Leonard straightened himself and looked at Great Messenger. “First, will the Great Messenger please take in everyone from the Zacharias tribe, including those former members of the tribe who attacked the Snake King valley. Have them become part of Saint Nazaire and be under the protection of the Great Messenger.”
Gu Mengmeng was stunned. “Do you intend to disband Zacharias?”
Leonard took a deep breath. “Yes. Without the Soul of the Forest, there will not be any reason for Zacharias to exist.”
Gu Mengmeng narrowed her eyes and kept silent for moment. Instead of answering, she asked Leonard, “In that case, why did you offer the Soul of the Forest in the first place?”
Leonard knew there was no way he could keep it a secret, and he saw no reason to hide the fact either. So he said, “The stray beast Cole came and threatened me earlier. If I don’t do as he says, he will destroy everyone in Zacharias.”
Cole again…
“What did he threaten you with?” Gu Mengmeng asked casually.
Leonard frowned deeply. He was ashamed just thinking of how he was being threatened by a stray beast. But as embarrassing as it was to admit to something like that, he was willing to do so to seek refuge for his own tribesmen. So he suppressed his intense emotions and said, “He wanted me to take in some beasts who had no tribe, and then go to Sauder to make peace with you using the Soul of the Forest in exchange. He promised that as long as I fulfilled both tasks, Zacharias would not be attacked by stray beasts for the next hundred years.”
“Since you have already accomplished the things he wanted you to do, wouldn’t you have peace for the next hundred years now?” Gu Mengmeng asked.
Leonard replied in a frank manner, “I don’t trust the words of a stray beast. I am willing to hand over my tribe to the Great Messenger because, firstly, after you get the Soul of the Forest, protecting you will be equivalent to protecting the Soul of the Forest. Secondly, I cannot let my tribe live a life governed by the whims of the stray beasts.”
Gu Mengmeng nodded in assent of the first condition. She then asked, “What is the second condition?”
Leonard said, “When the Great Messenger goes to retrieve the Soul of the Forest, please bring me along. I want to know what this item, which Zacharias has been protecting for the past thousand years, looks like.”
Gu Mengmeng nodded again in agreement. “Third?”
Leonard turned and looked at Dora with eyes full of cherish. “Will the Great Messenger please pardon Dora and cleanse her body of all that shame.”
Gu Mengmeng breathed in, looking very conflicted. “This..what if I don’t agree?”
Leonard gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “If the Great Messenger is willing to accept these three conditions, I will become your loyal servant, for you to use as you please. If the Great Messenger doesn’t agree… then, Zacharias will rather be destroyed than to yield.”
Gu Mengmeng laughed. “Aiyo, you really know how to throw down the gauntlet. But unfortunately, I cannot agree to the third condition as I simply cannot do it.”
Leonard was taken aback. He shifted his gaze towards Lea.
Actually, he had wanted to propose only the former two conditions to Gu Mengmeng. But because of Lea’s mention of that matter just now, he had added the third condition on the spot.
But the Messenger of the Beast Deity was now saying she couldn’t do it?
This…
Lea stroked Gu Mengmeng’s little hand and kissed it. “You don’t need to look at me. If my Mengmeng says she can’t do it, then it can’t be done. I won’t do it even if I can.”