Though some were a little annoyed at not being chosen, everyone found Savage's decisions reasonable. Harry, as the combat captain, was strong and would be able to handle any unforeseen circumstances. Bai Qi, as the team's only historian who knew the language of the Gatekeepers, was indispensable to avoid any potential misunderstandings.
Bob wanted to go too, but it was Savage's decision, and he couldn't change it. Dejectedly, he took the books Bai Xu handed him and returned to his stone house to read.
After everyone else had retreated, Bai Xu said to the leading warrior, "Take the three of them to my father. I'll stay and guard here."
The leading warrior looked troubled. He exchanged a look with his deputy, then pulled Bai Xu aside to a secluded spot. As his armor melted away, he revealed the face of a middle-aged man.
"Xiao Xu, Xiao Xu, what can I say about you? It's not that I don't want to listen to you, but how could you be so reckless in such a matter? This time, I'm leading the team, but if it were someone else, do you know what the consequences of your words would be?"
This man, who called himself Bai Xu's uncle, was none other than the chieftain's cousin, Bai Yue. Unlike his cousin, Bai Yue had never been particularly good at strategic thinking. He preferred to act rather than talk, which had gotten him into trouble more than once. He was eventually sent to the guard for training, becoming not only a Gatekeeper warrior but also a captain. Bai Xu had grown up under his care, and since Bai Yue had no children of his own, he treated Bai Xu like his own daughter. He was shocked to hear what Bai Xu had said. If it were just the two of them, it would be one thing, but with others around, if those elders found out, even as the chieftain's daughter, Bai Xu would surely suffer a beating. But Bai Yue doted on his niece the most. After Bai Xu's persistent pleas, Bai Yue finally agreed to let her stay.
"That's great! Thank you, Uncle," Bai Xu exclaimed.
Bai Yue waved his hand. "You can stay, but with one condition: one of my men must stay with you. That's my bottom line."
"No problem, Uncle is the best," Bai Xu replied.
Bai Yue sighed helplessly, "I really don't know what's so great about these outsiders that they've completely charmed our little princess."
Bai Xu blushed, "Don't be silly, I haven't."
"Fine, fine," Bai Yue waved his hand. "You young people can handle your own affairs. I, an old man, won't interfere."
The two returned. Bai Yue gave a few instructions to his deputy and then led Bai Qi and the other two toward the heart of the tribe. The instruments Broldo carried were also held by several Gatekeeper warriors and were not to be touched until after the old chieftain had been treated.
Soon, Bai Yue and the three arrived outside the old chieftain's dwelling. At first, Bai Qi and the others thought they had come to the wrong place. The dwelling was incredibly ordinary, made of stone, just like everyone else's. If it weren't for the two armed warriors standing guard at the entrance, one wouldn't have guessed it was the chieftain's residence.
As the three approached the entrance, the guards stopped them with their weapons. Harry, already in a foul mood, was further provoked. Without a word, he stepped forward, his neck stiff, and demanded, "We're here to treat your chieftain. Can you bear the responsibility if we delay the optimal treatment period?!"
The two guards exchanged glances and chattered in a language Harry couldn't understand. Through the translator earpiece, Harry heard, "No, you cannot all enter. Only one person can go in. The other two will wait outside."
"That's impossible," Harry retorted immediately. "Broldo doesn't speak your language, or does your chieftain speak ours?"
He then tried to force his way in. The guards, however, showed no leniency. With a flick of their spears, they pushed Harry back and assumed a fighting stance, ready to engage him. Seeing this, Bai Yue hurried forward to mediate.
Though he disliked Harry, finding him emanated a nauseating aura, Bai Yue had to admit that Harry was speaking the truth. They were also hesitant to let the old chieftain use the translation earpieces provided by Bai Qi, fearing they might be rigged. The old chieftain's safety was paramount.
Bai Qi wanted to negotiate further but was stopped by Bai Yue. The two guards at the entrance were the strongest in the entire tribe, even stronger than Bai Yue. They were orphans raised by the old chieftain, who had trained them to be the strongest warriors. Therefore, they valued the old chieftain's life above all else, and when angered, they wouldn't even listen to the elders. The chances of negotiating with them were virtually zero.
Finally, Bai Qi proposed a compromise: Bai Yue would wear the earpiece and accompany Broldo inside, acting as a bridge for communication between Broldo and the old chieftain.
"This, we can accept," the two guards nodded and moved aside.
Broldo and Bai Yue entered the stone house with the instruments and began the diagnosis. About an hour later, Broldo emerged, a worried expression on his face, and sighed helplessly at Bai Qi and Harry.
"Stop sighing. Tell us what's going on," Harry urged.
Broldo glanced back at the two imposing figures at the doorway, removed his earpiece, and said, "The old chieftain's illness is very strange. From a distance, he looks and acts like an ordinary person, but up close, there's a sense of the morgue. He emits a foul odor, yet there are no infections or external wounds. And..."
"Get to the point," Harry interrupted. Broldo's explanation was confusing, filled with technical jargon that was difficult for Harry, a werewolf who had barely attended school, to understand.
Bai Qi pulled Harry aside. "Why are you telling him this? He can't understand. You find the chieftain strange, but in what way?"
Broldo rearranged his thoughts. "Just as I said, the old chieftain has no external wounds, and a general examination reveals no disease, yet he emanates an aura of death, as if he's a hundred years old and on the verge of death. Later, I used the instruments for a detailed examination, and guess what?"
Broldo paused for a few seconds. "He underwent gene modification."
Hearing these words, Bai Qi was slightly taken aback. Having seen their full-body armor and spears made of unknown metal, Bai Qi realized that although the Gatekeepers lived in a primitive tribal state, their technology in certain aspects far surpassed that of the outside world. He hadn't expected them to be so far advanced, even to a grotesque degree.