Chapter 1149, Thinking Too Small

Translator: Silavin

 

“Leader, are we really going to join the Flame Dragon Tribe?” Bu Lu still had not quite come back to himself.

 

He was still caught somewhere in the shock of it all. How they had simply, somehow, ended up joining the Flame Dragon Tribe without fully understanding when or how.

 

Bu Lu genuinely could not make sense of it. Hadn’t they come to negotiate a partnership? How had it suddenly turned into joining the Flame Dragon Tribe?

 

Not being able to partner with the Flame Dragon Tribe was one thing, but the Horned Goat Tribe becoming part of another Tribe… that was something no one could have seen coming.

 

“That’s right. How did you agree to it all so quickly? We came here to negotiate a partnership. Why…” Luo Lan was equally stunned.

 

He had not dared say a word inside the Yong’an Building. After all, he was not the Leader of this group.

 

Luo Lan had not dared to speak to the Shaman of the Flame Dragon Tribe. That would have been a severe breach of propriety.

 

“You don’t understand. We had no choice at all. If we’d had any choice to speak of, the Horned Goat Tribe wouldn’t be in the situation it’s in now.” Qiong said, his tone resigned.

 

Did he have a choice? No. Under Su Bai’s overwhelming pressure, how could he have said otherwise?

 

Had Qiong refused even once, Luo Lan and Bu Lu both would have died inside the Yong’an Building.

 

And that would have been the lighter consequence. The entire Horned Goat Tribe would have followed them into the grave.

 

“But why have we simply become part of the Flame Dragon Tribe? It was all so sudden. How are we even supposed to explain this to our Shaman?” Luo Lan said, alarmed.

 

He wasn’t especially bothered by the Horned Goat Tribe becoming a subordinate of another Tribe. The Dark Scorpion Tribe had already occupied the Horned Goat Tribe once before.

 

That meant the Horned Goat Tribe had already been someone else’s subordinate long before this. The question was how to explain any of it to the Horned Goat Tribe’s Shaman.

 

The real problem was that they had come here to negotiate a partnership, and somewhere in the middle of negotiations they had become someone else’s subordinates. That was, admittedly, a bit deflating.

 

“We say it exactly as it is. This is already a settled matter. And joining the Flame Dragon Tribe isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.” Qiong said, straightforwardly.

 

Others might see it as dreadful luck. Qiong did not.

 

On the contrary, he felt something closer to relief. Relief at having escaped from the Dark Scorpion Tribe, and relief at having entered a Tribe that was genuinely worth being part of.

 

At the very least they now had something to stand on. They would no longer have to spend every day living in dread. That was Qiong’s honest feeling at that moment.

 

“After all that, it’s not a bad thing? Our Tribe has already had its share of misfortune. We had barely gone under the Dark Scorpion Tribe, and now we’ve actually become part of the Flame Dragon Tribe. This is a catastrophe, is what it is.” Bu Lu frowned deeply, then continued. “Why is it a good thing to you? I think we were freer before.”

 

“That’s true, isn’t it. The Dark Scorpion Tribe barely came to us at all before. We still had our freedom. We just had to hand over food and supplies once a year.” Luo Lan added, equally aggrieved.

 

“And you heard what the Flame Dragon Tribe said. We have to sign a Contract with them. That certainly means no more freedom.” Luo Lan continued.

 

“Your thinking is really far too small. You’re not looking at this from far enough ahead. You’re both simply still too young.” Qiong gave a cold, quiet laugh.

 

He walked on ahead without looking back, with nothing more to say to these two companions. His mouth simply kept its faint smile.

 

“We’re thinking too small? Not looking far enough ahead? Then tell us what exactly is your plan?” Luo Lan quickly asked.

 

“But you were in there talking to the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Shaman the whole time and we were right there listening, and we couldn’t make any sense of it. And there’s no way you had any private conversation with him either.” Bu Lu wore an expression of complete bewilderment, and continued. “Is there something you know that we don’t? We’re already on edge as it is , Leader, stop keeping us in suspense.”

 

“You’ve seen the Flame Dragon Tribe’s strength. You’ve seen how they’ve developed. You’ve seen the quality of their goods. Surely that much is clear?” Qiong said.

 

He rolled his eyes after he had spoken. He thought he had been clear enough already. If the other two still did not understand after that, they were simply hopeless.

 

“So you mean that after we join the Flame Dragon Tribe, our lives will get better?” Bu Lu’s brow creased slightly. “But all of those things belong to the Flame Dragon Tribe. None of it has anything to do with us from the Horned Goat Tribe.”

 

“No, no, no. I understand now.” Luo Lan raised his hand quickly. “What he means is that our Tribe will benefit from being near them. Because the Flame Dragon Tribe is genuinely different from anything else.”

 

His eyes lit up as soon as the words left his mouth, as though he had caught sight of something truly worth having.

 

“What does that mean? How do the two of you both know and I don’t?” Bu Lu scratched the back of his head in bewilderment.

 

“If the Flame Dragon Tribe had no intention of helping us develop, there would be no need to sign a Contract with us. You understand that much, don’t you? And you heard what kind of thing a Contract is.”

 

Qiong let out a weary sigh, and with some effort kept his temper as he explained. “They want to help our Tribe develop. But they’re afraid we’ll defect to some other Tribe. That is why they want to sign the Contract.”

 

“Oh Totem. Are you saying the Flame Dragon Tribe’s stone houses and stone roads might actually appear in our Tribe as well?” Bu Lu’s eyes went wide when he heard it.

 

He genuinely loved the houses and roads of the Flame Dragon Tribe. The goods went without saying.

 

Bu Lu began to imagine what it would mean for the Horned Goat Tribe to have those things. The Tribe would only get better.

 

“What do you think? The Contract is what ensures we will never betray them. If we truly follow everything the Flame Dragon Tribe asks of us, then we will develop well.” Qiong said it with complete conviction.

 

He had kept his head throughout all of this. He was sharp enough to understand what Su Bai had been saying between the lines, and to see how many advantages came with joining the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

“If it truly turns out that way, then we are absolutely willing to join the Flame Dragon Tribe. But… but what about the Dark Scorpion Tribe?” Bu Lu asked.

 

“That is not something we need to worry about. The Flame Dragon Tribe will handle all of it for us. With their strength, they absolutely can.” Qiong said, unbothered.

 

“Fair enough. Their Tribe really does have that kind of power. They should have the advantage against the Dark Scorpion Tribe. And even if not, we’re no worse off for it.” Luo Lan nodded along.

 

“Why? If they lose the war, aren’t we the ones who’ll suffer?” Bu Lu asked, puzzled.

 

“Not at all. We could just say we were forced into it. Either way, we will come out fine.” Luo Lan spread his hands with an easy shrug.

 

“No. Since we have chosen to join the Flame Dragon Tribe, we rise and fall with them.” Qiong’s expression turned serious all at once. Something had shifted in him since he had walked out of the Yong’an Building, something fundamental and sweeping. He felt like an entirely different person from who he had been before. The change was sharp enough that the other two simply stared.