Chapter 1036, Nobody Can Refuse

Translator: Silavin

 

Cai Cai immediately swelled with pride, tossing her long hair back as she said, “Did I not tell you all about this already?”

 

“You told us about it? Then, could it be the currency notes?” The only thing Ye Tu could think of were the currency notes.

 

After all, they had already been tremendously curious about currency notes, and on top of that, they had heard that they would be able to see them at the Central Market.

 

“Yup. These are currency notes, something that belongs exclusively to our Flame Dragon Tribe.” Cai Cai was once again brimming with pride.

 

“Can we have a look?” Ye Tu asked curiously, his curiosity about the currency notes thoroughly consuming him.

 

“Of course you can. Though, have a look around first, and once you are done I will show you.” Cai Cai said.

 

She was carrying currency notes on her at the moment, but simply did not want to show them this soon.

 

Otherwise, they would lose interest in the Central Market altogether. Currency notes were undeniably important, but the Central Market was equally so.

 

After all, part of Su Bai’s plans was to promote the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Central Market throughout all the various Tribes.

 

“Of course. Though I need you to help introduce these things to us, because there is a great deal here we just do not understand.” Ye Tu gazed at the completely unfamiliar shop fronts. “None of these exist back in the Spotted Deer Tribe. To us, all of this is entirely new and extraordinary.”

 

“Of course. Then let me first take you to have a look at the wine, I am sure you will come to love it.” Cai Cai strode directly over to the wine stall and quietly explained the situation to the stall owner.

 

The stall owner was already aware of the Chieftain’s orders and arrangements, and so had prepared tasting portions for their guests.

 

In truth, even without Yan Jiao’s arrangements, the wine stall already permitted tastings as a matter of course.

 

If they did not allow others to sample the taste of the wine, visitors would have no inclination to buy it. Only by letting them have a taste could they captivate their palates and draw them in.

 

“Here, give these a try. These are three varieties of wine from our Tribe. All three are priced quite highly, so do savour them.” Cai Cai was already content simply by the fragrance of the wine drifting towards her. She was someone with a very poor tolerance for alcohol, and so could only enjoy the aroma.

 

She had been fortunate enough to sample the taste of wine once before; though after just a cup or two she had been thoroughly drunk until evening.

 

“We do not quite understand what it means for something to be priced highly. Could you explain that for us?” Ye Tu asked.

 

He suddenly felt terribly out of his depth. Ever since he had walked into the Flame Dragon Tribe, there had been countless words he simply could not follow.

 

This was, for them, a slight source of shame. After all, the Wild Fox Tribe was a Large Tribe, and they had experienced a great many things. And yet here they were, stumped by the affairs of a Medium Tribe. Saying it aloud was rather difficult to bear with any dignity.

 

“It means you would need to exchange an enormous amount of dried meat for it. A quantity beyond anything you could imagine.” Cai Cai sighed helplessly, though she understood well enough. “Tell you what. Have a guess at how much dried meat it would take to exchange for one barrel of wine.”

 

The young woman felt that rather than explaining outright, it was better to let them guess to truly understand the scale of it.

 

“I think half a bag of dried meat for a barrel of wine would already be quite a lot.” Ye Tu said.

 

“I was thinking much the same. Half a bag, or perhaps even a little less.” Huang Ji said.

 

The other Totem Warriors each voiced their own thoughts as well, and the figures they gave were not far removed from what those two had already said.

 

“Tell you what. I will not tell you the exact figure just yet. Try the taste first, and then tell me what you think.” Cai Cai let them sample the wine first.

 

Ye Tu took a cup of wheat wine first. His instinctive reaction was to bring it to his nose and inhale the fragrance.

 

He did not quite know why he did it. It was simply instinctive, because the aroma of the wine had come rushing towards him.

 

It was genuinely difficult to resist leaning in to breathe it in, and merely smelling it was already making his head swim pleasantly.

 

Ye Tu’s pupils widened in an instant. He held the cup with careful reverence and took a small, tentative sip.

 

The moment the taste of the wheat wine met his tongue, his eyes grew even wider. In his delight, he tipped back the remaining wheat wine and drained it in a single swallow.

 

Ye Tu raised a thumb with an air of lingering satisfaction and declared that the thing was truly the finest thing he had ever drunk in his entire life.

 

“Mine as well. This thing called grape wine is truly remarkable.” Huang Ji’s gaze remained fixed on his now-empty cup. “If there were only a little more, I could certainly finish it without any waste whatsoever.”

 

The rest of the Totem Warriors followed suit one after another, and every piece of feedback they gave was identical.

 

Every last one of them had been utterly conquered by the wine. Even with their cups sitting empty, they continued licking the insides of the vessels, as though new wine might somehow materialise if they licked long enough.

 

“Well then? Great, no? Don’t you want to carry on and have a little more?” Cai Cai asked.

 

“Of course. The taste is absolutely amazing. It is the sort of thing one simply cannot help but love.” Ye Tu made no effort to conceal his fondness whatsoever.

 

In that moment, he felt that pride did not matter in the slightest. Being able to drink something so wonderful was the only thing that truly mattered.

 

It was also in that moment that Ye Tu finally understood why the Flame Dragon Tribe carried itself with such confidence. This one thing alone, this thing called wine, was more than sufficient to give their Tribe every reason to hold its head high.

 

“There are three varieties of wine in total, so let the others try the remaining two different ones as well.” Cai Cai had the stall owner pour different wines for the others.

 

Another round of tasting passed, and everyone was struck dumb once more. The second and third varieties of wine they drank were entirely different in flavour from what they had just had.

 

Although these wines all tasted different from one another, each and every one of them was something they loved.

 

“Right then. Now that you have all finished your wine, tell me your assessment of what these wines are worth in dried meat. Has your thinking changed at all from when you first arrived?”

 

Cai Cai stood with her arms folded across her chest, wearing an expression of undisguised pride as she awaited their replies.

 

“I take back what I said earlier. If it were up to me to exchange for a barrel of this wine, I would willingly offer five bags of dried meat.” Ye Tu said it without a moment’s hesitation.

 

He had originally felt that half a bag of dried meat for a barrel of wine was already an enormous amount. After all, half a bag of dried meat could sustain a person for three or four days.

 

Ye Tu had given that original answer simply from catching the fragrance of the wine, but after actually drinking it, his thinking had shifted entirely.

 

“I take back what I said as well. This wine is absolutely worth far more than half a bag of meat.”

 

Huang Ji turned his gaze thoughtfully and continued. “I think eight bags of dried meat. That is at least within a range I could accept.”

 

The rest of the Totem Warriors likewise voiced their thoughts, and every figure they offered was considerably higher than before.

 

“Now that is more like it. In truth, it is not far off from what you have guessed.” Cai Cai smiled.

 

The reason the young woman had not been angered upon hearing their initial answers was precisely because she knew they had not tasted the wine yet.

 

Cai Cai could say with absolute confidence that nobody could refuse the fragrance of wine.