At Dirk's summons, the entire North Wind Clan quickly gathered around Cerydra. Without hesitation, she extended her small hand, and a blue, ethereal image of the Scales of Law materialized before everyone.
"These are the Scales of Law," she declared. "By paying the corresponding price, you may obtain anything you desire from me."
At first glance, Cerydra's Authority seemed rather limited, as if it could only be used at critical moments to turn the tide of battle. But if one broadened their perspective, what if every Barbarian sacrificed an eye, an ear, or some other offering in exchange for overwhelming combat power? Wouldn't that instantly multiply the entire Clan's strength severalfold?
Even without such hasty, short-sighted ambitions for combat prowess, Cerydra's Authority offered a remarkable path to wish fulfillment. Thinking it through, her power was far from limited; in fact, it possessed extraordinary versatility!
Normally, when someone learns they have the opportunity to make a wish, what do they typically wish for?
Invincibility under the heavens?
Wealth to rival nations?
Or perhaps, the ability to make even more wishes?
These were all very common answers, but after hearing Cerydra's words, the Barbarians stared at the Scales of Law before them, pondering for a while. Finally, one of them spoke up, "If I wish for everyone in our Clan to have a hot meal every day, what would I have to give in return?"
Hearing this wish, Cerydra couldn't help but wear a helpless expression. "I've already said that you won't have to worry about food from now on. I don't want to repeat myself on this topic."
"Don't you have any other things you want to accomplish or possess?"
However, after Cerydra spoke, all the Barbarians before her fell silent, seemingly pondering the question. But after thinking for a long time, they couldn't come up with anything.
For someone to not even know what to wish for might seem absurd, but in reality, it's not. People can only begin to think about how to live once their basic survival needs are met.
Before Cerydra's arrival, the Barbarians of the North Wind Clan had only cared about one thing: what they would eat for their next meal. Beyond that, they had never considered anything else. With Cerydra having just banned the wish for "daily full meals," it was no wonder they couldn't think of anything else.
After a moment's pause, Dirk stepped forward and declared, "I want to become smarter!"
His reasoning was simple: he knew he was foolish and couldn't think of any other wishes, so why not just wish for intelligence directly?
Of course, Dirk didn't want to become smarter to come up with other wishes. He believed that with greater intelligence, he could do more for Boss Imperator and the North Wind Clan, offering greater assistance and support.
As Dirk spoke, the Scales of Law before Cerydra tilted noticeably to one side. At this point, the wisher had two choices: first, to devise their own price and place it on the scales to see if the two sides balanced; second, to entrust the scales themselves with selecting an appropriate price, much like a one-click auto-pay feature in a game, where Cerydra's Authority would automatically determine a suitable cost for the wisher.
Naturally, Dirk chose the second option. Cerydra nodded and observed the scales. As if an invisible weight had been placed on the opposite end, the tilted balance gradually returned to equilibrium.
Cerydra said, "From this day forward, you will never grow hair again in exchange for enhanced cognitive abilities and memory. Do you accept?"
After all, Dirk's wish wasn't to become the world's smartest person or to acquire all the world's knowledge. He simply wanted to become a little smarter, and enhancing his cognitive abilities and memory would suffice. This wasn't a particularly difficult wish to grant, so the price wouldn't be too high.
Hearing this, Dirk ran his hand through his hair, pondered for a moment, and then nodded without hesitation. "I accept!"
For a man, baldness can be quite terrifying. It drastically lowers one's Beauty Value and makes one appear much older. For someone who cares deeply about their appearance, this would be a significant price to pay.
But Dirk didn't care about such things. To a Barbarian, hair was primarily a tool for warmth. The only real consequence was that his head might get cold during outdoor activities, possibly requiring him to wear a hat.
Beyond that, there were no other drawbacks. Dirk even thought that not having to wash his hair anymore would be quite convenient—a welcome side benefit, really.
"Very well," Cerydra said solemnly. "The transaction is complete!"
The moment her words left her lips, every Barbarian present witnessed Dirk's hair falling out like snowflakes, one strand after another, until he was left with a gleaming bald head.
Cerydra then turned her gaze to the other Barbarians. "So, who else wishes to make a wish?"
The Barbarians exchanged hesitant glances. Despite numbering over a hundred, they couldn't come up with a second wish. Cerydra didn't press the matter. She retrieved the Scales of Law and said, "I am always here. If you have a wish, come find me."
"Now that you're all awake, eat your breakfast quickly. We have other matters to attend to soon."
At her words, the Barbarians immediately began devouring the remaining food on the spot. Most had been drinking heavily at the previous night's feast and barely touched the dishes, leaving plenty of leftovers.
Though the food had cooled overnight and its flavor had dulled, the Barbarians cared little for such trifles. As long as it was edible, that was all that mattered. Why worry about the rest?
"Delicious!"
"What's this stuff? I've never seen anything like it before, but it's delicious!"
"The bones in this thing are a bit big, so be careful when you eat it. But the taste is really good!"
The third speaker, Cerydra witnessed him stuffing a chicken wing whole into his mouth, chewing both meat and bone together. Her eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
Just as Cerydra was contemplating whether to warn them, she saw several other Barbarians begin to mimic their compatriot, shoving chicken carcasses into their mouths and crunching them down. They raised their thumbs in approval, saying, "Feels just a bit harder than fish bones, but not as sharp. Pretty good! I like it."
