"Ahahaha! Finally, the sky is high and the birds fly free, the feathers of the Three Gods have reached the legendary homeland! What a rugged mountain range, what a suddenly widened river valley!"

The sky is a bright golden yellow, the mountains a rugged gray-yellow. There's not much green, and rainfall is quite limited. Amidst the formidable and towering mountains stretch a sparse spread of black coal and occasional patches of gleaming gold. This gleaming consists of genuine Jin Shi and underlying copper mines. And the Opata Valleys, later part of the US-Mexico Border, rich in mineral resources, of the Sonora Inland Mountain Region, unfold suddenly at the end of the mountain path!

"Ahahaha! If we set up a village on this dangerous mountain path, with some guarding, even a hundred or two hundred militia tribespeople, we wouldn't be able to get over it! This perfect geography, even more difficult to attack than the Colima Mountain Region! And these split valleys between the mountains, though a bit arid, each has a great river flowing through, capable of growing corn, squash, and sweet potatoes! We've finally survived to reach this point, feeling as happy as if we've returned home! Ahahaha!"

Old Feather Pengguari climbed to the top of the hill, looking at the valley below, and the distant smoke rising from the village. He was in tatters, marked with dark red bloodstains that hadn't been washed for a long time, and laughed heartily. Leaning on a climbing scepter, he embraced the eastern wilderness's wind and sand, confident like a monkey of Heavenly Destiny, ragged like a mad rat king. Behind him, a thousand Feathered Warriors of the vanguard, accompanied by hundreds of mixed units and Yoeme warriors, emerged one by one, like a swarm of rats escaping the highland slaughter, transforming into wolves in a brand new hunting ground. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Ancestors bless the feathers! We have traveled a thousand li northward, and can still go farther north! Let's take a good look at this red copper-laden Opata Tribes, what they look like? Come, let's go down the mountain and see if their women are good for childbirth? And look at their villages, see if they farm by the river well, whether they need our help? Ahahaha!"

The Feathered Warriors laughed together, all clad in armor and leaning on bronze long spears. Their faces full of wind and sand, with a savagery accustomed to life and death, leading beasts to devour men. Among these elite fighters, the Wilderness Clan, armed with stone spears, showed both simplicity and ferocity. Yoeme captives, in a daze, simply carrying heavy supplies, followed numbly in the ranks. More clans' women and children, still hundreds of warriors at the rear guard, meandered northward along the mountain path behind. They stretched for two li, unsure if there were three thousand or four thousand, having absorbed countless small tribes, now more in number than when they set out!

"Ahahaha! Little Mountain Eagle Viejo, you've been in the lands of the Opata people, recognize the chieftain of this valley! From now on, it's up to you!... I've treated you well these days, spared your life, didn't eat you, nor let you go hungry. You must guide us well, directly to the largest Opata Tribe in this valley! The clans' food supplies will soon be exhausted, supporting the six thousand people, an average small tribe can't manage!"

Little Mountain Eagle Viejo's expression was numb, looking at Old Feather's menacing old face approaching, his legs trembled in fear, unsure what threats he'd endured these days. He nodded vigorously, tried to swallow hard, and barely began to speak.

"Feathered Great Chief, rest... assured! Our Yoeme Great Tribe and the Opata Tribes have known each other for many years. I'm in charge of trade, familiar with the chieftain here! There are three large and dozens of small valleys, all separated by the mountains. Over a hundred thousand of Opata Tribe members are spread along the river in the mountains. The three valleys through which great rivers flow also have the largest village population, divided into the North Valley, East Valley, and West Valley three major tribes..."

"We, of the Yoeme Tribe, aren't claiming our fame spread too far, but at least all the tribes in this West Valley recognize... as long as you fly the Yoeme Tribe's flag, in a short time, the Opata won't oppose us, might even aid us with some food!"

"Ahahaha! Little Mountain Eagle, with your words, the Chief Divine beams with joy! Fear not! I won't eat you, this evening I'll marry my niece to you, let her accompany you! As long as we make it out of the mountain path, let the warriors rest well for two days, recover their strength for the next battle... As for the future food, we won't need their support, but will take it ourselves! Of course, it's better if they're unprepared..."

"Ahahaha! Ancestors' blessings, as long as we have enough food, I'll ensure everyone is fed! Once we seize this valley, all Yoeme Tribe warriors will become members of the Feather Clan! Anyway, Yoeme Tribe is already gone, swallowed in one bite by the Southern Kingdom, so stay well alongside me... Ahahaha! Gather all your strength, grip your spears tightly!"

