Thinking of this, Henry Sutton put on a fake smile and said regretfully.

The aggressive posture of the Heishan Tribe had made his own clansmen restless. Charles Bennett knew he had to make a stand. As the leader of the tribe, if he couldn’t protect the old and young, couldn’t lead the tribe to expand its territory, and instead let others come to his door and bully them while he cowered like a turtle, it would deal a heavy blow to his prestige if not handled properly.

Bang!

To resolve the tribe’s crisis, Charles Bennett, as the chief, had been making secret preparations these days, but he still needed some more time to succeed.

When people’s hearts scatter, the tribe’s demise is not far off!

Bang!

Faced with the provocation of the two, Charles Bennett suddenly slapped the stone table, stood up, and glared angrily at them.

“Enough! Elder Sutton, this is an internal affair of my Guyuan Tribe, there’s no need for you to worry. Go back and tell your chief Chief Strong that my Guyuan Tribe, with over ten thousand clansmen and thousands of brave warriors, is always ready! Weapons at the ready, prepared to face any enemy who dares invade.”

“Well said! The chief is right—Guyuan men would rather die standing than live kneeling! If some nobodies think our Guyuan Tribe is easy to bully, even if it costs us our lives, we’ll smash their teeth in!”

Charles Bennett’s domineering words made the warriors of the Guyuan Tribe cheer loudly, supporting their chief’s decision.

Seeing Charles Bennett refuse so decisively, which seemed to catch him off guard, Henry Sutton’s eyes flashed with a cold light, then quickly returned to normal. Instead, his eyes darted slyly as he said, feigning innocence, “Chief Charles Bennett truly lives up to his reputation as a talent of this era—your governance is indeed impressive. It seems Chief Bennett has some misunderstandings about our Heishan Tribe. Well, after all, our two tribes have resisted foreign enemies together for hundreds of years, and our old friendship is still here. Even if bones are broken, the tendons are still connected, right?”

“But, friendship is friendship, and business is business. The fact remains that Old Chief Bennett has not returned from his travels, and during this time, the Guyuan Tribe is bound to encounter some trouble. Here’s what I propose: as long as Chief Bennett can do us this favor, all previous conditions will be voided.” Without waiting for Charles Bennett to respond, the old fox suddenly changed the subject and continued.

“Let’s see what kind of trick this old fox is up to.” Seeing Henry Sutton’s eyes darting about, revealing a hint of scheming, Charles Bennett kept warning himself to be wary of his tricks.

“Then please speak plainly, Elder Sutton!”

“Marriage alliance!”

“What? Marriage alliance?”

“That’s right, a marriage alliance. This way, our two families become relatives by marriage. If Guyuan is in trouble, how could Heishan not help?”

Upon hearing Elder Sutton’s words, the hall immediately became lively.

“So, Old Sutton, are you planning to marry your chief’s daughter off to our chief as a captive bride?”

At this moment, an elder of the Guyuan Tribe, who had been sitting in the hall with his eyes closed, finally spoke.

This elder wore a black animal-skin vest, and his timeworn face showed traces of worry. He had remained silent since entering the hall, but now, seeing the scheming Henry Sutton up to his tricks again and fearing the young Charles Bennett might fall for it, he interrupted Henry Sutton.

This elder was none other than the oldest member of the Guyuan Tribe, Samuel Grant, who had assisted three generations of chiefs throughout his life and could be said to have devoted his entire life to the tribe. He was highly respected within the tribe. Even Charles Bennett’s ability to take charge at such a young age was inseparable from the strong support of this elder.

“Old Grant, you’ve been silent all this time—I thought your time was almost up, you…”

Before he could finish, realizing he had touched on a Guyuan taboo, Elder Sutton immediately stopped himself. After all, a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him; he couldn’t let a few words ruin important matters.

“I’ve heard that among the younger generation of Guyuan, there is a talented woman named Alice Moore, renowned for her beauty and outstanding martial talent. She would be a perfect match for our Young Chief.”

After pausing for a moment and glancing around at the Guyuan clansmen whose eyes were almost blazing with anger, Elder Sutton curled his lips in disdain.

“And also, every year, the Guyuan Tribe must offer a hundred young women to our Heishan Tribe.”

“Charles Bennett, this is the only chance for the Guyuan Tribe to survive. I hope you won’t be foolish and gamble with the lives of tens of thousands of your people.”

Before anyone could react to Elder Sutton’s terms, the Heishan Tribe’s Young Chief Edward Strong jumped out and spoke up.

Alice Moore, the number one talented woman of the Guyuan Tribe—he had heard of her. Such a stunning beauty was fatally attractive to someone like him who couldn’t live without women. He had long coveted the Guyuan Tribe’s talented woman, but had never had the chance.

Crack!

“Marriage alliance! Offering a hundred young women! Ha! Do you think our Guyuan Tribe has no men?”

Charles Bennett was not angry but laughed instead, glaring at Edward Strong, gritting his teeth, and said word by word:

“The safety of my Guyuan Tribe is won by the true blades and swords of our warriors. We’d rather take the straight path than the crooked one. Trading the safety of our women for the peace of the tribe? Sorry. I, Charles Bennett, cannot do it. The good men of the Guyuan Tribe are far from extinct!”

On the ancient continent, population was a vital resource for any tribe. The larger the population base, the greater the chance of producing more strong warriors, so young women held an important place in the tribe’s inheritance and continuation.