“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe I have demonstrated my sincerity to you all.” Yan Mo looked at the four dwarves.
Logan, who had been the most vocal, now stared at his clan members below, speechless. The surprise was so immense that he found it almost overwhelming.
Ancestral Shamans Opa and Kathi felt the same way. Can you imagine? Just moments ago, they had been determined to risk everything—their lives, their souls, and the health of both tribes’ descendants—to curse Jiuyuan. Yet as they stepped onto the high platform with a mindset akin to a sacrifice, they saw that the tribesmen they had assumed were near death were actually alive and well.
Kathi even felt a bit embarrassed facing Ancestral Shaman Opa, because the Worwo tribe clearly appeared to be in far better condition than the Luoluo tribe.
The four dwarves looked at the two humans standing opposite them—who towered far above them—with expressions of profound complexity. Just as much hatred as they had felt before, they now felt an equal measure of inner conflict.
“I trust you’ve noticed the difference between us, the Jiuyuan, and other tribes. We do not condone indiscriminate killing, nor do we condone aggression or attacks against other tribes. However, we will never spare our enemies.”
Yan Mo paused after each sentence, giving the dwarves ample time to process and reflect.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your final chance to decide: will you choose to be friends with Jiuyuan, allowing your people to repay their past debts through labor, or will you choose to be enemies with Jiuyuan?”
Kathi’s expression still betrayed some inner conflict, while Ancestral Shaman Opa had already turned to Yan Mo, as if she had made up her mind. Yet before committing, she needed one final confirmation, “What happens if we choose to be enemies? Will you slaughter us all?”
“That depends on what our chief decides to do.” No sooner had Yan Mo’s words fallen when Yuan Zhan’s cold, ruthless gaze swept over the four of them—he made no attempt whatsoever to conceal the murderous intent radiating from him.
Ancestral Shaman Opa asked, “What do you mean by having my people repay their debt through labor? Do you want to turn all of us into slaves?”
“No. You’ve been with Kathi and the others for so long; you should be well aware of how things are done in Jiuyuan. We don’t want slaves in Jiuyuan, nor do we need them.”
Ancestral Shaman Opa sighed inwardly.
Yan Mo said, “Jiuyuan has provided shelter and a home for your two tribes, and you must pay the corresponding price. Likewise, you have caused disturbances in Jiuyuan and brought significant disruption to the lives and development of its people; you must also pay the corresponding price to make amends. During this period of repayment, we will not restrict the freedom of your two tribes; you simply need to complete the tasks we require of you according to the specified requirements and deadlines.”
“And if we can’t?”
“If you can’t, to recoup our losses, we will exchange members of your tribe for slaves from other tribes. We will have them labor in your place, and then grant them their freedom.”
“How is that any different from making us your slaves?” Ancestral Shaman Opa sneered bitterly.
“It’s very different,” Yan Mo said patiently. “First, aside from repaying the debt, anything you obtain through hunting, farming, or other means belongs to you. Second, no one will whip you; only officials will inspect your labor and verify your debt repayment. As long as you meet the standards, no one will interfere with you. Third, you will not be separated; you may continue to live together with your own people and tribes, and your tribal chiefs and ancestral shamans will remain with you.”
If earlier Ancestral Shaman Opa had felt her life was bleak, now she began to doubt whether the young priest was telling the truth. If things were as he described, what difference would there be between this and the Ancestral Clan living here and trading with Jiuyuan? The only difference was that, for a short time, they would be giving things unilaterally as payment for their debts. Even so, they would still have a great deal of freedom.
So Ancestral Shaman Opa couldn’t help but ask in a trembling voice, “How much work will we have to do?”
“Not much—it’s equivalent to each of you building three houses.”
Without giving it much thought, Ancestral Shaman Opa exclaimed in delight, “Really?”
Yan Mo nodded. “If you agree, we can swear an oath before all our people, invoking the names of our respective ancestors and gods.”
The dwarves had no room for hesitation, and this was their best option for now—assuming Yan Mo was telling the truth.
