For Black Blade to have reached this level of awareness today was more than enough to prove that he had completely transformed.
In the past, his way of thinking had been somewhat narrow, but at this very moment, his mindset and overall outlook had undergone a world-shaking change. Compared to before, it was like night and day.
Right now, when Black Blade faced Pocolo, it was nothing short of a dimensionality-reducing blow.
With just a single glance, Pocolo's tiny, insignificant little schemes were laid bare in front of him.
Even though he had long since seen through Pocolo's thoughts, Black Blade couldn't even be bothered to expose him. He had even less interest in wasting words tangling with Pocolo any further.
So, in response to Pocolo's various performances, Black Blade chose to completely ignore them and gave no reaction at all.
Immediately after, Black Blade slowly shifted his gaze to Grayfist, who was standing behind Pocolo.
Interestingly enough, these two people, who could be described as a pair of happy enemies, seemed to share a kind of unspoken connection, as if they were perfectly in sync.
At the moment their eyes met, although Black Blade didn't say a single word, Grayfist seemed to instantly understand the deeper meaning hidden in his gaze.
Obviously, Black Blade was simply trying to save precious time, signaling Grayfist to hurry back to the group.
That way, Pocolo would naturally be able to clearly realize what kind of situation he was in, avoiding a lot of unnecessary explanations.
Black Blade treated Pocolo as if he hadn't heard a thing, paying him no attention whatsoever.
However, Pocolo's gaze remained firmly fixed on Black Blade, as if magnetically drawn to him.
When Black Blade's eyes happened to meet Grayfist's, that brief moment was seen clearly by Pocolo.
But in the end, Pocolo was just an outsider. He couldn't share the same tacit understanding as Black Blade and Grayfist, so there was no way for him to grasp Black Blade's true intent from that fleeting exchange of looks.
Pocolo, who always considered himself exceptionally clever, naturally wouldn't rashly ask questions at this moment. Instead, he chose to quietly ponder the deeper meaning behind that look on his own.
"Tsk… how did I forget about this? They seemed to have had some grudges back during the Divine Domain competition…" Pocolo muttered to himself inwardly, unknowingly sinking into deep thought.
Time quietly passed. Just as Grayfist was about to return to the group, Pocolo once again turned his gaze to Black Blade.
All of a sudden, as if struck by sudden realization, he spoke up. "That was really my oversight."
After a slight pause, he continued, "About the grudges between you two, I've heard a bit about them one way or another… Perhaps you still have some lingering wariness toward my brother Grayfist…"
After finishing those words, Pocolo first turned his head to glance at Grayfist beside him, then shifted his gaze back to Black Blade.
"I've heard a little about the rules enforced in the rainforest."
"I heard that Our King led you to unite animals, monsters, villagers, pillagers, and players."
"All factions coexist peacefully under Our King's rules."
"After witnessing scene after scene of local creatures resolving their hatred, surely Brother Black Blade must have felt something as well, right?"
"After going through all that, looking back now, whatever grievances existed between you and Brother Grayfist really don't count as anything anymore. They were just minor frictions from before, weren't they?"
Pocolo did have a bit of cleverness. With just these few lines, he instantly put Black Blade on the spot, even pulling out the rainforest's rules as leverage.
If Black Blade and Grayfist truly still had unresolved grudges, then after Pocolo said all this, if Black Blade still refused to let it go, it would essentially be a direct challenge to Xu Yuan's authority.
After all, the rainforest's rules were meant to make everyone abandon hatred and coexist peacefully.
If Black Blade wouldn't let it go, then the rainforest rules established by Xu Yuan would lose their credibility.
It could only be said that Pocolo truly knew how to prescribe the right medicine for the problem.
He was well aware that Black Blade wouldn't refute his words, so even though he was technically asking Black Blade a question, he didn't leave even the slightest gap for him to respond. Instead, he swiftly shifted his gaze to Grayfist and continued speaking.
"Brother Grayfist!"
"We've known each other for quite some time now."
As he said this, Pocolo slowly raised his right hand and gently placed it over his chest, patting it lightly a few times. He then put on an extremely sincere and forthright expression and spoke solemnly.
"I, Pocolo, truly admire you from the bottom of my heart! Whether it's the way you handle things or your broad and grand vision, it's all far beyond anything I could ever hope to reach."
"When I went to your base back then to discuss matters with you, the fact that you were willing to accept my proposal alone clearly showed that you already understood exactly what it was you truly wanted."
At this point, Pocolo stepped forward with steady strides and reached out to lightly pat Grayfist's broad, solid shoulder, as if trying to convey trust and goodwill through that simple gesture. After a brief pause, he continued.
"So, I firmly believe that with your wisdom and far-sighted insight, you definitely wouldn't miss out on greater opportunities and benefits over a few trivial, insignificant matters."
At this point, Pocolo still didn't give Grayfist a chance to speak. He smiled and went on.
"So what do you say? Brother Grayfist, could you give your little brother some face and temporarily set aside those unpleasant things from before?"
The approach Pocolo used to deal with Grayfist was clearly exactly the same as how he had just dealt with Black Blade.
Once again, he opened with a barrage of flowery praise, flattering Grayfist for his long-term vision and broad outlook, lifting him up to an extremely high position.
If Grayfist stubbornly continued to cling to the old grudges between himself and Black Blade, wouldn't that be the same as slapping his own face in front of everyone?
Grayfist was famously someone who cared desperately about saving face, even if it meant suffering for it. The reason Pocolo dared to say all this was because he was certain that Grayfist wouldn't damage his own reputation in front of so many people.
It could only be said that fate loved to toy with people. If there truly were still unresolved deep grudges between Black Blade and Grayfist, then Pocolo's method might actually have been able to temporarily smooth things over and at least maintain a surface-level peace between the two sides.
However, Pocolo had no idea that Black Blade and Grayfist had long since turned hostility into harmony, casting aside all past unpleasantness. The two of them were actually on very good terms now.
Because of this, Pocolo's actions at this very moment, in the eyes of Black Blade and Grayfist, were nothing short of a ridiculous clown performing with all his might on stage, completely unaware of how laughable he looked.