Chapter 27: Can You Accept This?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Can You Accept This?

When Ophelia and Tyler returned to the Golden Dragon Clan with twenty-one head of prey, they noticed an unusual atmosphere in the tribe.

She shot Tyler a bewildered look, but he was just as confused.

"Tyler, what took you so long?" A male rushed over hurriedly, the golden bangs on his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Lasa, what happened?" Tyler asked.

Ophelia’s beautiful eyes shifted as she recognized the male before them. It was the same Golden Dragon Clan male who had been chatting with Tyler earlier.

Lasa glanced at Ophelia and hesitated, the words dying on his tongue.

"There is nothing the princess can’t hear. Speak."

Lasa gritted his teeth. "Clan Leader Klein of the southern White Tiger Clan is here. He says he wants a marriage alliance with our Golden Dragon Clan. I heard the Clan Leader and Young Clan Leader want the princess to..."

The implication was clear.

Tyler pursed his lips, lowering his head as all the light seemed to drain from him.

Clan Leader Klein of the White Tiger Clan owned the largest Crystal Stone Mine in the south. It produced ten thousand Crystal Stones every year, accounting for a third of the Starfall Continent’s revenue. The White Tigers in the south and the Divine Dragons in the north were the two most pivotal tribes on the Starfall Continent. The Clan Leader of the White Tiger Clan held an incredibly esteemed status—someone Tyler could never hope to match.

"Don’t overthink it. The news might be wrong," Ophelia comforted softly, grasping Tyler’s icy hand.

Tyler lifted his head. Looking into the little female’s sparkling eyes, a sliver of courage swelled in his heart.

"Let’s go take a look."

Ophelia pulled Tyler along, heading toward the clan leader’s stone house. Just as they approached, they heard the voices of several males chatting inside.

"Clan Leader Klein, it is our honor to have you come to the Golden Dragon Clan to choose a mate."

"Yes, yes! I have a young female cub at home who just came of age. If you’re interested, I can call her over for you to meet."

The elders of the Golden Dragon Clan were exceedingly thrilled when they learned the purpose of Klein’s visit. They were so eager they practically wanted to deliver their own young females straight to his bed tonight. After all, this was the Mine Master of the south. If they could just forge a connection, even a tiny fraction of the wealth slipping through his fingers would be enough to keep them well-fed and provided for.

Seeing the greed and calculation in the elders’ eyes, Klein’s sharp jaw tightened slightly.

Laxus noticed his displeasure and suggested, "Father, why don’t we host a bonfire party in the tribe tonight? It would serve as a welcome banquet for Clan Leader Klein, and it’s the perfect opportunity for all the young females in the tribe to attend."

Seeing that Klein didn’t object, Clan Leader Leon of the Golden Dragon Clan nodded in agreement. Taking the cue, the elders quickly found excuses to leave so they could tip off the young females in their own families.

Only four males and one young female remained in the room.

"Clan Leader Leon, I heard your daughter, Princess Ophelia, is exceptionally beautiful. I wonder if I’ll have the chance to see her tonight?" The young female with short silver hair spoke, her eyes filled with anticipation. She loved looking at pretty people and really wanted to see the face of the most beautiful female in the Golden Dragon Clan. Was she truly as gorgeous as the rumors claimed?

"Little Ali, you and Ophelia are about the same age. You two should get along quite well." Seeing someone show such fondness for his sister, Laxus felt a swell of pride.

Ali smiled sweetly. Her burning gaze appraised Laxus. Although he wasn’t as handsome as her own brother, he was still one of the rare good-looking ones around. He certainly lived up to the reputation of a Golden Dragon Clan male—handsome and highly capable.

At the mention of Ophelia’s name, a dark glint flashed through Klein’s eyes. "I heard Princess Ophelia has been trading rice at the market recently. Is that true?"

"It’s true. A friend of hers found it inconvenient to come out of the mountains to trade, so she asked Ophelia to help." This wasn’t exactly a secret, so Laxus didn’t bother hiding it.

Klein glanced at the young male beside him. Understanding immediately, the male bent down and pulled a large, green, patterned watermelon from his woven basket.

"My White Tiger Clan would also like one hundred bags of rice. Could you help us with that, Clan Leader Leon?

"This is a cold melon, offered as a gift of thanks to you."

The White Tiger Clan resided in the southern mines, where vegetation and prey were scarce. Since childhood, the young females of the Tiger Clan had been raised on staples like rice, making their demand for it extremely high. Right now, it was summer, and the new rice crops had not yet ripened. Suffering from the summer heat without rice, the young females couldn’t stomach tough, roasted meat, leaving them with absolutely no mood to reproduce.

The primary reason Klein had come to the Golden Dragon Clan to choose a mate was that he heard Princess Ophelia had a massive stock of rice. He wanted to use this opportunity to establish a connection with her.

"This..." Leon was somewhat troubled. After all, this was Ophelia’s business, and it wasn’t his place to agree on her behalf.

Laxus was also growing anxious. Suddenly, a figure entered his line of sight, and the corners of his lips quirked up slightly. "Clan Leader Klein, I think you can discuss this matter with my sister personally."

"Oh?"

Following Laxus’s gaze, Klein turned around and saw a young female with blonde hair and blue eyes walking slowly toward them, leading a male by the hand.

"Big Sister? It’s you! Are you Princess Ophelia? So you not only have rice, but fruit too!" Joy erupted in Ali’s eyes. She quickly stepped forward, squeezing Tyler out of the way, and familiarly latched onto Ophelia’s arm. She sniffed the air. "Big Sister, you smell so good."

Ophelia looked at the watermelon in her brother’s hands, her mouth twitching slightly. Great. They had brought a gift right to her doorstep, completely unaware they were offering her own merchandise back to her family.

"Ophelia, this is Clan Leader Klein of the White Tiger Clan. He wants a batch of rice. Do you still have any on hand?" Laxus steered the topic back on track.

"How much do you need?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Klein. They saw him calmly utter three words: "Five hundred bags."

That meant five hundred catties. Both Laxus and Leon were stunned. At an exchange rate of ten head of prey for one bag of rice, five hundred bags would cost five thousand head of prey. Five thousand! That was enough to feed an entire tribe for a month.

Ophelia mentally calculated her inventory. She didn’t have five hundred catties of rice.

"I don’t have five hundred bags of rice on hand, but I do have some other things. Do you want them?"

Klein raised an eyebrow. "Are they edible?"

"You can taste them first." Seeing his deep pockets and imposing manner, Ophelia knew instantly that he was a cash cow waiting to be milked.

"Alright. If they are suitable, we can establish a long-term partnership."

So, Ophelia had Laxus bring over two stone pots and began cooking millet in public. She also had Tyler grind wheat into flour and mix it into dough drops. The boiling millet released a rich, fragrant layer of grain oil. Ali watched from the side, her eyes sparkling with delight.

Ophelia sprinkled a little salt into the dough drop soup and doled out a bowl to each of the five males present.

"Brother, this millet is so soft and delicious! It even has a hint of sweetness." Ali had a sweet tooth and immediately fell in love with the millet porridge.

"It would taste even better if you added some pumpkin to the porridge," Ophelia noted.

"Really?" Ali licked her lips.

"Yes. Does Clan Leader Klein find the dough drop soup tasty?" She had specifically added salt to cater to the males’ palates.

"It’s acceptable. However much of this you have, I’ll take it all."

Ophelia’s cherry lips curled into a slight smile. "Sure, but I won’t be able to deliver the goods until tomorrow. Is that acceptable to you?"