The night passed in an instant, and Rion stood before a hut located on the east side of the Redwood Basin.

Beside him stood Mirak, his face pale from nervousness.

Sensing the dull mood around him, Rion slightly narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mirak lowered his head and mumbled weakly, "My mother is here..."

Rion's left brow furrowed unexpectedly, and he asked, "Your mother is a gatherer?"

Mirak nodded, and Rion fell silent.

Women and weak men were given the role of gatherers, but they stopped being one after their marriage, so there was only one case under which one could continue to be a gatherer.

'His mother is a widow,' Rion guessed. Sympathy arose in him, but he didn't show it on his face.

Mirak was a warrior and he didn't need sympathy from anyone, not even his liege.

A smile appeared on Rion's face, and he muttered, "That would make the conversation easier."

Mirak's gloom dissipated in smoke; he blinked at Rion in confusion and thought, 'Does he not feel pity at me like others?'

His thoughts halted as his emerald-green eyes met Rion's sapphire ones, and he mused inwardly, 'Is he trying to tell me to give up such depressing thoughts?'

His eyes teared up at his liege's silent consideration. He wiped off his tears, and Rion mumbled in his head, 'Why is he crying? Doesn't he know crying cat is a bad omen?'

Rion shook his head and pushed the door open.

Just as the door opened completely, heavy thuds and loud chants reached his ears.

"Honour to the Gods! Honour to the man!"

He halted at the doorway and frowned at the vision before him.

The eldest gatherers were kneeling before him, but unlike the squad members or trainees, their heads were low.

Mirak's eyes stilled at his mother, and he clenched his fists to the point of paling, but there was nothing he could do; gatherers didn't have enough merit and respect to look directly at the god's descendants.

Rion scanned them for a moment. He stepped inside and said, "Raise your heads."

They finally lifted their heads and gazed at Rion with both curiosity and frowns etched on their faces.

He stopped a few steps away from them and said, "Stand."

They stood up, and Rion asked, "You all must be wondering why I asked you to gather here, right?"

Their eyes rippled, and they gave him a silent nod.

Sensing the heavy mood, He smiled bitterly and said, "I am going to make the gatherers a part of the den."

Their eyes widened in disbelief, and they began to mumble to themselves.

"Make us part of the den?"

"Don't lie!"

"What is he talking about?"

"He is here to laugh at us."

Rion listened to them for a good minute and tapped the wooden floor with his spear.

Clunk!

The floor shrieked softly, and the gatherers fell silent.

"Better," he commented and continued, "Our mountains are filled with various useful herbs, but you only gather them when the chieftain or the vice lord commands you to."

He placed his hand inside the pouch hanging by his side and took out a pill. He showed it to all of them and said,

"Taking this would make your wounds heal faster, and this is what we need. Pills and medicine, these will be the ones to uplift us and allow us to hunt freely."

The gatherers stared at the pill with bright eyes, and one of them commented, "How are we going to make them?"

Rion turned towards the voice, and Mirak's words reached him, "Mom! What are you doing?"

"Stay silent, Mirak," Mirak's mother, Taien, stated strictly, her gaze shifted towards Rion, and she continued, "We have asked the Vice Lord for the same, but we have no one to teach us... We even tried to ask the doctor, but she doesn't even step out of her hut."

Her expression darkened, and she said, "I know you only have our goodwill in your mind, but we gatherers can't become a pillar of the tribe."

Rion listened to her with a calm gaze and said, "I understand your worries, but I wouldn't have called all of you here if I didn't have a solution to your problems."

Confusion erupted within the hut, and Taien asked, "What do you mean...?"

A faint smile creased his lips, and he stated, "The Doctor may have denied you, but she won't deny me."

Taien sighed and lowered her head in disappointment. It wasn't her first time hearing the same, after all.

Seeing that, he chuckled and pointed out, "You don't trust me."

She didn't answer.

He stepped aside from the door and stared at the doorway for a few moments before suddenly, smoke drifted inside the hut.

Everyone frowned, and an extremely beautiful woman stepped inside the hut while puffing out smoke from her smoking pipe.

Zaelyane ignored everyone; her gaze landed on Rion, and she asked, "Why did you call me here?"

He looked at the dumbfounded expressions of the gatherers from the corner of his eyes and answered, "I want you to teach them about herbs and medicine."

She finally regarded the gatherers and muttered with a frown, "And why would I do that?"

He stepped closer to her and said, "If you help me, then I'll help you get the 'thing' you want."

Her eyes stirred, and she froze for a moment.

Seeing that, he leaned in and added, "Isn't this better than having to manipulate me for the same?"

She looked at him with an impassive gaze, scanned the gatherers and asked, "Is this all of you?"

Taien quickly shook her head and said with an enthusiastic expression, "No, there are more of us. We only have the eldest gatherers here."

Zaelyane nodded and declared, "Come to my hut before evening... and come together."

Taien's eyes widened in disbelief and she fell on her knees before she cried out, "Thank you... thank you..."

She lifted her head to look, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Mom!" Mirak called out and hugged her.

Taien smiled warmly and hugged him back.

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