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Someone else interjected before the argument got out of hand. He said, "Creating a united front sounds like a good idea. But what if you are wrong? We will lose more than 10% of our resources and 1 point."

The Supreme beast that was good with words didn't back down. He said, "Excuse me but I don't think it is a good idea. If bravery and morale were so good, there wouldn't be numerous seas of despair. We are Supreme beasts and we embody the victory of the few over the many. I don't think uniting will work at all. Even if it does work, we should prepare to lose some of our lives. That is also something my mentor taught me about wisdom. She said to always prepare for the worst outcome so that..."

She cut him off, "Fuck your mentor and whatever she said. I am sure my plan will work. Let's vote about it."

"Alright. Let's vote."

The 6 of them in the alliance voted. The majority voted to capitulate and pay the "rent." That decision didn't go well with her.

She said to them, "I am disappointed in the five of you."

Someone suggested. "We might change our minds if you get other alliances to unite. If we can't unite then it is of no use even if we agree with you."

What this person said made sense. So she tried to contact the other Alliances and create a unified force. It didn't work out. They didn't trust each other enough to consider her idea a good one and not a scheme to make them do something foolish and be eliminated for it.

She was willing to swear Oaths but not many were moved by it. Most of them have come to the conclusion that if all 99 of them combine their might and fight him, it is obvious that at least one of them will be eliminated and many more of them will lose out.

At the end of the day, the Shadow of Despair is not asking for too much. They have only been mining for 2 months so they don't have a lot. They can easily give out 10% of their resources.

A single point is also not too much to give up for peace. The alternative is to fight and lose more. And they can't forget that the others are their competitors too. The ones that have a lot of points to spare consoled themselves with the fact that the ones that have little are going to be hurt more than them.

And so they did nothing. At least not together. Some were rash enough to try and fight him. They refused to be exploited even when they saw what would happen if they resisted. They were beaten within an inch of their life. Then they paid more than they should have.

Most people allowed themselves to be exploited without resistance. But they didn't do it without the intention of vengeance. They began planning how to beat him in the future. If what he said was right, then they have a year to prepare for the next round of exploitation.

As for Legion-5, he got 70 points and a lot of resources after a round of collecting rent. Some people didn't have any points and they couldn't get any from their poor Alliance. He beat them up first before showing some understanding. He decided to let them off by taking 30% of their resources. Then he informed them that he would collect double their rent in the future.

Legion-7 mocked him, "Look at you. You have become soft."

Legion-5 didn't deny it. He sighed and said, "I have to become understanding since times are so hard. Besides, I can't eliminate them for poverty. I will consider this loss and investment."

Legion-7 continued to mock him. "Right. An investment with a 100% return rate. How magnanimous of you."

Legion-5 was too shameless to refute that he was magnanimous. He knew Legion-7 was being sarcastic but he is not going to let that shame him from being greedy.

His greediness aside, he understands that points are very difficult to get. The main way is to subjugate new hexes and set up new bases. It has only been 2 months so most of them haven't accumulated enough manpower to start warring against the plane and not many of them were lucky enough to come across valuable resources around their base.

He didn't kill the poor ones because they would be of no use to him out of the rite of passage. Unlike the others, they are not his competitors. They are his precious leeks. As a good farmer, he shouldn't uproot the roots when farming. Even weak malnourished plants should be given the chance to grow. He will gain a bigger harvest in the future that way.

He also made sure to tell all of them of his position to them and inform them of the benefits it would bring to them. He had said to them, "I am your landlord now. You have paid your rent so it is my duty to protect you. You can ask for my help if you face off against any particularly troublesome enemies in the plane. Of course, you have to pay me for the help. Nothing is truly free in this world and the sooner you learn that, the better it will be for you."

That was the last thing they heard before he left them to exploit others. It was advice that would shape the course of their lives and they got it from him cheaply. He is magnanimous that way.

Legion-7 said, "I must say. These kids have a good temperament. I expected all of them to come rushing at you to fight you to the death."

"They didn't because they are afraid of me. They will challenge me when they regain their confidence."

"I expect that they will be ready by the next time you try to extort them."