Michael looked at the notification in his eyes and was expectantly delighted. It made him believe that it was truly better for everyone that the two rival tribes settle their differences and work together under one banner.
If they kept on doing their 'rituals' and competitively shouting at each other, it would only result in a very annoying sound that would deprive anyone of sleep in a 1-kilometer radius. But if they started working with each other and treating each other as brothers rather than rivals, then they could end up becoming a lot stronger than even they thought!
After all, increasing the intake of mana directly impacted their overall strength individually, as well as overall.
Right now, the resonance between the two Orcs only resulted in the increase of Earth mana. Michael guessed that the reason for this was because their species as a whole were naturally talented with it, and was probably brought about by their passionate devotion to the Earth 'Goddess' that they had been worshipping.
Now, this was already a great boon for the Orcs as well as the Rebornians. But if they were to join Michael and become part of the nation, then they would have the chance to evolve their bloodlines and increase their mastery over the elements, becoming proficient in all of them!
Michael guessed that this would result in the Orcs' resonance increasing the cultivation rate of not only the Earth mana but all of it as well.
Of course, this was just pure conjecture—a hopeful guess, if you will. But still, it was enough of a motivation for Michael to become a lot more aggressive in his plans to unite the two tribes.
"Do you guys not see the result of your friendship?" Michael asked the Orcs.
The two of them reacted a bit awkwardly as Michael pointed it out, but they didn't necessarily reject it outright.
It was through their mutual interest in baseball that they realized that all the stories and rumors about their rival Orcs were nothing more than lies told to them by their parents, friends, and even their Chieftain.
The Orcanines weren't just foolish meatheads who only knew how to use brute force. They could be quite smart and introspective, evidenced by the Orcanine Orc quickly learning the rules of baseball through pure observation only. He even figured out the best plays and strategies to win the game!
Conversely, the Orcupines weren't the witless cowards that they were painted to be. It was told that they were Orcs who couldn't be trusted because they would abandon their friends to survive, but this Orcupine Orc disproved that.
When they were caught by Sheina, the Orcupine Orc offered himself to become the scapegoat, letting his new friend leave the place undetected. No coward could do that. It was clear from this alone that Orcupines were as brave as the Orcanines.
"I was wrong about your tribe," the Orcanine admitted.
"I must admit my mistake as well. I was prejudiced against you, as well as your kind. But it's clear that we have more in common than we think."
The Orcupine offered his hand to the Orcanine.
The two shook hands, symbolizing the first true truce between the two tribes since the downfall of the Golden Road.
"Why are your tribes fighting in the first place?" Michael asked.
"Ever since I was born, I was taught to hate the Orcupines. My Chieftain is clear in his dislike of the other tribe, and we followed his words without questioning it."
"That is my upbringing as well. My Chieftain told us that Orcanine's way of ritual worship of the Sacred Grounds was nothing less than sacrilege. He said that it would be better in our hands."
Michael looked at the sack of Kakao beans beside the Orcanine Orc. According to them, this was their Sacred fruit borne from their Sacred Grounds.
He had accepted this as a fact, but never really questioned why it was so.
"What's so special about Kakao beans to you?"
That question had been lingering on the back of his mind this whole time.
To answer his question, the two Orcs each picked up a single Kakao bean from their sacks and put it against their teeth. As they crushed it with their molars, their faces contorted into one of disgust as the bitterness of the seed spread throughout their mouth.
But even as their brows furrowed, their lips pursed, and their eyes squinted, the Orcs forcefully swallowed the Kakao beans and consumed them in one go.
Michael was a bit surprised to see their reaction to eating Kakao beans. For something they treated with so much respect and adoration, he would have thought that the Orcs developed a taste for its bitterness throughout the years they had been consuming it.
But judging from their faces, it was clear that they detested eating Kakao beans even now.
This begged the question as to why they were bearing with its bitter taste and even performing rituals to thank the Goddess for giving them this 'gift'.
The answer presented itself to Michael just a few seconds later.
A visible red aura exploded out from the Orcanine's body, startling Sheina. She quickly moved in front of Michael, grabbing her bow tightly. There was determination in her eyes to protect Michael no matter what it took.
Not a millisecond after that, the Orcupine's body exploded with a blue aura as well, increasing his overall strength at least twice his normal base level.
Sheina eyed the Orcs with a glare, treating them as temporarily hostile. It was only when Michael gently put his hand on her shoulders did she finally be at ease.
Michael knew that this was not an attack on him.
This was merely a demonstration of the effects the Kakao beans had on their bodies!
The Orcanine Orc grew a few inches taller, with his muscles increasing in mass in a matter of a few seconds. His increased size made him a lot more intimidating, especially with the perceived increase in strength that came with the enlargement.