barbaric and primitive?" Galey asked angrily. "And what is it about that Guburg village?"

"Of course, I'm calling you. Even children could cast a guiding spell if someone taught them. For you to not even know how magic works puts you on a level close to a beast. That's exactly what happened to the other village that we had found. They only thought about punching and eating things... "she said, before being quiet for a few seconds. At least your clothing looks a bit better than theirs. Maybe you have salvation after all. "

After hearing that, almost every cultivator from Yuoko Village there began looking at their clothes while thinking if there was anything wrong with them.

After that, and after deciding not to go against the woman as it could be counterproductive for their mission, they stayed quiet for the rest of the journey, which made the atmosphere pretty awkward.

For the next hours, they followed her, making marks and taking notes so they would be able to return to the village if needed.

They traversed tunnels and grottoes for some hours until they finally reached an open space.

This open space was circular and very tall. So tall that there was an opening on the ceiling from where a dim light could enter the place. Just below the light, a stone archway rested at the top of a small hill. Its surface was made of polished stone, and it looked like it was made of the roots of a tree that suddenly became stone.

Various groups of people camped around the archway, on opposite sides of the cave.

"Welcome to the sacred gateway." Said their guide while opening her arms. "As you can see, we have already set our camps, so you should choose somewhere nearby and place yours too."

Without losing too much time, the porters began to place the tents more or less at the same distance from the other tribes, so they would have the most space available to them.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves or something," Aiden said to Galey.

"That may be a good idea. Since the guide from Esvert village seemed a bit arrogant, how about if I go to greet them while you give the other village a try?"

Soon after, Aiden decided to group with a few other cultivators and went to meet those from Guburg village.

From afar, it was clear why the guide said that they were barbaric and primitive. Most of them were covered by furs, while some of them were almost naked, covering only some key body parts.

Their camp consisted of a huge fire, where they would be around eating or fighting among themselves with their bare hands, with only a few hides of beasts lying around to be used as beds.

"Greetings, I'm Aiden from Yuoko village. We have just arrived here, and I hope that both our villages can work together to create a better future for our people. " Aiden said, as he was trying to be as polite as he could be.

When he finished speaking, he saw how a few of the people began to look at him.

"You talk a lot, little man. Why should we need to work with someone so skinny as you? " Said a man who was nearing him. "I bet you are so weak that you can't even kill a cockroach."

The man was pretty tall and had bulging muscles. His dark red hair reached his lower back, and his eyes looked like those of a beast.

For a second, Aiden thought about retreating, but remembering that that was the first contact that they made with another village, he couldn't make them seem weak, so he decided to oppose the man.

"I bet I could easily beat you in a duel. " Aiden stated this confidently, even though the other man was a head taller than him.

At that moment, the cultivators that were accompanying him began to look at him with disbelief, as they didn't expect Aiden to do something like that.

"What did you say, little man?" The man said, annoyed by what Aiden said. "I will reap you in pieces. You will die five times before your body even touches the ground. "

"We will see it." Aiden said, taking his spear in his hands.

What was happening attracted a lot of attention, as a circle of people soon formed around them. In no time, even people from the Guburg village joined in to see how they fought.

"Do your best, Aiden, and show them how we fight in the Yuoko village. " Shouted some of the cultivators from his village that were watching from one of the sides.