A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 335: Chapter 264: Spread_1

A nomadic caravan made its way down the road, heading towards their destination, Diamond Town, the largest nomadic settlement in the area and the only place where Imu Energy could be extracted.

“Such tranquility.”

Looking at the scenery around them, the nomad in the passenger seat took a drag of his cigarette and spoke casually. In the past, they would have been extra careful while driving, keeping an eye out for the terrifying Beast Race that could leap out from anywhere, but after the Tribunal launched a surprise attack on the Beast Race Nest, the Beast Race seemed to have completely halted their activities on the surface. Other than a few scattered members of the Beast Race, the majority had disappeared without a trace.

At first, most of the nomads did not believe the rumors, but they too had found that the Beast Race indeed disappeared, allowing them to live in relative peace for a while. This might not last, but for these nomads, it was more than enough. Being able to stay away from war and live a peaceful life was the greatest blessing for them.

“If the Tribunal could actually wipe out the Beast Race completely, maybe they should be the ones ruling this world.”

The driver commented as he kept his hands on the steering wheel.

“At least, they seem to care more about us than the COG.”

“Yeah, I heard that nomads in the Tribunal are living rather well. They don’t need Imu Energy to provide electricity like we do, having to travel all the way here, begging for it….”

As he spoke, the passenger in the front seat vented his frustrations. Although Diamond Town was also a nomadic tribe, they controlled the extraction of Imu Energy, which made them arrogant towards other nomads. It was a transaction, but it always felt like charity, which upset a lot of nomads.

But there was nothing they could do about it…

“Might as well join the Tribunal. It’s so dull here!”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense. Think about your wife and kids.”

Reminded by his colleague, the first nomad reluctantly closed his mouth. The rapid growth of the Tribunal was nothing new among the nomadic tribes. Before the Tribunal arrived, nomadic tribes were divided into large, medium, and small sizes. The larger ones, like Diamond Town, had their own independent towns. The medium-sized ones were nomadic tribes, moving from place to place. The smaller ones mostly moved as families or clans.

Except for the large tribes, the other two sizes lived precariously in this post-apocalyptic world. For instance, the tribe that Kate Guard had previously protected was medium-sized, and they were easily defeated and captured by the Beast Race they encountered on their journey. Compared to large tribes, the latter two lacked security.

So when the news about the Tribunal came out, many nomadic tribes decided to head towards the Tribunal’s territory, where they established new cities, and the population there kept growing. Of course, these developments had also reached the ears of the leaders of the large tribes.

However, these leaders did not seem to have a good attitude towards the Tribunal. This was understandable. They were not the kind of nomads who were vagrants, uncertain about their next meal. They were rulers of territories, akin to emperors. Which emperor would willingly give up their power to work for others?

Therefore, these rulers naturally wouldn’t negotiate with the Tribunal. Not only that, they also put in place measures to prevent their subjects from joining the Tribunal. For example, in the past, the people that large nomadic tribes sent out were usually single men and women. Now, only those with families were allowed to leave the settlement. It was simple. Single nomads might simply report to the Tribunal after leaving, while those with families wouldn’t risk deserting.

In plain terms, they were using their families as hostages.

Needless to say, the nomads were discontented with this but felt helpless. All they could do was grit their teeth and work. At least for now, the Beast Race was virtually extinct in these parts, so they didn’t have to worry about encountering danger.

Suddenly, Diamond Town was within sight.

However…

“Hey, does anyone else feel that something seems off?”

Looking at the town in front of them, the driver frowned. In his memory, Diamond Town was a place with strict security, but now, its normally closed iron gates were wide open and there was no one to be seen on the watchtowers. All around was silent, making the town resemble an abandoned, lifeless city.

“… It wasn’t attacked by the Beast Race, was it?”

Others also began to feel uneasy. After a moment of hesitation, the driver reached out to honk the horn.

“Beep… beep…!!”

The shrill sound of the horn echoed and then faded. Yet, Diamond Town remained eerily silent.

“We… should go back…”

Swallowing hard, the shaken driver suggested, sensing something was wrong. However, another nomad seated at the back immediately refuted him.

“You must be joking. The whole tribe is waiting for our Imu Energy. Even if we head back without it, aren’t we heading towards a dead end?”

“……….”