59: Enable function: map positioning!

“We didn’t conspire with the shaman, it’s…”

It had come to this point; the Vulture Chief knew there was no use resisting any further, so he revealed the truth—

“The Golden Scorpion Tribe and I… bribed the shaman.”

“Bribed?”

Cheng Zhen raised an eyebrow: “You brought extra people and hid things, which doesn’t seem so simple. This contest for Hosa Du’s Scepter was a trap set by you and the shaman, wasn’t it?”

The Vulture Chief shook his head, enduring the pain: “No, it’s not. Don’t forget we were fighting over a water source, and it was the shaman who stopped the conflict.”

“The shaman said he felt a prophecy from the ancestor Hosa Du, instructing qualified successors to go to the forbidden land to determine the sole winner.”

“I was originally like you, preparing to bring a hundred people into this place. But a few days before departure, I suddenly received news that the Golden Scorpion Tribe had approached the shaman, seemingly with some scheme.”

“There were many old grievances between the tribes, so naturally, I wouldn’t let them do as they pleased, and I went to find out. As soon as I got there and was about to question them, the shaman surprisingly offered a suggestion first, proposing to help our two tribes gain an advantage.”

“For example, by concealing information about opponents from you, and allowing us to bring more warriors into the forbidden land.”

Cheng Zhen heard this and added: “And, to enter here later than us, right? After those of us who came in first fight to the death, you’ll come in to pick up the scraps?”

The Vulture Chief nodded, a hint of awkwardness on his dark face: “Yes, once only the Golden Scorpion Tribe and I were left, it would be up to our own abilities.”

“What benefits did you promise the shaman to make him help you so much?” Cheng Zhen asked.

It was nothing more than power, food, territory, and such… But from the mouths of these people, Cheng Zhen could tell that the shaman’s status was not low, so those things shouldn’t have such a great allure for him, right?

The Vulture Chief mentioned some things given to the shaman, which were largely as Cheng Zhen had guessed, making Cheng Zhen even more puzzled.

Then, the Vulture Chief answered another question from Cheng Zhen—

“If I could choose, I sincerely hope you could join my tribe and bring us an endless supply of food.”

He sighed: “But the shaman informed us when we came in that Hosa Du’s Scepter would only appear when all other God-given ones (people who gained God-given abilities) had died.”

“If you accept surrender instead of killing, you won’t get the scepter.”

The Vulture Chief told Cheng Zhen everything he knew. Given their current predicament, there was no point in hiding anything.

Even if he didn't tell the truth and tried to deceive the other party, he couldn't turn the tide. If Cheng Zhen found out something was wrong and then acted against him, it would only be a matter of dying sooner or later.

The scorpion venom was still tormenting him; the Vulture Chief just wanted to be free quickly.

Seeing that he couldn't get any more information, Cheng Zhen stopped asking about the shaman, simply throwing out the same question as before:

“Do you want to submit to my Sand Fox Tribe?”

The Vulture Chief was stunned.

So, everything I just said, you didn’t listen?

He opened his mouth: “…You, don’t you want Hosa Du’s Scepter?”

“Of course I do,” Cheng Zhen said matter-of-factly, “After all, it’s the shaman’s prophecy, so it’s worth listening to.”

“Then you still…” The Vulture Chief looked speechless, seemingly wanting to ask ‘why don’t you kill me,’ but considering it was closely related to his own life, he wasn’t so depraved as to beg someone to kill him.

“Don’t worry about it, I have my own pace.”

Cheng Zhen waved his hand: “If you agree, nod to surrender. If you don’t, I’ll kill you and put a compliant chief in charge.”

After speaking, he glanced at a certain Dwarf and Strong Warrior, who immediately trembled with fear.

Cheng Zhen had heard all the information the Vulture Chief provided, but he didn't want to follow what the other party said.

As the saying goes, what the enemy opposes, we must support.

He says it won't work, so it won't work? Cheng Zhen didn't believe it.

The dungeon wouldn't be so pointless as to create useless settings. After accepting the Giant Camel Tribe's surrender, his acquired attribute panel had already revealed another possibility.

A path different from the original ending was the answer Cheng Zhen sought.

Seeing Cheng Zhen’s gaze sweep over that ‘traitor,’ the Vulture Chief became a little agitated.

After I die, will the traitor inherit the tribe?

No, I absolutely will not allow it!

If he takes over, I won’t rest in peace!!!

The Vulture Chief, who was sitting there waiting to die, suddenly felt a strong urge to survive.

“I agree to surrender to you.”

He endured the pain and lowered his head.

One cheated, one poisoned; the crow laughing at the pig for being black, no one can criticize anyone else. In the end, the victor is king, and the loser is a bandit.

With the chief leading the way, the remaining Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe warriors, though unwilling, did not resist. They all knelt on one knee, accepting their new ruler.

