When William returned to the Ice Lotus Lake, several hours had already passed and it was close to noon time.
The two girls were very happy after getting so many ice lotuses because William promised that all of the members would get an equal share of the harvest. All in all, they managed to successfully get one-hundred eighteen ice lotuses from the lake.
It was more than enough for the two girls to have an alchemist prepare a special cream that they could use to keep their skin looking young and healthy.
For some reason, William could have sworn that Ian was just as excited as the two girls. The snot-nosed-pansy was grinning from ear to ear as he patted his special storage bag used to gather herbs.
"We will rest for an hour before we resume our climb up the mountain," William said. "I don't know what kind of tricks Cadell has prepared for us, but leave the talking to me. Also, I want all of you to read the contents of this scroll."
William handed a scroll to each of his subordinates. What was written on the scroll were the laws that were observed within the Kyrintor Mountains. He believed that the natives in the mountain that deals with foreigners use the latter's ignorance to make things difficult for them.
There was a famous saying in the Art of War back on Earth that went something like this.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
This reasoning was very true. When they arrived, they knew nothing about the laws of the Kyrintor Mountains. Because of this, Cadell was able to use the "strong arm" method to make them obey his orders without any form of resistance.
Now that they were also aware of the rules, the natives wouldn't be able to intimidate them like Cadell had done to William when the Mayor tried to force William to answer his questions.
Unfortunately for him, William was made aware of the laws thanks to the help of the System. With this knowledge backing him up, he was able to bring down the Mayor a peg and make him go back empty handed.
"Hissssss! If I only knew of this earlier!" Brutus scratched his hair in frustration. "That Mayor sure got us good earlier."
Kenneth had a wry smile on his face as he rolled the scroll in his hand. He had also finished reading the laws, and felt that there was really a need for him to learn more about the Human world.
"Ignorance is bliss, but in this case it is different," Kenneth said as he gazed at William. "Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, right?"
William nodded his head. "Now that all of you are now aware of the laws, do not let yourselves be intimidated by them. It is now your turn to intimidate them."
The Half-Elf had a devilish grin plastered on his face which clearly meant that he was planning something devious.
Brutus and Bruno also smiled evilly because they now realized what kind of "power" they possessed in the Kyrintor Mountains.
"Still, it will be a good idea if we don't have to get into any conflicts with the local people," Amelia commented.
"Big Sister Amelia is right." Wendy agreed. "At the end of the day, we are still outsiders. It would be bad if we left a bad impression on them."
Ian, who had remained quiet since the beginning, spoke out his mind, "I'm sure that the Commander has allowed us to read the laws because it is necessary that we don't act too passively. If we are as meek as sheep, these Barbarians won't treat us seriously and will even look down upon us."
"Ian is right." William nodded his head. "When two countries are at the negotiating table, the one with the bigger hand has the advantage. If we are too passive, they will only take advantage of it and will force us to 'pay more' than necessary. Let's stop here and rest. We only have half an hour before we resume our travel."
A few hours later, the group arrived at a checkpoint that was blocked by a wooden gate. With the help of the System, finding the shortest route up the mountain was not a problem for them. However, they couldn't avoid these checkpoints because all accessible paths led to these forts which were controlled by the defenders of Kyrintor.
As expected the gate was shut tight and the guards manning it were standing on top of the ramparts while looking at William's group with disdain. Cadell had already told them of the foreigners' arrival and instructed them to not let them in unless they begged and paid them a few hundred gold coins in exchange for safe passage.
However, before they could even state their demands, William had already approached the gate and shouted at the top of his voice.
"On behalf of the Sovereign that watches over this domain, I beseech all of you to open the gates. I ask this request by the Warrior's Oath that the Tribes have pledged at the Peak of Divinity," William shouted. "May the Sovereign of Kyrintor be my witness that I come in peace, seeking guidance on the path of Enlightenment. Please, punish anyone who dares to block my right of passage by relinquishing your blessing on their entire bloodline!"
