"I'd like to see what trick he's up to."
Suina gave a cold snort, folded her arms, and lifted her chin slightly.
Sa Lan said nothing, her gaze sharpening as she swept the surroundings.
Alesha and Florgloria exchanged a look; each saw the bitterness in the other's eyes.
They knew they were all barely holding on—yet what else could they do but hold on?
What must come will come, sooner or later.
The timid Lolia shrank her neck in fright and instinctively hid behind Alesha, afraid to meet anyone's gaze.
Just then, the crowd suddenly erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"Lord Wu Liang is here!"
The people parted to form a path.
Wu Liang strode out.
Today he too wore clean clothes; his short black hair looked crisp and sharp, and a confident smile hung on his handsome face.
Beside him walked Wei Xian, her body largely recovered, a swaddled infant in her arms.
After giving birth, she had lost some of her former edge and gained a motherly gentleness.
Next to them came the radiant, voluptuous High Priestess Eliza and the valiant female general Akomann, long spear in hand.
Wu Liang walked to the raised platform beside the bonfire.
He looked over the cheering clansmen below and pressed his hands down; the noisy square fell silent at once.
"My people! Brave warriors of the Black Rock Army!"
Wu Liang's voice rang out, strong and clear, reaching every ear.
"Today, we celebrate two great joys!"
"First, we have defeated the arrogant roland people!"
"With their blood we defended our homeland and washed away the shame they brought upon Great Desolate Mountain!"
"From the bones of our enemies we forged the glory of Black Rock Tribe!"
"We have proven to all: the people of Great Desolate Mountain are not lambs to be slaughtered at will!"
"From this day forward, no one on Great Desolate Mountain will dare look down on us!"
"Aoooh!"
"Black Rock! Black Rock!"
A tsunami of shouts exploded forth.
The warriors below leapt and roared, waving hands or weapons in jubilation.
Wu Liang smiled and motioned for quiet; when the cheers subsided a little, he continued.
"The second joy is the birth of my son, Wu Qi!"
"Our Black Rock Tribe welcomes new blood once again!"
He lifted the swaddled baby high, proudly displaying the child to all.
"What does this mean? The future of Great Desolate Mountain will no longer be controlled by the roland people!"
"I declare to you all: as long as I, Wu Liang, live, the women of Great Desolate Mountain need never fear for our numbers or suffer beneath Roland hooves!"
"We will fight! Fight! Fight! Shatter every barrier that stands in our way!"
"Wu Qi will grow up under your gaze, learning the courage, tenacity, and unyielding spirit of our Black Rock Tribe!"
"For Black Rock Tribe!"
"For Lord Wu Liang!"
"For the young master Wu Qi!"
The crowd was utterly ablaze.
Ignis watched Wu Liang on the stage coldly, her heart full of contempt.
This fellow really knows how to win people's hearts.
When the cheers quieted slightly, Wu Liang handed the child to Wei Xian beside him, then turned his gaze to the six Female Leaders at the edge of the square.
His look made all six tense inwardly.
"Today we also have six honored guests."
Wu Liang spoke, and the square fell silent again.
Every gaze followed his toward Ignis and the others.
"They are the chieftains of the Six Great Tribes: Ember, Hammerstone, Windchaser, Moon Spring, Pastoral Song, and Salt Marsh."
"Not long ago, like us, they suffered brutal Roland attacks."
"But now, they and their people are safe."
Wu Liang paused, then shifted his tone.
"However, I think many of you may not yet know—"
"Before we marched, the six chieftains made a promise to me and to Black Rock Tribe."
"Next, Chieftain Wei Xian will announce it."
The moment his voice fell, Wei Xian stepped forward with the baby in her arms.
As chieftain of Black Rock Tribe, it was most fitting for her to speak the next words.
"I, Wei Xian, announce in the name of the chieftain of Black Rock Tribe."
Her voice rang clear and firm.
"From this day forward I step down from my position, and Wu Liang—my man—shall be the sole and supreme chieftain of Black Rock Tribe!"
"His will shall be the will of Black Rock Tribe!"
With that, she bowed deeply to Wu Liang.
"Hail the chieftain!"
No one objected; instead, even louder cheers erupted.
This was a truth they had long accepted.
Every clansman in the square knelt on one knee, their roar rolling across the sky.
Then Wei Xian turned her gaze to Ignis and the other five.
"Today there is actually a third great joy, which Chieftain Wu Liang has entrusted me to proclaim!"
"Before that, let us welcome with our warmest voices the sisters from the Six Great Tribes: Ember, Hammerstone, Windchaser, Moon Spring, Pastoral Song, and Salt Marsh!"
"Under our chieftain Wu Liang's wise inspiration, they have made the wisest decision: to lead their people and fully merge into our Black Rock family!"
"Henceforth, Great Desolate Mountain will have no so-called Eight Great Tribes—only one voice: Black Rock!"
Swish!
Every gaze on the square locked onto them.
Black Rock clansmen stared with curiosity and appraisal; their own people looked on with hope and expectation.
They were pinned over the fire.
Under such scrutiny, before their own clans, how could they answer?
To admit?
That would mean abandoning everything, placing their fate and their people's wholly in Wu Liang's hands.
To deny?
Would be to push themselves and their clansmen to the opposite side of Great Desolate Mountain.
They would be branded oath-breakers, shaming their people and returning them to the misery of Roland pursuit and starvation.
They would lose all hearts in an instant.
"Some clansmen may still be unclear, so on behalf of everyone I will ask the six chieftains—then all will understand."
"Therefore, I now ask on behalf of Chieftain Wu Liang and all our people—"
Her gaze turned sharp.
"Six chieftains, you once promised that if Black Rock Tribe sent troops to save you,"
"you and your Tribes would utterly submit to Chieftain Wu Liang and Black Rock Tribe, and acknowledge him as your lord."
"Now the Roland have been routed, and Lord Wu Liang has fulfilled his promise—he saved you and your people."
"Is it not time for you to fulfill yours?"
These words struck like a heavy hammer upon the hearts of the six women.
Their greatest fear had finally arrived.
Wu Liang disdained private coercion;
what he wanted was for them to declare submission before everyone.
In an instant, a thousand eyes focused on them.
Black Rock clansmen around began to whisper.
"So that's it—they promised to submit, that's why Lord Wu Liang marched."
"Of course they have to own it—our Lord Wu Liang saved their lives!"
"Right, the law of Great Desolate Mountain: promises must be kept."
"Look at that red-haired one, all defiant—she's not going to renege, is she?"
These murmurs were soft, yet every word reached the six women's ears.
Their faces flushed and paled by turns.
Renege?
They wished they could.
But in this situation, they felt as if thorns pricked their backs.
Florgloria knew this moment would come; there was no hiding.
She drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed her head slightly.
"Salt Marsh Tribe—Florgloria—will obey Lord Wu Liang's command."
Ignis stared at Florgloria in shock, gnashing her teeth. "Traitor! How can you bow to him?"
"It is the truth, is it not, Chieftain Ignis? Our resistance is meaningless."
Beside her, Alesha smiled, seeming relieved now that she had thought it through.
Where one leads, others follow.
The gentle Alesha stepped forward as well and said softly,
"Moon Spring Tribe… obeys Lord Wu Liang's command."
Ignis bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
She could feel Wu Liang's gaze resting on her face with interest, as if awaiting her furious outburst.