Maximus anticipated this question and calmly said, "I’ve already mentioned that the Nix Tribe doesn’t force you, but you must consider your future situation carefully.
You’re all from those two villages to the east, and the men from those villages have either died in battle or been captured. If your husbands are still alive, they’re likely suffering as slaves in the Alde Tribe. If you’re willing and can persuade your husbands to join the Nix Tribe as Reserve Tribe Members, the tribe will not only keep you together, but also provide separate accommodation for you and your husband. In three years, once your husband becomes an Official Tribe Member, he will have his own house and land...
Otherwise, considering the Aldeans’ hatred for Segestica, it’ll be fortunate if your husbands are still alive in half a year; by then, as widows, you can reconsider marrying a tribesman from our tribe."
Hearing Maximus’s words, many women from Segestica turned pale.
"If I can convince my husband to join your tribe, can you immediately bring him back from the Alde Tribe?!" The woman who spoke earlier now looked anxious, urgently voicing the shared concern of the women from Segestica.
"Of course," Maximus replied earnestly. "Tomorrow, I’ll have my subordinates go there to record who wishes for their husbands to join the Nix Tribe. I will then use the list to persuade the Aldeans to release your husbands. But if you deceive me and can’t persuade your husbands, I guarantee you’ll never see your husbands again!"
After saying this, Maximus no longer paid them any attention, surveying the surroundings and loudly announced, "I won’t say much more; sisters, I hope you can all find a good husband!"
Amidst the women’s laughter and chatter, the first group of men entered the assembly. Their numbers were small because they were the chief officers and subordinates of the Nix Tribe’s nine departments.
Facing numerous women’s gazes, the older men like Gaius, Volenus, Flanitnus, and Capito appeared relatively calm. Most of them had families in the past but were separated due to various reasons. They thought they would spend their later years in loneliness, but Spartacus’s uprising broke their chains and Maximus gave them a new life. After his persuasion, they decided to establish new families on this new land and let their bloodlines continue...
Among the department subordinates, many young ones were inexperienced. Hearing the unabashed comments from the crowd, they blushed.
Suddenly, a woman in the front row stood up and loudly addressed Maximus, who was standing aside, ready to watch the fun, "Leader, all these men coming on stage belong to our tribe, but there’s someone missing!"
Seeing the woman who stood up was Medical Officer Nexia, Maximus replied helplessly, "You’re talking about Military Staff Officer Quintus, right? I’ve tried hard to persuade him, but he refused to remarry, saying having a grandson is enough."
Nexia shook her head and said in an even louder voice, "Leader, I’m not talking about Quintus. I’m talking about—you!"
The assembly hall suddenly fell silent.
"Me?!" Maximus thought he heard wrong.
"Leader, you’ve used your wisdom and exhausted yourself to bring us here safely and find ways for us to live well here every day! But don’t forget, you’re also a single man. You need to marry and have children and need a woman to take care of your life so you can eat well, sleep well, and manage the tribe better..." Nexia spoke passionately, "If you’re still single, how can we dare to marry? Sisters, don’t you think so?!"
"Absolutely right!!!..." The women responded in unison. This was no jeering; they genuinely agreed with Nexia, hoping their respected Leader Maximus could have a happy family.
Nexia’s sudden attack caught Maximus off guard. During discussions with his subordinates about the matchmaking meeting, he subconsciously excluded himself, perhaps due to a lingering sense from his past life, thinking he was still young (only 20) and not of marrying age.
"Leader, I think Nexia is right, you should join us and let the women choose you, set an example for everyone!" Flanitnus earnestly reminded.
"Leader, finding a woman to take good care of you would put us at ease as well," Volenus said with concern.
"Leader, if you never marry, people might think you like men, which wouldn’t be good," Fesaros joked.
The tribal leaders all came over to persuade Maximus to join their ranks. Some had overlooked this issue, while others realized it but didn’t dare to mention it; now a woman had to point it out, and they felt somewhat ashamed.
At this point, Maximus had calmed down. Since being reborn into this world, he had been struggling for survival, never considering matters between men and women, much less fantasizing about marrying a princess or noblewoman, as his background and current circumstances made it impossible. Being a realist, he accepted that finding a wife could serve as an example, and having a child could stabilize the tribe and unite people’s hearts.