Attempting Persuasion

"Great Matriarch." Shuma first responded respectfully, then added, "They are my friend-ingredients; they cannot be eaten."

"Friends?" The old woman's eyes scanned Buggy and Mohji, suddenly lighting up. "But they look quite delicious."

This Cannibal Tribe was cut from the same cloth from top to bottom; in their narrow worldview, there was only eating, and they possessed absolutely no bottom line.

Of course, Buggy did not intend to offend the other party. Instead, he wanted to see how Shuma would handle it. Based on their current contact, this guy seemed as simple as if he lacked any concept of good or evil. As for whether it was an act, he would know by watching his next performance.

"Yeah, they are certainly delicious..." Shuma followed the Great Matriarch's lead, but his expression stiffened. Seeing Buggy's darkening face, he hurriedly added, "No, no, no, friend-ingredients cannot be eaten."

The old woman frowned at the two of them, her tone cold and sharp: "The things you can trust least in this world are so-called friends and partners. I've heard those stupid jokes too many times. Shuma, the only ones who can protect you and be your reliance are your clansmen. Only we will never betray you. As for outsiders like these, only after they've been put in a pot and cooked can they become friends in our bellies."

"No, no." Shuma shook his head like a rattle, his tone unexpectedly firm. "They said they would take me to the outside world; I can't eat them."

Hearing Shuma's words, the ring of feathers woven on the old woman's head stood up involuntarily. Bloodshot lines spread from the whites of her eyes to the centers of her pupils, and her voice turned shrill: "Go to the outside world? I absolutely forbid it! The ingredients in the outside world are all scum. They only know how to persecute and betray; they are only fit to be our food!"

Seeing the Great Matriarch's state, the other tribesmen hurriedly tried to persuade him.

Someone scolded: "Shuma, stop talking. Don't make the Great Matriarch angry."

Someone smoothed the Great Matriarch's temper: "Great Matriarch, please calm your anger. Shuma is just a kid who doesn't know any better; don't hold it against him."

Someone chimed in: "The Great Matriarch is right. Those people outside all deserve to die. This bunch of scum only knows how to deceive others' feelings; it's truly detestable!"

As soon as this person finished speaking, someone immediately covered his mouth and whispered, "Don't say that in front of the Great Matriarch."

Shuma hung his head, scratching it in distress: "Actually, I wanted to ask for your permission to go to the Bear Spirit to determine the cooking for my coming-of-age ceremony."

The feather ring on the old woman's head slowly lowered. Her tone became less hurried, sounding somewhat hoarse: "I have already prepared the cooking utensils and seasonings for you. As for the ingredients, just use these two right here."

Shuma did not answer directly, instead looking left and right. The old woman closed her eyes and waited quietly for his answer, appearing very patient.

Mohji, whose gaze had been fixed on the cape behind Buggy to distract himself, felt his ears twitch. Finally unable to maintain his composure, he stuttered in a low voice: "Cap, Captain Buggy, wh-what does she mean?"

Mohji, who had wanted to perform well in front of Buggy while Cabaji was sick, suddenly realized that things were not that simple.

"What she said is exactly what she meant on the surface," Buggy responded indifferently.

"So it just meant what it said on the surface? Then, then there's, there's... nothing to be afraid of!" Mohji said, his teeth chattering and his legs trembling.

Noticing Mohji's reaction, Shuma patted him on the shoulder: "Moshi-ingredient, keep it up!"

"Hey, what do you mean by 'keep it up'!" Mohji said angrily in a low voice. "Also, my name is Mohji, and don't add 'ingredient' to it!"

At the Great Matriarch's signal, several tribesmen brought over a set of packed cooking utensils and placed them on the ground. The old woman said, neither happy nor sad: "Take these to the back mountain. I have already told you the specific steps. I hope you can become the youngest adult in the tribe."

Buggy stopped Shuma, who was about to say something else, stepped forward, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Great Matriarch, I would like to know if there is a map of the nearby islands here?"

The old woman kept her eyes closed and spoke slowly: "Upright-ingredient, you are not qualified to speak to me."

Buggy felt a slight displeasure toward the arrogant and stubborn old woman, but for Shuma's sake, and due to his own good upbringing, he did not let this emotion show. He quickly deliberated and said: "If you can produce a map of the nearby islands, then we will willingly become ingredients."

As he spoke, he felt Mohji trembling while clutching his sleeve. Looking back, he saw that the latter was indeed biting his lower lip, his face covered in tears.

The old woman finally opened her eyes: "I will not hand over any island map, nor will I believe you outsiders. Flowery words and ghost stories—this pure world has been polluted by people like you."

Since the other party said she wouldn't hand it over, it meant they indeed possessed such a thing. Buggy successfully captured this detail. Next, he attempted to persuade her using his specialty: the art of the "silver tongue."

He quickly scanned his surroundings, then reached into the air toward a nearby tree. He opened his palm to reveal a originally brown ladybug that had gradually changed to a color almost identical to his white glove.

He looked at the crowd and said solemnly: "The color of this Color-changing Ladybug changes with its surroundings. To survive, it disguises itself and deceives its natural enemies. For a weak creature like it, if it didn't do this, its lifespan wouldn't even last from dawn to dusk."

Then, Buggy released the ladybug and pointed to a black-feathered eagle standing on a branch: "And this Long-beaked Eagle—its sharp beak can catch fish in the sea and hunt small animals on land. It has almost no natural enemies; it is unconstrained and free."

"The strong have the strong's way of surviving, but the weak also have the right to survive. By comparison, the weak live even more arduously. Deception and disguise are products of this world's evolution and rules. It's just that for the weak, they can utilize these means better. Being deceived by the weak might make you feel angry, but doesn't that just prove you have the awareness of the strong!"

Buggy's final words were delivered with a clang, and he took the opportunity to flatter her without blushing or skipping a beat.

"The awareness of the strong..." the old woman muttered to herself. The surrounding tribesmen, for some reason, watched the Great Matriarch nervously, whispering something under their breath.

The old woman's withered face gradually revealed a smile, like a rainbow one looks forward to after the rain. She bared two large yellow teeth and took out a still-warm, dry map she carried on her person: "As long as you are willing to become ingredients, this island map is yours."