What gave Esdeath a bit of a headache was that Tuck was also in this team, and he was the vice-captain.
Since the two of them had just had a conflict, and now had to cooperate in hunting, it was easy to see how difficult this would be.
However, if the teammates didn’t cooperate, the results of this hunt definitely wouldn’t be very good.
Should she try to persuade them with kind words to consider the bigger picture, or…?
For once, Esdeath didn’t know what to do.
She habitually asked the system: “System, what do you think I should do?”
The system didn’t answer directly, but instead raised a topic: “Little Esdeath, if you wanted to tame a wild horse, what would you do?”
Esdeath replied: “Well, of course, I would first soothe them and feed them something, then ride them to tame them until they submit.”
“What if that wild horse refused to submit despite your use of food, whips, or any other means?”
Esdeath shrugged: “Then there’s nothing to be done.
Even if it’s a fine steed, if it cannot be used by me, it must be killed.
As for why it must be killed, it’s because its resistance makes me very unhappy.”
The system said: “This system believes that recruiting subordinates is much the same.”
The more Esdeath spoke, the more she realized: “Yes, that’s right.”
Esdeath gathered everyone from the Seventh Team, cleared her throat, and said: “From now on, I am your new captain.
Surely you all know me; I am Esdeath.
If you have any objections, you may voice them now.”
There was a moment of silence; no one spoke.
However, the gazes of these tribesmen were not uniformly obedient.
Except for Ibia and the other two, everyone else’s eyes were extremely listless, and their postures were slouching.
Tuck and the five or six people around him didn’t even look at Esdeath, instead forming a small circle to chat among themselves.
Esdeath’s expression didn’t change, as if she had anticipated this situation.
However, she didn’t let it go, continuing: “Good.
Since no one has any objections, that means you all accept me as your captain.
From now on, if anyone does not follow my commands, they will be dealt with according to team regulations.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the team began to murmur, and the reaction from Tuck’s circle was particularly intense.
One of them, named Ethan, said in a loud, strange voice: “Yo, you don’t have much seniority, but you’ve certainly got a lot of airs.
Isn’t it just being a captain?
I’ve never heard of any team having team regulations.”
Esdeath glanced at him indifferently, noting his appearance in her mind: “That is exactly what I was about to say.
Without rules, nothing can be accomplished.
Since we are going out to hunt, we must have rules.
Otherwise, if I say to hunt for prey to the east, and you say to hunt to the west, who should the others listen to?”
When she said this, some of the neutral people nodded.
Indeed, when going out to hunt, one naturally had to listen to the captain.
It was just that rules had never been stated so clearly and strictly before.
Esdeath was also the youngest among them; although strength was respected, most people would feel uncomfortable with a junior commanding them.
“If you don’t follow commands, you waste everyone’s hunting time, reduce the prey caught, and affect the harvest.
Naturally, there must be punishment,” Esdeath said.
Tuck gave a look to the person beside him.
Another guy named Lemoka understood and stepped out, shouting loudly: “Alright, since the captain says so, then if we follow commands but end up catching no prey, is that the captain’s responsibility?
Will you also accept punishment?”
Lemoka’s words pushed Esdeath into the spotlight.
Hunting was a matter of depending on heaven and luck; it was common to occasionally not find prey for a day or two.
If they followed Lemoka’s logic, if no prey was found, Esdeath would also have to be dealt with according to the agreed-upon team regulations.
But if Esdeath had the privilege of not following these team regulations, there would be no way to restrain the others.
Before Esdeath could say anything, Ibia and her two loyal followers stood up for her, getting into an argument with Lemoka and his group.
Esdeath looked at Lemoka and said: “If we can’t catch anything, it concerns everyone, and naturally it concerns me too.
But if someone doesn’t put in the effort or deliberately causes trouble, they must naturally take responsibility.
Of course, if we all work together and still fail to catch prey, then as captain, I naturally bear the greatest responsibility.”
Esdeath’s words were fair, and Lemoka and his group couldn’t refute them.
Esdeath swept her gaze across their faces one by one.
The serious look and atmosphere made these youths unconsciously stand a bit straighter.
“Good.
Having said that, I will ask one more time: do you have any objections to me being captain?
If you do, step out now.”
No one dared to step out at this moment.
Stepping out would mean they were dissatisfied, and the next step would be to solve the problem with fists.
But none of these people thought they were a match for Esdeath in a direct confrontation; hadn’t they seen how badly Tuck had been beaten?
“Fine.
Since no one has any objections, follow me!”
Esdeath rode her white horse in the lead, and the others followed one after another.
This was the effect of that lecture just now; the neutral young tribesmen subconsciously chose to follow Esdeath’s commands.
If she hadn’t lectured them at the start, it would have been easy for mistakes to happen when they encountered situations later.
Seeing them all leave, Lemoka and Ethan looked at Tuck to ask for his opinion.
“We’ll go too, let’s see what she’s capable of.
It’s almost winter now, and prey is much harder to find than before, and we can’t go to the usual hunting grounds.
When she can’t find any prey, we can take the opportunity to act.”
Tuck’s group of seven also followed the team.
Esdeath was at the very front.
In the past, when going out to hunt, everyone would work together to search for signs of where Danger Beasts had lived, finding fur, excrement, or gnawed remains to confirm the tracks of the Danger Beast.
It was much easier to find things with dozens of eyes.
Now, looking at Tuck and his group, although they would passively follow commands, they definitely wouldn’t take the initiative to help find prey.
In the team, Ibia and the other two were already Esdeath’s subordinates and followed closest behind her.
Safi said worriedly: “Lord Esdeath, I’m afraid it’s very difficult to find prey right now.”
Esdeath comforted her: “It’s alright, listen to me.
I will find some.”
Esdeath activated her Eye of True Sight, and the biological aura left recently on the frost-covered grass before her was immediately clearly displayed before her eyes.
Having used the Eye of True Sight for so long, she knew that the aura left by different creatures differed.
Esdeath had already become very familiar with the aura of some common animals.
A confident smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and Esdeath’s clear voice rang out: “Go this way, there is a deer ahead.”
Esdeath suddenly turned about 15 degrees and rode toward a valley.
The tribesmen following behind didn’t understand why, but they followed one after another.
Ibia and the other two were originally confused by Esdeath’s words, but after riding three hundred meters and coming down from a high hillside, they saw an elk on the forest floor a few dozen meters away, lowering its head to drink water from a small puddle.
Elk are very sensitive animals; they can smell unfamiliar scents from twenty or thirty meters away, and they will run away if there is any loud noise.
Therefore, Esdeath stopped forty or fifty meters away.
Beside her, Rune had already excitedly picked up his bow and arrow, shooting an arrow into the elk’s head, and the elk immediately fell down.
“Rune, nicely done!”
Ibia praised him.
Hunting an elk, while not a Danger Beast, still provided several dozen catties of meat, which could be considered a good start.
The tribesmen behind were also encouraged.
Only Ethan said sarcastically: “Isn’t it just finding a deer?
It’s not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth.”