Interdimensional Farming in Another World

[A/N : If you could, please leave a review. It would be really helpful to know my shortcomings.]

Two days later.

Most of the ice phoenix tribe members have returned home. They couldn't turn a blind eye to what happened in Blue gem city.

With them was the current matriarch of the ice phoenix tribe, the princesses' grandmother. She was strengthening the seal of the demons in the north. So, she was not in the Blue gem city when the attack happened.

She was incensed after witnessing the poor condition of the city. Soon, she heard about the actual damage done to the city. Understanding her predicament, to quickly solve the immediate problem, she convened a tribal meeting.

Meanwhile, Alex felt trapped.

He was living his dream, but something felt off to him once in a while.

The ice phoenix tribe treated him like a guest. The food was good and the living condition was great. Unlike how he used to live in the stone head tribe, he didn't have to care about anything. Life was easy.

And this tingled his bulls**t sensor.

Something was off about the way they were treating him. And whenever he tried to leave, he was persuaded to stay. At some point, he realised that he didn't have a choice. He was under house arrest. He was a damned prisoner.

This scared him slightly. He could have escaped the place if he wanted. But the roots he has in this world and his identity as Meru prevented him from doing so. It was better to solve any misunderstanding before leaving. Otherwise, the ice phoenix tribe would come to the stone head tribe to chop his head off.

"Sir Taka, how are you feeling today?"

"Quite good. After eating the muscle growth medicine, I can move my right arm again. This calls for a celebration. How about I send someone to bring the chicken-like magical beast?"

"Ha-ha, you jest."

"No, I already send someone to bring it."

"Hm, we can celebrate," Alex said while nodding his head. "Would you mind if I invite the servants of the palace?"

"No problem. They have done well in serving us for the past few days."

"Any news on why we are under house arrest?" Alex suddenly asked.

This caught Taka off guard. He looked at Alex and smiled knowingly. He also felt as though they were being kept under house arrest. Even though the ice phoenix tribe wouldn't disregard him without any valid reason. He was waiting for them to give an official statement.

"The reason might be simple. For example, the abilities we showed during our battle."

"But why should the ice phoenix tribe care about that? We helped them during a crisis. Shouldn't they thank us instead of imprisoning us?" Alex probed for more information.

"What you said makes sense. But the nature of the crisis this time was not natural. Someone deliberately orchestrated an attack on the whole city. It was anything but natural. And the timing was impeccable too." Lifting a cup of hot tea, he drank it with a knowing smile. He was calm and composed.

"Even though we don't completely understand their motives, I could certainly say it was an inside job. Or else, how can they attack precisely when the matriarch of the ice phoenix tribe was away? There are no coincidences in a situation like this. They are even suspicious of each other. So, how can we be not suspicious in their eyes." Taka elaborated.

Although Taka may have appeared to be slow at times, his mind was actually much quicker than most others. He quickly understood the basic situation of the ice phoenix tribe.

"I should make preparation to import daily necessities into the city. It would be hard to live without a home in the harsh winter of the north." Taka was not trying to profiteer in the crisis. He was wholeheartedly trying to help the people.

From his interaction with Taka, Alex slowly began to understand the person known as Taka. Even though he was a middle-aged gourmet, he was not a fool. He was a person of principles.

Alex nodded after hearing this. He would be a great business partner, he thought.

—-------------

The tribal meeting was about to commence. The warriors of the tribe sat in the audience seats while the leaders and elders sat at the centre.

In the audience, Meena and Laya were seated close to the centre. Her sister Kalina was sitting with elders and leaders of the tribe. She was the only youth among the group of people sitting in the centre.

They were waiting for the matriarch to appear before proceeding with the meeting.

And as they wanted, the matriarch of the ice phoenix tribe soon came from beyond the audience. She exuded a grim presence that chilled the room to sub-zero temperature.

Everyone in the hall stood up when they noticed her. They bowed to show their respect while she walked calmly through the audience until she reached the centre of the hall. She quietly took a seat in the middle.

The matriarch of the ice phoenix tribe should have been an elderly woman. She was almost a hundred and ten years old this year. Yet, she looked like just someone in her fifties. And she was the only tier-five warrior in the whole tribe.

She was someone respected by everyone in the tribe equally. And to sit in her presence was considered an honour and a privilege.

Despite the honour of being in her presence, many people kept their gaze averted, too afraid to meet her eyes.

They were ashamed of their inability to protect the Blue gem city.

"The tribal meeting has officially begun." Announced the first elder of the ice phoenix tribe once all attendees had settled in. He continued on to list the agenda for the meeting.

"We will be discussing the matters concerning the terror attack against the Blue Gem City and the Ice Phoenix Tribe. We will also look into the responsibility and accountability of those involved in the incident. And most importantly, we will look into the theft of Blue Gem, one of the most important spirit totems of the tribe." Suddenly everyone gasped. No one told them about the theft.

The Blue Gem was a crystalline drop of blood left behind by an Ice Phoenix. It was a spirit totem that ensured the strength and prosperity of the tribe. Even the city got its name from crystal. And knowing that it was stolen shocked the people.

The Blue Gem was stored in the monolithic shrine in the centre of the palace. It was one of the most secure places in the whole continent. And yet, some had stolen it from right under their noses. This was too shocking of a revelation to be taken lightly.

"First, the elder council would like to question princess Kalina." Pulling everyone back from their thoughts, the first elder said. After that, he took his seat. It was obvious from the way he behaved that he disliked the princess.

After all, when the matriarch was away. Kalina was considered the head of the tribe and she had all the decision-making power. She held a greater position than all the elders present.

So, they had disagreements more than once while governing the tribe. This might have deteriorated their relationship. In fact, it could be one of the reasons why he was not holding back in his criticisms of Kalina.

And another reason was his ambition to grab power from the princess. By humiliating the princess, he was trying to put his son as a possible replacement for her. He trying to make his son the next head of the ice phoenix tribe.

The matriarch also agreed with the first elder, inviting Kaina to stand up and be questioned.

"Kalina, you were tasked with protecting the tribe. So, let me ask you. Where were you during the attack?"

"Where were you when the citizens were being killed?" Sharp pointy questions were asked by the elder council.

And Kalina was stumped, incapable of answering any. It momentarily reminded her of the tragic scene in the city. And she paused. Even though she tried to save as many people as she can, she was actually trying to save her sisters. She valued her sister's life more than that of the citizens. It was true that she failed to protect the people. She felt guilty and ashamed.

"Everything else can be forgiven. You might not have been strong enough to protect everyone. But what were you doing when the enemies stole the blue gem. Where were you?" The first elder who was waiting promptly asked. He wanted everyone in the tribe to see how useless their princess was.

The blue gem was very important to the tribe. It was one of the reasons why their tribe became strong. And each of the nine great tribes had spirit totems that represented them just like the blue gem. And losing something like that was an unacceptable mistake. The first elder was trying to use this situation to his advantage and grab power away from Kalina.

"First elder, you should also look at her merits. She alone took down five of the twenty beasts that were summoned inside the city. Even though about eight hundred people died during the attack, it could have been more if not for the princess." The third elder said.

He looked dignified and calm while talking. However, he was not actively supporting Kalina. He was there to provide a neutral stance to the polarised conversation. Everyone was beginning to lose their trust in their princess. And it would not bore well for the tribe to bash such a talented individual.

After voicing his opinion, the third elder kept quiet. And the matriarch observed everything closely.

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