The young man beside the leader suddenly changed expression upon hearing this.
He became somewhat emotional and wanted to say something, but was stopped by a stern glance from the leader.
The leader looked at Raleigh before him, his expression seeming to ponder something deeply.
"Respected Marine officer, is this your true goal?"
Raleigh shrugged, looking at the leader with an indifferent expression.
"As I said from the beginning, I am not involved in this matter. Whether you accept peace or maintain the status quo has nothing to do with me."
"However, Gan Fall promised me one thing, so I'm willing to act as a messenger for him."
"But I won't offer you any suggestions. The decision is entirely in your hands."
After hearing Raleigh's words, the leader seemed somewhat moved.
"Father, how can we just agree to peace because of his words?!"
"Have you forgotten? Over four hundred years, how many of our clansmen have died at their hands? Your younger brother, my uncle, and my best friend Bartley all died at the hands of the Skypieans."
"They stole the land where our ancestors lived for generations, and they killed our kinsmen. Now a simple word of reconciliation can erase the hatred between us? I don't accept this!"
The young man, Allen, who had been agitated earlier, finally couldn't hold back his outburst.
What he couldn't accept most was shaking hands and making peace with their sworn enemies.
The leader became somewhat ashamed and angry, swinging his hand to slap his son.
Smack!
"Shut up, Allen!"
"I know you're deeply unwilling in your heart. I've experienced these feelings too, but this is something we really should consider."
The leader's expression was heavy yet carried a trace of difficulty.
Raleigh had no interest in the father-son argument; instead, he picked up some fruit from the table to eat.
After a moment, having scolded his son, the leader turned back to continue speaking with Raleigh.
"I'm sorry, Mr Raleigh, for making you witness this embarrassment."
Raleigh waved his hand. "It's fine. This is your internal matter. I have no right to interfere, and I won't interfere at all."
"But to be honest, this is indeed a very complex matter. Over the course of four hundred years, you have experienced far too much."
"Brothers have died at each other's hands, yet many on the other side have also fallen by your hands."
"Well, you must decide for yourselves. I will remain here for three days, hoping you can come to a resolution soon."
"Oh, by the way. I once saw the Shandora Lamp—the Golden Bell—recorded by Noland atop the giant vine in Upper Yard."
Raleigh spoke with a relaxed expression and calm demeanor as he shared the information with the two Shandia men before him.
For matters that affect an entire race, only they themselves can make the decision. No one else can make the choice for them.
Raleigh then lifted the rum before him, drank it in one go, elegantly wiped his mouth, and left the banquet.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for many, and equally a night that would change many fates.
"Father, why do you want to reconcile with the Skypieans? Have you forgotten the deep-seated hatred between us?"
After Raleigh left, the father and son returned to their residence.
Allen, who had been slapped earlier, couldn't hold back his question. He was utterly perplexed and asked as soon as they arrived home.
Chief Gim looked at his immature son with a pained and helpless expression.
In a heavy tone, he said, "Come with me. I'll tell you why."
Gim led Allen into a secret underground chamber.
The chamber had a long corridor, with walls made of blue stone bricks on both sides.
Gim activated a mechanism on the wall, and one by one, lamps lit up in succession, extending into the distance.
"Father, what is this?" Allen couldn't help but ask.
He had never been to this mysterious underground chamber before.
"These are portraits of our ancestors who bravely sacrificed their lives in the war against the Skypieans."
Gim walked as he explained to Allen.
"Almost from the moment we arrived in Skypiea, our ancestors have been fighting against the enemies of Skypiea. Both sides have suffered losses."
"This history spans a full four hundred years. Over such a long period, we have lost far too much."
At first glance, Allen felt that the ancestors hanging on the wall were all respectable predecessors.
"You are my son and the most likely candidate to succeed as the next Chief of our tribe. That's why I brought you here—to see our history."
Though the corridor to the underground chamber was long, they eventually reached the end—a small room.
Everything inside appeared very simple: a stone bed, a stone table, stone stools, and other modest furnishings.
The only things that weren't modest were the few dazzling golden items on the stone table.
"These are the gold ornaments our ancestors brought out from Shandora. They only managed to retrieve one or two pieces; most still lie dormant in Shandora."
"I brought you here to make you understand that our Shandia People have always insisted on struggle. But as the Chief, my belief is that meaningless war is worse than meaningful reconciliation."
"The terms proposed by that Marine deeply moved me, so I plan to have a serious talk with Gan Fall."
"If we can resolve the peace between us, then we will no longer have to worry about our people dying in meaningless conflicts."
"If anything happens to me, you will be the new leader."
Gim breathed a sigh of relief.
For many years, he had been striving to prevent his people from going to war with the residents of the Sky Island.
Coincidentally, their god, Gan Fall, shared the same sentiment.
Through prolonged interactions, both sides had developed a tacit understanding of mutual benefit.
Perhaps this was why Gan Fall had proposed the idea of reconciliation.
It was precisely through day-to-day interactions that Gan Fall had concluded that the leader of the Shandia People, like himself, was weary of war, hence the proposal.
However, whether this matter would succeed, to be honest, still depended on fate.