Alesha pressed for an answer.
The guard shook his head.
"Lord Wu Liang didn't say."
"He asks that the leaders rest here in peace. If you need anything, just let us know. If you're bored, we can accompany you on a tour of the Black Rock Tribe."
After saying this, the guard fell silent.
The six Female Leaders inside the stone gates looked at each other.
Ignis's fists clenched until they creaked, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Over the next few days, it was as if Wu Liang had completely forgotten about these six women.
He was indeed very busy.
He spent most of his time every day with Wei Xian and their newborn son, little Wu Qi.
Although being a novice father was a bit hectic, he enjoyed it.
Today, Wu Liang was clumsily changing little Wu Qi's diaper.
The little fellow showed no respect, peeing right onto his hands, which made Wei Xian giggle from the side.
"Look at you, you can't even change a diaper properly. I'll do it in a bit."
Wei Xian leaned against the headboard, her face beaming with a happy smile.
"It's my first time being a dad; I don't have experience."
Wu Liang helplessly wiped his hands and looked at the son in his arms, who was grinning again, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Those people... how do you plan to handle them?"
Wei Xian teased her son's chin, asking as if casually.
"Do you really intend to keep them locked up like this forever?"
Wu Liang threw the used diaper into a basin, picked up his son again, and gave his chubby little cheek a kiss.
"How else should I handle it? Of course, we'll do as we agreed."
Wu Liang's tone was flat.
He leaned over the headboard, teasing the child in his arms while answering nonchalantly.
"I'm providing them with good food and drink right now, and I've even sent people to protect them. It's great."
"You know that's not what I meant."
Wei Xian rolled her eyes at him.
"Ignis and the others are all proud leaders. You've placed them under house arrest like prisoners..."
Wei Xian's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"Especially Ignis and Suina; they aren't the type to back down easily."
"If you push them too hard, won't they be driven to desperation and do something drastic? It might backfire."
Wei Xian's concern was not without merit.
The women of the Great Desolate Mountain had a sense of wildness and pride in their bones.
Making them willingly submit to a man was harder than killing them.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Wu Liang smiled.
"Besides, what 'wall' do they have left to jump over?"
Wu Liang let out a cold laugh.
"Their Tribes have been crippled, and their clansmen are all on my territory, eating my food and drinking my water. What do they have to fight back with?"
He paused, shifting his gaze from his son to Wei Xian.
"Of course, to deal with an unruly wild horse, using only a whip won't work. You have to give them a little sweetness occasionally."
"But before that, their pride and their bones must be thoroughly crushed."
"For now, just let them stew."
Wu Liang's plan was simple, summed up in one word: delay.
"I want to leave them hanging to break their spirit."
"The more anxious they get, the less I can see them."
"Once their spirit is mostly ground down and they truly realize their current situation, only then will I go talk to them. That's how I'll get the best results."
"What I want are people who are completely obedient."
"You should know this best."
Upon hearing this, Wei Xian's face turned slightly red, remembering the process of her own conquest.
"Then what about their clansmen?"
Wei Xian asked again.
"The clansmen are easy to handle."
Wu Liang said.
"I'll have Akomann break them up and integrate them into various production and combat units of our Black Rock Tribe."
"They'll eat the Black Rock Tribe's food and live in the Black Rock Tribe's houses. Before long, they'll forget which Tribe they used to belong to."
"By then, who else will these six 'generals without armies' have to rely on but me?"
"Everything will be as you say."
After hearing Wu Liang's plan, Wei Xian nodded and said no more.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Tonight, I'll compensate you well; I'll give you a lesson in the 'Childcare Bible'."
Wu Liang set the child aside and climbed on top of her, looking down at Wei Xian.
"You rogue..."
Wei Xian gave a coquettish cry, her eyes full of spring-like affection.
Over the next few days, besides compensating Wei Xian and playing with his son, Wu Liang would lock himself in his study whenever he had free time.
No one but himself was allowed inside.
In the room, a huge wooden table was covered with thick stacks of manuscript paper, filled with all sorts of strange lines and symbols.
Boilers, pistons, connecting rods, crankshafts, gears... these were all blueprints for steam machinery emerging from his mind.
From the most basic principles of the steam engine to the manufacturing processes of high-pressure boilers.
How to apply steam power to production and the military.
On the other side, Ignis and the other five were nearly being driven insane.
Every day they went to Wu Liang's residence to request an audience, but every time they were turned away by the guards for the same reason.
They wanted to find Akomann or Eliza, but those two also seemed to have colluded.
They either said they were busy or simply refused to see anyone.
They were completely isolated.
What made them even more panicked were the clansmen they had brought with them.
After several days of resettlement, they had been taken away in batches by the people of the Black Rock Tribe.
Some were assigned to reclaim farmland, while others were sent to work in the mines.
Some of the young and strong ones were directly incorporated into the reserves of the Black Rock Army.
"No! This can't go on any longer!"
In the room, Ignis paced back and forth irritably, like a trapped beast.
"If this continues, in less than half a month, our Tribes will truly be wiped off the map of the Great Desolate Mountain!"
"But what can we do? He won't see us at all!"
Suina also had a face full of worry.
"Can't you see? He's forcing us..."
Florgloria sighed softly; she had completely seen through Wu Liang's intentions.
"Forcing us to completely give up resistance and bow our heads to him without reservation."
"I absolutely will not!"
Ignis said through gritted teeth.
"I would rather die than become that man's plaything!"
For a moment, the entire room fell into silence.
Every face was filled with indignation and despair.
Just then, the door was pushed open.
A Female Warrior of the Black Rock Tribe walked in, holding several sets of brand-new clothes.
"The six leaders, Lord Wu Liang has an order."
"Tonight, the Tribe will hold a victory banquet to celebrate our army's great victory over the roland people and the birth of the Young Master."
"Please change into these new clothes and attend on time."
The six of them looked at the well-crafted long dresses and were stunned for a moment.
A victory banquet?
Having finished speaking, the Female Warrior set down the clothes and turned to leave.
After avoiding them for so many days, was he finally going to show his face?
In the Central Square of the Black Rock Tribe, a huge bonfire was lit, making the night sky as bright as day.
The aroma of roasted meat mixed with the mellow scent of ale, wafting through the air.
The clansmen and warriors of the Tribe gathered around the bonfire, singing and dancing, their laughter and cheers reaching the heavens.
The six leaders appeared in the square.
Wearing those brand-new long dresses, their impressive figures were outlined perfectly.
Seeing the joyful scene before them, everyone's mood became extremely complicated.
As soon as they appeared, they were like wolves among sheep, completely out of place in the joyful atmosphere.
Everyone's eyes fell upon them simultaneously.
Once upon a time, they were the undisputed leaders of their respective Tribes, revered by thousands.
But now, they were like fish on someone else's chopping block, left to be stared at and slaughtered at will.
The huge disparity caused proud people like Ignis and Suina to nearly crush their teeth.
Ignis snorted.
"Pull yourselves together! Don't let them look down on us!"