Then, Dirk, his intelligence recently enhanced, strode over to the group. Just as Cerydra thought he might correct their eating habits, Dirk joined in, grabbing a chicken neck and munching it down. "Mmm, it's really good!"
Cerydra: "..."
Forget it. With teeth like that, I won't bother interfering. Cerydra hopped lightly onto a nearby chair and began eating her own breakfast: a small blue buttercream cake.
This cake had just been teleported over from Okhema's latest 'shipment.' The soft texture melted in her mouth, and she couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly, her face radiating pure bliss. "So delicious~!"
Time drifted by slowly. After about ten minutes, the leftovers from last night's banquet had been completely devoured. However, whether it was because they hadn't eaten properly the night before, or because these Barbarians had such voracious appetites, nearly everyone still looked like they hadn't eaten their fill.
Dirk approached Cerydra, watching the "Boss Imperator" nibble daintily at her cake. He couldn't help but mentally exclaim, How adorable!
When Cerydra wasn't speaking, she looked every bit the cute little girl. But the moment she opened her mouth, she instantly transformed into the majestic Empress, the stark contrast truly maxing out the impact.
Dirk bowed slightly. "Boss Imperator, we've all finished eating. What's our mission for today?"
For the Barbarians, operating on an empty stomach was the norm. At their current level of satiation, they had more than enough energy to last the entire day.
But Cerydra countered, "You've barely eaten anything. Wait until you're full before we discuss that."
She pointed to the wooden door that served as the exit from the Magnificent Mansion Spell. "Go open the door."
Dirk naturally obeyed, turning the doorknob. The moment he opened the door, a torrent of fish surged in. If he hadn't been standing firmly, he might have been swept away by the deluge.
As for how to prepare the fish, while the mansion had a kitchen, cooking them one by one would be far too time-consuming. Cerydra's gaze swept across the grand hall, taking in the exquisitely crafted tables and chairs. Wood was everywhere.
So, when Feidric woke up and left his room, he was utterly stunned by the scene that greeted him. A bonfire blazed in the center of the hall as Barbarians tore apart the furniture with their bare hands, tossing the pieces into the flames. The fire crackled and popped with each burning piece.
Had a Noble witnessed this scene, they might have died of outrage on the spot. These tables and chairs were priceless, their value beyond measure, yet they were being used as firewood?
Feidric knew, of course, that these items couldn't be taken out of the mansion and would vanish when the spell ended. But frankly, the sight was still too absurd, too shocking.
Once the fire had stabilized, the surrounding Barbarians began roasting fish. A while later, Aria, Cipher, and Douglas emerged, having washed up after waking.
Cipher, of course, wasn't surprised. But Douglas was utterly stunned, standing rooted to the spot like Feidric. Aria, on the other hand, excitedly ran over. "Hey! Grilled fish? Count me in!"
The surrounding Barbarians, all seasoned masters of fish grilling, noticed Aria's clumsy technique and immediately began offering guidance. Aria nodded earnestly, absorbing their instructions.
Despite successfully scaling and gutting her fish, the fire proved too intense. In a moment of carelessness, Aria charred her fish to a blackened crisp, resembling a piece of charcoal.
Initially, Aria wanted to discard the ruined fish and try again. But the moment she set it down, a Barbarian fish-grilling master snatched it up. "Don't waste it! It's a bit burnt, but still perfectly edible!"
The Barbarian proceeded to devour the fish bite by bite, giving Aria a hearty thumbs-up. "Good job! Delicious!"
Whether it was the cold banquet food from earlier or the charred grilled fish now, the Barbarians consistently praised everything as "delicious!" or "very delicious!"
The reason was simple: for Barbarians, the taste of food didn't matter. If it was edible, it was delicious!
The fish roast continued for over half an hour. By the time the bonfire died down, the great hall of the Magnificent Mansion spell had been thoroughly ravaged. The Barbarians gradually dispersed, and Cerydra issued her next command:
Find other Clans!
The North Wind Clan's numbers were still too few. If they were to build a vast empire, manpower was paramount. Their primary task now was to locate more Clans and persuade them to join their cause.
Hysilens could still use her "Sense Fish Schools" ability to locate other Clans, but frankly, this method was rather clumsy and inefficient.
At that moment, Dirk spoke up: "I have a way to find other Clans."
As previously mentioned, each Clan had an "Underwater Fish School Observer," and Dirk held that position in the North Wind Clan. He could not only track fish schools but also discern whether other Clans had passed through an area by observing tracks on the ice, allowing his Clan to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
It's worth noting that these so-called "traces on the ice" were actually deliberately left by other clans, serving as a kind of territorial declaration—a warning to other clans that this area already had an owner and they should stay away.
Because it was the Ice Plains, these traces couldn't last long and had to be refreshed every few days. If the traces disappeared, it meant the nearby clans had migrated away, and the area was safe to pass through again.
After explaining the principle, Dirk said, "It's not just me. There are three others besides myself who can discern ice tracks. We can split into four groups and search for traces of other clans from all four directions."
Cerydra nodded in agreement. "Excellent."
Her gaze swept over Aria, Douglas, Feidric, and the Cat before she continued, "Each of you will accompany one Barbarian to provide protection. That's two teams of two.
"By any means necessary, persuade the clan leaders to come and meet with me. Understood?"
Dirk nodded swiftly and thumped his chest with a clenched fist. "Mission guaranteed!"
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Author Note: Meow~
Spy- Thank You Author.