Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 412: Among the tribes(5)

Chapter 412: Among the tribes(5)

Varaku narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp and searching as he repeated Aron's words with disbelief. "You say you have so much land that you cannot cultivate it yourselves?" His voice was edged with suspicion. "That you need my people, not as slaves, but as farmers?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "You feed me lies, outsider."

Aron simply nodded as soon as it was translated , unsurprised. He had expected this reaction. To Varaku, and to any man who had spent his life in these mountains, where cultivable land was scarce and survival was a constant struggle, the very idea of a place where land was so abundant that there weren't enough hands to work it must have sounded like nonsense.

"I understand your mistrust," Aron said evenly, his tone calm and measured. "And I understand why you hesitate. You are not a fool. If you were to believe my words without question, you would be an unfit leader." He gestured slightly. "If you agree to what I offer, and my words turn out to be false, then you would have condemned your people to death. I do not take that lightly,as I should ."

He let those words linger for a moment before offering a small, confident smile. "But such a thing is easy to prove, isn't it?" He leaned forward slightly. "You don't have to take me at my word. We have ships, Varaku. The same ones that brought us here can take you, or your people, to see it for yourselves. It takes less than a month to make the journey there and back. You can see the land with your own eyes, walk on its soil, and judge whether my words are true ifyor not.Or just send someone that you trust, he will look at the land that we are offering ,and in case I am telling the truth he will testify"

Aron gestured toward the firelight, letting his words settle. "Would that not be better than rejecting an opportunity outright? If I am lying, then nothing is lost, and you will have your answer. But if I speak the truth… then your people will have a future far greater than what these mountains can offer."

Then, he leaned back once more, watching Varaku closely, waiting to see if the seed of doubt had begun to take root.