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My thoughts raced, and I quickly judged that the actual situation of the Snow Wolf Tribe was far from as dire as they had described. Even if Orc King Samantha was domineering, it would still be impossible for him to annex any part of the five great battle races, the wolf people. At most, he could slightly interfere. What they truly cared about was the division of ultimate interests.

However, for me, the ultimate goal of my struggle was to defeat Samantha and claim the throne of Orc King. If I didn't have the support of my own race, no matter what personal achievements I made, they would all be a joke. So, leaving the tribe to its fate was not an option either. But having me fight and die while others reaped the benefits wasn’t a good deal. Very well, my path to conquest would start with the Snow Wolf Tribe.

"Chief, I won't waste time with unnecessary words. I only want to ask one thing. Excluding disabled veterans, and the elderly, women, and children from those 50,000 troops, how many can actually reach the combat effectiveness of regular wolf knights? I need an honest answer; otherwise, there's nothing left to discuss," I said, looking directly at Chief Aihain, my voice grave.

"Well... alright, I'll be honest. There are roughly seven to eight thousand," Chief Aihain replied, trying to hedge at first, but under the added pressure of my dragon-like gaze, his thoughts faltered, and he finally spoke the truth. This number was roughly what I had estimated. The entire wolf tribe consisted of no more than 800,000 to 900,000 people. The Snow Wolf Legion was said to have 100,000 soldiers, but in reality, there were only about 70,000 Snow Wolf knights. The rest were mostly vassal races, and the total number that could be mustered outside of that wouldn’t exceed 10,000.

"That works, but I have three conditions. First, all Snow Wolf tribe members remaining in the Northern Country will be placed under my jurisdiction, and I will have the priority to draw qualified wolf knights to join the forces guarding the Sea of Constellations. Second, in addition to the 50,000 tribe members you mentioned, along with their families, they will all relocate to the vicinity of Fontainebleau and will not be allowed to stay in the Snow Wolf Plains. Third, all qualified Snow Wolf knights will separate from their original families and adopt the surname 'Blizzard,' becoming my personal troops," I said decisively.

"Impossible!" Young Parran immediately shouted. In fact, not only him, but all seven wolf people, including Chief Aihain, couldn’t help but change their expressions and show anger after hearing my conditions, especially the third one.

"Hehe, don't get excited," I waved my hand and said leisurely, "I know that among those 50,000 wolf knights, there must be quite a few of your Frost Moon family's subordinates, planning to cause trouble for my army. But don't really take me for a fool. You still have time to replace personnel. If you refuse or still have any schemes, don't blame me for not showing mercy."

The old chief and the Snow Wolf Sword Empress couldn’t help but lower their heads in thought. If they agreed to my conditions, my new 'Blizzard' family would become the second-largest family in the Snow Wolf tribe, just after the Frost Moon family. This was something they absolutely didn’t want to see. Moreover, once they joined my family, I would have full authority to freely deal with any disobedient wolf people, even if they were originally the chieftain’s subordinates, and no one could interfere. Of course, this was something they didn’t want to happen. But if they broke with me, although it wouldn’t be as bad as they said, the future development of the Snow Wolf tribe would definitely not go smoothly, which would also displease them. The choice was indeed a difficult one.

While the old chief was still weighing his options, the Snow Wolf Sword Empress Jiehat had already spoken. "Lord Xuanfeng, although you do occupy an important geographical position, forcing your way into establishing your own family with threats will likely make you a laughingstock among the tribes that have been built on the blood shed during the century-long war in the Northern Country."

"Are there not enough greedy people in the alliance? If everyone were to be ridiculed, it certainly wouldn’t be my turn," I said with a smile, unmoved.

"I'd like to see if you have the ability to make those subordinates submit. If you can't command your own family in the future, you'll truly become a joke," the Sword Empress 'Wasteland Wolf' said, her left hand suddenly turning into a sharp claw. The five fingertips shone with snow-white light, covering my entire body from a distance. This was a symbol of the top-tier power of a Sword Empress, manipulating the power of the Sea of Star Souls.

Orcs were a race led by the strong. If I were to lose to this Sword Empress, any future negotiations would put me in a very passive position.

My expression remained unchanged, and my left hand moved, the subtlety of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw far surpassing my opponent's. In an instant, I grabbed her hand. Where our hands met, it was like the brilliance of the sun bursting open, flashing more than a dozen times before we both withdrew.

"Good, good, good. Lord Xuanfeng is indeed a young hero, becoming a Sword Empress at the age of eighteen. Impressive, impressive," Jiehat's expression changed several times before she was forced to admit that I, a wolf decades younger than her, was no weaker than her in strength. Moreover, I hadn’t even used the legendary Holy Ice Thorn Halo of the moon-attribute, which could rival the Emperor Martial Overlord Art, giving me even more of an advantage, forcing her to back down.

In truth, when it came to the purity of aura and the finesse of control, I wasn’t as good as the 'Wasteland Wolf.' But the 'Holy Grail Aura,' which was the culmination of countless martial arts techniques, was a powerful and sharp martial art even without using moon-attribute techniques. Added to that, my body's dragon-wolf unity gave me strength that rivaled the royal lion lineage. Even without relying on past martial arts, I could use strength to overcome technique, not fearing my opponent's power in the slightest.

Everyone present was a discerning eye, and they naturally knew that the result was a tie. While they were surprised by my strength, they also quickly analyzed the pros and cons in their minds. In the end, the old chief Aihain had no choice but to sigh deeply and fully agree to my demands, also settling the future distribution of benefits before taking his leave.

After this round of intrigue and rivalry, I had finally established my standing within the race, laying a solid foundation for reaching higher positions in the future.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Subdue the Enemy Without Fighting, the Snow Dragon Strides

The month of May in the Duchy of Langdon was a time of pleasant weather. Though this human nation bordered the Half-Orc Wasteland and was backed by the Never-Setting Sun Mountains, by this month, the warm breeze was intoxicating, and the scenery was picturesque.