Both Brell and Jason understood that the person sitting opposite them was strong. Despite that, there was a difference in the strength they could see.
While Jason was only thinking about Brell's mana fluctuations and physical strength that seemed to have been refined, Brell felt that Jason's combat prowess was lower than his own.
However, at the same time, there was something about Jason that made Brell believe he might even be stronger than him if they were to fight a life-and-death battle.
Thus, even without having had a real conversation the two of them were already looking at each other with respect.
Mewi were a prideful race and rarely acknowledged someone as an equal or stronger than them. That was extremely difficult to achieve with the Mewi, who were more known for holding back.
As such, seeing that Brell seemed to have accepted him as a strong combatant was already a good sign.
Yet, the moment Brell answered his questions, Jason couldn't help but feel a little bit odd.
"I don't have to think much about the Oceanfolk. They're at a disadvantage on land, and won't be able to run past me! Once I become the Grand tribe chief, the villages shall focus on preparing their defenses, while I will fight against the Oceanfolk alone!
Whether there are a few hundred, thousands or even far more than that, I can defeat them all! Mark my words… I will defeat the entire Oceanfolk army if one were to arrive. My countermeasures are the defenses of the villages, nothing else!!"
Jason felt odd and he was not even sure what to make of Brell's words.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})It was evident that Brell was not taking him seriously, and the fact that he was exaggerating his own strength while underestimating the numerical advantage the Oceanfolk had, in addition to the few individuals that are extremely powerful.
Because of that, Jason stared at Brell for some time, which the bulky Mewi returned without hesitation.
Unfortunately, just before he opened his mouth to say something, the tribe chiefs intervened.
"I agree to Old Masr's request. Brell is the perfect Mewi for the position of Grand tribe chief. We will be able to trust and rely on him!"
"I second that! Being the strongest, Brell will be able to take our race back to the once flourishing era of our ancestors!"
After that, several more tribe chiefs stated their opinions, mostly agreeing to the request made by Brell's father.
Additionally, they were trying to suck up to the father-son duo, in hopes of increasing the benefits they may reap.
However, both Jason and Brell didn't even realise this because they seemed to be engaged in a conversation of their own, just that neither uttered a single word.
They were not even conversing through a voice transmission, and the means they used to talk was through their eyes.
Jason's serious expression, followed by a frown caused Brell to feel a bit offended, even if he was not sure why this was the case.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Under normal circumstances, he would have simply ignored it but after thinking about the previous questions again, Brell realised that he might have been a little bit too confident.
However, realisation struck him in the depths of his conscience only after Jason had been forced to shoot out a thread of mana, that was filled with pictures of the last Oceanfolk wave.
It showed how the Oceanfolk emerged from the riverbank, with a length of more than just a few kilometers, and on either side of the river.
After Jason showed Brell pictures of the Oceanfolk, he said the first few words through voice transmission.
[I overheard some of the stronger Oceanfolk individuals' conversation, and they said that this was a 'small' attack wave. Their army will have more than ten times the number of individuals you saw just now. Even if you would be fighting inside the river, are you really confident to defeat the entire army of the Oceanfolk before they can approach the villages? Can you vouch for your prowess and strength with absolute certainty]
Jason wanted to say much more, but he also understood that an entire monologue of half an hour would be too long and time-consuming.
As such, he held back, while continuing to stare at Brell, whose expression clearly showed that he was slowly comprehending what was going on.
During the last few years, or decades, he hadn't been inside the valley, which meant that he was training somewhere else, away from the valley and the dangers hovering around the villages.
Because of that, the small attack wave was probably what Brell assumed to be the size of the entire army.
Other than that, he hadn't really paid attention to their way of attack.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})With this new information, Jason was slowly changing his opinion as the bulky Brell understood how useful it was to have Jason nearby.
The other tribe chiefs didn't even bother to apprise him of the situation, and they were merely competing with each other to receive some benefits and get in his good books. While all the other chiefs were blindly trying to please him, Jason was different.
He was still holding back in voicing out his opinion, but that was only the case because it would take too long to speak otherwise.
Never having been the smartest of the lot, he knew that he lacked in certain fields that were important for a Grand tribe chief to be proficient in.
Thus, Brell voiced out the idea that flashed through his mind, understanding that someone like Jason had to be by his side!
"If I were to become the Grand tribe chief, I would like to appoint a Vice Grand tribe chief too! That will be this man who sits opposite me! Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Not even knowing Jason's name, Brell had made a decision to trust him based on the vital information he had provided within the first few minutes of meeting him. Despite that, he felt that a few tribe chiefs would have a problem with Jason being appointed as the vice grand tribe chief.
Other than trusting him, Brell also wanted to see how strong Jason truly was, and if his evaluation of Jason's intelligence and knowledge was correct.
There were several other factors he wanted to learn about, but he wished to save that for later after enjoying the chaotic scene that unfolded in front of him.
"I don't agree with this!! Why should an outsider become the vice grand tribe chief?! Brell, please think about it. The vice grand tribe chief will have almost as much power as you have!!"
"Don't do this to us, Brell! He doesn't even know our race properly! He just arrived here a few months ago and doesn't seem to want to leave! Don't you think this is weird? Why would he stay inside the valley that had such a low mana density before? It reverted to its former glory not long ago, so he shouldn't have a reason to stay before that!"
"…."
".."
Hearing all the complaints, Jason couldn't help but smile. He thought that the tribe chiefs were good at arguing, but that didn't really help them in any way.
Brell was just staring at them with lacklustre eyes as their words had no meaning to him. He had hoped for something else to happen, but nobody seemed to dare challenge Jason, which he found weird.
Yet, suddenly a voice rang out from outside the gathering, interrupting the other tribe chiefs.
"Well…I vote in favor of appointing Jason as the Vice Grand tribe chief. Didn't he help all of us during and after the last Oceanfolk attack wave? The surrounding mana became denser after he saved all the villages! You guys are just way too greedy!
Why should it be an issue whether he becomes Vice Grand tribe chief or the personal strategist of Brell?"
Turning around, everyone looked at the former tribe chief, who Jason had defeated just two days ago.
This astonished Jason because he hadn't expected him to come over, yet, what he found to be even more confusing were Brell's next words as he shouted out in surprise.
"Master!! You're still alive!"
