Chapter 1209, Better to Have None Than to Settle

Translator: Silavin

 

*Coo coo coo…*

*Cuck-cuck cuck-cuck…*

 

Night had fallen. The cries of countless creatures filled the forest without pause, yet none of it disturbed the quiet that truly belonged to the evening.

 

If anything, once those sounds rose up, everyone simply understood that night had properly arrived.

 

Inside the Yong’an Building, the Night Glow Insects cast their light across the space, making the entire room bright as day.

 

Su Bai sat at the table, reading through documents. What was written on them concerned the next steps in the Flame Dragon Tribe’s development.

 

He had received representatives from other Tribes. Each one had made clear their desire to join the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

Su Bai had not agreed to any of them directly. Instead, he left them waiting, with no intention of giving them hope too quickly.

 

“Shaman, I keep thinking back to what a few of them said today. Some of their demands seemed quite excessive.” Sha Lan remarked. She had been present throughout, listening quietly. Hearing some of what those representatives had said, she nearly laughed.

 

Out of courtesy, Sha Lan had held it in. Internally, however, she felt nothing but contempt for those Tribes.

 

The Tribes in question had come forward and declared their willingness to join the Flame Dragon Tribe, but they came bearing a number of conditions.

 

These conditions were, by any hearing, all unreasonable. Among them was the demand not to have their freedom to establish relations with other Tribes interfered with.

 

Beyond that, they expected a steady supply of food and material aid across all four seasons. And on top of everything else, any goods they purchased from the Flame Dragon Tribe would need to be sold to them at a significantly reduced price.

 

There were more demands that were similar. None of them sounded remotely reasonable.

 

“Leave them be. Let them sit in their Tribe for now. In a few days they’ll understand exactly how unreasonable those demands were.” Su Bai replied without urgency.

 

When he had first heard the demands, he had found them more amusing than infuriating. Every age had people like this. Those who wanted everything, demanded everything, and felt not even a flicker of shame doing so.

 

“Shaman, didn’t you say you needed to expand the Tribe’s reach quickly? Do they think we are desperate?” Sha Lan asked, curious.

 

After all, Su Bai had previously spoken of wanting to turn the Flame Dragon Tribe into a city before the year was out. The most important part of that was expanding the Tribe’s territory, and the first step was drawing other Tribes in to become part of the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

“Though I wanted that, but I’ve changed my mind. What I want now is to establish a kingdom. Whether or not those Tribes join us doesn’t matter now.” Su Bai blinked, his eyes quietly thoughtful.

 

He had decided that merely establishing a single city was rather too modest an ambition, and it would also make the management of what followed far more difficult.

 

The better path was to establish a kingdom directly. The various Tribes would then each become a city of their own.

 

It would allow them to achieve the freedom they wanted, to develop on their own terms, while the Flame Dragon Tribe would still lend its support where needed.

 

“Shaman, wouldn’t that be giving them exactly what they were asking for?” Sha Lan had heard talk of building a kingdom before.

 

She also knew that if a kingdom were to be established, it would be of great benefit for the other Tribes.

 

“Don’t worry. There will be many relevant terms and conditions to be put forward when the time comes. We can discuss it further once they agree.” Su Bai said, unhurried.

 

He had no intention of handing the other Tribes so many advantages freely. There would naturally be conditions attached.

 

That was a matter for negotiation later on. It would be a weighty affair, and he needed to consider it and plan carefully.

 

“True. We’ll be the ones setting the terms then. And really, anyone who joins us will have nothing to lose.” Sha Lan nodded slowly, turning the idea over in her mind.

 

She understood now that the Tribe’s development was not going to stop here. There were better things still to come further along the road.

 

One could put it this way: joining the Flame Dragon Tribe was like buying into a venture that could only pay out dividends, and pay out generously at that.

 

“But I certainly will not be laying out all the advantages out in the open. When the time comes, I’ll let them make their own choice.”

 

Su Bai turned his cup slowly in his hand and continued, “We are not short of people. We have no need to go out of our way to please them.”

 

He had no desire to make the Flame Dragon Tribe sound so perfect that others only decided to join after concluding it was flawless.

 

That would be deeply unfair to those who had pledged their loyalty to the Flame Dragon Tribe from the very beginning. Leaving out certain advantages served as a kind of sifting, too.

 

“The main thing is to watch how they choose, Shaman, and then we decide from there, yes?” Sha Lan asked.

 

“Yes. Not everything needs to be presented to them as clearly good. If they choose not to join now, they will have their chance to regret it later.” Su Bai smiled faintly.

 

He felt that establishing a kingdom at this point was not truly the difficult part. The difficulty lay in the management that would follow.

 

What Su Bai did not want was Tribes that bent whichever way the wind blew. What he wanted were Tribes that were genuinely loyal to the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

So, he had no intention of displaying all the advantages in plain sight. There had to be those who chose not to join; only then would those people later regret the choice they had made.

 

“Does Shaman have any Tribes in particular that you see in a favourable light? Would you like to join us?” Sha Lan asked with curiosity.

 

Today’s meetings had covered quite a number of Tribes. Ten Tribes.

 

Among those Tribes, the sizes varied. There were large ones, small ones, and a fair few medium ones, and their respective strengths were just as uneven.

 

The Small Tribes had no real request. They were willing to join straight away.

 

What they asked for was one thing only: that the Flame Dragon Tribe would shelter them. Even having their own Tribe formally acknowledge the Flame Dragon Tribe’s authority above theirs carried no objection for them. In all likelihood, they had simply lived too long in a state of constant fear, and now they needed stability.

 

The Medium Tribes were easier to work with as well. What they tended to want was autonomy and freedom. Essentially, they did not want to be bound by too many restrictions.

 

Those Tribes were, broadly speaking, reasonable. There was a good chance they would eventually join the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

The more troublesome ones were the Large Tribes. Large Tribes carried themselves with a great deal of pride. They were aware that their own Tribes were already of considerable size.

 

Some had come prepared to set terms with the Flame Dragon Tribe, and what they wanted was not submission. They were looking for something closer to an equal arrangement. That pride of theirs had made itself very apparent during those talks.

 

“You’ll know when the time comes. They will definitely seek us out again. Let’s wait and see what face they’ll put on in our next meeting.” Su Bai smiled quietly.

 

He felt it was not yet the right moment. Whatever the case, it was worth waiting a few more days before the true intentions of those people became clear.

 

“Yes.” Sha Lan gave a nod.