As they removed their totems and replaced them with the Sand Fox Tribe’s totem, a new system notification arrived as expected—

【Beep, the leader of the ‘Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe’ has submitted to you.】

【142 members of this tribe have merged into the ‘Sand Fox Tribe’.】

【Congratulations on successfully merging a second tribe, gaining a new function: Map Positioning】

(Jin Yu’s tribe didn’t have enough members before, so it wasn’t considered a successful merger)

With the new function in hand, Cheng Zhen was very satisfied.

He observed the newly acquired NPC panel. The strength and other numerical attributes were similar to other tribes, but loyalty was polarized.

Some were as low as a dozen points, but over thirty people had loyalty scores of sixty or seventy.

Cheng Zhen remembered bringing people out of the sand and immediately understood.

Sure enough, the actions of the Raiders (players/protagonists) affected the NPCs' opinions. Those with particularly low loyalty were probably the unlucky ones he had poisoned.

Conversely, the Dwarf and Strong Warrior made Cheng Zhen take another look.

Over 80 loyalty… you little rascal have completely fallen, haven't you?

He clicked his tongue in wonder and then opened the new function: Map Positioning.

【Map Positioning: Allows you to see the locations of tribe members on the map (Cooldown: 10 minutes)】

Cheng Zhen opened the map panel and could clearly see his own location, as well as the locations of his subordinates around him.

He could also individually select to view NPCs from the Sand Fox Tribe, the (former) Giant Camel Tribe, and the (former) Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe. The three parties also had slight color differences, which was very convenient.

There was a small gap in the population area, which should be the Mao Shu Tribe members of Jin Yu. Since they had not yet been successfully merged, they were not displayed on the map panel.

Cheng Zhen planned to have Jin Yu try the method he had thought of before. Each time a new tribe was merged, a new panel function would be added, which was very practical.

He was about to call someone over when he suddenly noticed a strange spot on the map. He clicked to view it and immediately frowned.

A dozen small dots were rapidly moving towards his location.

Moving quickly in the Desert consumed a lot of stamina; unless the situation was special, most would not do so.

Those dozen or so small dots… were the people Cheng Zhen had previously sent to the No. 3 Oasis.

When Old Xu and Cheng Zhen first met, Old Xu saw that Cheng Zhen’s team was not at full strength. At that time, after receiving the beast skin clue, he had sent people to investigate the situation.

NPCs had good memories. After they memorized the map, Cheng Zhen agreed to meet them near the 2nd Oasis.

Now, looking at them, it seemed they were in trouble…

“We didn’t conspire with the shaman, it’s…”

It had come to this point; the Vulture Chief knew there was no use resisting any further, so he revealed the truth—

“The Golden Scorpion Tribe and I… bribed the shaman.”

“Bribed?”

Cheng Zhen raised an eyebrow: “You brought extra people and hid things, which doesn’t seem so simple. This contest for Hosa Du’s Scepter was a trap set by you and the shaman, wasn’t it?”

The Vulture Chief shook his head, enduring the pain: “No, it’s not. Don’t forget we were fighting over a water source, and it was the shaman who stopped the conflict.”

“The shaman said he felt a prophecy from the ancestor Hosa Du, instructing qualified successors to go to the forbidden land to determine the sole winner.”

“I was originally like you, preparing to bring a hundred people into this place. But a few days before departure, I suddenly received news that the Golden Scorpion Tribe had approached the shaman, seemingly with some scheme.”

“There were many old grievances between the tribes, so naturally, I wouldn’t let them do as they pleased, and I went to find out. As soon as I got there and was about to question them, the shaman surprisingly offered a suggestion first, proposing to help our two tribes gain an advantage.”

“For example, by concealing information about opponents from you, and allowing us to bring more warriors into the forbidden land.”

Cheng Zhen heard this and added: “And, to enter here later than us, right? After those of us who came in first fight to the death, you’ll come in to pick up the scraps?”

The Vulture Chief nodded, a hint of awkwardness on his dark face: “Yes, once only the Golden Scorpion Tribe and I were left, it would be up to our own abilities.”

“What benefits did you promise the shaman to make him help you so much?” Cheng Zhen asked.

It was nothing more than power, food, territory, and such… But from the mouths of these people, Cheng Zhen could tell that the shaman’s status was not low, so those things shouldn’t have such a great allure for him, right?

The Vulture Chief mentioned some things given to the shaman, which were largely as Cheng Zhen had guessed, making Cheng Zhen even more puzzled.

Then, the Vulture Chief answered another question from Cheng Zhen—

“If I could choose, I sincerely hope you could join my tribe and bring us an endless supply of food.”

He sighed: “But the shaman informed us when we came in that Hosa Du’s Scepter would only appear when all other God-given ones (people who gained God-given abilities) had died.”

“If you accept surrender instead of killing, you won’t get the scepter.”

The Vulture Chief told Cheng Zhen everything he knew. Given their current predicament, there was no point in hiding anything.