The four dwarves—Opa, Kathi, Logan, and Langlang—joined minds with Yan Mo and, in the presence of the Worwo tribe, the LuoLuo tribe, the Jiuyuan people, and the merfolk, each swore an oath in the name of their ancestors and the ancient gods.
At this point, the matter seemed resolved, but the Jiuyuan people were not entirely pleased; they felt that Lord Yan Mo had been too lenient with the dwarves.
The merfolk also viewed the Jiuyuan priest’s actions with skepticism. Without restrictions, coercion, or genuine deterrence, how could those little dwarves—who had tasted the sweetness of betrayal—possibly be willing to serve Jiuyuan loyally?
It could be said that many did not understand why Yan Mo acted this way—even Yuan Zhan, who knew him best, found it somewhat baffling. After all, his priest did not even seem to care if the dwarves used this opportunity to escape Jiuyuan.
Yan Mo couldn’t be bothered to explain further. He couldn’t mention to others which nations or people had done the same thing in the past, nor could he tell Yuan Zhan and the others—since the dwarves hadn’t actually killed a single Jiuyuan native, he couldn’t be too cruel to them. This was something he’d come to realize after the minor punishments he’d received for taking action against the dwarves in the past.
But while others might let him off the hook, Yuan Zhan wouldn’t. If he wanted to know, he had to know.
Yan Mo was so annoyed by his persistence that he finally relented and told him, “It’s simply impossible for just over three hundred people to make this land prosperous. We need trade and exchange. Merfolk, dwarves, the Yuanji tribe that will arrive in the future—including the Graman people who’ve already settled right on our doorstep—the more people living on this land, the better. Because only then can this land become vibrant in the shortest possible time.”
“They might also become enemies.”
“But they’ll also bring boundless vitality, and we can achieve a delicate balance while remaining vigilant toward one another. We have powerful neighbors, threats from the forest, and soon there will be another group—the Yuanji—who won’t feel too kindly toward us. The situation no longer allows us to develop slowly. I don’t want to go to war with the dwarves, not because we can’t beat them, but because we have too few reliable allies right now, and our own strength is too weak.”
Yan Mo walked to the window of the city tower and pointed toward the distant riverbank. “It’s only been a few days, and already no fewer than two thousand dwarves have arrived. Tell me, what does that tell us?”
“The little monsters that have burrowed into the forest outnumber the dwarves and are far more powerful.” When it came to warfare, Yuan Zhan always possessed the sharpest judgment.
“Exactly! So do you think those little monsters will just stay hidden in the forest forever?”
“Do you want the dwarves to be our first line of defense?” Yuan Zhan laughed sarcastically. “Don’t count on them. Those little dwarves might just turn tail and run even farther away the moment they see those little monsters.”
“What if they’re not willing to run? What if we provide them with some military support? And tell them we can help them reclaim the forest?”
Yuan Zhan still felt that Yan Mo’s plan to use this group of little dwarves was highly unreliable.
Yan Mo felt helpless. If he had a choice, if there were better allies, he wouldn’t have chosen this race—ungrateful, not particularly strong in battle, and with a history of betrayal—as his neighbors. But he had a bad feeling that Jiuyuan was likely about to be swept up in a terrible storm.
With this sense of urgency weighing on him, there was no time left for him to be picky or to slowly win over the dwarves; he had to prepare as quickly as possible.
Whether Yuan Zhan sensed his urgency or had a premonition of his own, he became increasingly dedicated to training his warriors and honing his own skills, and he took it upon himself to oversee the dwarves’ construction of the outer city.
Yan Mo’s unsettling premonition soon became reality, though before that, Jiuyuan experienced a somewhat peculiar period of calm.
The people of Jiuyuan were busy stockpiling as much food as possible during the late summer and early autumn, while also mass-producing weapons.
Half of the dwarves were busy building the city to repay their debts, while the other half were occupied with hunting and gathering.
Some of the dwarves outside the outer moat migrated farther away, while others remained by the river. These dwarves attempted to strike up conversations with the two tribes of dwarves living in Jiuyuan, expressing their desire to cross the river and enter the city in a sincere and explicit manner. This gave the Worwo and Luoluo clans a sense of indescribable superiority, yet they also feared that the Ancestral Worshipers might discover their status as debtors, so they devised ways to refuse.
