C18 The Initial Success of the Promotion Plan

Upon witnessing the current state of the Nolanthias people, a primitive tribe living within the Underground Tribe, Ostar, the New Lord of the Bloomfield Region and the Empire's Third Prince, was left utterly dumbfounded for quite some time.

To this day, he remains perplexed as to how the armies of the West Continent were defeated by such primitive people. The Oberiske Empire, renowned as the strongest military force on the West Continent, boasted an army that was constantly at war, with soldiers whose average combat prowess was among the highest in the region.

Emperor Augustus VIII, Ostar's father, was a ruler of considerable military genius and strategic prowess. In terms of equipment, the Oberiske Empire's expeditionary forces were each outfitted with fine iron armor. The army was comprehensive, including cavalry, infantry, bowmen, crossbowmen, and chariot soldiers, all supported by reconnaissance scouts and even a magic attack unit at the onset of battle.

The Human Clan had a very small proportion of professional mages, and even fewer served in the military. The army's magic attack unit consisted of soldiers trained in basic, elementary attack magic, which, strictly speaking, did not qualify them as true mages.

In stark contrast, the inhabitants of the Middle Continent, these members of the primitive tribe, were still armed with Stone Age technology, their only defense being rudimentary beast skins, and their weapons made of stone, not even bronze. Yet, they managed to defeat an Iron Age imperial army. It was an inconceivable reversal, with a primitive society overcoming a feudal one, defying all conventional wisdom.

Ostar could not fathom how his father had suffered such a defeat. By all accounts of equipment alone, these primitives should have been no match for even the most common bandits, who at least wielded iron weapons, let alone the more formidable Green Forest Bandits, Prairie Bandits, Sea Bandits, and the subsequent marauders.

"Gonias, how on earth did you manage to defeat the Imperial Army with such inferior equipment?" Ostar inquired.

"Lord Ostar, you're missing the bigger picture. If you only consider the combat strength of an army, of course, you'd be at a disadvantage. But if you factor in the personal combat strength of our chieftain, it's a different story altogether," Gonias explained.

As the leader of the Nolandias people, Gonias succinctly laid out the situation for New Lord Ostar. It turned out that the Empire Expeditionary Force's failure to conquer this area was entirely due to the formidable tribal chiefs of the various primitive tribes. Each of these dozen or so chiefs was a force to be reckoned with, possessing explosive combat prowess and exceptional command abilities, capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle.

The Empire's forces were vanquished by the overwhelming might of these tribal leaders, not by the rank-and-file members of the tribes. Emperor Augustus VIII himself had been bested by one of the less formidable female clan leaders among the dozen. He had been defeated without even facing the top-tier clan leaders, whose combat strength was nothing short of terrifying.

After the carriage came to a halt, Gonias took the lead, guiding Ostar and his entourage to meet the tribe's chief. The tribal dwellings were modest thatched huts, seemingly delicate and insubstantial.

The Nolandias tribe resided near a pristine, unnamed creek, subsisting on foraged fruits, primarily blood fruit, and fish caught from the creek. They prepared their food in the simplest ways, as they lacked the means to hunt large predators.

Within the Bloomfield region, only the naturally large and warlike Salajanim people had the prowess to hunt big game. The Lornos Beers, skilled in using their wits and tools, could hunt smaller game. The Nolandias, the most numerous, were the least capable hunters, relying instead on fishing and foraging, unable to compete with the other tribes in hunting. The tribe's name bore a connection to its chief but held no other special significance.

"Sister Gonias, what brings you to visit me? This year's blood fruit harvest has been poor, and the fish from the nameless stream haven't returned. I'm afraid I have little to offer you by way of hospitality."

"Rosie, allow me to introduce you to someone. This is Lord Ostar, our new leader. He wishes to discuss a matter with you."

"A lord? What's that, someone even more formidable than Sister Gonias? But he doesn't seem to have much in the way of combat strength!"

"The role of a feudal lord is distinct from that of a tribal leader."

Thanks to Gonias's introduction, Ostar finally met the chieftain of the Underground Tribe. The chieftain essentially served as the village head, with the tribe numbering around a thousand members. By the standards of towns and villages on the Human Clan Continent, it would qualify as a small village. However, by the benchmarks of the Middle Continent's primitive tribes, it would be deemed a small tribe.

Rosie, the female chieftain of the Underground Tribe, ranked at the bottom in the Bloomfield Region based on her combat prowess, making her tribe the weakest by association. In this region, the might of a primitive tribe was gauged by the personal combat strength of its leader, rather than the size of its population.

Ostar was taken aback by Rosie's appearance, which defied his expectations. The chieftain was a charming, petite loli, complete with the endearing trait of animal ears. Rosie stood at a mere 146 cm, her dark purple hair cut short to shoulder length, lacking the flowing elegance of longer locks. Her skin was the color of ivory, and her eyes, a deep shade of green.

Rosie's attire, a dark purple short-sleeved dress with a pink tie and purple-and-white striped stockings, was clearly anachronistic against the backdrop of a primitive era. Without a doubt, her outfit was a creation of the White Witch Gonias, imbued with magical properties. Even her shoes mirrored the design favored by Gonias.

