346: Patriarch

Immediately, everyone's gaze turned there, and Xun Stone met their eyes calmly.

Everyone had forgotten about him, assuming he had voted for himself, but Xun Stone didn't seem to intend to vote for himself.

Instead, he was about to put an end to this election. His next decision might affect the future of the Dog Clan.

Xun Stone walked past everyone and stopped in front of Xun An Cai and Xun Hua, and after a moment of silence, he slowly began, "Being a Clan Chief is no child's play; the burden of this position is heavy. I want to know what you plan to do after becoming Clan Chief?"

Both lowered their heads in thought simultaneously, and the air seemed to quiet down.

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment but did not speak; he knew that as an outsider, it was not appropriate for him to interject at this time.

Everyone waited quietly, curious about their decisions.

After a long while, Xun Hua was the first to look up, "If I become Clan Chief, I will use the earth vein stone and vital blood of the Bear Clan and Snake Clan to quickly enhance the tribe's strength, elevating the Dog Clan's power to a new level."

"Once the clansmen are strong, I will lead them to attack the Eagle Clan, annihilate the Stone Clan, cross the Southern Mountains, and go to even more distant places."

The more Xun Hua spoke, the more confident she became, as if she had already envisioned that beautiful future, and she declared passionately, "I want to make the Dog Clan the strongest, make all other tribes kneel before the dog god, and restore the Dog Clan's glory!"

"Good!"

Xun Hua's supporters, hearing her words, immediately felt their blood boil, wishing they could immediately dispatch troops to the Eagle Clan and trample the Eagle God's idol underfoot.

Xu Sanyan looked at the scene of excited crowds, feeling as if he had stumbled into a pyramid scheme.

Xun An Cai looked embarrassed, instinctively burying her head deeper.

Because she hadn't thought about what to say, nor did she know what she should do if she became Clan Chief.

She had never even thought about becoming Clan Chief; if Xu Sanyan hadn't pressured her, she wouldn't have come to contend at all.

But since things had come to this, Xun An Cai knew she had to say something no matter what, so she mustered her courage and said, "I... if I become Clan Chief, I want to have more children and live a peaceful life..."

This was her true thought; she disliked aggression and fighting, only wanting to live a good life.

She would go hunting, Xu Sanyan would manage the household, and they would raise children—this was her deepest wish.

The more she spoke, the less confident she became; comparing the two's statements, the difference was immediately clear.

One had grand ambitions, focused on strengthening the Dog Clan, while the other was content with the status quo, only wanting to live peacefully.

Everyone guessed the outcome: Xun Stone would definitely cast his vote for Xun Hua.

Xu Sanyan shook his head and didn't blame her; Xun An Cai had always been a simple person, and if not for that, he wouldn't have integrated into the Dog Clan so quickly.

This quality has its pros and cons; perhaps she really isn't suited to be Clan Chief.

Xun Stone nodded slightly, having already made up his mind, and looked at Xun Hua.

Xun Hua met his gaze, smiled and was about to say something, but Xun Stone spoke first,

"I vote for Xun An Cai."

As soon as these words were uttered, it was as if a stone had stirred up a thousand waves; Xun An Cai's expression was stunned, Xun Hua's face was filled with disbelief, and even the several Old Clan Leaders found it incredible.

"Ah??"

"What?"

"Stone Bro, did you drink too much fake milk?" This was said by a clansman who supported him becoming Clan Chief.

"Stone Bro, did you misremember the name?"

Xun Stone quietly watched the crowd, and the clamor gradually died down. Everyone watched him, wanting him to give an explanation.

Xun Stone's gaze was solemn as he looked towards Yinghun Mountain in the back, as if communicating with past Clan Chiefs, or perhaps seeking the dog god's opinion.

A moment later, he spoke, "The Dog Clan has undergone successive battles, losing two Clan Chiefs, one heir, and over a hundred clansmen. Although we annihilated the Bear Clan and Snake Clan and gained many benefits, we ourselves have not fared well."

Xun Stone's gaze swept over everyone, "At this moment, we should recuperate and build up our strength, rather than attack the Eagle Clan."

The several Old Clan Leaders pondered for a moment upon hearing this and nodded silently; perhaps what he said made more sense.

In fact, no matter who they supported, their ultimate goal was for the Dog Clan.

Xun Stone sighed inwardly. If Xun Hua's words had come from the Old Clan Leader or the new Clan Chief, he would not have uttered a single word of criticism, because he knew that the two Clan Chiefs had the ability to lead them to victory.

But Xun Hua couldn't. She was too young, too naive.

Did she think that just because the Dog Clan annihilated the Bear Clan and Snake Clan, they could also annihilate the powerful Eagle Clan and Stone Clan?

And her wild talk of crossing the Southern Mountains was even more absurd.

When ambition becomes too grand, it turns into fantasy.

Xun Stone would not allow her to lead the Dog Clan into the unknown. The most urgent task for the tribe was precisely stability, what others saw as 'lacking grand ambition'.

After eliminating the Snake Clan and the Bear Clan, the Dog Clan suffered considerable losses, and its population sharply declined.

Although only over a hundred people died in successive battles, the Dog Clan only had a total of over six hundred people. Excluding the old and young, only over four hundred could go to war, and nearly one-third were lost at once, all of whom were core forces.

Population is very important to a tribe!

Now, without the threat of the Snake Clan and the Bear Clan, the Dog Clan can better thrive and multiply. This is a living environment created for them by two generations of Clan Chiefs with their lives, and it should be cherished and utilized well.

"Alas..."

With everything settled, Xun An Cai became the next Clan Chief.

The several Old Clan Leaders turned back and retrieved a staff from the cave. This staff was the Old Clan Leader's, and it was the symbol of the Clan Chief's authority.

Xun An Cai was still in a daze, seemingly not having fully recovered.

Xun Hua looked at the scene before her with a sense of loss, her heart filled with mixed emotions. If Xun Yang were still alive...

An elder handed the staff to Xun An Cai and declared loudly, "From today onwards, Xun An Cai is the Clan Chief of the Dog Clan, upholding the will of the dog god, receiving the dog god's protection, and leading the Dog Clan to lasting prosperity!"

"dog god's blessing!!"

"dog god's blessing!!"

The sound was like a mountain roaring and a sea raging, startling the birds in the mountains into flight.

Xun An Cai took the staff, which signified that she had become the new Clan Chief.

Xu Sanyan's eyes were downcast; although his goal was achieved, he wasn't as happy as he thought he would be.

He had overlooked one thing: these old fellows.

He had thought that becoming Clan Chief would give him complete control over the Dog Clan's power, but now it seemed that Xun An Cai still lacked prestige, and her power was subtly diluted by the several Old Clan Leaders.

Xu Sanyan scanned around, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Old farts, you've lived long enough, it's time to die..."

Xun Stone looked at Xu Sanyan, thinking to himself, it seems he needs to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Xun An Cai.

Although this person had helped the Dog Clan a lot, he was not a Dog Clansman after all.

An elder said, "Xun Hua, hand over the Praying God Technique to Xun An Cai."

"Mmm..."

Xun Hua turned and entered the cave to search, finally digging out a pottery jar from the corner. Inside the pottery jar was an animal skin, covered with dense writing in some kind of blood.