"Under circumstances like this, does it really make sense to even use the word 'recruit'?"
Hearing Xu Yuan's words, Mustard froze stiff on the spot.
The various arguments Xu Yuan had just laid out were indeed reasonable and well-grounded.
Actually, after meeting Xu Yuan and learning about the specifics of the trade chain, Mustard had gotten a little carried away.
In his eyes, he himself was an indispensable part of the trade chain.
Xu Yuan had to rely on him and the Pillager King in order to obtain all this equipment and supplies.
Mustard thought that the initiative, the control, was in his own hands.
But Xu Yuan's words had poured over him like a bucket of ice water, waking him up.
The key factor that allowed the trade chain to form wasn't Mustard, nor was it the Pillager King, it was Xu Yuan.
If Xu Yuan hadn't appeared, Mustard and the Pillager King absolutely could not have possessed such abundant equipment and resources in such a short span of time.
And on top of that, Barbecue Sauce and Blue Demon had both already gained the trust of Mustard and the Pillager King. You could say they knew their situation inside and out.
From today's meeting alone, it was obvious that Barbecue Sauce and Blue Demon could easily bring Mustard and the Pillager King out alone.
If Xu Yuan had wanted, he could have just directly captured the two of them and completed the trade chain.
Wouldn't that have been much simpler for Xu Yuan than standing here talking for half the day?
And besides, Xu Yuan didn't care in the least about Mustard and the Pillager King's measly handful of troops.
Xu Yuan, who commanded the entire player faction, would he really value the hundred or so under Mustard and the Pillager King?
Xu Yuan simply had no need to recruit them.
His purpose for doing this was truly simple, to dissolve the hatred between the two factions.
Clearly, once Mustard thought it through, he realized that the question he had just asked now seemed kind of stupid.
He sighed, nodded, and admitted Xu Yuan's point.
"True…"
"Directly controlling us would definitely be simpler than saying all this to us…"
Hearing Mustard's words, the Pillager King, who had been silently watching, couldn't help but wipe sweat from his forehead.
Honestly, when Mustard had asked those questions, the Pillager King had thought they sounded reasonable too.
He had even been ready to chime in with some agreement, thankfully he held back.
The Pillager King could hear that Xu Yuan's words had already been put as tactfully as possible.
But if you summed it up, it was basically, "Who do you think you are? You think I need to recruit you?"
The key point was that Xu Yuan's words were true, and that truth left the Pillager King sweating.
Seeing Mustard agree with his point, Xu Yuan smiled and asked, "Anything else you want to ask?"
Mustard exhaled, then nodded.
This time he thought for a while before speaking. "Why are you doing this?"
"Dissolving our hatred with the Pillagers and monsters doesn't seem to bring you any benefit."
This was a question Xu Yuan had already expected. Mustard was definitely going to press for a reason.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan shrugged and smiled. "You already asked this question once."
"And at the time, my answer was, 'since when did saving lives require a reason?'"
Hearing Xu Yuan's reply, Mustard gave a helpless smile.
Mustard didn't really know Xu Yuan, nor did he know what Xu Yuan's plans were. So when Xu Yuan said this, Mustard only felt like maybe Xu Yuan just didn't want to reveal the real reason.
Mustard's expression was instantly noticed by Xu Yuan.
Seeing that, Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Since that answer doesn't convince you..."
"Then let me give you another one."
At that, Xu Yuan smiled, looked at Mustard, and said, "For world peace."
Xu Yuan's words were indeed the truth. To him, this wasn't some empty slogan, but something he was actually doing.
But in Mustard's eyes, it was different.
"For world peace?"
"Heh… I actually heard those words from the infamous HIM."
"Am I crazy, or is this world crazy?"
"Fine, let's say what you said is true. Even if I and the Pillager King can let go of the past and stop being enemies..."
"Can you guarantee that everyone can accept this so-called idea of 'fabricated hatred'?"
"Even if Villagers, Pillagers, and monsters all let go of hatred, does that really mean we'll be able to live well?"
"What about the players? Will the players suddenly let go of their hatred for us?"
"Oh… no, they don't hate us. They just never treated us as people in the first place, humiliating, bullying, trampling us at will!"
"And the Void…"
"Undiscriminating attacks, wanton slaughter of living beings…"
"This world will never know peace!"