Even if he didn't tell the truth and tried to deceive the other party, he couldn't turn the tide. If Cheng Zhen found out something was wrong and then acted against him, it would only be a matter of dying sooner or later.

The scorpion venom was still tormenting him; the Vulture Chief just wanted to be free quickly.

Seeing that he couldn't get any more information, Cheng Zhen stopped asking about the shaman, simply throwing out the same question as before:

“Do you want to submit to my Sand Fox Tribe?”

The Vulture Chief was stunned.

So, everything I just said, you didn’t listen?

He opened his mouth: “…You, don’t you want Hosa Du’s Scepter?”

“Of course I do,” Cheng Zhen said matter-of-factly, “After all, it’s the shaman’s prophecy, so it’s worth listening to.”

“Then you still…” The Vulture Chief looked speechless, seemingly wanting to ask ‘why don’t you kill me,’ but considering it was closely related to his own life, he wasn’t so depraved as to beg someone to kill him.

“Don’t worry about it, I have my own pace.”

Cheng Zhen waved his hand: “If you agree, nod to surrender. If you don’t, I’ll kill you and put a compliant chief in charge.”

After speaking, he glanced at a certain Dwarf and Strong Warrior, who immediately trembled with fear.

Cheng Zhen had heard all the information the Vulture Chief provided, but he didn't want to follow what the other party said.

As the saying goes, what the enemy opposes, we must support.

He says it won't work, so it won't work? Cheng Zhen didn't believe it.

The dungeon wouldn't be so pointless as to create useless settings. After accepting the Giant Camel Tribe's surrender, his acquired attribute panel had already revealed another possibility.

A path different from the original ending was the answer Cheng Zhen sought.

Seeing Cheng Zhen’s gaze sweep over that ‘traitor,’ the Vulture Chief became a little agitated.

After I die, will the traitor inherit the tribe?

No, I absolutely will not allow it!

If he takes over, I won’t rest in peace!!!

The Vulture Chief, who was sitting there waiting to die, suddenly felt a strong urge to survive.

“I agree to surrender to you.”

He endured the pain and lowered his head.

One cheated, one poisoned; the crow laughing at the pig for being black, no one can criticize anyone else. In the end, the victor is king, and the loser is a bandit.

With the chief leading the way, the remaining Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe warriors, though unwilling, did not resist. They all knelt on one knee, accepting their new ruler.

As they removed their totems and replaced them with the Sand Fox Tribe’s totem, a new system notification arrived as expected—

【Beep, the leader of the ‘Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe’ has submitted to you.】

【142 members of this tribe have merged into the ‘Sand Fox Tribe’.】

【Congratulations on successfully merging a second tribe, gaining a new function: Map Positioning】

(Jin Yu’s tribe didn’t have enough members before, so it wasn’t considered a successful merger)

With the new function in hand, Cheng Zhen was very satisfied.

He observed the newly acquired NPC panel. The strength and other numerical attributes were similar to other tribes, but loyalty was polarized.

Some were as low as a dozen points, but over thirty people had loyalty scores of sixty or seventy.

Cheng Zhen remembered bringing people out of the sand and immediately understood.

Sure enough, the actions of the Raiders (players/protagonists) affected the NPCs' opinions. Those with particularly low loyalty were probably the unlucky ones he had poisoned.

Conversely, the Dwarf and Strong Warrior made Cheng Zhen take another look.

Over 80 loyalty… you little rascal have completely fallen, haven't you?

He clicked his tongue in wonder and then opened the new function: Map Positioning.

【Map Positioning: Allows you to see the locations of tribe members on the map (Cooldown: 10 minutes)】

Cheng Zhen opened the map panel and could clearly see his own location, as well as the locations of his subordinates around him.

He could also individually select to view NPCs from the Sand Fox Tribe, the (former) Giant Camel Tribe, and the (former) Lesser Spotted Eagle Tribe. The three parties also had slight color differences, which was very convenient.

There was a small gap in the population area, which should be the Mao Shu Tribe members of Jin Yu. Since they had not yet been successfully merged, they were not displayed on the map panel.

Cheng Zhen planned to have Jin Yu try the method he had thought of before. Each time a new tribe was merged, a new panel function would be added, which was very practical.

He was about to call someone over when he suddenly noticed a strange spot on the map. He clicked to view it and immediately frowned.

A dozen small dots were rapidly moving towards his location.

Moving quickly in the Desert consumed a lot of stamina; unless the situation was special, most would not do so.

Those dozen or so small dots… were the people Cheng Zhen had previously sent to the No. 3 Oasis.

When Old Xu and Cheng Zhen first met, Old Xu saw that Cheng Zhen’s team was not at full strength. At that time, after receiving the beast skin clue, he had sent people to investigate the situation.

NPCs had good memories. After they memorized the map, Cheng Zhen agreed to meet them near the 2nd Oasis.

Now, looking at them, it seemed they were in trouble…