novelraw Chapter 419 - 418: Because He Wants To
Chapter 419 - 418: Because He Wants To
The males were pulling out all the stops to obtain the Fox’s Blessing, each trying to prove he was more formidable than the others.
But the orbs of white light seemed to be teasing them, drifting back and forth above their heads. They didn’t leave, but they didn’t choose any of the Beastmen either.
Xiao Cheng turned to his daughter. "Ali, do we have to choose for this as well?"
Ali smiled and nodded. "That’s right. Who do you want to choose, Father? There are twenty spots in total."
A smile touched Xiao Cheng’s lips as he shouted to his brother, Dupont, "Brother, you’re the High Priest now. I think these Fox’s Blessings are waiting for you to speak."
Dupont was still in a daze, stunned by the immense surprise. Hearing Xiao Cheng’s words, he instinctively turned his head, his eyes unfocused.
It wasn’t until a Beastman beside him gave him a nudge that Dupont snapped back to his senses. Seeing everyone looking at him made his scalp tingle. "I... I’m really the High Priest?"
"Yes, yes, you’re one lucky guy! Out of all the Beastmen, how did you become the High Priest? We’re good friends, so you have to look out for me. Help me get the Fox’s Blessing so I can find a pretty little female with good fertility..."
"Brother, you’re my own flesh and blood. Don’t forget about your younger brothers when something good comes your way..."
Even Great Elder Xiao Chun glanced at the Clan Leader and the former High Priest, who was covered in blood and looked utterly devastated, before saying with a smile, "Dupont, hurry up and get on the platform. See if you can bestow the Fox’s Blessings upon worthy individuals again."
Dupont grunted in acknowledgment and leaped onto the platform in two bounds.
He was immediately surrounded by the Beastmen who had just lost their Fox’s Blessings.
Some of the Beastmen spoke with a vicious and cruel tone. "I don’t care which one of you is the High Priest. We gave you plenty of Crystal Stones and Spirit Grass, so you have to give us this Fox’s Blessing!"
"That’s right! It was you Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan Members who made the promise, so don’t even think about backing out... The High Priest has the authority to speak for you; he’s your clan’s representative... So what if this year is an exception? You can just go back to the old rules next year. But you must deliver on what you promised us... Or are you prepared to make enemies of the powers behind us?"
Other Beastmen, however, saw the situation clearly. The Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan had a new High Priest, and the Fox’s Blessings had left their bodies, which meant they didn’t meet the requirements. So, one said sincerely and politely, "High Priest, although we might not quite meet the criteria, we are willing to trade resources for a chance at the Fox’s Blessing."
"Yes, yes, High Priest! We of the Tongdong Tribe are willing to be on good terms with the Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan. Even though I already have a female, our two clans can still form an alliance through the pairing of our females and males..."
Everyone spoke at once, one after another, giving Dupont a splitting headache. He finally shouted, "I apologize, everyone, but our rules cannot be broken! You should go hold whoever you gave your resources to responsible. The Fox’s Blessing was originally meant for our Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan Members. If the rules are broken time and time again, the Fox’s Blessing will lose its power."
"My presence here is a sign that the Beast God is displeased with your actions! Do you really want the Beast God to bring down divine punishment?"
"Now, I will reselect the Beastmen who will receive the Fox’s Blessing... All males who held out until the end, did not follow the little female, and have retained their Beast Marks, please step forward to the front row..."
As soon as he finished speaking, many Beastmen scrambled to the front to form a line. The vast majority of them were Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan Members.
The Outer Clan Beastmen participating in this Warrior Assembly had thought everything was settled. They were all males who had been mated for some time but were still without cubs. They never expected that, despite having bribed the High Priest, they couldn’t deceive the Beast God.
"Are you really going to be so ruthless?" The pain and fury of falling from such a high point, seeing they would not receive a Blessing, made it hard for the Outer Clan Beastmen to accept this reality.
"I am sorry, but this is the will of the Beast God," Dupont said, putting on the calm demeanor of a High Priest and nodding helplessly.
’The will of the Beast God? More like his own will. He just wants to keep all the Fox’s Blessings for our own people. Hmph. Some things can’t be bought, no matter how many Crystal Stones or Spiritual Medicines you spend!’
He refused to believe that among the cubs born each year from the Fox’s Blessing, there wouldn’t be a few who could take up the mantle, lead the clan to prosperity, fearlessly face other powers, and live with dignity, free from oppression.
And so, Dupont bestowed the Fox’s Blessings upon clansmen with good talent who had difficulty conceiving children after being mated.
The Outer Clan Beastmen were livid. They immediately turned to the Clan Leader and the former High Priest to demand their resources back.
This affair had originally been conducted in secret, but now it was all out in the open. The Clan Leader and the High Priest’s faces were ashen. Facing the fury of the entire clan, they had no choice but to bring out the supplies they had received.
"You’re short one thousand Crystal Stones and five elixirs," a Beastman from the Fanjian Tribe said coldly.
"Impossible. I wrote it all down. It was exactly two thousand Crystal Stones and ten elixirs," the Clan Leader said with a frown, taking out a ledger.
"Heh. Xiao Quan, you’re not a three-year-old cub. When you lend out Crystal Stones, do you not charge interest? The Crystal Stones of our Fanjian Tribe are not so easily taken."
Si Shuo realized that since those people couldn’t get the Fox’s Blessing, they had started to pressure these two.
Xiao Cheng scoffed. "Hey, you on the stage! You don’t need to put on a debt-collecting show for all of us. Every debt has a debtor. Whoever you gave your things to is the one who should pay you back."
"We didn’t get any benefit from it, so we’re certainly not going to be foolish enough to step up and pay the interest for these two."
"If they don’t have the Crystal Stones and elixirs, that’s fine. Just take them away and make them do hard labor!"
"Xiao Cheng! Have you no conscience?" Xiao Quan glared at him, furious.
"Ah, Xiao Quan, my Xiao Cheng is just speaking objectively. This was a private deal between you two in the first place; it shouldn’t involve the rest of the clan," Great Elder Xiao Chun said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Hearing his full name, Xiao Quan froze for a moment, his heart tightening. He argued, unwilling to give up, "We were representing the clan..."
Before he could finish, the Third Elder, who had always worked alongside him, spoke with disgust, "What do you mean, ’representing the clan’? Don’t tell me you just haven’t had a chance to bring out the goods yet. You’ve taken plenty in previous years, too. Has anyone here ever seen a single trace of it?"
"Xiao Quan, you are not fit to be the Clan Leader!"
"Not fit to be the Clan Leader..."
"We need to choose a new Clan Leader..."
The Beastmen below began to shout, giving Xiao Quan no chance to speak.
Xiao Chun turned to the resentful Outer Clan Beastmen.
"Your deal with Xiao Quan and Guang You was a shady one to begin with. I suggest you quit while you’re ahead. Don’t let a personal grudge escalate into a conflict between our clans."
"The Beast God is watching over this Warrior Assembly and will not allow any Beastman to break the rules. I imagine that no matter how powerful the factions behind you are, you wouldn’t want to make an enemy of our Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan over something so trivial, would you?"
"Besides, the Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan is not to be trifled with! You are welcome to try us!"
"Even if it means we’re all destroyed, we’ll be sure to drag you down with us."
As the saying goes, he who is down fears no fall. These young Beastmen were used to bullying others with the power they had, but now, they were genuinely intimidated by Xiao Chun’s ferocity.