Chapter 1176, Waiting for Verification

Translator: Silavin

 

Shaman Zha performed his technique three times in succession. Each result was the same. None of them had lied.

 

He frowned. This was no simple matter. Whether they had been lying or not, what they had brought back was a serious matter.

 

Lying would mean these three had sold the entire Tribe out. An enormously grave offence.

 

Not lying was barely better. It would mean a very strong Tribe had absorbed them without resistance.

 

“Shaman, we have not lied.” Luo Lan said, his voice steady.

 

“I know!” Shaman Zha exhaled heavily. His tone was impatient, the sound of a man with no good options in front of him.

 

The worry written across his face said everything. They had genuinely encountered someone out of their league.

 

The Lie Detection results made it clear. Their Tribe was no match for the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

Given that, the Coiled Goat Tribe was walking on very thin ice. The worry on Shaman Zha’s face was hard to fault.

 

“I know what you’re worried about, Shaman. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It might be a very good beginning for us.” Luo Lan spoke up quickly.

 

He had spent considerable time in the Flame Dragon Tribe. He had seen a great deal, and met many people. Most of all, he had listened to what Su Bai had to say. It was what made him understand that the way they had been living was not right.

 

To truly live well, a Tribe needed the right to develop on its own terms. Not to exist entirely at the mercy of another Tribe’s hostile intentions.

 

“That’s right, Shaman. Brother Luo Lan is right. The Flame Dragon Tribe is nothing like the Dark Scorpion Tribe. They won’t make life hard for us.” Bu Lu added at once.

 

He looked a bit slow, tall as he was. But he knew perfectly well what was good and what was not.

 

This situation with the Flame Dragon Tribe, for instance. He felt clearly that it was moving in a good direction.

 

Even if their Tribe had now become part of the Flame Dragon Tribe, they were still themselves. That feeling was different from anything they’d known before.

 

“Anyone who goes to the Flame Dragon Tribe will come away thinking the same.” Pi finally spoke.

 

He was not a man of many words. But everything about the Flame Dragon Tribe had genuinely moved him.

 

He believed, following this Tribe’s path, that their own Tribe could only go get stronger.

 

Especially the place Su Bai had spoken of: Sun Dish City. That was what Pi wanted to see most.

 

“What exactly has the Flame Dragon Tribe given you? Who told you to speak for them like this?” Xi Qi could not make sense of it.

 

He knew their goods were good.

 

But he did not know the Tribe. He could not understand why a single visit had changed these three so thoroughly.

 

Of course, a stronger Tribe absorbing a weaker one was simply how things worked. That was normal enough. It still sat badly in the gut.

 

“Chieftain, they have not given us anything. They have only promised that our Tribe will be safe, and that they will help us to develop.”

 

Luo Lan pressed on, his words coming easily: “And in fact they did nothing to us. They only asked me to come back and explain things to the Shaman and Chieftain.”

 

He meant every word of it. He genuinely wanted the Tribe to accept this change. Because it was the kind of change that could only make things better.

 

He had seen the Flame Dragon Tribe with his own eyes. Following them was not a mistake. He was certain of it.

 

“If everything you’re saying is as good as it sounds, why have they sent nothing our way during the snow season?”

 

Xi Qi’s expression was dark as he looked at the three of them. “They’ve sent some decent things, yes, but only as compensation for making our Tribe someone else’s property.”

 

From the splintering of the original Tribe into two, to the years under siege by the Dark Scorpion Tribe, and now the Flame Dragon Tribe’s claim on them.

 

And Xi Qi, as Chieftain of this Tribe, felt humiliated.

 

“Chieftain, they said they would send supplies soon, and asked us to work through our current stores first.”

 

Luo Lan hurried to explain, a tension in his voice. “It should arrive within ten days or so. When it does, the Chieftain will be very surprised.”

 

He was telling the truth here. When they had left, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Chieftain had clearly said it.

 

Yan Jiao had said that since the Coiled Goat Tribe was now part of the Flame Dragon Tribe, they would naturally help them through the heavy snow in safety.

 

Furthermore, the supplies being sent would include certain items. Items that mattered greatly to both Tribes.

 

“If that is truly the case, then I have nothing more to say. I’ll accept this reality.” Xi Qi’s voice loosened, just slightly.

 

His expression had softened from what it had been at the start. He was giving what Luo Lan said some consideration.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe was not really asking for anything else. No items. They were sending things to help them through the snow season.

 

Even the most hard-hearted person would soften a little, hearing that.

 

“If things truly are as you describe, then this Flame Dragon Tribe is not so bad after all. Have they put forward any other requirements?” Shaman Zha asked.

 

A Shaman understood well enough that nothing in this world came without cost.

 

A Tribe did not simply absorb another Tribe without demands, and then send gifts on top of it. Something about that did not add up.

 

“They have not asked for anything unreasonable. Only that we sign a Contract in due course. Once signed, we would be formally part of the Flame Dragon Tribe from that point onward.” Luo Lan said.

 

He finished speaking and looked down immediately, unable to meet the Shaman’s or the Chieftain’s eyes. It was a sore point for both of them, and he knew it.

 

“As I said before, if everything you’ve described is true, and they will really give us support, then I will consider this matter carefully.” Shaman Zha closed his eyes slowly and deeply.

 

There was no choice in the end. The strong prevailed over the weak. That was simply how this era worked.

 

If they lacked the strength to resist, having their Tribe absorbed was a very normal outcome.

 

They could only hope the Tribe that absorbed them would treat them well. Though even that was perhaps too much to expect.

 

“I am of the same mind as the Shaman.” Xi Qi said, low and even.

 

He had no other choice either. He could only hope things moved toward something better.

 

Silavin: It’s the Horned Goat Tribe that is under the Dark Scorpion Tribe. Author got them mixed up.