Chapter 1023, A Limited-Use Umbrella?

Translator: Silavin

 

Ah Liv returned to the Green Vine Tribe with a very different feeling this time round. There was a sense she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

 

There was no other explanation for it, the events of the last visit had left the young woman with a lingering unease that she simply could not shake off.

 

In truth, the main source of it was the way the Green Vine Tribe had conducted itself, which Ah Liv felt had been genuinely horrendous. What had originally been intended as a gesture of goodwill between two Tribes had turned into an attempt by the Green Vine Tribe to fish for intelligence about another Tribe.

 

“Don’t think too much about it. There’s no use in dwelling on it now.” Lu Yin consoled her.

 

She and Ah Liv had awakened as Totem Warriors at around the same time. Their relationship wasn’t particularly poor, though it wasn’t one where they exchanged words at every opportunity either.

 

It was simply that this time they had happened to be assigned to the same team, a team that consisted of only two women, so it was natural that they had drawn closer together.

 

“I wonder what the Flame Dragon Tribe thinks of us. After everything that happened, and yet we still dare to come back… they must be laughing at us.” Ah Liv said with a face full of dejection.

 

“There’s nothing to laugh about. Everyone’s just trying to get by. This is completely normal.” Lu Yin offered reassurance.

 

This was her first visit to the Flame Dragon Tribe. She had only ever heard it spoken of before, but now that she was here, she found it rather impressive.

 

“Easy for you to say, but I genuinely don’t know how to open my mouth now. How about you do the talking?” Ah Liv was beginning to waver. Although it was not her first time visiting the Flame Dragon Tribe, something about this visit felt different somehow.

 

From the moment they had set out from the Green Vine Tribe, she had been distracted and not quite herself.

 

Lu Yin had noticed the other woman’s absent-mindedness but said nothing, as she herself had never laid eyes on the Flame Dragon Tribe before.

 

But now that she had, the sight of it left her utterly overwhelmed. The prosperity of the Flame Dragon Tribe filled her with a feeling she couldn’t let go of.

 

She had even begun to entertain thoughts of settling here, and not merely faintly. It was a desire that was powerful and unmistakable.

 

“I don’t mind. Only, I’ve never met any of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s people before, so it wouldn’t really be appropriate for me to start the conversation, would it?” Lu Yin asked tentatively.

 

“It’ll be fine. The people of the Flame Dragon Tribe are very easy to get along with. As long as you don’t come across as hostile, they won’t do anything to you.” Ah Liv quickly explained, this was the conclusion she had drawn from multiple visits.

 

“We’ll see when the time comes. Right now, we can’t even get an audience with the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Chieftain, let alone their Shaman.” Lu Yin shrugged.

 

She was well aware that a Tribe’s Shaman would not casually receive visitors from other Tribes, let alone given that they were merely ordinary Totem Warriors.

 

“That’s true. Let’s go and browse the Central Market again. I want to trade for two umbrellas to bring back today.” Ah Liv said with a look of delight.

 

On the very day she had arrived at the Flame Dragon Tribe, she had been completely captivated by the umbrellas she saw being carried around.

 

After settling into the Restful Night Building, she had immediately sent someone to arrange an exchange for umbrellas.

 

Right now, there was nothing that held more appeal for her than umbrellas.

 

“Speaking of which, these umbrellas are really practical. If our Tribe had things like these, travelling around would be so much more convenient.” Lu Yin could not take her eyes off the umbrella in her hand. She was even a little reluctant to use it.

 

“I had originally considered exchanging for a few to bring back. Only, they wouldn’t exchange any with me for that purpose.” Ah Liv said helplessly.

 

“Why not? But we have umbrellas right now, don’t we?” Lu Yin was quite puzzled.

 

“These are only for use while we’re within the Flame Dragon Tribe. Once we leave, they’re no longer available for us to use.” Ah Liv looked down at the umbrella.

 

“What do you mean? What does that mean exactly? So when we leave, we have to return the umbrellas?”

 

Lu Yin ‘s green eyes went wide. “But didn’t we exchange dried meat for them? After trading that away, we can’t take the umbrellas with us when we go back?”

 

She kept wondering if she had somehow misheard just now. When one exchanged for something, it became theirs.

 

“We did give dried meat for them, but the amount we gave wasn’t much. They call it rental. At least, that’s what I recall them saying.” Ah Liv spread her hands in resignation.

 

Who would not want to bring something this wonderful back to their Tribe? She had thought of that long ago. She had even proposed exchanging for several to take away, but the answer she received was that they could only be used within the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

This was actually a rule that Su Bai had established, precisely to prevent umbrellas from falling into the hands of other Tribes.

 

Because umbrellas, when one thought about it, were both remarkable and not particularly remarkable at the same time.

 

If a Tribe happened to have a smart enough carpenter, they could study an umbrella carefully enough and eventually uncover its secrets.

 

Should other Tribes succeed in replicating them, the Flame Dragon Tribe would lose this advantage during the rainy season.

 

Indeed, this was precisely what set the Flame Dragon Tribe apart from other Tribes, the umbrella.

 

“Fair enough. Guess it’s understandable. Something this good not being traded away to us makes perfect sense.” Lu Yin spread her hands with resigned acceptance.

 

“Fretting over it is pointless. Let’s head into the Central Market and have a look.” Ah Liv was the first to move off from the wine house.

 

*Step step step…*

 

Both women kept glancing up at the umbrellas overhead as they walked, curiosity written across their faces.

 

They chattered away the whole way there, both of them utterly taken with the umbrellas.

 

Upon reaching the Central Market, both were struck with astonishment once again. It was for no other reason than that the sheer volume of people inside was overwhelming.

 

“Is this my imagination, or is this actually real?” Lu Yin asked in disbelief.

 

“I want to ask the same thing, but it is absolutely real.” Ah Liv returned an equally astonished expression.

 

Whether in the rainy season or in any other season, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Central Market was always packed with people, not in the least diminished by the weather.

 

This was precisely what left both women so bewildered. For in the rainy season, their own Tribe’s settlement was all but empty.

 

“The people of the Flame Dragon Tribe are so lucky, even the rainy season feels just like any ordinary day for them.” Lu Yin was suddenly overcome with envy.

 

“Who could argue with that? If only we could live like this too.” Ah Liv’s tone was equally full of longing. “Only it’s all wishful thinking. We’d be doing well if we could manage even a fifth of what they have here.”

 

“Hey, do you see that? What are those things people are holding?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.

 

She had noticed that many people were pulling out small, exquisitely crafted objects and handing them over, receiving in return whatever it was they had come to buy.

 

Nearly every single person was doing it. Not one person was seen handing over dried meat, animal hides, or anything of that sort.

 

“I noticed that too. I was just wondering about it myself.” Ah Liv had spotted it as well.

 

At first she had assumed it was some sort of rare and unusual item, but as she watched more and more people producing the same things, that impression shifted.

 

Most remarkably of all, every single person who used them managed to walk away with something in exchange, and that, above everything else, was the most baffling part of it all.