Chapter 108: White Mist Nation

"So, tell us again where you came from?" Howard felt a tiny bit unnerved. Their statement almost sounded like a veiled threat.

The two men in white capes pretty much implied that the Jarkales would wipe them out without their help. However, that also meant they'd have to rely on them when they invaded. He looked up and down at the two men in white capes and couldn't tell what nation they came from. This also bothered him greatly.

"Are you two from a different section of the Furnace?" Howard waved and invited the two men to sit at the table. "How come I don't recognize your clothes?"

"We're called the White Mist Nation. As you guessed, we are from a different part of the Furnace. We are a nation made up of mostly warriors and merchants, and have marked a path to arrive here."

"Because we had to pursue new venues of trade, we risked our lives and fought terrifying Authoritarians to make it to the South Side of the Furnace. Unfortunately, one of our chief warriors was captured by the Jarkales. They have now started setting up a camp here. Our scouts indicate they will first try to capture Jarlon Valley."

"How did you find us?" Harley said, pushing Howard back behind her. She still was blushed from Howard kissing her lips, and was still feeling the heat from his body pass through her. "I was kind of wooing Howard here before you got in the way."

"We're experts in tracking. My name is Bamenthol. I'm one of the lead warriors of White Mist Nation."I can use Ki to see tracks in the ground, and even see the tides of recent battles. When ever someone moves with Ki in their veins, they release a trail that I can follow."

"Basically, we aren't good fighters. We spent years running away from the Jarkales in order to survive," Bamenthol had to be at least 2.1 meters tall. "We-we can fight, but mostly rely on making allies and our goods. We're experts in horticulture. Even in the Furnace, we can get the lushest plants to grow."

Though it didn't sound like much, horticulture and farming in general was nearly impossible in the Furnace. Barabin had spent years trying to disseminate seeds from crops. Yet because of the vast amunts of Ki, plants hardly ever made it past the stage of the sapling.

Animals also couldn't be raised unless you wanted zombie livestock. Without some kind of special technology, there was simply no way to harvest food, so Howard could understand why these men would be so respected.

"We-we are looking for a peaceful place to live." Bamenthol fell down on his knees and looked into Hoawrd's eyes before he started to kowtow. "Please! Please make an alliance with us! We'll do anything!"

"This is above our pay grade," Harley sighed and leaned towards Howard, gently touching her lips against his before she smothered him with her embrace. "Guys, can you give me and Howard a moment. I haven't fully shown my boyfriend how much I like him yet."

"Yes!"

"Of course!"

Bamenthol turned away in embarrassment as Harley began to make Howard hers with her lips. She kissed him several times before a few minutes seemed to pass. Finally, she let go of him and let out a powerful scream.

"Finally! He's mine!" Harley's maddened scream could be heard for miles! "How was that Howard? You satisfied?"

"Wow, you're sleeping in my bed tonight," Howard's odd temperament caused the two White Mist warriors to blush. They'd never seen someone be so intimate with someone in front of strangers. "Now, let's go take you to Carter! I'm sure he'll be happy to form an alliance with you!"

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"Hell no!" Carter shook his head, and held out his hand. "Are you insane? Why would we form an alliance with you! That will just make the Jarkales attack us! Why would we try and get ourselves killed?

"Carter, calm down," Barabin said. He sat down against the clifface outside of Carelan Mountain. The sun had started to go down, and yellow rays from the sun painted against the ground. "How many of there are you?"

"10,000. However, we have our own tents."

"We can grow 1000 acres of crops a year! We are experts at raising livestock!" The two men seemed eager to please the two leaders of the Horned. They never imagined they'd run into the Founders of the Horned and a member of the Four Guardians.

Unlike many of the other nations in the Furnace, the Horned's fame spread far and wide. Because the Demon King had been the strongest person that ever existed in the Furnace, stories had been birthed about them in almost all of the surrounding nations. The Horned became a symbol of power, and many believed all of their children were in the S rank.

Even the Jarkales would take caution against the Horned! They had to form an alliance!

"I-I think we have maybe 300 Horned at the West Branch. We will have trouble protecting 10,000 people. Are you comfortable splitting up your tribes into 2,500 each?"

"Yes!"

"Of course!" The two men bowed in reverence to the two men. "We-we've been praying for this day! An alliance with the most powerful nation!"

"We're not the most powerful nation. Just the most notorious," Barabin held the two men up and sighed, seeing Howard once again training in the distance. He'd been hoping to hear about how Howard's date with Harley went, but clearly not everything went as planned.

Barabin had to leave to explore the Jarlonsen Abyss in a couple months, and only Reslan and Sally could be left behind at most. That meant Howard would have to deal with an invasion by himself with little aid. He'd have to mature so much in such a short amount of time. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. "Ugh, go tell your leaders we agree to the alliance. However! However, you need to give us three months! In three months, we're going to have to put all of this on that fifteen year olds shoulders! You better go thank him!"

"Yes! Yes!" The two man bowed and rushed over to Howard, immediately bowing in font of him again.

One of the men was at least a foot taller than Howard, so it was sort of a weird sight. Barabin chuckled and looked at the two other Founders waiting in the corner of the room. They had not said a single thing to him in the last 5 months. Jarlonsen Abyss had been that terrifying, but they seemed to be contemplating the current situation.

"The world is ending as we know it," Founder Arista had on a white set of armor, with beautiful black hair, small gems scattered sporadically across her skin. "Things are getting harder, Barabin. Are you going to be comfortable leaving your student in charge of everything? Do we need to take him to that place?"

"I've been thinking about it," Barabin slammed his hand into the wall. "Damn it! I wanted to wait until he was 18 before taking him there!"

"We have three months to turn him into a leader." Carter sighed and tapped Barabin on the shoulder. "The sooner we take him there, the sooner we can leave him behind." Carter nodded his head and looked at a cloud of smoke brewing in the distance.

He couldn't believe it. Now even the Mocralin were coming to visit.

Alrok road on a horse with three hundred warriors by his side with a small wagon in the center of their formation. He looked extremely happy, and Howard immediately noticed him when he turned and looked into the distance.

"Howard, It's me buddy! Long time no see," Alrok waved and smiled extremely widely. "I came to form an alliance just as promised!"