A peal of thunder echoed within the summit of the mountain as if to reply to William's request. The guards manning the gates were dumbfounded at first, but when they heard the roar of thunder, they hurriedly opened the gates as if their lives depended on it.
The mighty gates opened wide as William and his entourage entered with heads held high. The guards looked at them warily, because this was the first time that someone had used their oath to gain entry into their domain.
This was an oath that they couldn't disobey unless they wanted their Guardian to punish them and remove the power of their bloodline. Of course, not everyone could make this oath. There was one condition and that was to be recognized by an Angorian War Ibex, which was said to be the direct descendant of the Demigod that ruled the Kyrintor Mountains.
Cadell, who was resting inside the fortress, had already been informed of William's arrival at the checkpoint. He had a gloating look on his face as he glanced at Jerkins who was seated opposite him.
"That arrogant boy has finally arrived," Cadell said with a smug expression on his face. "I'd like to see if he can enter the fortress unscathed. Why don't the two of us have a bet, Ambassador? If you win then I'll put in a few good words to the Chieftain about your purpose for coming."
The Mayor of Northwell wasn't serious in his words. He was only saying this in order to tease Jerkins and make the Ambassador feel pressured. Cadell wanted him to know that within the Kyrintor Mountains, it was the tribes that called the shots and not the foreigners who came here to seek an audience.
"Sorry, but I'm not very fond of making bets," Jerkins replied with a smile. "Especially when it comes to bets that I am sure to win."
The Ambassador's confident smile made Cadell's disappear from his face. He didn't know why, but Jerkins sounded very confident. The Mayor suddenly remembered how the boy had talked back to him a day ago and it made him clench his fist in anger.
It was at that moment when a guard came running towards Cadell and whispered something in his ear.
The Mayor of Northwell had a disbelieving look on his face after he listened to his subordinate's report.
"Are you sure? I swear that if you're lying to me I'll have you punished with fifty lashings!" Cadell threatened. He didn't want to believe that the arrogant boy managed to enter the fortress using the aged-old-oath that their ancestors had pledged to the Sovereign of the Kyrintor Mountains.
"Sir, it is true," the guard replied anxiously. "Actually, they are already on their way here."
As if waiting for that cue, a handsome Half-Elf with the "I know what you did last summer" expression entered Cadell's vision.
William swaggered inside the room, along with his party, and sat on the couch as if he was the owner of the place. Wendy sat on his right, while Amelia sat on his left. The rest of the members stood behind him and stared at Cadell as if they were looking at a bug that they could crush at any moment.
"Mayor, I think the two of us need to have a nice, long, talk," William's devilish gaze locked onto Cadell's eyes which made the latter feel very uncomfortable. "It would be best if you stopped playing your petty tricks. It only makes me look down on the person that was hailed to be the 'First Guardian' of the North."
"Boy, is this your way of challenging me to a duel?" Cadell asked with barely restrained anger. "Because if that is your plan, you've succeeded in angering me."
"Me? Challenge you?" William gave Cadell a look of disdain. "How about I return that question to you? Do you dare to challenge me?"
Cadell quieted down when he heard William's question. Although the order of the challenge was only reversed, it held a different meaning if the host of the domain were to challenge their guests to a duel.
This would mean that they didn't have the etiquette of a warrior and a good host. If William was the one who challenged him then he could accept it and even kill William in the duel because it was within their laws.
However, if he were the one to issue a challenge to William, all the warriors in the Kyrintor Mountains would look down upon him. There was even a possibility that he and his entire bloodline would be killed in order to appease the anger of their Sovereign.
Although they were called the Northern Barbarians, the tribes of the North were probably the only people in the Southern Continent who followed the laws of their domain with strict devotion. As long as they abided by the rules, no one would be able to conquer them.
What William and the rest of the people in the Southern Continent didn't know was that the Kyrintor Mountains was not just a simple mountain range. It was a divine artifact that belonged to the Goddess of Order and Law, Themis.
An artifact that was currently in the possession of the Sovereign that ruled the entire Northern Regions, and the one who held it in an iron grip.