Chapter 469 219: Void Energy

Howling Black Ridge's maneuver not only baffled Li Ziyu, but even the Ape Warriors he had brought couldn't help but purse their lips. 'Captain, that's not what you said a moment ago,' they thought. 'You clearly said that Ape Warriors are never afraid. How could you cave so quickly? You changed your tune a little too fast...'

"If we aren't enemies, then who is?" Li Ziyu seized on the point in Howling Black Ridge's words, asking with a peculiar look on his face.

'You were just about to declare war on me, and now you're saying we aren't enemies? Do you take me for a fool?'

'The tension was built up perfectly, and you're just going to back down like that?'

In truth, Li Ziyu didn't want a conflict either. This had nothing to do with whether or not he feared the Black Ridge Tribe; it was mainly because Skeletons were difficult to replenish in the Void Land, so he had to be cautious. If they were in the Wraith Mountain Range, he wouldn't have tolerated Howling Black Ridge for a second.

"It's the Void Creatures. They are our true enemies," Howling Black Ridge said at once, without a moment's hesitation.

"Void Creatures…" Li Ziyu stared down at Howling Black Ridge, who seemed like a completely different person, and settled back onto his throne. He had to admit, the scapegoat Howling Black Ridge had found was indeed an effective one.

In the Void Land, the true enemy was the Void Creatures. That made sense. Judging from the ladle-shaped beetles, Void Creatures were extremely powerful. If those beetles appeared in swarms, the danger would multiply.

"What do you propose?" Li Ziyu asked, looking toward Howling Black Ridge. Talk was cheap; only mutual benefit mattered.

"King of Skulls, you're not from this world, are you?" Howling Black Ridge didn't answer directly, instead posing a question of his own.

"You knew that?" Li Ziyu narrowed his eyes, studying Howling Black Ridge. They had only just met and had barely exchanged a few sentences, yet the Ape had already guessed he wasn't one of the Void Land's Natives.

"It wasn't hard to guess. You're not a Void Creature, and only Void Creatures are the Natives here." Howling Black Ridge chuckled. Their simple exchange had confirmed one thing: the other party knew very little about the Void Land and had likely just arrived in this world.

'This makes things much easier,' he thought. 'There are plenty of opportunities for cooperation. The Black Ridge Tribe has been in this part of the Void Land for a very long time, gathering resources year-round. If I offer up a few small benefits to bring this King of Skulls to my side, get him to fight the Void Creatures with us... to act as cannon fodder... wouldn't that be perfect?'

'Success isn't about fighting and killing; it's about connections and social grace. I've got this one in the bag.'

"I have no quarrel with the Void Creatures. Why should we join forces to fight them?" Li Ziyu said softly after a moment of thought.

'I've only just arrived in the Void Land,' Li Ziyu mused. 'I've only ever seen those ladle-shaped beetles. I don't even know if there are intelligent Races among the Void Creatures. Why should I make them my enemy just on the word of an Ape? That would be asking for trouble.'

But Howling Black Ridge just shook his head and calmly explained, "No, King of Skulls, you are mistaken. Everyone who comes to this land from the outside is an enemy of the Void Creatures. Even if you haven't offended them, you are their enemy all the same."

Li Ziyu was unconvinced. 'Many creatures have territorial instincts, not just Void Creatures,' he thought. 'The Apes are the same. To me, there's no real difference between them and the Void Creatures. Isn't Howling Black Ridge here under the pretext of finding allies to protect his own territory?'

This explanation didn't satisfy Li Ziyu, much less convince him to cooperate. "I think it's too early to discuss an alliance."

Howling Black Ridge wasn't ready to give up. He pressed on, "This is the Void Creatures' territory. You may have just arrived in this space and don't understand it, but Void Creatures will continuously pour out of the Void. We could be attacked at any moment. Those of us who came from the outside must unite to fight them."

Li Ziyu stared at Howling Black Ridge, his mind racing. 'An alliance isn't necessarily a bad thing,' he considered. The Void Land was foreign to him, and his Skeletons were difficult to replenish, meaning he couldn't maintain his fighting strength for long. The problem lay with the Ape Race themselves. Batubohe had told him what they were like.

'They're a bunch of scheming tricksters. It's not that other Races haven't allied with them before, but they've all been horribly backstabbed. Betrayal was the least of it; those creatures are experts at setting traps for their allies. Many Races have ended up as cannon fodder for the Apes, suffering devastating losses while the Ape Race always managed to profit and grow stronger.'

'Cooperating with the Ape Race was tantamount to making a deal with a tiger.'

With this in mind, Li Ziyu refused again. "Howling Black Ridge, you make a compelling point, but I'm afraid I must decline your offer. I will not be allying with your Black Ridge Tribe for the time being."

Howling Black Ridge's expression brightened at the first half of the sentence, only to fall at the second. He pounded his chest and said to Li Ziyu, "Since the Master of Skulls is unwilling to join forces with the Black Ridge Tribe against the Void Creatures, then please release my tribesmen and leave our territory."

After giving Howling Black Ridge a long, hard look, Li Ziyu said, "I will release your tribesmen. I will also leave your Tribe's territory."

Having said his piece, Li Ziyu waved his hand. A Black Knight stepped forward, gesturing for Howling Black Ridge to leave.

This time, Howling Black Ridge didn't say another word. He turned and left, with the other Ape Warriors hurriedly following behind. The Undead "escorted" them all the way out of the Undead Fortress.