Chapter 1162, No Right to Refuse

Translator: Silavin

 

“What? The Flame Dragon Tribe is actually that strong?” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe stared wide-eyed.

 

Ai Ma had just told her about the Flame Dragon Tribe’s weapons, their training results, and their defensive capabilities. Most importantly, their cohesion was exceptional.

 

That was something most Tribes could not hope to match. The majority of Tribes found unity genuinely difficult to maintain.

 

There were Tribes out there with real strength, but they simply lacked cohesion. Because of that, they were easily beaten by others.

 

“Yes, Chieftain. Our Tribe may be fairly large, but our strength falls short of their standard. And most of our Tribe are women, so we are at a slight disadvantage physically as well.” Ai Ma laid out her analysis with care.

 

The few days she had spent in the Flame Dragon Tribe had made that truth very clear to her. So when she had walked into the Yong’an Building, she had not dared to say much at all.

 

“There really is nothing to negotiate, is there? Our Tribe simply has no room to choose.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe said it with resignation.

 

She was clear-eyed about it. The other side had spoken of negotiations and letting them decide for themselves, but the Flame Dragon Tribe’s strength was simply there, plain to see.

 

The Red Horse Tribe had no other choice. Cooperating with the Flame Dragon Tribe was all they could do.

 

“The Flame Dragon Tribe has no intention of forcing anyone. Our Tribe can choose not to cooperate. But if we refuse now, there will be no second opportunity.” Ai Ma said.

 

Su Bai had made it very clear at the time. Whether to cooperate or not was entirely up to them. But once they refused this time, they should not expect to be invited again.

 

What Su Bai had in mind was simple: if they reject cooperation now, then later, when they get even stronger and others want to join them, do not bother.

 

“It amounts to the same thing. We still have no other choice. Their goods are that good. We cannot use them once and simply stop.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe frowned.

 

“Chieftain, we really can cooperate with them. The Flame Dragon Tribe is not taking in many Tribes for cooperation, yet many Tribes went to visit them.” Ai Ma tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued. “We are among the few selected to cooperate with them. We cannot give up an opportunity like this.”

 

“You were taken in too much. They may have said that, but how many Tribes are they actually cooperating with? We have no way of knowing. That is not a point worth weighing.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe shook her head.

 

She had, after all, risen to the position of Chieftain. She was sharp enough. A small trick like that was not going to fool her.

 

“Ah…” Ai Ma paused, then pressed on. “But everything about the Flame Dragon Tribe is really amazing. I went there myself. Chieftain knows I do not lie.”

 

“That I know. Their things really are excellent. But constructing a dock is no small matter. We do not know how to do so either.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe said.

 

“There is no need to worry about that, Chieftain. The Flame Dragon Tribe said we do not have to build it ourselves. We only need to provide the land and the materials. They will handle everything else.” Ai Ma said at once.

 

“That does sound like a good deal. What materials would we need to prepare?” The Chieftain asked.

 

“Only wood. And the more the better. Nothing else.” Ai Ma turned Su Bai’s words over in her mind.

 

She had been terrified of forgetting them. The entire journey home, she had held every detail carefully in her mind.

 

“Worth considering then. Building a dock would be to our benefit, would it not?” The Chieftain asked.

 

“Yes, Chieftain. It would not just be the Flame Dragon Tribe. People from other Tribes would be able to come to us as well. Then our Arrow Root Fruit would have far more people coming to trade for it.” Ai Ma said.

 

That was what Su Bai had told her at the time. He had laid out the benefits of having a dock.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe would eventually open a river route. Any Tribe along the great river that had a dock could receive ships. They could pay for passage, and the ship would carry them to whichever Tribe you wished to reach, so long as they had a dock.

 

“People from other Tribes coming to us?” The Chieftain’s expression shifted with interest. “That alone is enough to reach an agreement with the Flame Dragon Tribe.”

 

She seemed genuinely pleased, then asked: “But what is this bank? That part I still don’t understand.”

 

“A bank is a place that holds the Flame Dragon Tribe’s currency notes. Their goods can only be purchased with currency notes. Nothing else can be used to buy or trade for them.”

 

Ai Ma drew out a currency note she had exchanged for during her visit to the Flame Dragon Tribe, and held it out. “Look, Chieftain. This little thing can buy anything the Flame Dragon Tribe makes.”

 

“How was something like this made? Is it natural? Or did the Flame Dragon Tribe produce it?” The one she had taken out was a ten yuan note, which was the pale blue variety.

 

The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe stared at it, unable to look away. “It really is beautiful. And the feel of it… there is something textured to it, a little raised and uneven. I would happily trade food for this.”

 

“I felt the same way. The bank set up in our Tribe would mainly be for storing these. We can deposit here, then withdraw at a Flame Dragon Tribe bank when we arrive there. That way, we do not have to carry anything on us.”

 

Ai Ma was practically bouncing as she spoke, though her attention kept drifting back to the note in the Chieftain’s hand.

 

“Is that actually possible? Deposit here, collect it over there? Even though the two places are entirely different?” The Chieftain held the note firmly.

 

“It really is. When you deposit, the bank gives you a receipt. You take the receipt to the Flame Dragon Tribe and collect there. The deposit on our side is cancelled out.”

 

Ai Ma had reached for that note in her mind several times already. It was hers, after all. She had traded for it and planned to keep it as a keepsake.

 

It was simply too beautiful, too fine. She had not wanted to hand it over to the Chieftain at all. Only the need to convince her had made it a necessity.

 

“If that is how it works, then establishing a bank is fine. No objection there. Being able to trade for the Flame Dragon Tribe’s goods without carrying anything when we travel is great.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe nodded with satisfaction.

 

She had also noticed Ai Ma reaching toward the note in spirit if not in hand. So, she made a point of shifting her grip in different ways, but the note stayed firmly held throughout.

 

“So the Chieftain agrees?” Ai Ma asked, brightening.

 

Though inside, her heart was already grieving. That note was gone the moment it landed in the Chieftain’s hands. There was no getting it back now.

 

She was quietly furious, teeth aching with it. But the smile on her face stayed steady, even as her heart quietly bled.

 

“Of course. Once the snow season ends, let them know.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe nodded.

 

She shifted smoothly and slipped the note beneath her without a sound, intending to admire it properly once she had the room to herself.

 

“We can tell them when the Flame Dragon Tribe’s ship returns.” Ai Ma sighed inwardly.

 

“Good. Go and rest now. You have worked hard these past few days.” The Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe waved a hand with some urgency.

 

She was rather eager to have the room to herself so she could look at the note properly. It was hard to do it with someone else there.

 

“Yes.” Ai Ma rolled her eyes, barely visibly.