Moke instinctively wanted to turn around and leave, but just then, a call reached his ears: "Moke..."
The voice belonged to the village chief and sounded somewhat anxious and worried.
Hearing that voice, Moke unconsciously stopped and turned toward where the village chief stood.
The village chief stood not far away, his face filled with conflict and his eyes revealing an indescribably complicated expression.
Clearly, the village chief was in an extreme predicament, his heart full of contradiction and struggle.
For the village chief, if he agreed to let Moke go, the village would have one fewer person sacrificed to the pirates; yet Moke himself would almost certainly die.
But if he refused to let Moke go, the other young men in the village would have to send one more person as a replacement.
After all, these young men were children the village chief had watched grow up with his own eyes!
The fact that the village chief had personally come to speak with Moke already showed that he had long made up his mind.
After all, as an outsider, Moke ultimately could not compare to the young men born and raised in the village.
Yet despite that, the village chief had ultimately chosen to tell Moke the truth.
It was all because, in that fleeting moment, the kindness and principles buried deep in his heart had surged up like a tide and instantly taken control.
After all, what he was doing now was no different from personally ending Moke's life—using Moke to replace others in the village who faced the threat of death!
Yet just as Moke turned to leave, an indescribable force drove him to open his mouth and call out that name loudly: "Moke..."
Without a doubt, when faced with a living life before him, he had