Chapter 823: A Cruel Conclusion

Sun Mengmeng sidled up to Li Feng. "If I remember correctly, your target was the mammoths, wasn't it? How did you end up bringing one back with you? Tell us all about what happened!"

As Yang Ze ate a skewer of meat, his eyes suddenly widened as he thought of a possibility. "This has to be the princess of the mammoths!

"I was reading a novel recently—the male protagonist, venturing into enemy territory, had a chance encounter with the enemy's princess. The princess had an ideological conflict with the rest of her race, and she voluntarily helped the male protagonist. Not only did she help him retrieve the riches from the royal treasury, she even eloped with him. It has to be something like this, I'm sure of it!"

Li Qianlin sighed. "Eloping with a foreign princess—how romantic!"

Dong Mingxing glanced at her good friend, then up at the ceiling as she sighed. Li Qianlin essentially was that foreign princess...

Sun Mengmeng smirked. "Li Feng, I did underestimate you. Who would have known you were such a romantic? How did you meet this princess?"

Yang Ze cried out, "It must have been a struggle for you to make it out with the enemy princess!"

Li Feng's face turned dark.

The golden mammoth called out, "W-We're brothers!"

Yang Ze clapped. "Oh? He's a prince, then? Li Feng, you really are quite something!"

Sun Xiaowu took a few steps back and announced in mock horror, "Li Feng, I didn't know you had such divergent tastes! We'd better pretend not to know each other in front of outsiders just in case they develop any misunderstandings..."

Zhang Lie was likewise smiling. "Not bad, Li Feng—you're even targeting princes now?"

Li Feng scowled. "Yang Ze, stop making things weird! My companion is female, and there's no such relationship between us. This is the current herdleader of the mammoths. A lot has happened between us, and the reason I brought her here today is because she has something to say to Zhang Lie."

Yang Ze's eyes brightened. He asked in a gossipy tone, "A lot happened between the two of you? Is it something you'd feel embarrassed discussing in public?"

Li Feng turned so that his back was to Yang Ze. "Actually, what happened was as follows..."

Li Feng explained what had happened in the mammoths' frozen world. "Although the mammoths made it to sanctuary safely, the golden mammoth would like to request a plot of land to make a new home."

Everyone turned to Zhang Lie, who had final say over all such decisions.

Zhang Lie nodded. "I understand the situation now. What can the mammoths provide to us?"

The golden mammoth replied, "There are only about five thousand of us left, and we won't need a big plot of land."

Zhang Lie shrugged. "As Li Feng mentioned, the reason you want this land is to develop as a species. Won't your numbers grow as a result?"

Li Qianlin nodded. "That's right. If the five thousand of you were to reside in harmony for, say, a hundred years, your population should easily double. Within five hundred years, there might well be a hundred thousand mammoths. By then, you wouldn't be a small tribe any longer, and you might start conflict with the humans and draconians again."

Zhang Lie continued with his main point. "The mammoths have betrayed their allies once before. How can I trust your kind?"

Sun Mengmeng nodded. "We know Li Feng very well, but we of Team Zenith need to be responsible for the fate of mankind and the draconians. How will you ensure that your kind will not betray us again?"

The golden mammoth replied sincerely, "We mammoths have suffered greatly for that betrayal, and we wouldn't dare do so again. As long as I remain the herdleader of the mammoths, we shall be the most loyal of allies to mankind."

Li Feng tried to defend his companion. "The golden mammoth can be trusted."

"Li Feng, you must be tired. Quick, I'll have a bath drawn for you. It's been a long time since I last saw you, so let's have a good chat."

Yang Ze dragged Li Feng out before he could say anything more.

"But they're all ganging up against the golden mammoth!" Li Feng cried out.

Yang Ze rolled his eyes. "Have you gone dumb from fighting too much? Don't make things hard for our captain! You're a member of Team Zenith, and it'll be very hard for Zhang Lie to speak for the good of mankind when you're here defending your companion."

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"But I'm responsible for the golden mammoth—I was the one who brought her back!" Even so, Li Feng obediently followed behind Yang Ze.

"Don't worry. Don't you know what kind of person Zhang Lie is?"

Yang Ze rolled his eyes. "If Zhang Lie weren't open to negotiations, he would have ignored the mammoth. Why do you think they're having an extended conversation now?"

"To scam the mammoths?" Li Feng answered without having to think about it.

Yang Ze patted Li Feng on the chest, causing him to smile embarrassedly. Indeed, Li Feng should have excused himself earlier—he couldn't both side with his team and with his companion.

Li Feng called back, "Keep on talking! I'm going to take a bath first!"

Zhang Lie was unimpressed by the mammoth's promise. "You claim that you'll remain a loyal ally to mankind as long as you remain the mammoth herdleader. What if you die or are otherwise removed from your position?"

Sun Mengmeng glared. "You aren't trying to take advantage of Li Feng to plead your case to us, are you?"

Zhang Lie sighed. "I'm only having this conversation with you now because of Li Feng. If he hadn't brought you back, I'd have told you to leave immediately—you're promising nothing but still asking for land in return. Aren't you being a little thick-skinned?"

Sun Xiaowu snorted. "If the mammoths were still allies to the humans and draconians, it might not be an unreasonable request, but the mammoths have betrayed the humans and draconians. Why should we now cede you some land?"

Zhang Lie's gaze was cold and sharp as he proclaimed, "One betrayal paves the way for more. Be grateful that I haven't dealt with you mammoths any more strongly instead."

Fang Yi took a deep breath. "You mammoths betrayed us humans when we were in need. Why should we help you out now that the tides have turned? Do you take us for fools? Are we humans and draconians somehow responsible for your wellbeing?"

The golden mammoth blushed.

Zhang Lie continued, "To be frank, a plot of land isn't much to us, and I'm not opposed to giving it to the mammoths, but you need to give me a reason, a reason that can convince me and bring profit to us humans."

The golden mammoth raised her head. "What do you want?"

"Good. I like someone who's willing to negotiate. If necessary, the mammoths will fight alongside us humans, and the humans shall have mining rights for the froststeel ore located in your world."

The golden mammoth's eyes widened. "That—you want us to fight for you, and you want to steal our valuable resource away from us?"

Zhang Lie countered, "You have to understand something: the froststeel veins don't belong to you, but to the world you inhabit. That world no longer belongs to you, but to me!"

The golden mammoth hesitated. "But—"

Zhang Lie interrupted her and held out a second finger. "In addition, we humans defeated you mammoths in battle. I have the right to demand compensation from you, and if you want to establish a working relationship with us again, you need to pay a price. Third, the moment you betrayed us, you lost all hope at forging an alliance on equal terms. You'll be subordinate to us, nothing more."

The golden mammoth knew that forging an alliance wouldn't be easy, but for the reality to be so cruel...