Eric was amused by the two of them and couldn’t stop laughing; the worry in his heart also lessened.
Julia and the other Dwarves had eyes clearly showing their eagerness to learn, suppressing their heart-scratching, lung-clawing curiosity and not probing further.
Eric thought for a moment and decided to follow his heart:
"Our tribe also has Dwarves. They all know the brick-firing technique. Moreover, the best thing for building houses with bricks is cement. Next year, when the weather warms up, I will ask for their opinion. If they agree, I will bring them over."
The matter of the Du tribe and the Thomas tribe merging into one, they hadn’t intended to hide it from the beginning. The annual tax collection day for the Golden Kingdom and the Elf clan was approaching. They would find out sooner or later, and others would soon know as well.
Therefore, the other two Snow Wolves had no reaction to Eric’s words, but Evan revealed a surprised expression, his gaze toward Eric becoming probing.
As soon as the words fell, the expressions of the surrounding Dwarves all turned to astonishment.
"Your tribe has taken in Dwarves? Has another tribe been annihilated?"
Julia asked with heartache. She guessed that perhaps some Dwarven tribe, like theirs today, had been attacked by magical beasts, and the Snow Wolves had taken in the remaining escaped clansmen.
But if that were the case, the Snow Wolves could have just taken them to the Ox-Head clan after rescuing the Dwarves, and the Ox-Head clan would then send the Dwarves to other Dwarven tribes.
Because on this continent, everyone knew whose pocket the Dwarves were in. Both powers wanted to profit from the Dwarves. Even the Ox-Head clan didn’t dare to easily touch their interests; otherwise, it would trigger another war.
Other races naturally wouldn’t do this either; they had no need to take risks for the Dwarven race. Evan lowered his head in thought. Ever since meeting Eric, more and more unusual things were happening.
"That’s not it, but they were almost captured by a smuggling human mercenary squad. Our tribe’s warriors rescued them. Because their old residence wasn’t safe, we let them stay, and afterward, we merged into one tribe."
Eric, afraid Julia would worry, quickly said.
"It’s those shameless, damnable humans again!"
In an instant, curses erupted all around. The Dwarves had been oppressed by humans for too long. They had already fled here, yet the other side still wouldn’t let them go. Everyone was so angry they gnashed their teeth.
Julia was the tribal chief’s wife and had handled many matters, big and small, in the tribe. She noticed other key points.
"You merged into one tribe? Don’t you Snow Wolves fear..."
She said worriedly to these few Snow Wolves.
Taking in humans was one thing, but taking in Dwarves and even merging them into the tribe... The Snow Wolves belonged to the conservative faction of beastmen. They disdained using weapons, so the Dwarves held nothing worth risking for them.
Eric didn’t know her thoughts. If he knew, he would definitely retort loudly. Besides being famous for forging weapons, Dwarves are also very good at making daily necessities, you know!
Thinking back, the time the Dwarves had been there, they had made the tribe toilet paper, bricks, cement, various kitchen utensils including the large iron pot that Eric loved, and also small tools like grinders, which had brought Eric a lot of convenience.
"We also won’t refuse to pay taxes. It won’t have a big impact on them. Besides, the number of Dwarves we took in isn’t large."
Eric said.
Back then, Thomas’s decision to keep the Dwarves wasn’t just because of Max’s advice. Besides the convenience the Dwarves brought to the tribe, he had, of course, also considered the risks.
Several thousand Dwarves survived, divided into hundreds of tribes.
The Du tribe wasn’t the largest-scale tribe. Their keeping the Dwarves of the Du tribe wouldn’t reduce the number of weapons submitted to those two powers.
Although this would make them wary, the matter had a cause. Being taken in by the Snow Wolves was still better than being captured by humans, completely losing this tribe’s future tax payments.
Moreover, pulling one hair moves the whole body. Regardless of whether it was the Elf clan or the Golden Kingdom, if they made things difficult for the Thomas tribe, the other Snow Wolf tribes wouldn’t sit by and watch. It might even involve the Ox-Head clan.
The strength of these two races could not be underestimated. They both wouldn’t make a move easily. Sacrificing the greater for the lesser—neither side would make a losing deal.
Julia also understood these things clearly. Back then, the Ox-Head clan was warned by the two powers also because the Dwarves hadn’t been split up at that time. Several thousand Dwarves were all taken in by the Ox-Head clan. Added to the threat from the Ox-Head clan itself, they naturally wouldn’t let it be.
She swept her gaze across her clansmen, saw they were all silent, and could guess the thoughts in their hearts.
Dwarves who had fallen into a situation like theirs... now, suddenly, there was a kindred tribe that could live with the Snow Wolves, no longer needing to worry about their own safety. How could they not feel a little envious?
Julia’s heart was in turmoil. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say and could only let out a sigh.
After talking for a while, the Dwarves all forgot about the bricks.
Eric saw their spirits weren’t high and changed the subject back to bricks:
"Bricks can’t only build houses; they can also build kangs in the room. In winter, sleeping on it is much warmer than a wooden bed, and you don’t have to worry about the cubs being cold."
The Dwarves were still easily attracted by these novel things. Hearing the advantages of the kang, they all gathered around, wanting to ask in detail. The atmosphere became lively again.
Julia looked kindly at Eric, thinking to herself: *What a good child.*
"Wait, did you just call him tribal chief?"
Julia had just reacted, only to be shocked once again.
There were truly too many shocking things today. Just now, her attention was all on the matter of Snow Wolves and Dwarves living together. Only now did she remember that the adult Snow Wolf had called this child tribal chief, and the other one hadn’t refuted it.
Michael laughed and said:
"It seems this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this scene. Kid Eric needs to grow up faster!"
Because Eric was a child, the fact that he was tribal chief would cause anyone he told to be astonished. First, it was the Ox-Head clan, now it was the Dwarves. Every time, it caused everyone’s amazement.
Max nodded slightly: "He is indeed our tribe’s chief."
"Don’t you Snow Wolves always let the strongest warrior be the tribal chief?"
Julia’s mind was a bit numb. She hesitated and asked again.
Eric secretly pinched his own arm, which only had a little muscle, feeling a bit resentful.
His current body, if placed in his previous life, would be the "skinny with clothes on, muscular with clothes off" type. Unfortunately, placed in this world that revered strength, it wasn’t enough to look at.
"Even if one is the strongest warrior, it’s useless if they can’t lead the tribe to prosperity. Eric is very good. He can help us live better."
Max said seriously to the Dwarves.
This straightforward praise made Eric a little embarrassed. The trust contained within it warmed his heart.