My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 187: The Choice Will Always Be Yours

Vlad was invited to join the meeting between Leone and the Orcs, the latter having come to the fortress to discuss matters about their alliance.

Leone had invited the heir from the Warclaw Tribe for one reason—to show him that he and the Orcs had become allies.

Though it might sound trivial, this was a very important matter.

After all, the barbarians and Orcs never had a good relationship with each other.

The Borderlands brimmed with danger, with the majority of that danger coming from the monster tribes.

Orcs, Trolls, Gnolls, Goblins, and Ogres were among the most common monsters in the Borderlands.

This list had yet to include the monsters commonly seen in the desert where the Sandreaver Tribe lived.

As such, the Ravage Tribe’s alliance with the Aslan Tribe could be seen as a unique setup.

Never before had any barbarian tribe succeeded in allying themselves with the proud, arrogant Orcs.

"Logan, this is my guest," Leone said with a smile. "This is Vlad, the proud son of the Great Chieftain Godwin, who rules one of the strongest barbarian tribes in this land. Have you heard about the Warclaw Tribe?"

Logan frowned. "No. Never heard of them."

Vlad blinked in surprise. Every tribe in the Borderlands knew about the Warclaw Tribe. Usually, once they heard of their background, they would often revere and respect them without fail.

Yet, in the face of this monster, the two of them were nobodies.

Absolute nobodies.

This realization made him feel that the world was truly big and that there was so much more beyond the borders of their domain.

"He had come to visit me to know what kind of chieftain I am," Leone stated. "That’s why I’ve decided to introduce you to him. Now he knows that the Ravage Tribe and the Aslan Tribe are allies."

Logan didn’t even bother to reply and simply gave Leone the "Can we just ignore these two humans and focus on our own business?" gaze.

Sensing that the Orc Champion wasn’t really interested in dealing with the teenage boy, Leone decided to discuss the reason why he had asked for the Orcs to come today.

"I’ve already told you this before, but we are on the verge of facing a war against one of the high-ranking tribes known as the Darkmane Tribe," Leone explained. "As our allies, I do not plan to force you to help us battle with them."

"Oh?" Rasta, the Orc Shaman, smiled faintly. "And here I thought you would force us to honor our pact and fight for you. Perhaps I’ve looked down on you too much. As expected of the chieftain that managed to capture our Champion."

Leone glanced back at the Orc Shaman. "It would be a lie to say that asking for the Ravage Tribe’s help didn’t cross my mind. However, before our alliance, we have already decided to fight this war using our own power.

"Though, now that you guys have arrived, you have to face a new reality. The Darkmane Tribe have come to conquer these lands.

"Once they deal with us, the Ravage Tribe will be next. And since the fortress will be difficult to breach at the start of the war, there’s a chance that they will try to eliminate the Orcs first. After all, they will eventually know that we are allies."

"No one will know if you don’t say anything." Khan, the Orc Warlord, sneered. "You humans can fight your own war and leave our tribe out of it."

"You’re right." Leone nodded. "No one will know if I and the people of the Warclaw Tribe, who are my guests, do not speak of it. However, I plan to tell everyone of our alliance."

"And why would you do that?" Logan asked.

"Whether you are allied with us or not, the barbarian tribes consider Orcs a threat," Leone answered. "If they know that we are allies, the majority of them will at least not make a move against you.

"Of course, it also works the other way around. Since you are our allies, our enemies will also treat you as their enemies."

Rasta finally understood what Leone was trying to say. "In short, you’re forcing us to choose between helping you or not in your upcoming war against the Darkmane Tribe."

"Right." Leone nodded. "Since there’s a high chance that they’ll attack you first, don’t you think the better option is joining us in this war and defending the fortress?"

"You’re so young, yet you’re already as nefarious as a goblin." Khan spat on the ground. "You spoke so many flowery words, but in the end, we are still forced to join this war whether we like it or not."

"I’m not forcing you to join our fight," Leone replied. "The choice will always be yours. I’m just telling you the possibility of what will happen. Of course, if you decide to join us, then I am willing to offer compensation for your troubles."

"Compensation?" Logan smirked. "What compensation?"

"You will be allowed to build an underground city within the mountain with our help," Leone replied. "That will guarantee that the Ravage Tribe will be safe from... whatever is about to come from the west."

At Leone’s words, Vlad suddenly perked up.

’Is there something happening in the west?’ Vlad thought.

As if reading his thoughts, Leone shifted his attention toward the younger boy.

"There is a possibility that a monster stampede will happen soon," Leone stated. "However, it doesn’t seem to be heading north toward the Kingdom of Britannia, but south this time around."

Vlad’s expressions immediately turned solemn after hearing this news. A monster stampede was not a joking matter.

If what the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe said was true, then all the barbarian tribes must prepare for a calamity.

"I also plan to tell the representatives of the Warclaw, Grimhowl, Sandreaver, Redmaw, Grimfang, and the Ironhide Tribe about this news," Leone added. "They will be arriving here two days from now. I guess I’m so popular that all of these tribes are coming here to see me."

"And how do you know they are coming?" Vlad asked with a doubtful look on his face.

"It’s because I do bone reading," Leone just said a flat-out lie. Though, thanks to his Master Bluffer skill, people were more likely to believe his words even without any proof. "My Great Uncle taught me how to do it."

After mentioning Gundar’s name, Vlad had no choice but to give Leone the benefit of the doubt.

’I guess I’ll just have to wait for two days,’ Vlad thought.

Yet, there was one more person in the room whose interest had been piqued.

It was none other than the Orc Shaman, Rasta.

"You do bone reading?" Rasta asked. "How accurate are you?"

"Well, I don’t want to brag, but it’s pretty accurate." Leone smiled with confidence.

He wasn’t lying. Whenever he did bone reading, his own translation of the placing of the bones usually came true.

But of course, the information about the other tribes didn’t come from bone reading. Instead, it came from Daedalus, who was spying on them through the Raptors that had been gifted to the different tribes.

"I’m sure you are still not convinced. You have yet to decide whether you should fight for us or not," Leone said. "However, I will show you guys something that might change your mind later."

Yes. The young man planned to show the Orcs some very interesting things that would increase the chances of them helping in the war against the Darkmane Tribe.

Once Leone secured their help, winning against the Darkmane Tribe would become a possibility.

By then, he would have more options on how to deploy their forces. Plus, since they were going to fight in Leone’s home turf, the Darkmane Tribe would greatly suffer the moment they step into his territory.