Logan, however, wanted to ally with the dwarves from outside to seize Jiuyuan City once more, but this time, Ancestral Shaman Opa struck him back with his staff.
Ancestral Shaman Opa gave Logan and the other eager dwarves only one sentence: “When we have Level 5 Divine Blood Warriors, then you can come talk about seizing Jiuyuan. Until then, all of you had better behave yourselves! If you have the energy for that, you’d be better off gathering more food and trading for more red salt. Winter is coming—do you want your people to starve to death?”
The Gramans have also claimed a piece of land; they interact frequently with the Jiuyuan people, but so far, no Gramans—neither men nor women—have expressed a desire to join Jiuyuan.
Since the chief and the priest had not forbidden interaction between the two groups, while the adults of Jiuyuan and the dwarves might still be a bit too proud to speak to one another, the children mingled easily. In particular, Yan Mo still allowed the dwarven children to attend his classes.
“Master Mo, Master Mo! Ye Xing’s been bitten by a black-striped snake!” Ignoring the fact that class was still in session, several children burst into the classroom, shouting and screaming.
Yan Mo and the children in class all turned to look at these impetuous little rascals.
But the children seemed oblivious to the atmosphere of hostility and irritation, only shouting anxiously, “Master Mo, hurry and check on Ye Xing! He’s in so much pain he’s about to die!”
A dark line appeared on Yan Mo’s face—this wasn’t the first time. “Didn’t I warn everyone entering the Earth Elemental Fruit grove that they must apply realgar powder before going in?”
“Oh? Right.”
“Also, a black-striped snake’s bite isn’t fatal—it’ll just cause pain for a day and a night. I’ve already prepared the medicine and given the prescription to Old Wu and Cao Ting. Just take Ye Xing to the clinic.”
“But…”
“Hurry up and go!” Yan Mo finally set a stern face.
“Oh!” Only then did the little rascals realize they were in trouble. They all nodded in unison and scattered like a swarm of bees.
Yan Mo rubbed his temples. When would he ever be able to train a group of students capable of taking over his classes? He didn’t know if it was because they saw him so often and attended his lessons, but hardly any of these brats in the tribe were afraid of him. They always came to him with every little problem, driving him absolutely crazy.
Even though these kids were eager to learn, were hardworking, and well-behaved, still… he just couldn’t help but get annoyed!
God, why was it so hard for him to just sit back and focus on his own research?
Yan Mo slammed his fist on the desk, startling all the little rascals in the class, who thought the Lord Priest had lost his temper.
“Gerge, Derde, how long do you plan to stand at the door? Get in here!”
“Lord Mo…” Gerge looked a bit sheepish, but Derde gave him a nudge from behind. The two of them stumbled into the classroom, clutching a stone tablet, followed by a few dwarf children who used to hang around Yan Mo’s class.
“Go sit in the back.” Yan Mo watched as the dwarves cautiously made their way to the back of the room and found a spot to sit. The other children made faces at them but didn’t show any obvious hostility, so he continued the lesson, “We mentioned the Earth Elemental Fruit earlier, so today we’ll talk about what exactly this fruit is, how it benefits us, as well as how to grow it and the various ways to eat the fruit.”
While Yan Mo was teaching his students, Yuan Zhan—who was supposed to be training warriors—stood in the Earth Elemental Fruit grove, frowning deeply.
“What’s going on? I thought the fruit would be ready for harvest in the next couple of days!” He had been forced by his family’s priest to come here and practice his skills every three days, helping to hasten the growth of this grove so it could bear fruit in a short period of time.
With harvest just days away, Yan Mo had mentioned it countless times—talking about researching twenty different ways to eat the Earth Elemental Fruit and all that—which had gotten him excited too. But now…!
Wu Chen, the caretaker of the orchard, trembled slightly under the pressure of a Level 5 warrior’s aura, but he held his ground and spoke as calmly as he could, “Over the past few days, Ye Xing, Sa Yu, and I have been leading three squads to take turns guarding this orchard. We can confirm that no one has come to steal the fruit.”
