Chapter 1133, Holding the Upper Hand

Translator: Silavin

 

The Sun was out today, properly out, in a way it had not been for a long time.

 

The snow season was almost upon them, and this sudden burst of bright weather had the feel of a calm before a storm.

 

But because the Sun was out, the people of the Flame Dragon Tribe were in good spirits, and they threw themselves into their work with extra energy.

 

There were things that could only be done on a day like this, drying things out, or taking advantage of the good weather to finish tasks that had been waiting.

 

“Shaman, they will come up one Tribe at a time. The Chieftain has already reviewed everything.” Sha Lan said with careful attention.

 

Today was the day Su Bai would receive those several Tribes. They had been kept waiting for a few days at this point.

 

Yan Jiao was stationed at the base of the Yong’an Building at this very moment. He was there to conduct a thorough check of each foreign Tribe’s people as they came through.

 

This was to ensure none of them brought anything harmful into the building. Though Yan Jiao was not actually the last checkpoint.

 

Before them, the people had already been checked once at the Restful Night Building. Then they came to the base of the Yong’an Building for a second check, and finally they would be checked once more at the entrance to the second floor.

 

This was no one else’s idea. It was Su Bai’s own arrangement, and it was entirely for show.

 

In truth, Su Bai already had Danger Foresight. Even if someone carried something dangerous on their person, he had nothing to fear, because he would know about it before anything happened.

 

But he had made the process this elaborate precisely because he wanted the visiting Tribes to understand that securing an audience with him was not easy; that meeting the Shaman of the Flame Dragon Tribe came with many steps. That was what one might call ‘establishing authority’.

 

“Great. We’ll take a little of the edge off them. Let them understand that getting in here is no simple matter.” Su Bai said quietly.

 

“Understood. I’ve already told them in advance that the time with you will not be very long. Roughly the length of one firewood burning, which is thirty minutes.” Sha Lan nodded.

 

She understood the plan and supported it fully. After all, not just anyone could gain an audience with a Tribe’s Shaman. A Shaman was one of the most vital figures in any Tribe. They could not afford a single mistake.

 

“Which Tribe are we receiving first?” Su Bai asked.

 

“The Red Horse Tribe first. They are waiting downstairs at this moment. Just give the word and they can come up.” Sha Lan said promptly.

 

“Let them come up. This Tribe should be straightforward. It probably won’t take long.” Su Bai lifted a cup of hot tea slowly.

 

As he lifted it, he called upon his Skill inwardly. The Ice and Snow Skill activated.

 

In the blink of an eye, the steaming hot tea in his hand had become a cup of ice tea.

 

The steam rising from it was gone, replaced by cold, faint wisps of chill. It felt briefly like being back in the middle of summer.

 

“Yes.” Sha Lan turned to send a maidservant with the message, and in doing so caught a glimpse of what Su Bai had just done.

 

She felt a quiet pang of envy. Having a Shaman Technique like that was incredible. It meant wanting cold tea and having it the next instant.

 

Su Bai had noticed her expression. Without a word, he picked up another cup of tea, turned it cold, and handed it across to her.

 

He raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. “Here, have a cold one. Cool off a little.”

 

“En.” Sha Lan broke into a guileless smile at once, her cat tail swaying back and forth without her even noticing.

 

*Step step step…*

 

Ye Jiu stopped the Red Horse Tribe’s people at the door and searched them top to bottom, left and right, and only once she was satisfied there was nothing untoward did she let them in.

 

“Honoured Shaman, we are people of the Red Horse Tribe. On behalf of the whole of the Red Horse Tribe, I convey our greetings to you.” Ai Ma bent in a smooth, practised bow and continued with her head lowered. “Please forgive our ignorance, and please forgive us for taking up your time. We are honoured simply to be in your presence.”

 

The way each Tribe addressed the Shaman of another Tribe was different, but the form never changed. All of them made themselves small and lifted the other person high.

 

The main thing was to make the other person feel respected. And in truth, the dynamic was exactly that. The people who had come were ordinary Totem Warriors of their Tribe, and the person they were here to see was the Shaman of a Tribe, a figure of supreme importance. Of course they had to present themselves with humility.

 

“Rise.” Su Bai’s voice was measured and full.

 

He sat in the seat of the host and studied Ai Ma and the others carefully, curious to see what the people of this Tribe actually looked like.

 

There was a reason for the curiosity, of course. The Red Horse Tribe was a Tribe led predominantly by women, and so he was genuinely curious.

 

The Tribe did rather remind him of the Kingdom of Women one read about in stories back in the modern world. It was actually hard for him not to be curious.

 

“Thank you for your generosity, Shaman.” Ai Ma rose but kept her head lowered.

 

“Tell me then. If your Tribe wishes to trade with us, what can you offer?” Su Bai went straight to the point.

 

He had already made it known that meetings with each Tribe would not last very long. So he was not going to spend time on pleasantries with the Red Horse Tribe.

 

He had met them. Now it was time to talk plainly.

 

“Our Tribe has Arrow Root Fruit. It can be drunk as water, or used to braise meat, and the flavour is excellent. It is a rare food in this forest.” Ai Ma kept her head lowered as she continued. “I made enquiries beforehand. The Flame Dragon Tribe does not have this fruit, so it is something valuable for you.”

 

“Oh? You even did your research. But you should know that our Tribe does not lack food. So this is really only a novelty to us.” Su Bai cut straight through her confidence.

 

He understood why she was so confident. The Flame Dragon Tribe did not have this fruit.

 

But he also needed her to understand that the Flame Dragon Tribe did not need it, and so she had no real reason to be so sure of herself.

 

The only circumstance where something like that mattered was when a Tribe had nothing to eat. The Flame Dragon Tribe was the opposite of that. Their food had grown so plentiful they had begun storing it. They were not the sort to set much store by a single ingredient.

 

“This…” Ai Ma lost the thread of what to say.

 

She had come in quite confident, certain she had secured one of the rare spots. There was no other explanation for why she had been so sure of herself.

 

She lowered her head further. For a moment she was at a loss.

 

“So. Do you have anything else to offer?” Su Bai asked in return.

 

He intended to hold the dominant position in this exchange. And clearly, at this moment, it was the Flame Dragon Tribe that held it.

 

“No.” Ai Ma’s voice wavered slightly.