Saying this, Mustard looked at Xu Yuan, then glanced at Barbecue Sauce and Blue Demon, and laughed.
"You talk a good game, but what have you actually done?"
"These empty words of yours can only fool them at best."
Mustard's words weren't really aimed at Xu Yuan.
The reason his emotions suddenly surged like this was because, deep down, he had started to waver, he had started to believe Xu Yuan.
But his rational mind told him that he couldn't allow himself to kindle hope.
Xu Yuan really had convinced him. In his heart, he had already made the choice, to abandon hatred and create a new life for himself.
But Mustard knew clearly, just because he and the Pillager King could accept it didn't mean their entire factions could.
To truly make two factions abandon hatred overnight was anything but easy.
And even if he and the Pillager King succeeded, would they really be completely safe?
In this game world, threats didn't just come from enemy factions, there were also players, and the Void.
So Mustard didn't want to indulge in the beautiful hope Xu Yuan offered.
The deeper he sank into that hope, the harder it would be for him to face reality once the Trial Grounds ended.
Mustard's thinking was perfectly reasonable. After all, he didn't know Xu Yuan's plan, nor did he know how much Xu Yuan had silently sacrificed for what Mustard dismissed as "empty words."
At this moment, Xu Yuan was about to speak, but suddenly he saw Barbecue Sauce flap his wings and fly up in front of Mustard.
Then, he pecked Mustard hard right on the forehead.
As he pecked, his beak clucked nonstop.
Normally, everyone could understand Barbecue Sauce's chicken-speech, but right now no one could make sense of it.
Still, judging from Barbecue Sauce's posture, it was probably something pretty nasty he was saying…
"Ow, what the hell are you doing?!!"
This time Barbecue Sauce was really going for it. Just those few pecks took half of Mustard's HP.
Mustard was dumbfounded, mainly because he had no idea why Barbecue Sauce was suddenly so worked up.
"Cluck cluck cluck!!…"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck!!!…"
Barbecue Sauce clucked and clucked, clearly trying to say something, but he was so emotional that no one could understand what he meant.
Seeing this, Blue Demon finally stepped forward. His face was serious as he looked at Mustard and said, "Do you know why he's acting this way toward you?"
"Because he's disappointed in you. Disappointed by your words."
Hearing Blue Demon's words, Mustard couldn't help but look dazed.
But Blue Demon gave him no time to recover and continued, "You think just a few empty words could make players, monsters, and animals all trust him and follow him unconditionally?"
"You say he's never gone through what you've gone through."
"But have you ever seen what he has done?"
The actions of Blue Demon and Barbecue Sauce were clearly on Xu Yuan's side, standing up for him.
They had only had contact with Xu Yuan here in the Trial Grounds, and for a very short time at that.
And yet even they couldn't stand to hear Mustard's words.
Needless to say, if Black Knife had been here, he probably would've been at Mustard's throat with a blade already.
Barbecue Sauce's brain wasn't as sharp as Blue Demon's, but he could still tell right from wrong, that's why he was so angry.
Blue Demon was about to continue lecturing Mustard when Barbecue Sauce flew up in front of him.
By now, his emotions had calmed down quite a bit, and he could finally speak with Mustard peacefully.
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck (I once told you my story. Like you, I too witnessed far too much death.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck… (My companions and I could never find a way to solve the problem, and eventually we split apart because of our disagreements…)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck (After coming to the Trial Grounds, I met him. He pointed out a path I had never even imagined, and told me that if I kept walking down that path, I would find the way to solve the problem.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck (Later I told all this to Blue Demon. Blue Demon said he couldn't understand me. After that, I also started doubting whether the path he showed me was the right one.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck… (But soon, Blue Demon came back to me and asked me to make a trip to the Rainforest…)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck (When I came here, what I saw was him practicing the very method he had told me, and it was working.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck… (In the Rainforest, the animals and monsters all had hopeful expressions on their faces. That was something I had never seen in the Overworld…)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck (But does plotting all this bring him any benefit? He's a powerful being. He doesn't even need to worry about survival.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck (Our lives, our living environment, none of it concerns him. But he still helps us unconditionally.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck… (Even now I still can't understand why he does this…)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck (But I believe his words, just like I believe in you, and in Blue Demon.)"
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck! (I don't know why, but when he's here, I feel at ease and full of hope. That's a feeling I've never had before, and I like it!)"
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