He stared straight at the leading Void Iron Golem, then raised his hand and tapped his temple.
"Think carefully."
"If the entire team is under your control, do you really think those Pillagers would serve you?"
Hearing Annoying Village HIM's words, the leading Void Iron Golem froze for a moment. He had indeed never thought about that question before.
But now, he knew the answer very clearly.
If the team was controlled by them, then there was absolutely no way the Pillagers would willingly hand over their emeralds.
After realizing this, the leading Void Iron Golem finally lowered his head and said cautiously, "I… I understand…"
Back when Annoying Village HIM persuaded the Pillagers to serve him, the leading Void Iron Golem had been there.
When they first captured the Pillagers, those villagers refused to say anything, nor did they want to hand over their emeralds.
At that time, Annoying Village HIM had persuaded them like this, "You joined the trial for survival."
"Since you chose to ally with the Rainforest, that means he made you some promises."
"That's why you've placed all your hopes on him."
"But can you be sure he'll actually win the trial?"
"If it were me, I wouldn't bet everything on one person."
"You still have other choices."
Annoying Village HIM's words were straightforward. Whatever promises Xu Yuan made to the Pillagers, Annoying Village HIM could make the same ones.
If he won the trial, he could also guarantee the Pillagers' safety.
That was obviously a tempting offer, because it meant the Pillagers could secure protection from multiple sides.
They knew very well that by their own strength, they had little chance of winning the trial. So they chose to ally with the Rainforest, hoping external power would increase their odds.
However, in this gamble, they had originally only one bet, Xu Yuan's side.
Before the trial ended, no one could know who would win in the end.
If the side they bet on won, then all was well. But if it lost, they'd have nothing left.
Now, Annoying Village HIM's proposal to "bet on multiple sides" undoubtedly gave them more options.
By spreading their bets, their chances of winning would greatly increase.
No matter who emerged victorious, their side would still have a chance to benefit.
That strategy didn't just lower their risks, it gave them more choices and opportunities.
In this gamble of a trial, they no longer had to stick to one side. They now had more chips and possibilities.
For the Pillagers, this was a win-all, lose-nothing situation.
That's why they agreed to Annoying Village HIM's offer.
In other words, the Pillagers' trust was placed in Annoying Village HIM, not the Void Iron Golems.
If the whole team was led by the Void Iron Golems, even if those golems promised to protect the Pillagers after victory, they'd never believe such nonsense.
If the Void Iron Golems took charge, who knew if they'd even manage to capture the Pillagers alive in the first place?
After realizing this, the leading Iron Golem gave up completely. His plan had been doomed from the start.
But now that he understood everything, he felt lost. If he could never hold command, then what would become of the Void's plan?
He had always served the Void. If Annoying Village HIM won the trial, and later turned against them and wiped out the Void's influence, what would he do then?
The leading Void Iron Golem frowned deeply, clearly troubled by those thoughts.
Seeing his expression, Annoying Village HIM easily guessed what was going through his mind.
He looked at him and said, "The Trial Grounds are this important, and yet the Void didn't even send a proper representative to take part."
"You came here just to stir up trouble, the Void didn't even assign you a meaningful mission, did they?"
"In their eyes, you're nothing more than a pawn."
"Oh… and not even an important pawn."
Then Annoying Village HIM looked at him again.
"You should really think hard about the difference between loyalty and blind obedience."
———
[In the Rainforest Region]
Black Blade had just led Grayfist and the others into the Rainforest when they came face-to-face with Xu Yuan.
Black Blade first greeted respectfully, "My king!"
Then he quickly pulled Grayfist to his side, half-knelt before Xu Yuan, and said, "My king, the task you gave me has been completed."
"All supplies and players have been brought."
Seeing this, Grayfist froze up completely, unsure what to do.
He knew Xu Yuan's camp had strict rules, but he was a prideful man, not someone who easily lowered his head. Now, surrounded by so many people, he felt incredibly awkward and didn't know how to act.
Besides, even though he had joined Xu Yuan's camp, this was his first time seeing Xu Yuan in person.
He didn't know him well enough yet, and deep down, he hadn't truly accepted him.
So, for Grayfist, bowing like the others did felt unnatural.
Just then, Black Blade gave him a discreet glance and tugged lightly on his sleeve, signaling that he should act.
Grayfist understood the hint. Black Blade wanted him to follow the camp's customs.
