Even though Tyrant HIM wasn't very good at reading lips, he could still recognize a hand gesture for cooperation.
He finally understood what Annoying Village HIM was trying to say.
Even so, Annoying Village HIM's sudden proposal was too abrupt for Tyrant HIM.
Tyrant HIM wasn't against the idea of cooperation, but he'd never thought about teaming up with either Xu Yuan or Annoying Village HIM, since all three of them were competitors.
If Tyrant HIM hadn't looked at Xu Yuan just now, he never would've considered Annoying Village HIM's offer.
But the problem lay with Xu Yuan.
Tyrant HIM didn't know much about Xu Yuan's military strength, but from players who had worked with him, he'd heard that about one-third of the entire player faction belonged to Xu Yuan's camp.
And he knew well that Xu Yuan had always lived in this world, Xu Yuan was rather well-known here.
Plus, with Xu Yuan's methods, he was sure to move like a fish in water within the Trial Grounds.
And the state Xu Yuan had just shown in the waiting room was enough to confirm Tyrant HIM's suspicions.
Only with enough troops behind him could someone show that kind of confidence.
Clearly, Annoying Village HIM must have found out about Xu Yuan's military strength, and realizing he couldn't face Xu Yuan alone, proposed cooperation instead.
Thinking this, Tyrant HIM once again looked toward Annoying Village HIM, his expression complicated.
He hadn't completely lowered his guard against Annoying Village HIM. After all, as a rival, Annoying Village HIM might be pretending to cooperate just to rope him in and scheme against him.
Though that was a reasonable suspicion, Tyrant HIM also knew clearly that, at this moment, the biggest threat inside the Trial Grounds wasn't Annoying Village HIM, but Xu Yuan.
Among the three of them, only Xu Yuan was completely calm and composed. That fact alone spoke volumes.
Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM exchanged a glance and seemed to catch a hint of anxiety in each other's eyes.
At that moment, for some reason, both of them unconsciously turned their gaze toward Xu Yuan.
But just as their eyes landed on him, the originally silent, motionless Xu Yuan, who had been resting quietly with his eyes closed, suddenly moved a little.
Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM both tensed up instantly. They quickly averted their gaze and turned their heads in other directions.
Even so, they couldn't help but sneak a peek at Xu Yuan's waiting area from the corners of their eyes.
When they confirmed that Xu Yuan's waiting area was still calm and undisturbed, they both quietly let out a breath, then cautiously turned back to look at him again.
Only then did they realize that their nervousness had been completely unnecessary. Xu Yuan still had his eyes closed, his expression unchanged, the small movement just now had only been him adjusting into a more comfortable position.
Seeing this, both Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM exhaled in relief.
They exchanged another look of mutual understanding, and this time, after the eye contact, Tyrant HIM finally let go of his suspicion toward Annoying Village HIM's sudden proposal for cooperation.
'He's clearly wary of Xu Yuan…'
Earlier, Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM had really been perfectly in sync, their tension, their attention focused entirely on Xu Yuan. Tyrant HIM hadn't noticed that Annoying Village HIM had reacted exactly the same way as he did.
But during that last glance they shared, Tyrant HIM could see that Annoying Village HIM still carried a trace of lingering fear in his eyes.
That alone proved Annoying Village HIM truly feared Xu Yuan.
And that was likely the main reason he wanted to team up.
Thinking that, Tyrant HIM glanced at Annoying Village HIM, pondered for a moment, then nodded and accepted his proposal.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Annoying Village HIM while silently considering.
A moment later, he gave a small nod to indicate his agreement.
Then he lowered his head, pointed down toward the plains, turned his gaze toward Annoying Village HIM, and spoke slowly and firmly, "Join... forces."
After understanding Annoying Village HIM's intentions, Tyrant HIM also grasped what he meant by pointing to the forest area.
Annoying Village HIM probably wanted him to come to the forest to meet and start cooperating there.
Though Tyrant HIM had confirmed that Annoying Village HIM was wary of Xu Yuan and thus seeking an alliance, he wasn't stupid, he couldn't fully drop his guard.
Better safe than sorry.
After all, the forest was Annoying Village HIM's chosen meeting spot, which likely meant he already controlled that territory.
If Tyrant HIM went there rashly, what awaited him might not be cooperation, but an ambush.
So Tyrant HIM had to take precautions. He wasn't going to let himself stay on the passive side.
That's why he agreed to the cooperation only on the condition that he would choose the meeting place.
His troops were mostly gathered around the outer edges of the plains, so he designated the plains as the meeting spot.
Annoying Village HIM quickly caught on to Tyrant HIM's meaning, and at that moment, realized he might have underestimated Tyrant HIM.
After thinking for a bit, Annoying Village HIM nodded and accepted Tyrant HIM's invitation.
Once they confirmed the cooperation, both of them stopped talking and sat down, each beginning to think about new plans.
———
"The time should be about right."
Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the waiting area where Annoying Village HIM and Tyrant HIM sat.
The two were quietly seated, each lost in thought.
'Looks like they've reached an agreement.' The corners of Xu Yuan's mouth lifted slightly, forming a faint, almost unnoticeable smile.