Old Feather's maniacal laughter, spun and spread in the yellow wind, scattering among the mountains. More than a thousand like wolves or tigers of the Feather Clan also laughed excitedly. The mixed units of the wilderness even let out wolf howls of the Canine Descendants. On the faces of the Yoeme captives, there appeared a trace of cruelty and ferocity. After all, it's always better to eat others than to be eaten...

"Awoo!~~ Awoo!~~"

The long wind blew through the valley, and the howling of the wolves vaguely echoed in the sky. In the nearest Opata village, a group of women looked up in surprise, gazing toward the southern mountain pass, but saw nothing. These Opata women were dressed in grass-woven clothes, carrying straw-wrapped baskets on their backs, collecting dry vines in the mountains after autumn.

The Opata people lived in arid mountains where agriculture was not well developed. The growth of cotton required 500 millimeters of rainfall, which exceeded the mountain's scale of precipitation. Therefore, the Opatas rarely had cotton cloth; they usually wore grass clothes, and even their houses were sturdy, low grass huts. They were ancient wicker weavers, able to weave watertight bowls and baskets from dense fine grass, serving as daily utensils.

Many small Opata tribes had low productivity and retained matriarchal characteristics, with female ancestors. The grass utensils woven by women played an indispensable role in life and naturally had corresponding economic and political power. The men had not experienced much fighting, did not evolve a specialized samurai class, and could not dominate the tribe. In fact, the Opata tribes had almost never fought battles with a thousand people or arrayed military formations. They excelled in skirmishes with small groups of a few dozen, the most outstanding being the mountain hunters and archers.

At this time, the most formidable enemy known to the Opata people was none other than the Apache tribes from the northern valley, those barbarian children who painted their faces, raided south and left. The migrating Apaches on the grasslands, though fearless, were not adept at mountain entanglement. The tribes of the northern valley, all wielding red copper spears and axes, were always on guard against them...

However, the fierce winds and waves rising from the southern plateau finally reached the distant northern inland. Even just a remnant gust of yellow wind was unimaginably violent to the Opata people! Not to mention, the one leading this 'yellow wind' was the cunning and ruthless Feather, coming under the banner of the Yoeme Tribe...

"Ahahaha! Coming down the mountain, have the samurai restrain themselves a little! Take a good look at the Opata people's situation, see if they can fight!... Remember, we are all Yoeme remnants, crippled and fleeing from the Southern War God Tribe to take refuge!... Make the West Valley Great Tribe of the Opatas drop their guard, deceive and ambush if we can, no need to fight head-on! If anyone slips up and tells, just see if I don't skin them!"

"After taking down the West Valley Great Tribe, don't kill indiscriminately! By taking over this valley, we have a home, we settle down, and never leave again!... The heavens are high and the Chief Divine is far, the great banner of the Feather Clan can raise again!... Brother Peng, what are you saying? The best is these thousand miles of mountains, this perilous terrain? Taking the valley, closing the door to be a king? Bah! Your vision is still too shallow!"

Old Feather lifted the scepter, shaking his head, laughing wildly as he headed down the mountain toward the Great River. His crazed voice floated further and further away, only the sound of laughter coming from afar.

"Ahahaha! A pack of ignorant mad tigers! Once we take this valley, we still have to honor the banner of the Chief Divine, even welcome priests from the south, ostensibly pay tribute and submit! This way, we can scare the rest of the Opata tribes while seeing if we can acquire some good weapons and scarce supplies from the south!"

"Ancestors! All Prepetcha villagers, all believers of Chief Divine… Oh! Gummy People, ancient Totonac Gummy People!... Ahahaha! For the path of the clan, I even gave up my son, sent him to the southern Utadori Priest. I sent my daughter to sleep with the Little Raven, bore his seed… Who is more sincere in faith to the Chief Divine than me? Who is more a Gummy Person than me? This old man, I've painted eighteen Hummingbirds all over me!"

"Chief Divine's protection! Hummingbird's protection, let me get some Opata women, to bear some Feather children! You all should do the same, sleep with more women, bear more tribes of Feather, let the clan prosper again! These sporadic six or seven thousand people aren't enough, we need at least twenty thousand to hold this several hundred mile valley. And with sixty thousand, the entire thousand-mile Opata mountain range will be ours!... Ahahahahaha!"