“Not even at night?”
“No, we sleep right here at night!”
“Then what about the fruit? Are you telling me they all burrowed back into the ground on their own?”
Sa Yu, standing nearby, kept his head down, too frightened to say a word.
Wu Chen’s face turned pale, but the boy remained steadfast as he spoke the truth, “I don’t know. Last night, Ye Xing was in charge of guarding the area. This morning, he discovered that all the nearly ripe Earth Elemental Fruits were gone. He’d even forgotten to apply the realgar powder, so he rushed straight into the forest, but… he didn’t find anything.”
“Don’t tell Mo about this for now. From this moment on, you must guard the remaining fruits at all times. If any go missing again…”
“Yes! We’ll watch over the remaining fruits and make sure not a single one is lost!” Wu Chen, Sa Yu, and the others stood tall and replied loudly.
Yuan Zhan nodded, but then, as if remembering something, his expression changed. “Have Sa Yu stay here. You come with me to the cotton fields!”
Upon hearing the word “cotton,” Wu Chen was startled. “Could it be that the cotton…?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go take a look first.” Yuan Zhan turned and walked away. The Earth Elemental Fruit and cotton were the two plants Mo had instructed him to focus on ripening—they were also the two Mo valued most, having poured countless efforts into their cultivation during the early stages. But now that one of them had lost its fruit for no apparent reason while it was still bearing fruit, what would happen to the other?
Fortunately, when they arrived at the cotton field, they found that the plants, which had already begun to produce green fruits, were all still in good condition.
Rumble—! A muffled clap of thunder rolled overhead.
Yuan Zhan looked up at the sky. According to the merfolk, after this final summer downpour, a brief autumn would arrive, followed by a long winter.
Hoping the rain wouldn’t knock off all the newly formed bolls, Yuan Zhan looked at the cotton field with some concern.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. Though it was midday, the sky was as dark as evening.
“Da Ze said you wanted to see me?” Yan Mo, having just stepped out of class, walked to the inner moat accompanied by two guards.
Before Ramon could speak, he let out a sigh.
Yan Mo folded his arms and looked at him.
“I really can’t put this off any longer, Lord Mo. Our High Priest wishes to see you.”
Yan Mo looked up at the sky in silence. “In this kind of weather?”
Ramon nodded. Merfolk loved stormy weather; the heavier the rain, the happier they were, and their High Priest was no exception. He hadn’t told Yan Mo that the High Priest had also mentioned to him how this kind of weather was perfect for pinning soft humans beneath him and doing all sorts of things.
“I’m honored, but my swimming skills aren’t good enough to take me to the depths of Qingyuan Lake, let alone to meet your High Priest there.”
“Of course not at the bottom of Qingyuan Lake—it’s on an island. If you agree, I can take you there right now. If you don’t like using your floats, you can use a raft.”
“I need to inform my chief about this. You know, as a priest of Jiuyuan, I cannot leave the tribe at will.”
“You can tell him, but…” Ramon said apologetically and with some difficulty, “Our High Priest doesn’t want to see him. He only wants to see you.”
A strange feeling stirred within Yan Mo. Why would the High Priest of the merfolk suddenly want to see him? And judging by Ramon’s tone, it seemed the High Priest had wanted to meet him long ago, but Ramon had delayed it until now? Moreover, the expression on Ramon’s face when he mentioned the High Priest seemed somewhat peculiar… Was there some inside information that Ramon knew but he didn’t?
Just then, a distant, piercing shriek suddenly echoed from the sky, followed immediately by a deafening clap of thunder.
Boom—!
“Jie—!” Mo Mo, I’m back!
Crack—! A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating a nimble figure darting past it.
The figure, which had seemed no longer than an arm’s length just moments ago, had already soared to the very top of Jiuyuan City after another clap of thunder.
Crack—! Another bolt of lightning illuminated the majestic form of the Kunpeng in the sky. Even though this human-faced Kunpeng was still in its juvenile stage, its massive body had already surpassed that of the vast majority of birds.
Yan Mo looked up and waved. Jiufeng had returned—could the people of the Yuanji Tribe not be far behind?