Her chest was flat, what one might refer to as a "runway." Ostar guessed she was barely an A-cup and appeared to be around twelve years old. Without prior knowledge, no one would suspect this young girl to be the tribe's chieftain.

What caught Ostar's attention was Rosie's animal-ear trait. Atop her head sat a pair of round, mouse-like ears, deep purple to match her hair, and a tail of the same hue extended from her back. It would be more precise to address her as "Mouse Lady."

As Ostar observed Rosie, she reciprocated the curiosity. Unfamiliar with what a lord was, and reassured by Gonias that he was no foe, Rosie's face brightened with a sweet smile. She lifted her right hand, eager to greet Ostar with a friendly wave.

The maidservants trailing behind Ostar, including Chris and two others, were currently concealing their true capabilities. They didn't exude any semblance of combat prowess, which is why Rosie remained oblivious to any potential threat. Due to language barriers, Ostar had to depend on Gonias, who served as an intermediary translator, to communicate with Rosie.

Rosie's voice was tinged with shyness, barely above a whisper, and her demeanor was quite mouse-like. Despite ranking lowest among the tribal chieftains in combat strength within the Bloomfield Region, she could effortlessly outmatch the expeditionary forces of the Empire Army.

The innocuous-looking "mouse" loli, Rosie, possessed a unique talent for tunneling underground, creating cavernous voids. A single ground collapse orchestrated by her had decimated the joint charge of the third and fourth elite Knight Groups of the Oberiske Empire, resulting in over a hundred casualties among the Empire's elite knights. This forced Emperor Augustus VIII to reroute his forces, abandoning further assaults on the Underground Tribe.

"Lord Brother, I'm the naughty child who trapped your Knight Group in a pit! Aren't you upset?" Rosie teased.

"Rosie, my dear, this is a matter of politics, and it's quite complicated to explain at the moment. Those knights aren't under my command, so it doesn't directly concern me. More importantly, I can address your tribe's food shortage," Ostar replied, steering the conversation back to practical matters.

"Lord Brother, you're truly not bothered by it?" Rosie pressed.

"Little sister, I assure you, I'm not. I'm not the one who pays those Knight Groups, nor do I handle their compensations," Ostar reassured her.

Ostar wasn't concerned with Rosie's past actions. Instead, he took the opportunity to pitch his agricultural seeds to the loli chieftain, particularly emphasizing potatoes as a staple crop.

Ostar was hesitant to risk other crops like wheat, maize, and rice without a clear understanding of the Underground Tribe's land conditions. Potatoes were a safer bet for cultivation.

"Lord Brother, can these actually be grown and eaten? I've never seen such food among the imports from overseas continents," Rosie inquired with curiosity.

"Absolutely, they're quite tasty. If you plant them following my instructions, you'll have more than enough for the entire tribe come harvest time. It's a far more reliable source than foraging for fruits and fishing, don't you think?" Ostar explained, confident in the benefits of potato farming.

Prince Ostar leveraged his past life's salesmanship and professional skills to sing the praises of potatoes to the skies. After all, as the sole transmigrator there, he could extol the virtues of potatoes without fear of contradiction.

Initially, Rosie was dubious, but considering that Ostar came recommended by Gonias, she reluctantly agreed to hear him out. Before long, the "Mouse Lady" lolita found herself intrigued. As the matriarch, she was well aware of her tribe's predicament.

The Underground Tribe primarily relied on fishing in an unnamed stream and foraging for wild fruits, both of which were unreliable sources. The stream's fish returned sporadically, leading to inconsistent catches, and the wild blood fruits couldn't grow fast enough to meet the tribe's harvesting rate.

Food scarcity had kept the tribe's population hovering around a thousand. Overcoming this hurdle could spur rapid development and population growth. Ostar's pitch struck a chord with Rosie, yet she wasn't ready to commit without getting some questions answered first.

"Lord Brother, this 'horse... potato,' does it really have so many benefits? It won't fail to grow after planting, will it? My people can't afford to go hungry."

"There's no need to worry. Follow my planting instructions, and I assure you, we'll have a harvest. If for some reason we don't, I'll address your tribe's food concerns."

"Rosie, trust in Lord Ostar just this once! I wouldn't deceive you. Trying it out can't hurt. Surely you don't want your tribe to remain the weakest?"

"Fine, if Sister Gonias is vouching for it, then I'll let everyone have a go."

With Ostar's persuasive pitch and Gonias' endorsement, Rosie consented to a trial. The Underground Tribe, now the first in the Bloomfield Region to adopt agricultural innovations, began planting the potato seeds Ostar had provided.

If the potatoes flourished and made it to harvest, the Underground Tribe would become a local indigenous tribe recognizing the sovereignty of New Lord Ostar.

"Lord Brother, if things are truly as you've described, I'll follow Sister Gonias's arrangements and heed your commands from this point forward."

"Rosie, you'll continue to oversee your tribe. I don't intend to meddle excessively."

Ostar laid out his future intentions to Rosie in straightforward terms. He believed it best for the chieftain to handle tribal affairs, considering himself merely an outsider in the role of lord. As long as the matriarchs remained loyal to him, there was no need for him to directly govern the tribe's members.