Chapter 381

Chapter 381: No One Can Compete

“You Shadow Clan are going a bit too far!”

Chief Nika expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “You don’t want any rewards and even bring your own spirit materials to send strong fighters to help with energy work on the infants’ bodies and health? Are you trying to push our Black Tiger Tribe out with your fifty thousand servants caring for the children in the Great Flame Empire?”

“Exactly! Offering unsolicited kindness is often suspicious. The high priest and the Vice Councilors should not believe their words; who knows if there’s some conspiracy from the Shadow Clan to control the children of the Great Flame Empire.”

“What’s this nonsense about second-level strong fighters providing one-on-one care? It sounds nice, but any random member of our Black Tiger Tribe could become a strong fighter among your Shadow Clan!”

The high-ranking leaders of the Black Tiger Tribe also began to speak coldly.

A sharp glimmer flashed in the narrow eyes of the swamp crocodile.

This Shadow Clan was becoming a mighty enemy in their bid for favor!

The high priest and the Vice Councilors felt a sense of joy within.

The Shadow Clan excelled in stealth techniques and had the ability to conceal their presence and strength realms, preventing Chief Nika and the high-ranking leaders of the Black Tiger Tribe from judging the strength realm of the Shadow Kings from their energy levels.

However, the high priest and the Vice Councilors clearly understood how powerful the seven Shadow Kings and the Shadow Clan were.

Their biggest concern was that the Shadow Clan was too strong, proud, and difficult to engage with.

Yet, the attitude of the seven Shadow Kings was absurdly respectful, even more humble than that of the Black Tiger Tribe.

Currently, the conflict between the Black Tiger Tribe and the Shadow Clan was something they were pleased to see.

From the perspective of the Great Flame Empire, they naturally did not want to see these vassal races in complete harmony.

Conflicts and rivalries between the underlings served to reinforce control and demonstrate the authority of the leader.

Of course, while they were happy, they couldn’t show it on their faces.

The Shadow Clan had already taken a step ahead of the Demon Race and had been informally appointed by Yi Chen as their right-hand allies; the high-ranking members of the Political Council knew this.

However, the Nika Tribe also played a significant role in the early stages, so they definitely could not overtly favor the Shadow Clan.

The high priest and the six Vice Councilors took action to soothe Chief Nika and the high-ranking leaders of the Black Tiger Tribe.

Seeing the high priest and the others calming the Black Tiger Tribe, the seven Shadow Kings immediately ceased their dispute, which led to a quick resolution.

“Shadow King, this matter is crucial, and we may need to consult His Majesty,”

After calming down the high-ranking leaders of the Nika Tribe, the high priest politely looked toward the Shadow King.

“Waiting for good news.”

The Shadow King nodded.

With just over sixteen million people in the Great Flame Empire, the matter concerning over five million infants was certainly extraordinary; only Yi Chen, the emperor of the Great Flame Empire, could make a definitive decision.

After all, if the Shadow Clan had ill intentions and did something to the infants, it would be equivalent to uprooting the very foundation of the Great Flame Empire.

Despite this, the Shadow Kings were not worried that Yi Chen would refuse.

The emergence of the ‘Cave Paradise’ could significantly boost the average strength of the Great Flame Empire’s populace.

However, talent remained extremely important.

Having Shadow Clan strong fighters nurture the bodies and increase their foundations would greatly enhance the talents of the next generation in the Great Flame Empire.

The Shadow Clan certainly had their own motives, but their aim was simply to demonstrate their value to Yi Chen at any cost while the Great Flame Empire was still weak.

To ensure that one day the Shadow Clan cannot keep up with the development pace of the Great Flame Empire, this emperor will lend a hand to the Shadow Clan so they do not fall behind.

As for other matters, such as doing something to the infants, controlling their minds, or nurturing relationships with the next generation of the Great Flame Empire…

These taboos are certainly well understood by the Shadow Clan.

They would never dare to do such things.

Although the seven Shadow Kings have had little contact with Yi Chen, they have developed a tough skin from the repeated warnings of the Shadow King and know very well which taboos and bottom lines should not be crossed with the emperor of the Great Flame Empire.

They also believe that with Yi Chen’s determination, he won’t refuse such a tremendous opportunity.

A stronger next generation will lead to more top geniuses, and the overall talent will significantly increase, raising the potential of the next generations.

“Well then, let’s continue discussing the matter of contribution value!”

Seeing both sides calm down, the high priest brought the topic back to the main subject.

“High Priest, our Demon Race was created and named by His Majesty, and we are all second-class citizens of the Great Flame Empire. To be honest, we are citizens of the Great Flame Empire and feel there’s no need to participate in the discussions about contribution value.”

The swamp crocodile suddenly spoke up.

Hmm?

The high priest was momentarily taken aback.

“This matter will probably need His Majesty to decide.”

Zhong Ren, Feng Yue, and the others felt a mix of amusement and embarrassment.

They understood the swamp crocodile’s intention.

This guy, who was the appointed Demon Emperor by Yi Chen, actually planned to sell out the entire Demon Race, merging them into the Great Flame Empire.

It was clear that he intended to compete with the Shadow Clan to see who could outdo the other.

The seven Shadow Kings looked at the swamp crocodile with calm eyes, but deep down, they were filled with wariness.

They were surprised to discover that they truly could not outdo this Demon Race.

The swamp crocodile’s words revealed that the Demon Race was a group created by Emperor Yi Chen, undoubtedly a direct race outside of humanity.

Moreover, these high-ranking leaders of the Demon Race had little sense of belonging to their race and did not mind merging the entire Demon Race into the Great Flame Empire as second-class citizens.

After all, these high-ranking members would surely gather enough contributions to become first-class citizens or even obtain nobility.

Becoming first-class citizens would grant them the same status as the citizens of the Great Flame Empire.

Why be a vassal race when they could directly be citizens?

As for the other Demon Race members, what did that matter to them?

“Then please let His Majesty know that our Demon Race is willing to fully integrate into the Great Flame Empire.”

The swamp crocodile maintained a low-key and polite attitude.

By nature, he was cautious, wanting to survive for as long as possible.

He did not want to offend anyone.

Whether it’s the Shadow King or Chief Nika, even if they inexplicably slapped him, he would smile in response and not hold a grudge.

The reason for his sudden action was that the Shadow Clan had infringed upon his core interests.

Before this, he actually wanted to be the independent ruler of the Demon Race.

After all, being the supreme ruler of an independent race comes with exceptional resources and status.

However, he understood that his core aim to survive for as long as possible was not about resources, strength, or status.

It was about Yi Chen’s attitude towards him.

As the appointed Demon Emperor of the Demon Race, his idea was surprisingly simple: to strive to become the most loyal, obedient, and valuable vassal race ruler in Yi Chen’s eyes.

He could even overlook the interests of the Demon Race if necessary.

His ultimate goal, to put it simply, was to work hard and spare no effort to ensure that Yi Chen would protect his life under any circumstances.

If the Shadow Clan dared to take such drastic measures to seize the position of the best subordinate of the Demon Race, then they should not blame him for being rude.

As for the strength of the Shadow Clan, he wasn’t clear.

In his eyes, compared to anyone else, the Shadow Clan was no threat at all.

In this regard, he was truly invincible!