Annoying Village HIM and Tyrant HIM's secret plotting, of course, was already part of Xu Yuan's plan.
That calm, composed state of resting with his eyes closed just now, it had all been an act, staged specifically for them.
But the performance only fooled Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM.
Anyone who truly knew Xu Yuan would have recognized it as a trap.
After all, lying there calmly with eyes closed was the same as declaring to the world that he already had victory in hand.
Given Xu Yuan's current mindset, he'd never actually do that.
But Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM didn't understand Xu Yuan deeply enough.
So they were easily misled by appearances.
Though, to be fair, it wasn't entirely deception, Xu Yuan did indeed possess powerful enough forces.
Xu Yuan slowly got up, looked toward Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM, his eyes glinting with a trace of anticipation.
"I wonder what kind of spark their first collaboration will ignite…"
An hour of pause time passed quickly, and the contestants re-entered the Trial Grounds.
All factions immediately began preparing their next plans in a flurry of activity.
After finalizing the meeting location with Tyrant HIM, Annoying Village HIM didn't rush to the plains.
Instead, he gathered his army of Void Iron Golems for a meeting.
"I've confirmed the military status of the rainforest. The situation doesn't look good right now."
"The only way to win this trial is to seek outside help."
Hearing this, the Void Iron Golems glanced at each other, about to speak, but Annoying Village HIM cut them off.
He looked at them with a serious expression.
"I've already found outside help. The next step is to head to the plains and meet up with them."
At that, Annoying Village HIM's gaze suddenly hardened. His voice carried authority and an undeniable tone as he continued.
"I know very well the hatred you have toward the creatures of this world. Next, you may have to face them."
"All you need to do is follow orders. Don't cause trouble."
Annoying Village HIM, of course, knew about the deep resentment between the Void Iron Golems and the native creatures of this world.
He didn't know Tyrant HIM's exact troop composition, but he understood that, like himself, Tyrant HIM must be cooperating, at least partially, with some of the world's creatures.
That was the toughest problem they'd have to overcome to make their alliance work.
Tyrant HIM's subordinates would definitely despise the Void Iron Golems.
Annoying Village HIM hadn't yet met Tyrant HIM's followers, so he had no way to persuade them directly.
All he could do for now was keep his own subordinates in line, make sure they didn't do anything excessive, didn't provoke Tyrant HIM's people.
Then he and Tyrant HIM could work out the rest.
After hearing Annoying Village HIM's words, the Void Iron Golems exchanged uncertain glances. None of them had expected things to develop like this.
They'd followed Annoying Village HIM because of his strength, they believed he had what it took to overpower Xu Yuan.
After capturing the Pillagers, even though those villagers revealed that the rainforest had strong forces, the Golems hadn't taken it seriously.
After all, in this equalized world of trials, iron golems naturally had an advantage over most species.
They had assumed that once the Pillagers were captured, Annoying Village HIM would immediately attack Xu Yuan.
But instead, he wanted to seek outside help, and from the way he spoke, that "help" would include other beings of this world.
The Void Iron Golems, of course, didn't agree with this idea.
They looked at each other, ready to object, but were stopped by their leader.
After stopping them, the leading Void Iron Golem swept his gaze around the group, shook his head, and gestured for them to stay quiet.
Then he turned to Annoying Village HIM.
"Understood," he said.
Then he continued, "But I think before we cooperate, we should strengthen our own power first."
"After all, we can't be sure whether this 'ally' of yours will really accept us."
"If necessary, we should be ready to use force."
"I suggest you exchange for more iron ingots for us to hold on to before we meet them."
At that, Annoying Village HIM's face instantly darkened.
The leading Void Iron Golem's words sounded like concern for the group, but his selfish intent was obvious.
From the moment he recruited these Golems, Annoying Village HIM knew their relationship was one of mutual use.
The Golems hadn't rebelled before because their goals aligned, and Annoying Village HIM's villager identity had been useful to them.
So they followed him.
But they'd never truly sworn loyalty to him.
Their loyalty belonged to the Void itself. Eventually, they would turn on him.
And the leader's suggestion just now was clearly the first step toward doing exactly that.
If Annoying Village HIM gave them enough resources, their power would increase dramatically, and then the leader could easily turn against him, seize control, and use him like a puppet.
But the leader was still a bit too naive. Annoying Village HIM had already anticipated this kind of betrayal back when he recruited them.
Seeing the Golem leader's move, Annoying Village HIM let out a cold laugh. His gaze turned sharp and fierce.
"Not bad," he said coldly. "You've grown bolder."
He looked the leader up and down, then said slowly, "Let me guess what you're thinking right now…"
Their eyes met, Annoying Village HIM's gaze like a blade piercing straight through the Golem's core.
"If I followed your suggestion and gave you enough supplies…"
"Then afterward, you'd do everything you could to rally your group and take me down, just like you did with those Pillagers, so you could control me for your own use."
He sneered, looking at the leader with contempt. "Am I right?"
The Void Iron Golem leader froze, instinctively avoiding Annoying Village HIM's gaze. Just as he tried to deny it, Annoying Village HIM chuckled and went on, "Even if your plan worked, even if I gave you those supplies…"
"Do you really think those Pillagers would agree to it?…"