68. The Ewok Warrior
After a few drinks, the residents of Dawn City began to get high. Many started running down to sing and dance with the Ewoks, and the atmosphere instantly became a chaotic yet incredibly lively mess.
Later, when the Ewoks also started drinking beer, the situation became even more chaotic. Drunk people were everywhere—both humans and Ewoks—making a complete shambles of the place.
No one knew who suggested it first, but a group of people began to form a large circle. Representatives from the human side and the Ewok side were then sent out to duel one-on-one, with only one rule: no hitting faces.
Unexpectedly, despite the Ewoks being only about a meter tall, they were truly formidable fighters. After several confident humans stepped into the ring, they were quickly spun around in confusion by the incredibly agile Ewoks, only to be grabbed by the neck and pummeled.
It wasn't until the Marines stepped in that the humans managed to regain some ground, winning several consecutive rounds. The Ewoks still suffered from their short stature; the Marines had long limbs and gained a significant advantage.
However, later on, a red-haired Ewok emerged from their side, wearing a unique white feather headdress. Come to think of it, Ewok headgear was usually a miscellaneous assortment of things, and one had rarely seen feathers used.
This Ewok wearing the white feather headdress was incredibly fierce; even the Marines couldn't defeat him. Later, even when two Marines attacked him together, he pummeled them both and forced them to retreat.
This fellow's combat prowess was so intense that even Tang Xiao's eyelids twitched. In his eyes, he saw the shadow of the Ewoks from the third *Star Wars* movie absolutely crushing the Galactic Empire's Stormtroopers.
Seeing that no one dared to challenge him again, the Ewok became very smug. He ran up to Tang Xiao, let out a few shouts, and then prostrated himself devoutly on the ground.
An official nearby who understood the Ewok language quickly whispered in Tang Xiao's ear: "An Ewok wearing a white feather headdress is usually their most powerful warrior. The white feathers signify the 'White Wings of Hope.' He is currently claiming credit to you. You can't just pat him on the head to settle it; you need to personally bestow two cups of wine upon him. Pour one over his head, and he will return the other to you, which you must then drink."
Tang Xiao did as instructed. The Ewok warrior, now with his head drenched in beer, became even more excited. He let out loud bellows and sprinted across the field; wherever he went, the other Ewoks cheered, making the atmosphere even more fervent.
The banquet lasted until the middle of the night before finally ending. Tang Xiao had also drunk quite a bit and, unable to refuse the warm hospitality, ended up sleeping in the Ewok tribe for the night.
When he woke up the next day, Tang Xiao's mood had improved significantly.
As the Ewoks gradually integrated, the Fourth Civilization would gain a new and powerful force. This time, Tang Xiao saw clearly that although they were still in a primitive society, the Ewoks' acceptance of new things was extremely high.
They could accept the advanced machinery of the Fourth Civilization very naturally; as long as they understood what the machines did, they could learn quickly.
Most importantly, the Ewoks were truly exceptional warriors; immense strength was hidden within their small bodies. Even without systematic training, fighting purely by primitive combat methods, the Ewoks could contend with the tall and burly Marines of the Fourth Civilization.
If they were to undergo modern training, the possibilities were unimaginable. On the battlefield, their small bodies were fast and agile, making them difficult to hit. Combined with their keen perception and rich jungle warfare experience, Tang Xiao even felt like replacing human soldiers entirely with Ewoks.
Having seen the Ewoks in the *Star Wars* movies playing with the Galactic Empire's Stormtroopers in the jungle, Tang Xiao had thought it was somewhat exaggerated. But now it seemed that even if he moved his Marines into the jungles of the Dawn Planet to fight the Ewoks, the result probably wouldn't be much better than that of the Stormtroopers.
According to the estimates of the Fourth Civilization exploration team, the total number of Ewoks on the Dawn Planet was approximately 800,000 to 1,000,000, scattered across more than 2,000 villages.
Tang Xiao made a rough estimate: near Dawn City, there were about 30 villages with around 40,000 Ewoks who worshipped him as a Great Elf. He decided to make good use of these Ewok tribes, civilizing them as quickly as possible to spread his glory as the "Great Elf" to other tribes.
In this way, over the long term, the Ewoks would become part of the Fourth Civilization. Once they were further enlightened, they could be completely bound through a more systematic faith supplemented by even grander interests.
Thinking of this, a smile inevitably crept onto the corners of Tang Xiao's mouth... everything was moving in the right direction. All that was needed now was that accelerator. If there was still no movement on that end, Tang Xiao planned to find him some fun to remind him.
Hego Damask II.
Location: Tatooine.
...
Three days later, Outer Rim of the Galaxy, outskirts of Hutt Space, Planet Tatooine.
A YV-865 Oro-class freighter emerged from hyperspace in the outer space of Tatooine.
"Haha!" Yuri Orlov let out a whistle and teased Vunt, who was piloting the ship: "You can really fly just about any ship, can't you? Was that your job in a past life?"
"You're actually right. If boarding the Mothership counts as a past life, then I suppose I spent my past life flying ships—all kinds of ships," Vunt smiled slightly. "However, I don't like this ship. It can only be operated by one person, and many auxiliary actions must be completed alone, which requires more of my energy."
As he spoke, he pressed several buttons on the console and continued, "Plus, this ship is really cumbersome, so... why exactly did you insist on me coming to Tatooine with you?"
Yuri took a puff of his cigarette, put on his sunglasses, and said while shaking his head, "I know. You can rub elbows with all sorts of lowlifes, and you're the most skilled pilot besides the Administrator. So, I want to make a fortune with you."
"Dealing weapons?" Vunt laughed. "Didn't that group of Bossans last time scare you enough?"
"Let me correct you first. It wasn't a scare, it was an adventure." Yuri waved the cigarette between his fingers. "You should know, they helped me snatch two proton torpedoes, and it was those very torpedoes that paralyzed that Hammerhead-class ship and saved you. So, they are actually your saviors!"
"Otherwise, why do you think I left a sexy woman alone to run out here and accompany a man like you to this desert?" Vunt spat.
Yuri smiled mysteriously. "You've got it all wrong. This job... was hinted at by the Administrator."
"The Administrator? Why would he care about this? You just sell the weapons and that's it. Does he need to teach you who to sell them to?" Vunt asked in confusion.
"That, you wouldn't know. Weapons affect the balance," Yuri exhaled a plume of smoke toward the sky. "And the Administrator wants to break some balances."