But he still hesitated. Grayfist was stubborn, he never did things he didn't mean.
Before he could make a move, Xu Yuan raised his hand to signal Black Blade to stand up, then spoke.
"Soon, the King of Pillager will bring some Pillagers here."
Then Xu Yuan looked toward the players behind Grayfist and continued.
"When that happens, I'll assign some Pillagers to travel with you."
"Go to the outer edges of the Rainforest and keep an eye on any movement from the forest region. If you notice anything strange, pretend to capture the Pillagers as if you're still part of the player camp."
Xu Yuan's plan was clear, this was meant to push Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM into attacking the Rainforest.
He knew Annoying Village HIM, even after agreeing to cooperate with Tyrant HIM, would still send scouts to spy near the Rainforest.
Having Grayfist's group appear there pretending to hold Pillagers hostage would make it seem like they weren't part of Xu Yuan's side.
That way, once Annoying Village HIM ruled out Grayfist's group from Xu Yuan's army count, he could roughly estimate the Rainforest's total military strength.
After removing Grayfist's forces from the equation, Xu Yuan's troops would still be about four times stronger than Annoying Village HIM's.
With that kind of difference, Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM, once joined forces, wouldn't hesitate much longer. After a brief preparation, they'd definitely attack the Rainforest.
Even though Xu Yuan's words were orders, they also conveniently saved Grayfist from his awkward situation.
Seeing this, Grayfist finally relaxed and glanced toward Black Blade.
Black Blade sighed helplessly. He couldn't say anything more in front of Xu Yuan. Since Xu Yuan himself didn't mind, Black Blade naturally wouldn't blame Grayfist either.
"Forget it… I'll deal with him later," Black Blade muttered to himself.
After receiving Xu Yuan's command, Black Blade didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded and led Grayfist's group away.
After they had left for quite a while, Grayfist finally exhaled heavily, then spoke.
He looked at Black Blade, his face showing a trace of worry.
"Just now… uh…"
He struggled to find the right words. He had been nervous in front of Xu Yuan, and his pride had stopped him from bowing.
Even though Xu Yuan had helped ease the tension, Grayfist still felt uneasy.
Not for himself, but for Black Blade, worried that his actions might bring trouble on him.
Black Blade rolled his eyes. "What, scared now?"
Grayfist tried to explain, but Black Blade cut him off.
"Relax. Our king isn't that petty. He won't hold it against you."
Then he looked at Grayfist again.
"You don't have to do things that go against your heart."
"Everyone under our king acts out of their own will. You'll understand that eventually."
Black Blade had been through it himself, so he understood Grayfist's thoughts.
To Grayfist, kneeling before Xu Yuan seemed like just a ritual of the camp.
But what he didn't know was, Xu Yuan never demanded such gestures. It was all voluntary.
Everyone did it because they truly respected him, not because they were forced to.
Since Grayfist had only just joined, and didn't yet truly understand Xu Yuan, of course he couldn't feel that same respect yet, so it was natural for the gesture to feel uncomfortable.
After hearing Black Blade's words, Grayfist finally felt relieved.
A moment later, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked back at Black Blade.
"Wait!"
"From what he just said… you guys have already allied with the Pillagers??"
"I thought I saw one earlier in the Rainforest, but it didn't look like one of those mindless villagers…"
"The two sides actually agreed to cooperate??!"
On the way back, Black Blade hadn't told Grayfist much about what had happened in the Rainforest. Not because he didn't trust him, but because time was short, he just wanted to report back quickly.
Besides, Black Blade wasn't the talkative type. If he'd started explaining, Grayfist would've bombarded him with questions. He wasn't in the mood for that.
Anyway, once Grayfist arrived, he'd see everything for himself. No need for extra chatter.
Now hearing his question, Black Blade just nodded casually.
"Before today, did you ever think you'd work with me?"
Grayfist blinked, and then got it.
He shrugged. "Alright, I get it now."
"With him around, there's probably nothing you guys can't do…"
Though he was still curious about how Xu Yuan had managed to reconcile the villagers and Pillagers, he didn't want to sound too nosy.
Now that he'd joined Xu Yuan's side, he knew he'd see plenty more impossible things become reality soon enough.
There'd be lots of chances to be amazed later, no need to rush.
After thinking for a moment, Grayfist turned back to Black Blade again.
"By the way, about that task he gave us… I don't think he explained it very clearly…"
"I mean... honestly, I didn't really get it…"