The Chieftain's ancestors believed that their sacred grounds were sacred for a reason. It was a place that only the Goddess could touch. And they, as its protectors, were the only ones granted access to this place.
The fact that no one had ever seen a single animal inside their sacred grounds in the entire history of the Orcanine Tribe was proof of that. No bird made its nest in the Kakao trees and no squirrels burrowed in the trees. The only living beings in this forest were those who were a part of the life cycle of the Kakao trees themselves.
There weren't supposed to be any snakes in this area. The Goddess wouldn't permit it.
Therefore, the Chieftain could only conclude that this was not a normal snake. Its intelligent red eyes showed consciousness unlike that of a wild animal.
The fact that this snake appeared in perfect timing just as he was about to ask the Goddess for her input and guidance made him think that this was made by divine intervention!
It all made sense for the Chieftain. He was beginning to think that the Reborn company was an envoy from the Earth Goddess herself, treating the meat and resources they gave as literal heaven-sent.
Therefore, the only conclusion he could come to was that this snake was an agent from heaven itself!
"I bow in the presence of the divine!" the Chieftain said as he kneeled towards the green snake.
Meanwhile, Fudge was relishing the fact that his 'illusion' had gone so smoothly that he didn't even need any effort to convince the Orc of anything.
"Uh..yeah. Yeah! Bow, hehe!" Fudge said smugly, with his snake tongue hissing in happiness.
"The Goddess must have sensed my worries and sent you to alleviate my concerns, am I right?" the Chieftain asked expectantly.
"Humu! That is right. Tell this good ninja—I mean snake—about your problems."
The Orcanine Chieftain breathed a sigh of relief and began to spill his thoughts on the upcoming meeting with the human owner of the Reborn company. After all, it was more than probable that the Chieftain of the Orcupine tribe would also be present in the meeting, seeing as the Reborn company also made an agreement with them.
"I am simply worried that my grudge against my old rival will prevail against my better judgment. I want to preserve our good graces with the humans, but I am afraid that I will want to… bring up old grudges… once I meet with my enemy face to face."
The rivalry between the two Chieftains was personal and ran deep in their history.
"Humu…humu…," Fudge muttered, nodding his snake head. "I think that competition and rivalry are healthy and needed!"
The Chieftain looked up at the snake. "Is that so?"
"Yes! Absolutely! You need to compete against the Orcupine Tribe to see which one of you is the best at showing your love for the Reborn company!"
"Channeling my hate for my rival into gifts?" the Chieftain muttered, his eyes flickering as he thought of many scenarios.
"In your meeting with the awesome leader of the Reborn company and the good ninja by his side, you should try your best to be friends with them! That way, you can be sure that your tribe will be blessed rather than your rivals!"
The Chieftain's eyes widened as if he had just realized something. "You're right! If the Earth Goddess had planned for our tribe and the Reborn company to meet, then it must mean that whoever gains their support will also be blessed by the Goddess!"
But, he remembered that their tribe had nothing to offer.
"We have no gifts to give except our service," the Chieftain said.
Fudge's eyes glimmered. "Well, you do have something. Thisssss…"
The snake slithered up towards one of the trees and wrapped its tail towards one of the mature Kakao fruits hanging on the branch.
"You can give them chocolate beans!"
"Chocolate?"
"Ah, I mean, Kakao beans!" Fudge quickly corrected himself.
A doubtful look passed on the Chieftain's face. "I do not think humans would appreciate Kakao beans. They serve no effect for them other than bitterness."
"Don't worry about that," Fudge assured. "Just make sure to stock a lot of Kakao beans and present them as a gift."
The Orcanine Chieftain, though a little bit skeptical, was willing to try it out. After all, they had quite an abundance of Kakao beans that would only spoil in their warehouses if not used.
"Alright! We shall prove to the Goddess that only we deserve her blessings! I thank you for giving me this advantage!" the Chieftain said, determined to 'beat' the Orcupine tribe using the gift method.
"Of course, of course!"
…
…
…
Unknown to the Orcanine Chieftain, his very rival was also being visited by a stranger who presented himself as a snake envoy from the Earth Goddess.
"Kakao beans, you say? Then, I shall do as you guide me. If it will help me best my rival, then I will give the Reborn company as much Kakao beans as we can give!" the Orcupine Chieftain said, flaring his quills in excitement.
Both Chieftains instructed their attendants to harvest as many beans from their sacred ground in preparation. They smiled, thinking that they were the only ones given knowledge from the envoy of the Goddess.
They didn't know they were getting playing right in the hands of the mischievous slime, who was already imagining himself eating hundreds of chocolate bars by himself, with the Dragonborns looking on enviously at him.
Fudge popped up right in front of Michael's shadow and acted like nothing happened.
"Where did you go?" Michael asked. It had been a few days since the usually talkative slime disappeared.
"Hehe…Master, I want a hundred chocolate bars, okay?" Fudge said, giggling and unable to hide his excitement.
"What are you talking about?"
Just then, Michael heard a knock on his door.
Sheina entered the room and bowed towards Michael.
"The Orcs have arrived, sir. And they seem to be carrying something with them."