Chapter 3987: Outlaws (Part 4)

"I’ll go check on our patients." Tista cleared her throat in embarrassment. "They all lost consciousness outside the Starry Lagoon village, and when they wake up, they’ll have no idea where they are and what happened to them."

"Great idea." Quylla stood up and followed Tista.

Kamila and Morok left too, leaving only Solus and Lith in the room with Salaark.

’I want to check on the refugees as well, but I can feel that Lith has something more to ask.’ Solus thought.

"Grandma, can I ask you a question?" Lith said.

"Of course, Featherling." She nodded.

"You said that the yellow-robed riders are an outlaw tribe that turned to crime to make a living, yet I find it hard to believe that kind of people can thrive under your rule. To be honest, I’m shocked that a tribe like that is allowed to exist in the first place."

"You think too highly of me, Featherling." She chuckled. "The Blood Desert is the largest country on Garlen, and its people have been nomads long before my arrival. I have no way to keep every nook and cranny of the Desert in check at all times.

"Also, I couldn’t just kill anyone who refused to offer me their loyalty. It would have been pointlessly cruel and unreasonable. I took under my wing those who willingly submitted, hoping that the others would join them after witnessing how much their neighbors prospered.

"I was mostly right. I led by example like Valeron the First did, and never needed to resort to violence except in self-defense. More and more tribes asked to become part of my Blood Desert until we reached the point you see today.

"Yet not everyone did. Some tribes stubbornly clung to their traditions and independence, and I let them. Others went rogue, and I had to exterminate their armed forces whenever they threatened my people."

"So, you let their villages live?" Solus didn’t know whether to be upset or happy by Salaark’s generosity.

"Outlaws or not, I won’t touch civilians, children, or elders who had no voice in how the tribal leaders conducted their business." The Overlord nodded. "I always offered them to turn a new leaf, and some did.

"When they don’t, they either get destroyed by another outlaw tribe or go back to their old ways. On top of that, there are plenty of people willing to fill the ranks of such tribes. Criminals from the neighboring countries need a place to stay after crossing the border.

"Also, the criminals from my tribes who manage to escape capture join the outlaws as well. That and the support that the rogue tribes receive from my enemies in order to destabilize my country allow the outlaws to live a good life, if they know their place."

"It all makes sense, Grandma, except for one thing." Lith paused to stare her in the eyes. "These guys are no Organization or Thrud. They are not even at Hatorne’s level. They are just thugs."

"Like I would let anyone reach that threat level inside my country." Salaark snorted.

"Which leads us to my point." Lith nodded. "I refuse to believe that you don’t have at least a rough estimate of the number and the position of the various outlaw tribes. Especially when they expose themselves to attack like they did today."

"And you are right." She replied. "I don’t care about what they do as long as they don’t form an alliance or grow in power enough to occupy my oases permanently."

"But that means you let them live!" Solus’ eyes widened in understanding. "You could wipe out most of the criminal outlaws, but you choose not to."

"Exactly." Salaark said.

"Why do you do that, Grandma?" Lith asked. "Isn’t that a waste of your time and resources?"

"You’re still too naïve, Featherling." The Overlord tutted. "Quite the contrary, it saves me a lot of time and resources. It’s one of the reasons the Blood Desert is united and prospers to this day."

"I must be naïve too, Grandma, because I don’t see how the two things are correlated." Solus said.

"Think about it, Featherling." Salaark replied. "What if I exterminated all the criminal outlaw tribes with a snap of my fingers? Sure, there would be peace, but then becoming one of my Feathers wouldn’t be such an alluring position.

"There is no point in the harsh training necessary to become a warrior if there’s no one to fight, and most mages would devote their lives to their research rather than leading and protecting their not magically gifted tribesmen.

"Without enemies and the risk of losing their lives in battle, only those interested in power for power’s sake would strive to become Feathers. Every tribe would have a petty politician instead of a selfless leader, and soon things would escalate.

"Those who temporarily occupied the most fertile oases of my domain would refuse to leave, while those residing in the smaller oases would cry injustice and demand compensation. Without a common enemy, the tribes would turn against each other, and my country would fall into chaos.

"If I intervened to stop them, the tribes who gain the upper hand would call me a tyrant. If I don’t, the tribes who fall behind would call me a monster. I would be locked in a lose-lose situation, and no matter what I did, many tribes would abandon me.

"All because I let them grow fat and peaceful long enough for them to forget why they needed and followed me in the first place. Humans are greedy, dumb animals who, in the absence of real problems, make new ones up, Featherlings.

"I bring peace? They want me to rid them of crime. I eliminate crime? They want me to turn the Blood Desert into a green, fertile land. And what happens when I grant all of their wishes? They don’t need me anymore.

"At that point, the people of the Desert would start questioning why they have to submit to my authority instead of living free as they ’deserve’. Nobody pays the Healer once the sickness is gone, and leadership doesn’t run on gratitude, Featherlings.

"People wouldn’t care about what I did for them in the past, only that I can’t do anything more for them in the present unless they accept my ’unreasonable’ demands. In less than a generation, the Blood Desert would be in a much worse situation than when I found it.

"That’s why I let the outlaw tribes live. They are the wolves that circle around my herd, reminding them why they need their shepherd. My Feathers are my herding dogs, loyal, brave, and driven by duty, not selfish ambition.

"Even events like those you have witnessed today have a purpose. The merfolk will never forget what happened to the refugees and won’t get too comfortable in my home. They will work with my people, and will be ready to compromise when necessary, knowing that we need each other to survive and prosper.

"In the same way, the reports of the attack will reinforce the loyalty of the tribes to their respective Feathers and, in turn, to me. Everyone will hear about the bloody fate of another so-called ’free village’ and be reminded that foolish choices have permanent consequences."

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