Chapter 634: Dowry

Liam arched his eyebrows in surprise.

Things definitely weren’t as easy as Uriah had made them sound, but his mind stayed cool in the face of the imminent catastrophe. He knew what he prioritized and didn’t hesitate to welcome losses to keep it safe.

That was a true leader, and Liam felt a bit of awe as he absorbed the scene.

Moreover, Uriah had involved Liam in that statement. Liam hadn’t shared the details about those waiting for him, but Uriah knew they existed and was already factoring them into his decision.

It almost sounded as if Uriah already saw the Dark Heaven Tribe’s fate forever intertwined with Liam’s.

"I told my partner about the Tribe," Liam instantly nodded. "She is ... eager to welcome you all. We don’t have a fixed home and don’t plan to have one. Our journey also won’t be safe, but I will match the care you have shown me and more."

Liam said nothing Uriah hadn’t already guessed.

The Church was after Liam and anyone he had involved, so his group obviously was on the run. They could only live as criminals after making an enemy of that force.

Moreover, safety couldn’t exist with Liam’s lineage, especially since he planned to bring the fight to the Dragons. The literal Kingdom was his enemy, and it was only a matter of time before war broke out.

Still, the Tribes weren’t exactly righteous forces. They existed in limbo, a mere step away from becoming proper criminals. They relied on their location to build wealth, but that was more circumstantial than necessary.

The desert’s barrenness made those valuable locations crucial to building a thriving force. A different, richer environment instead had different key factors, allowing alternative power structures to exist.

In short, Uriah already had the right mindset to live as a criminal. He also understood what sticking with Liam meant, which was why he focused on the only odd detail he spotted.

"Eager?" Uriah questioned, furrowing his brows warily.

With everything happening, the last thing Uriah needed was for Liam to appear untrustworthy. Yet, Liam’s hesitation in his choice of words had been for a far more innocent reason.

"My partner is of the Qilin," Liam revealed, feeling that it was better to come clean about everything to avoid dangerous misunderstandings. "She is quite attached to money, and I’m bringing inscription and formation masters to her."

Uriah seemed slightly taken aback by the revelation, prompting a question that didn’t fit the serious predicament at all. "Wasn’t the Ancestral Qilin on the Ancestral Dragon’s side?"

"I was trapped before I knew it," Liam admitted.

Uriah took a moment to review the reply before approaching Liam, placing a hand on his shoulder, lowering his head, and warily glancing at the entrance before whispering. "My wife has a vault of women she has frozen because they eyed me."

A specific mood started, one Liam couldn’t help but join, having finally found someone who could relate to his imprisonment.

"Rachel told me," Liam said, also lowering his head and whispering. "My partner put a sword between my legs when she thought I left her."

"My wife threatened to freeze it," Uriah exclaimed.

"My partner wants to brand her name on my face," Liam added.

There they were, two branching experts, more mountains than men, their sole shadows stirring inferiority in most of the male kind, bonding over their gripes about fearsome partners.

Liam and Uriah exchanged a meaningful nod, their brotherhood established, united in their similar beautiful curse. Uriah stepped back at that point, crossed his arms, and cleared his throat, sadly having slightly more important issues to return to.

"We can postpone that discussion," Uriah declared. "About the current threat, you were thinking about something."

"Our defensive capabilities are far from poor," Liam explained, his brain also switching gears. "If we win the next clash, we’d have the entire region."

The risky strategy made even more sense now that Uriah had expressed willingness to relocate his Tribe. Having extra loot would definitely help cut his losses.

"But we can’t be sure the Red Sandstorm Tribe saw the entirety of the foreign reinforcements," Liam continued. "If leafing experts join the fray, can we fight them?"

Uriah was a high-stage branching expert. In terms of cultivation level, he was closest to the superior stage, so Liam would trust his opinion.

Nevertheless, the cold, stern look that expanded in Liam’s vision made him set the matter aside without asking for clarification.

’Having a clear idea of the opponent would make this far easier,’ Liam cursed internally, an idea popping into his mind right afterward.

"I could scout the threat," Liam suggested. "Maybe even delay its arrival and kill someone along the way."

The more Liam thought about the idea, the more sense it made. Alchemy made him resourceful like few experts, and he had experience in the practice, the fan, and his superior senses. He basically was the perfect man for the job.

Gauging the threat would also give Uriah more options. If facing the danger risked causing too many losses, he could opt for a swift departure, dropping any idea of plundering the region.

Yet, shouts arrived.

"You?! Alone?!" Uriah scolded. "Did you not get stranded here the last time?! Are you planning to break my daughter’s heart before the marriage?!"

As confusing as Uriah’s stance on Liam and Rachel’s union was, certain things took priority. Liam indeed regretted the unwanted teleport, but not why he had ended up in that situation.

"Am I not one of you?" Liam asked. "This is what I do, and I am uniquely suited for the task."

Liam wasn’t exaggerating, and Uriah knew it. Even without the wild story, Liam had still tackled the forbidden zones successfully, brought back plenty of valuable corpses, dealt with Andrew’s sudden arrival, and remained hidden from both Tribes and overlords.

"And if we choose to defend?" Uriah wondered. "Won’t your absence undermine the defensive capabilities you have just praised?"

Rather than explaining the reasoning, Liam focused on the spark he had heard in Uriah’s words.

"You want to fight," Liam commented.

"They will take my home," Uriah snorted. "But they must pay the price."

"My poisons don’t need preparations," Liam explained. "I’ll leave more venom with you, but everything else I can use on the spot."

Liam only had to throw the Master’s Pride for it to work. It even infected the Qi without messing with its functioning, meaning it wouldn’t get in the way of Amber’s formations.

Besides, Liam planned to return before anything happened.

Uriah seemed a bit stuck. On the one hand, everything Liam had said was true, both when it came to his scouting capabilities and his role inside the Tribe.

However, the Tribe had already gained much from Liam, and making him pay for the dangers he brought would be the opposite of welcoming him.

The current danger didn’t even have anything to do with the Church or Liam’s lineage. If it weren’t for the situation, Uriah would only want him to be a proper son-in-law working for Rachel’s happiness.

Rachel actually was a big reason for Uriah’s hesitation, but a bigger truth was at play. Even if his daughter worried, Liam was indeed on the path to leadership. It shouldn’t fall on him, but Uriah couldn’t stop him from acting as one of the Tribe’s pillars.

"No teleports," Uriah warned, an item materializing in his hands. "Rachel spoke highly of your skills, but it’s not my specialty. I could only stick to the basics and add a personal touch."

The world was bright. Everything shone in Liam’s vision, and a childish, excited smile broadened on his face. He was in love all over again.

’You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life,’ Liam gasped internally as Uriah handed him the item, and he wielded it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

After all, the item was silver, curved, and big, with floral patterns that resembled the ones on Liam’s sleeves carved on its limbs. It was a bow unlike the cauldron he had just received.

The bow was a proper rank 3 weapon, a magical item.

"T-this is-!" Uriah said, convulsing, his jaw unsure whether to relax or crush his teeth. "D-d-dowry!"