"Why?" Leo was a little puzzled. "Isn't it better for your tribe to eliminate this threat together and expand the living space?"
"Kid, the enemies in the wilderness can't be killed off." Zurvan said sincerely and earnestly, "If we drive away this Wild Boar Tribe, another stronger enemy will set their sights on this land. It could be another group of wild boar people, or jackal men, or... the people from the empire."
"Forcing a war will only end in a lose-lose situation and let a third party benefit."
"All we can do is reduce their numbers, balance their strength, and maintain a state of equilibrium."
Leo fell silent. Zurvan's words made sense.
The alien races in the Wolf-Driving Plain were not just wild boar people, and there was even more than one wild boar tribe.
Whenever there was a war, there would inevitably be casualties. The number of wild folk was limited. Although the Wild Folk Hunters were tough, every time one died, there would be one fewer.
What if, after dealing with the wild boar people, there comes a group of jackal men?
Even if the alien races in the wilderness were really cleared out, who would this wilderness belong to?
Surely, it would be the empire's pioneers who rushed into the wilderness one after another.
Any wild folk or alien tribe that grew strong and dominated the wilderness would ultimately end up being wiped out by the empire's army.
On the contrary, a small wild folk tribe like Zurvan's, remote, hidden, and without any real benefits, was not even worth the attention of slave-catching teams and mercenary groups, let alone a large army.
They controlled the number of enemies consciously by hunting the surrounding alien races. They even allowed some small alien races to survive, creating a buffer zone on the outskirts of their territory to cut off the prying eyes of enemies further away.
Use the enemy to protect themselves.
The wild folk had lived here for hundreds of years and already had their own way of survival.
"Elder, the times have changed."
Just when Zurvan thought Leo was about to give up, Leo spoke up again.
He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds on the low table in front of him that were used to entertain him and scattered them on the table. "These are the Basaka people."
Then he grabbed a handful of almonds and scattered them next to the sunflower seeds. "These are the alien races."
After that, he grabbed a handful of dried dates and scattered them on one side of the almonds.
"These are the orcs."
He stretched out his palm and pushed the dried dates. Under the pressure of the dried dates, the sunflower seeds and almonds were all mixed together.
"The orcs have already launched a large-scale southward invasion. Maybe one day the empire will drive them back to the north bank of the Ice River, but it definitely won't be done in a day or two. Maybe it will take a year? Maybe three, five years? Ten years?"
"The orcs don't just plunder the human race. The alien races in the Wolf-Driving Plain, and even magical beasts and wild animals, will also be displaced. Just like the human race, they will migrate southward."
"As long as the empire can't drive the orcs away for a day, the alien races in the entire Wolf-Driving Plain will keep coming south. The strong will survive, and the weak will be eliminated. The wild forces in the entire Wolf-Driving Plain will be reshuffled."
"Maybe in a year or half a year, the wild boar tribe in the north can expand from two hundred to a thousand people, or maybe it will be seized overnight by other more powerful alien races."
"Elder, are you ready to face them?"
Zurvan looked at the dried fruits on the low table and immediately pointed out the flaw in Leo's words, "These sunflower seeds should not be the Basaka people, but you guys, right?"
If the orcs really move south and the alien races on the Wolf-Driving Plain truly sweep in, the first ones to bear the brunt won't be the Wild folk hiding beneath the big waterfall. It'll be the River Bend Territory, which has fertile land and vast forests.
"Does it make a difference? In the face of the alien races, we're all humans. If the River Bend Territory falls, the Basaka people will be left isolated and defenceless. Their fate will be the same."
After beating around the bush for so long, Leo finally stated his real purpose for coming here.
"My demands aren't high. The River Bend Territory will keep absorbing refugees and strengthening its military force. It's bound to withstand the attacks of the alien races moving south. Moreover, we still have the support of Isonpol."
"I only hope that when the warriors of the River Bend Territory are facing the enemy's charge head-on, the Basaka people will shoot the arrows in their hands from the side, instead of just looking on indifferently."
"By then, the Basaka people will still be the Basaka people, and the River Bend Territory will still be the River Bend Territory. And both will still be alive."
Elder Zurvan looked at the dried fruits, remaining unmoved.
Half a century of survival wisdom meant that he wouldn't be easily swayed by the words of a strange young man. Even if what the other person said made a lot of sense, it still had to be verified before it counted.
The news of the orcs moving south hadn't been confirmed, and there were no obvious signs of unusual activity in the wilderness. So, no matter how sincere Leo's words were, they were still dubious.
Seeing this, Leo wasn't in a hurry. He hadn't expected to convince the other party with just a few words in the first place.
Being able to establish contact, communicate rationally, and by the way present the overall situation to the Wild folk, his goal for this trip was achieved.
By this time, it was already getting late. In the valley basin of the Northern Region in early spring, night fell extremely quickly.
In the evening, after having a bonfire dinner and enjoying some barbecued meat with a strong alien flavor, Leo was arranged to stay by the Wild folk.
That night, two Wild folk girls climbed into Leo's bed. One of them even seemed very experienced at first glance.
The Wild Folk tribes that lived deep in the mountains and didn't communicate with the outside world didn't give a damn about laws or morals when it came to continuing their bloodlines.
Some Wild Folk tribes near the empire's villages could still take the risk of capturing some women and bringing them back to their lairs to give birth. For a remote tribe like the one beneath the big waterfall, they could only practice marital exchanges or practice visiting marriages among a few nearby Wild Folk tribes, or simply marry within the family.
The Wild folk naturally couldn't pass up a high-quality seed like Leo who had come to them.
To be on the safe side, they even paired him with a girl who had experience giving birth.
In response, Leo could only politely decline.
Although he really wanted to, he didn't have the nerve to do something improper under the curious gazes of Fisa and Freya.
That's right, the three of them slept by the fireplace in the hall of the lord's mansion, with a thick layer of furs spread on the ground.
This was already the best condition in the tribe, a treatment reserved only for honored guests.
After staying in the Wild Folk tribe for one night, Leo left early the next morning.
Before leaving, Elder Zurvan took out a yew longbow and a bag of heavy arrows and gave them to Leo as a return gift.
Fisa, the kobold who had been just standing by, also received a blanket made of bear skin.
And what Freya received were countless invitations to stay and the food of the Wild folk.
But although Freya was very touched, she still chose to decline.
She missed Olivia's wheat cakes!
When they arrived at the dwarf peak, Freya stood on the edge of a cliff. Looking down at the vast Wolf-Driving Plain below, she saw the Anzerno River meandering forward like a silver ribbon. Then she turned around and took a glance at the Grand Barrier that disappeared into the clouds. She said to Leo and Fisa, "You two, stand farther away."
"Even farther!"
When Leo and Fisa had moved over ten meters away, they saw Freya take a deep breath and then let out a scream.
"Ah!"
The shrill dolphin-like sound was like a demonic chant piercing their brains. Leo and Fisa, who were standing more than ten meters behind Freya, couldn't help but cover their ears.
After screaming twice, Freya said happily, "My teacher has extremely sharp ears. She can hear my voice even from a hundred li (about 50 kilometers) away!"