readsfreenovel Chapter 309 For the Tribe (10)
Chapter 309 For the Tribe (10)
After hearing all this, Jingli felt relieved.
Zhi's tone was not aggressive; his choice to list these doubts one by one was definitely not simply to put pressure on Jingli.
Even a small squad could hinder Jingli. If they really wanted to kill or imprison Jingli, the best time would not be now, but shortly after they landed.
The fact that the other party didn't do that means there's room for negotiation.
Jingli did not offer any explanation; instead, he frankly asked, "Are you doubting me?"
Suddenly, his gaze swept across the orcs by the fire. Except for Zhi, all the other orcs were blowing their hair, with Meng being the most obvious.
The toes, encased in fur-lined ankle boots, were visibly moving, seemingly because of an embarrassing deduction from the Cangbei tribe.
If he had a larger vocabulary, he would know the embarrassment of being caught red-handed for tattling.
From these people's reactions, Jingli was once again convinced that they were indeed there to negotiate, not to argue.
Zhi smiled and continued, "It is indeed suspicious, but you seem to know nothing about it."
He made a gesture, and the orc on the far side moved away the large stone slab that was now just scraps of food, took a small ball of fire from the bonfire, and lit it in front of the group.
"The Tree of Life will protect the people of this land. If you harbor malice, the Tree of Life will know and will curse you."
The wood crackled and popped as it burned, and the flickering light of the flames fell on Zhi's face, adding a touch of mystery to him.
Suddenly, the scene dawned on me.
If they were invaders, they certainly wouldn't have entered the tribe alone like he did, because they have the Tree of Life as a deadly weapon.
But the curse cast by the Tree of Life doesn't sound like a particularly powerful attack.
That makes sense. If the Tree of Life's attack power was the same as the laser cannon, then those small tribes wouldn't have come to join the Cangbei tribe.
At this moment, the one with the curled toes suddenly spoke up: "I think you are different from those invaders."
He struggled to find the right words, scratching his head in frustration. Jingli waited for a long time before finally hearing, "Your attack wasn't that powerful."
"..."
[6058: Hahahahahaha!]
Jingli's expression instantly changed to ???
Meng Geng became even more anxious. In his anxiety, he kept scrambling to cook, unable to utter a single word.
Zhi Jie said, "Your attacks have always been for self-defense, unlike those invaders. They are not for plundering or taking lives."
Jingli nodded.
This is the art of speaking.
Although I'm still not entirely happy about it.
"So, you're not a sea creature, are you?"
Jingli: "..."
The vest I decided to cover up in the afternoon has already been exposed in less than half a day.
“I am not a sea creature,” he struggled to say. “I am a river fish.”
How can a koi fish not count?
Zhi nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“After I was born, I went to another land through a rift and saw some different things,” Jingli said carefully. “I know a lot of information that you don’t know, which may be related to the invaders you talk about.”
Even if his disguise is crumbling, he doesn't intend to completely place himself in the identity of an "outsider" in this world.
Doubt is a terrible thing. Even if they can sit here and negotiate peacefully now, it doesn't mean they can do so in the future.
If something bad happens, he will immediately be thrust into the spotlight.
This excuse isn't particularly clever, but it's not entirely a lie either, and it's not impossible for it to happen in this world.
After a moment's thought, Zhi said, "Jingli, there are many suspicious points about you. But—"
He didn't believe him, poked at the fire with a thin twig, and whispered:
"The Tree of Life will prove it."
The sky quickly darkened, the bonfire slowly died down, and the surrounding temperature dropped.
The fierce general Qingfeng and his companions were summoned back, and they prepared to return to their respective homes.
Tonight's conversation wasn't exactly smooth, but at least we confirmed the other party's attitude.
The northern tribes of Cangbei could accept Jingli, but he is still investigating.
One positive aspect is that the tribal people are relatively friendly towards Jingli.
The downside is that there is no time limit for this investigation, because no one knows whether Jingli will side with the invaders in the future.
6058 actually admires Zhi quite a bit.
This orc is intelligent and bold enough.
He saw the potential turning point that Jingli could bring to the tribe, and he also saw the potential crisis hidden behind it, but he still chose to keep Jingli, even though he did not dispel his doubts.
Of course, besides marveling at the audacity of the intruders, 6058 also noticed something else—they were becoming increasingly unprepared for the arrival of the invaders.
Jingli was walking home when she heard this and paused in surprise.
[6058: As a sufficiently intelligent tribal chief, he would not risk introducing a potential crisis while the tribe appeared to be doing well on the surface.]
[Keiri: Unless the outcome is the same whether or not this danger is introduced.]
【6058: Bingo!】
[6058: What Meng said actually revealed some information. He felt that you alone did not pose much of a threat to the entire tribe.]
[Keiri: ...]
Mommy, am I not your favorite baby anymore?
[6058: And was that excuse you just made up? The one about going to another world through a rift?]
Jingli thought for a moment: [Let's just say I thought this way I could cover things up if my disguise was exposed this afternoon.]
[6058: You're really talented, you idiot! Your answer hit the nail on the head.]
Jingli continued to ponder what 6058 had said.
The tribe was probably already overwhelmed by the invaders; they must have tried many methods but still couldn't find a way to deal with them.
Jingli, a suspicious fish who could be almost completely controlled by the other party, appeared. He was not an invader and had no hostility towards the tribe, but he knew some information about the invaders.
No wonder.
No wonder Jingli felt that what he said was not very rigorous, but the other party did not continue to argue with him.
Because continuing to talk would either reveal our hand or deepen suspicion, which would not help the other party achieve the delicate balance they hoped to reach.
Therefore, the other party ended the conversation at the right time, using this method to buffer the conversation and giving both parties an opportunity to observe each other.
If Keiri had accepted that she didn't belong to this world back then, nothing else would have happened tonight, but Keiri would certainly have been in a more passive situation.
At that time, Yuan Maomao might be taken away, and Jingli will definitely be monitored.
This surveillance does not only come from the Tree of Life.
The kindness of those clansmen will vanish like smoke.
Doubt cannot withstand the spread of ideas, especially in the simple-minded world of orcs.
By then, let alone gaining a voice, Jingli will likely become a food reserve, providing information to the tribe when needed and discarding it when not.
Jingli patted her chest.
Thankfully, although he didn't think it through at the time, at least he figured it out.
He is already very satisfied with the current situation.