Chapter 1137, The Primitive Era’s Cargo Delivery Service

Translator: Silavin

 

Su Bai could feel the three Sisters from the Soft Rabbit Tribe watching him without pause. It gave him an odd, prickling sort of discomfort.

 

The main reason was that the three of them were exceptionally lovely, their features so refined they looked as though they had been carved from stone. Being stared at like that was genuinely strange.

 

“As it happens, this sort of stone exists in our Tribe as well.” Su Bai turned his head and said.

 

Sha Lan caught the signal at once and went to the side to retrieve the saltpetre that had been prepared well in advance. She walked to stand before the three rabbit eared girls and said quietly, “Have a look. See if the stone from your Tribe is the same as ours.”

 

This was one of the plans Su Bai had settled on. The purpose was to cause the Soft Rabbit Tribe’s confidence to crumble.

 

To him, the Flame Dragon Tribe had to hold absolute dominance. It was simply not possible to let another Tribe lead them around by the nose. It was even less possible to let another Tribe come and negotiate terms with the Flame Dragon Tribe. Only they, the Flame Dragon Tribe,had the right to set the terms. Others could only settle for whatever remained.

 

Yin An, the Eldest Sister, recognised those stones the moment she laid eyes on them. They were genuinely identical to the stones from her own Tribe.

 

The only difference was that these stones were kept in solid chunks, whereas the ones from her Tribe had been ground down to a powder. But originally, they too had been solid chunks just like these.

 

She lifted her head and stared at Su Bai in bewilderment, unable to find words for a long moment. The expression on her face would not settle.

 

Yin Lu, the Second Sister, was equally stunned. She even reached out to touch the stones, and confirmed that they were indeed the same as what her Tribe had.

 

“How can this be? How does the Flame Dragon Tribe have these?” Yin Rong, the Youngest Sister, gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.

 

The three rabbit eared Sisters had always believed these stones belonged to their Tribe alone. They had never once heard of another Tribe possessing them.

 

That was precisely why the Soft Rabbit Tribe had always ground these stones to powder and used them to trade with other Tribes. They believed no other Tribe had them, so having these stones in hand felt like a firm advantage. They had been setting conditions with other Tribes on that basis for as long as anyone could remember.

 

The Soft Rabbit Tribe’s intention in coming here this time had been exactly that: to sit down with the Flame Dragon Tribe and negotiate properly. After all, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s goods were so extraordinary, and they felt they had every right to come with demands.

 

Now, in a single moment, all of that had dissolved into nothingness. Especially after seeing that the Flame Dragon Tribe also possessed the same stone that could be made to burn.

 

“We haven’t deceived you, have we? You can see it very clearly yourselves. The stones your Tribe takes such pride in are stones that our Tribe also possesses.” Su Bai sat with his legs crossed, drinking his tea, his expression and tone both relaxed and unhurried.

 

In truth, it was all deliberate. He was putting on a performance, with the sole purpose of further undermining the Soft Rabbit Tribe’s confidence.

 

It was all groundwork for what he intended to say next. The saltpetre was part of the same act. The truth was that the Flame Dragon Tribe’s supply of it was not plentiful enough, and right now they were in rather urgent need of more.

 

But he would not let that show. Concealing it was what would push this trade to a swift conclusion.

 

“I see… The Shaman is only trading with a select few Tribes this time. It seems ours has been filtered out.” Yin An, the Eldest Sister, felt the blow at once.

 

There was no other reason for it. After the Soft Rabbit Tribe had seen the goods that Hu Shi brought to them the last time, they had fallen deeply in love with what the Flame Dragon Tribe produced.

 

What they loved most were the linen cloth and the fine wine. They could not have enough of either.

 

That was why the three Sisters had been sent out at all: to discuss a partnership with the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

But the way things stood, the Soft Rabbit Tribe had no real capital with which to negotiate.

 

“Your stones are not without value to us. A trade is still possible. But we cannot offer you a favourable price.” Su Bai let deliberate reluctance show in his expression.

 

He knew the representatives from other Tribes had all come hoping to reach a favourable arrangement with the Flame Dragon Tribe. What they all wanted, most of all, was for the Flame Dragon Tribe to be generous with the price.

 

Of course, the people from those other Tribes did not quite understand what a favourable price meant in the usual sense. They simply knew it as exchanging the least of what they had for the most of what they wanted.

 

But after staying in the Flame Dragon Tribe for a few days, and visiting the Central Market several times, and learning about the thing called currency notes, they had come to understand what the word meant.

 

“Shaman, the things we wish to trade for are quite numerous. If there is truly no way to offer a more favourable price, then this journey of ours would have very little point…” Yin An, the Eldest Sister, said helplessly.

 

It was not that the Soft Rabbit Tribe could not afford the goods. It was simply that the cost would be too high. The Tribe’s operations depended in large part on those stones, and they had no wish to part with great quantities of them all at once.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe’s goods were so expensive. Without it being cheaper, they would have to give up trading with them.

 

That ran entirely against the purpose the three rabbit eared Sisters had come here for. They would have done their Tribe no good whatsoever.

 

“Then what is to be done? Your Tribe has nothing better to offer. The things you have brought for trade are things we already have. We can still trade with you, of course, but it holds no special value for us. There is no reason for us to be generous without a purpose.” Su Bai waved his hand with great seriousness, then continued. “Well, unless your Tribe does one particular thing. If you do, our Tribe may consider offering you more favourable terms.”

 

“Please tell us, Shaman. What is it you need us to do?” Yin An, the Eldest Sister, grew tense at once.

 

“Your Tribe is situated near the river, right? Then your Tribe could construct a dock. That would make our future trades much more convenient. Build the dock, and our goods will be offered to you at a better price.”

 

Su Bai repeated the same approach he had used with the Red Horse Tribe. After all, the whole point of bringing these Tribes in to cooperate was precisely about the docks.

 

In the period before this, the cooperation with the inland Tribes had been about road construction. His calculations had been working out rather well.

 

“A dock? Shaman, do you mean those wooden structures built along the riverbank at the entrance to the Flame Dragon Tribe?” Yin An asked.

 

“That’s right. The place where boats are moored is called a dock. That way, when we ship goods to you, we can unload them directly at the dock, and your people can come and collect them from there.” Su Bai nodded.

 

“You would ship goods to us? Shaman, you mean to say that you would deliver whatever goods we need directly to us?” Yin An stared with a look of disbelief.

 

“If that were possible, it would be really convenient. Our Tribe would not need to make the dangerous journey here and still get your goods.” Yin Lu, the Second Sister, wore a look of equal astonishment.

 

“Yes. If your Tribe agrees to build the dock, our Tribe can offer to ship goods to you at a reduced rate.” Su Bai said.

 

He had absolutely no intention of shipping goods to other Tribes for free. This was one of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s distinguishing services, after all.

 

That was precisely why he had asked Yan Hua to go and Tame more Six Eyed Red Birds. And the Grey Feathered Giant Birds and Long Toothed Turtles were used for cargo transport as well.

 

These were the cargo delivery creatures of the Primitive Era. Free was simply not going to happen.