The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 181: Chapter 181 Common Ground

But great power always comes with its burdens. For Albino Tigrens, one of the greatest challenges was finding a mate capable of surviving their intensity.

Now, the Royal Advisor finally understood why the tribe had so few women. The Chieftain’s immense strength and big build, combined with an insatiable sex drive, made it dangerous for most women to endure prolonged mating with him.

Many would suffer severe cervical injuries, sometimes fatally, and rendering childbirth difficult for most women. Because of this, conception was rare, and the survival of the Albino bloodline became a once-in-a-century challenge, waiting again for fate to gift the tribe with the next Albino Tigren.

There had never been a recorded case in history of an Albino Tigren successfully producing a second generation. Witnessing the living legend before him, the Royal Advisor was momentarily fascinated, but the intrigue lasted only a heartbeat before he composed himself and began, ”We heard that you’re in possession of a biochemical agent... one that’s for sale?”

The Tigren Chieftain lounged back with an air of lazy confidence, reaching for a bottle of wine and pouring himself a glass. He made no effort to rush the conversation.

He knew exactly how desperately the Royal Advisor and his kingdom needed the agent. That desperation was not his burden to carry. If anything, the longer the negotiations stretched, the higher the price would climb.

The Royal Advisor seemed to realize it, too. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the Chieftain, whose expression was the very picture of arrogance and dominance. ’Who said Tigren couldn’t be cunning?’ he thought to himself.

He and Elric glanced around, searching for a place to sit, but the room was in complete disarray. Worse, traces of a sticky white fluid were smeared across several surfaces, making most of the available seating uninviting, if not outright unusable. Not that it mattered. The Chieftain had yet to give them permission to sit, and out of respect, or perhaps caution, the Royal Advisor remained standing, albeit reluctantly.

Ten more minutes passed in heavy silence before the Chieftain finally spoke, his tone as unhurried as his movements. ”I’ve already stated my terms, haven’t I? When your people sent that transmission, I made it clear. I want supplies. And animals from the western regions of your territory. My people need more meat to survive. We can’t afford to lose muscle mass just because we’re short on food.”

Noticing that the Royal Advisor showed no intention of responding, the Chieftain paused for a moment, then decided to continue, forcing the conversation forward.

Besides, it wasn’t as if the Werewolf Kingdom was the only one facing difficulties right now. The Royal Advisor could sense something was off about the Tigren Chieftain as well.

From the Chieftain’s mention of survival and food shortages, it was clear that his tribe might be struggling with limited resources. While the Advisor wasn’t well-versed in the nature of these vast grasslands or how much prey the Tigren could realistically hunt here, the implications were enough for him to draw a likely conclusion.

Realizing this, the Royal Advisor began to see a potential advantage. If the Tigren were in just as dire a situation as the Werewolf Kingdom, then perhaps they now had common ground, an opening for negotiation.

”Before we proceed with the negotiations, isn’t it only reasonable for us to inspect the goods first?” the Royal Advisor said. ”We need to be sure it works, after all.”

To the Chieftain, however, the request felt like a slight, an implication that the Advisor didn’t trust his word or the integrity of his tribe. If they weren’t truly facing a food shortage, he wouldn’t be trying to increase his demands. But the reality was undeniable: they needed supplies, livestock, and a chance to relocate to a more fertile region. This land could no longer sustain them.

Still, relocation took time and planning. They needed to prepare, cure meat, process what livestock they could, and stockpile food before the journey. His demands weren’t made from greed, but necessity. The Advisor’s skepticism only added another layer of tension to an already delicate negotiation.

Though the Tigren were a war-driven race, they prided themselves on honesty in business and a direct approach in all dealings. So, the Royal Advisor’s veiled implication didn’t just offend the Chieftain, it struck at his pride. A low, warning snarl escaped the Chieftain’s throat as his aura surged outward, thick and oppressive.

The Royal Advisor stiffened. He had spent years at the side of the Alpha King and was no stranger to the weight of a commanding and oppressive aura that could make even seasoned warriors instinctively bow their heads in submission. But the Chieftain’s aura was different, just as potent, yet laced with something wild and untamed, a primal force that refused to be civilized.

And though he held his ground, the Advisor knew better than to push further. The Tigren Chieftain was unpredictable, and testing his patience for the sake of posturing could easily backfire. If he wanted to keep the negotiation on track, he’d have to tread carefully.

”It’s not that we doubt your honesty,” the Royal Advisor said smoothly, ”but we need to inspect the biochemical agent now. Once it’s in use, we won’t have the opportunity to examine it thoroughly, given how urgently we needed it.”

What he said was only half the truth.

In reality, once they secured the agent, it would be immediately sent to the Royal Alchemist for analysis. The goal wasn’t just to use it blindly; it was to understand it. They needed to create a treatment compound that could neutralize the harsh chemicals in the agent before it caused lasting damage to their land.

The biochemical agent was only meant to exterminate the locust swarm, but once the pests were dealt with, they had to act fast to cleanse the soil and prevent long-term problems. This wasn’t just about trust, it was about survival.

Although the Royal Alchemist would need to study a sample of the biochemical agent, time was a luxury they didn’t have. There wouldn’t be enough opportunity to analyze every detail once the operation began.

By now, the people in the western territories were likely scrambling to harvest their grain in haste, having received the transmission from the Royal Capital, especially those closest to the areas already under attack by the locust swarm.

The urgency was mounting. They had to contain the swarm before it reached the next pack. Elric had already dispatched several dozen mages from the Mage Tower to cast a wide-area containment spell, essentially a magical net, around the infested zone. The spell was meant to buy precious time, allowing farmers to harvest crops and relocate livestock.

But powerful and wide area of effect spells like that came at a cost. The mana consumption was immense, and the mages wouldn’t be able to sustain the barrier for long before they’d be forced to rest.

Alternatively, they could rely on mana stones to sustain the spell. However, since teleportation to the frontline, where the locust swarm was concentrated, wasn’t possible, so, there would be a delay in delivering the mana stones. Any delay could disrupt the spell’s continuity, which was a serious risk.