Chapter 2359: Chapter 1052: Winds and Clouds Surging (Part 3)

He did at least have this bit of strategic wisdom.

The Monster Tribes of the Giant Plains maintaining their overall strength was their effective way of resisting Blood Gorge City’s expansion.

Once they were defeated one by one by Blood Gorge City’s Hobgoblins, their situation would become dangerous.

"Don’t be in a hurry to refuse, listen to me finish first." Blood Claw was not surprised by the Half-Ogre’s attitude. "We only want the Jackalwere Queen. You, Clan Leader, can take the opportunity to launch war against the other tribes on the Giant Plains, and keep fighting until our war with Charoma is over.

We acknowledge all the territories and tribes you seize in the process."

The core of any negotiation is always the same: an exchange of interests.

Teaming up with a Monster Tribe like the Half-Ogres, Blood Claw would still have to worry about whether he would get stabbed in the back.

So it was better not to consider them from the start, and instead drag them into the quagmire of war as well, leaving them with no energy or time to interfere in the war between Blood Gorge City and the Jackalwere Queen.

The Half-Ogre unconsciously stuck out his big tongue and licked his upturned nose, nodding despite himself as he said, "A very tempting proposal, but you’re underestimating me far too much. I won’t let you get what you want, so I refuse."

"The Clan Leader is indeed even wiser than I expected." Blood Claw did not panic; instead he showed a smile full of malice. "I just don’t know if the Jackalwere Queen is as wise as you, whether she can restrain her greed and refuse the same proposal from me..."

"You wouldn’t dare!"

Before Blood Claw finished, the Half-Ogre roared in fury, which meant he had been frightened.

Because he could not be sure what choice the Jackalwere Queen would make.

Or rather, given the greedy nature of the Jackalweres, the odds were high they would only care about immediate gains and ignore future threats.

In that case, his Beast Demon Tribe would easily become the sacrifice.

"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Blood Claw directly ignored the other’s anger. "The first stop I made was to come to you, Clan Leader, not the Jackalwere Queen. That already showed you enough respect. But if you don’t take it, don’t blame me for resorting to that last resort...

Our bottom line is not to be trampled... This has never changed in the past, doesn’t change now, and will not change in the future!"

The Half-Ogre clearly had some quick wits. He turned his head and countered, "What if I join forces with the Jackalwere Queen before you do?"

"If that really happened, the one who should be scared and worried is you, Clan Leader, not me." Blood Claw sneered. "The Jackalweres are notorious for breaking their word. Better be careful she takes a bite out of you from behind."

His retort left the Half-Beast Giant Troll Wuerkrna momentarily speechless.

Trust had always been the eternal problem between Monster Tribes.

Without the restraints of morals, ethics, or beliefs, they could act as they pleased, and their behavioral norms were extremely hard to predict.

Whether Orcs or Jackalweres, they were leaders in this regard; the God of the Race they worshipped was synonymous with Chaotic Evil—how good could their offspring possibly be?

This was also why Blood Claw was only willing to take in Hobgoblins while keeping all other Monster Tribes outside his gates.

Doing so certainly made Blood Gorge City’s development relatively slow.

But internally it was as solid as bedrock and could not be easily driven apart.

"Kill them all. As long as we kill them all, Blood Gorge City will be left without a head, and we can then join with the Jackalwere Queen to attack Blood Gorge City..." The Noble Giant Troll beside the Half-Ogre, holding a Super Large Magic Wand, screeched. "I will help you trap all their souls so they cannot be resurrected!"

"Naive!" Blood Claw said with a cold laugh. "I’m only the Governor of Blood Gorge City. Above me stands the great Conqueror. Kill me, and Blood Gorge City will just get a new City Lord.

But you will have completely lost all room to maneuver and will have to face not just Blood Gorge City, but endless revenge from all territories under the Conqueror. Are you sure you can bear that?"

What Blood Claw said was the pure, unvarnished truth—and the truth is often the most lethal.

Without giving them any chance to argue back, Blood Claw continued, "Talking about this is redundant. Are you sure you even have that kind of strength?"

When he finished, Blood Claw clenched his fist and swung it down heavily. The large Hobgoblin Cavalry Guards behind him shouted in unison, "Blood Gorge will prevail."

The slogan was uniform, loud and clear, and their momentum soared into the sky—obviously the result of professional drilling.

Their Stun effect was first-rate, especially combined with the Ferocious Momentum just released by several Blood Oath Warlords—the impact was even stronger.

Many large Beastman Cavalry were clearly shaken in spirit, unconsciously turning their heads aside, not daring to look straight at them.

At the mention of personal martial strength, the Half-Ogre’s energy and spirit immediately recovered quite a bit; his huge vicious eyes swept back and forth over Blood Claw’s group. "I’m afraid it’s the General who’s overconfident. Don’t think that just because you have a constant Advanced Giant Transformation on you that you’re invincible under heaven. Body Type is only one part of strength; having only size is far from enough."

The Clan Leaders or Leaders of Monster Tribes mostly fought their way up step by bloody step; they were often the number one powerhouse of their tribe.

The Half-Ogre was no exception; compared to an ordinary Orc Clan Leader he simply had more brains.

"Whether it is or not, we’ll know by trying." Blood Claw, who had just obtained a brand-new ability, was itching for a fight. "Clan Leader, why don’t you and I have a duel? If I win, we proceed according to my plan. If you win, I only want the heads of those Jackalweres, and all of the Jackalwere Queen’s territory will belong to you."

"The General really is quite the schemer. No matter whether you win or lose, you come out undefeated." The Half-Ogre plainly heard the implication between the lines.

The Hobgoblin Warlord was expressing his resolve in a roundabout way.

The Jackalwere Queen had to die, whether he agreed to cooperate or not; it only depended on whether he wanted to be buried with her.

"What? Is the Clan Leader afraid?" Blood Claw’s attempt at goading him was extremely crude.

"Afraid? Hah... Since I was born, I have never known what fear is." The Half-Ogre laughed loudly. "Let me see just how much weight the General carries, that you dare to challenge me."

This also served as a step down for him, an excuse to climb down the ladder.

Because after weighing it over and over, he realized that Blood Claw’s initial proposal was actually the most suitable.

Though he would face a one-on-one confrontation with Blood Gorge City afterward, at least before that the situation was advantageous to them.

They could use the period when Blood Gorge City and the Jackalwere Queen were locked in war to expand madly.

They might even exploit their state of war to seek other gains.