Chapter 397: The Master Bluffer [Part 2]

"Leone..."

"Yes, Great Uncle?"

"Kindly take away that banner, please," Gundar said calmly as he approached Leone with steady steps.

"Great Uncle, you don’t understand," Leone replied. "I have to do this for Eden. This will help me create a barrier that will protect it from projectile attacks, like catapults from the Aurelion Empire."

"What do you mean?" Gundar asked as he stopped a few meters away from Leone.

"Do you remember when the Darkmane Tribe used their Fire Catapults in an attempt to destroy our walls?" Leone answered. "No matter how many times they hit our fortress, our walls held and repaired themselves over and over. I am currently doing the same thing for the walls of Eden.

"I can make sure the walls won’t be destroyed no matter what kind of siege weapons the Aurelion Empire has in store for us. Even if they cry in front of Eden’s gates, nothing they do will be able to break them!"

Hearing this, Gundar hesitated.

Even Godwin and Hagen had stopped their attempts to get closer to Leone.

’Why are his words so convincing?!’

Gundar, Hagen, and Godwin thought the same thing at that moment.

They weren’t aware that Leone’s passive skill, Master Bluffer, which had now reached the [EX] Rank, was working at full power!

However, there was one more skill that was boosting Leone’s "diplomacy" success rate, and that was none other than his Unique Class Skill, Heroic Aura [EX].

———

Signature Ability: Master Bluffer [EX]

— Has a 40% chance to bluff his way out of everything!

— Chances of successful diplomacy are increased by 30%.

— Increases all stats by 500% when fighting against con artists, scammers, bluffers, and tricksters trying to separate grandmothers from their pensions.

————

Unique Class Ability: Heroic Aura [EX]

— A passive aura buff with a range of two miles. Can be toggled on or off.

— Increases Attack and Defense of all allies by 30%.

— Increases Health, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration of all allies by 30%.

— Increases the success rate of diplomacy by 20%. This skill stacks with Master Bluffer [EX].

— All buffs stack with Leone’s Territory Skill, Call To Arms!

— All buffs stack with Leone’s Territory Flag Buffs.

————

Leone noticed that the fighting was slowly coming to a stop and that the chieftains were now seriously listening to his words.

Since that was the case, he decided to go all out!

"Great Uncle, you’ve seen Kael create a fortress from scratch, right?" Leone said in a serious tone. "I’m sure all of you understand that something like that cannot be done without preparation. It is simply impossible. Even Great Uncle can’t do something like that, right?"

"...Right." Gundar found himself nodding to Leone’s words. "Even I can’t do that."

"But Kael can!" Leone pressed on with a serious expression on his face. "Not only can he ensure that the gates of Eden will not fall, but he can also upgrade our defenses."

"Then why didn’t you tell us earlier?" Hagen asked. "You could have made a proposal, and we could have all voted for it. We have proper channels to discuss these important matters, you know?"

"I simply didn’t think that far," Leone said apologetically. "As soon as I thought of it, I started moving. And since it’s for Eden’s safety, I thought it’s better to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

"You should understand that I am feeling quite stressed about my tribe’s upcoming battle with the Britannian Army. They won’t waste their time taking a detour to Grimjaw Mountain, so we’ll have to travel and meet them in the open plains.

"I was simply in a rush to go back, so I thought if I could help Kael meet the conditions needed to defend the city on his own, I could return to the Aslan Tribe and fight with my people."

The young man spoke so passionately that everyone present began to feel sympathy for him.

Even Hagen found himself unable to fully hate the young man despite his suspicious act.

Sensing that everyone was already beginning to waver, Leone decided to put the final nail in the coffin.

"All of us are allies," Leone declared. "You might not believe me, but I already consider the Borderlands my home. This is also why I am taking the risk to face the Britannian Army on behalf of all the tribes, who only wish to protect what is sacred in their hearts!"

The mage who had tried to attack Leone earlier suddenly felt ashamed of himself after hearing that.

The young chieftain was only doing his best for everyone’s sake, and yet he dared to even attempt to harm him?

Unforgivable.

A loud slap soon reached everyone’s ears, making them turn in the direction of the mage, who had slapped his own cheek as atonement.

"Forgive me, Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe," the Mage said. "I almost did something I would have regretted all my life."

"I forgive you," Leone replied without batting an eye. "I know there has been tension between our tribes, and that many of you are still suspicious of me. So, I will do something that will put all of your hearts at ease."

The young man then pressed his hand over his chest as he stood straight in front of everyone.

"I, Leone Frontera, hereby swear upon the Earth Mother’s name that if the Aurelion Empire, Britannian Army, or any other foreign power attempts to invade the Borderlands, I will stand with all of you and fight them to the bitter end!"

"I swear that I am not your enemy and that I merely wish to coexist with all the tribes in the Borderlands. If any of my words are false, may the Earth Mother command the earth to swallow me whole and tear my soul to shreds until nothing is left!"

Leone’s vassals, as well as his people, gasped in shock. Their Great Chieftain had just made a sacred vow to the Earth Mother.

This was an oath of the highest level, making all of those who were gathered in the plaza look at Leone in disbelief.

"I am the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe," Leone declared. "And from this day onward, I hereby declare myself as one of the Guardians of the Borderlands!"

Suddenly, a ripple of power expanded outward from the banner that Leone held in place.

A few seconds later, the banner in his hand turned into a beam of light that shot toward the heavens.

It then exploded into a giant firework, forming a barrier that enveloped the entire city of Eden.

Everyone looked upward in response and gazed at the shining barrier above their heads. It remained there for nearly half a minute before disappearing completely.

At that moment, the young man and the rest of the Aslan Tribe suddenly felt a surge of power course through their bodies.

Leone had felt this many times in the past, so he already knew what had just happened.

As if to validate his guess, a blue window screen soon appeared in front of him.

————

[Congratulations!]

[You have successfully converted the City of Eden as your second territory!]

[Territory Buffs are now active!]

[Second Territory Rewards: 500,000 BP]

[Bonus Rewards: Rare Rank Tickets x 200, Rare Blueprints x2, New Beast Synthesis Recipes Unlocked!]

[Leone Frontera and his allies all gain +10 to All Stats!]

————

Leone did his best to stop himself from laughing out loud after receiving such generous rewards.

At the same time, he secretly thanked his Master Bluffer and Heroic Aura skills. Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to bluff his way out of this difficult situation!

With his mission completed, the young man began to use his skill, Heal, to tend to his wounded warriors, as well as the brave mounts that had protected their partners.

In the meantime, while Godwin, Gundar, and Hagen looked at this scene with complicated expressions on their faces.

Meanwhile, the corner of Troy’s lips curled upward.

Perhaps he was the only one who realized that Leone had just conned everyone.

’What a scary brat,’ Troy thought to himself. ’He almost convinced me as well.’

Even though Troy had managed to resist Leone’s bluffing and diplomacy skills earlier thanks to his Lion Heart, he still didn’t make a move to oppose the young chieftain.

Why?

Because Troy genuinely believed that Leone truly wished to protect the Borderlands.

Also, he would rather have Leone take control of Eden instead of letting Godwin or Hagen use it as a base to proclaim themselves as King of the Barbarian Tribes.

If choosing the lesser evil would save his domain then Troy wouldn’t hesitate to choose the young chieftain, whom he once wished to kill with every fiber of his being.