[Inside the Land of Trials]
The Grayfist garrison area was bustling with activity.
After Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM took a short break on the plains, they set off toward the rainforest region.
However, they didn't step into the rainforest right away. Instead, they first arrived near the Grayfist garrison, then maneuvered all their forces to completely surround it.
Originally, according to Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM's initial strategy, there was no need at all to bother subduing Grayfist's faction.
After all, neither Tyrant HIM nor Annoying Village HIM had any intention of engaging Xu Yuan in a brutal clash of armies. They preferred to find a suitable opportunity to talk with Xu Yuan one-on-one.
What's more, the number of troops under Grayfist's command was relatively limited and unlikely to play any decisive role.
However, Pocolo strongly insisted that Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM must first deal with the trouble known as Grayfist before heading to the rainforest.
Pocolo's strong recommendation was based on two crucial reasons.
First, Grayfist and his forces had been camped near the rainforest region for quite some time. According to information revealed by Grayfist's subordinates, they were already gearing up to launch a fierce assault on the rainforest. Without a doubt, this clearly showed that Grayfist was far more familiar with the internal situation of the rainforest than ordinary players.
But since Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM were planning to prioritize negotiations, the first reason could be completely ignored.
The real reason Pocolo made this suggestion lay in the second point.
And that second point was Grayfist himself.
At the time, Pocolo had put it like this, "Grayfist's personality is extremely unhinged, and his way of doing things is unpredictable and impossible to read."
"His forces aren't large, but he's the kind of person who lives by 'if I can't have it easy, then neither will you.'"
"He's like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. One careless move could lead to unforeseeable consequences, so it's better to defuse this bomb first."
Pocolo had practically slapped the label of "rabid dog" right onto Grayfist's face.
But to be fair, Grayfist really had been pretty crazy in the past. Most players held views of him almost identical to Pocolo's.
Their attitude toward Grayfist was basically, avoid him if possible, and if interaction was unavoidable, the first priority was to placate him.
Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM didn't want Grayfist stirring up trouble at a critical moment either, so they followed Pocolo's advice.
That was why they came to the Grayfist garrison.
That said, even after arriving near the garrison, Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM had no intention of showing themselves. Instead, they sent Pocolo to handle the matter.
After receiving the order, Pocolo brought along the "hostages" previously captured by the iron golems, along with a group of iron golems, and entered the Grayfist garrison.
As for Grayfist himself, despite his garrison being surrounded on all sides, he, as the leader, showed not the slightest sense of danger.
At this moment, he was leisurely lying on a chair in the middle of the garrison plaza, chewing on an apple while basking in the sun.
It wasn't until Pocolo brought the "hostages" in front of him, blocking the sunlight, that he finally opened his eyes.
Seeing the "hostages" appear before him, Grayfist exclaimed in surprise, "Holy shit? You're still alive?"
After that, he sized Pocolo up and down, seemed to realize something, and then said, "You brought them back for me?"
"What, you want to defect to my side?"
Grayfist's bizarre train of thought genuinely left Pocolo stunned.
Pocolo knew full well that Grayfist never played by the rules, and he had already prepared himself mentally before coming.
Even so, he was still shocked by Grayfist's thinking.
At this moment, Pocolo clearly held the initiative with hostages in hand, yet Grayfist's series of moves flipped the situation around completely.
That said, Pocolo was a smart man. He naturally wouldn't be led around by Grayfist's nose, nor did he want to waste time going in circles. He got straight to the point.
"I heard from your men that you're preparing to launch an attack on the rainforest?"
Then he added, "As the saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Coincidentally, our target is also the rainforest."
"So I've come this time to invite you to join our faction."
After saying this, Pocolo's lips curled slightly into a smile as he continued, "Of course, you have every right to refuse my proposal."
At this point, Pocolo paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "But if you do, then from this day on, we'll be enemies."
As his words fell, Pocolo stepped forward a few paces, locking his gaze tightly onto Grayfist as he spoke slowly, "It's noticeably livelier around your garrison today than usual. I'm sure you've noticed that too, right?"
Seeing Pocolo move closer, Grayfist casually grabbed Pocolo by the collar, raised an eyebrow, and sneered.
"Heh, who the hell are you supposed to be?"
As he said this, Grayfist glanced at the iron golems behind Pocolo, a look of disdain instantly spreading across his face.
"Your faction?"
"No way, no way."
"You didn't seriously go and recognize the Void as your daddy, did you?"
"You..!" Pocolo was about to explode, but he forced himself to hold back. Even though the Grayfist garrison was surrounded, Pocolo hadn't brought many people inside. Naturally, he was worried that Grayfist might just go scorched-earth.
Thinking this through, Pocolo finally calmed down. He pushed Grayfist's hand away, his face wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You should know there are three HIMs in this game world, right?"
"The one in the rainforest is the HIM we're all familiar with."
"And the one I follow is the other two HIMs."
"One of them is a villager. He's already turned the Void's iron golems to our side. These iron golems now serve us."
"The other is a zombie. He's already formed a powerful monster army."
"Their strength..."
Pocolo was earnestly analyzing his faction's military power for Grayfist when Grayfist lost patience before he could finish.
With an annoyed expression, Grayfist cut him off.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
"Quit babbling and selling me some bullshit dream."
"If you really had that kind of strength, you'd have gone straight to wipe out the HIM in the rainforest already."
"Why go through all this trouble coming to me?"
Hearing Grayfist's words, Pocolo was about to explain, but Grayfist didn't give him the chance.
Grayfist waved his hand and said, "I don't care how strong you are or what plans you have."
"Since you came looking for me, you should know I'm not easy to deal with."
"You want me to work with you? Fine."
"But you'd better bring me an offer I can't refuse."