Qiao and En, under the guidance of the Spark Guide, once again walked into the main hall of the temple. But this time, it was to go up to the third floor, the place where the Divine Envoy Yang Yi resided.
The whole day, the two of them had spent in astonishment. Even now, they were unwilling to admit it, but this tribe was by no means inferior to the Western Continent.
And this was only the beginning. No one knew what it would become in the future.
Qiao and En simply wanted to leap forward ten years, or even just a few years, to see to what extent this tribe could develop.
The impact of reality left them unable to carry the arrogance of Western Continent people, to look down on everything here like they had at the start.
Especially the most honest feeling in their stomachs—burping from fullness every now and then—making them want to say something, yet at the same time leaving them speechless.
Just a moment ago, they had been like starving commoners who had gone hungry for a long time, unable to move a step upon seeing food.
They only hated that their stomachs were too small, unable to eat through every single dish.
It was truly too shameful, too discourteous!
“This mysterious Divine Envoy, will he really, as that shaman said, not care about exquisite jewels?” Qiao whispered in the Western Continent tongue.
En still clung to his own opinion, though his words carried a trace of guilty uncertainty: “The more affluent one is, the less able one is to resist the allure of jewels.”
They knew what the Spark Tribe needed, but unless it was absolutely necessary, they would much rather use jewelry for trade.
Fine wine could no longer serve as their most important bargaining item. If jewelry still failed to move that divine envoy, who held extremely high authority, then to strike a deal with these people, they would have no choice but to break the old rules.
It couldn’t be helped. There were simply too many things here worth trading for. From the very beginning, this exchange was unfair.
Just like their dealings with other tribes of the Eastern Continent, only this time, the positions were reversed.
Night was gradually falling, the light slowly dimming. In the temple corridors, oil lamps were lit, casting light to guide their way forward.
“This is the divine envoy’s reception room. The envoy and the chieftain are already inside, waiting for you.” The Spark guide stopped before a door.
Qiao and En tidied their attire. The Spark guide lightly knocked on the door, and only after receiving permission from within did he open it.
The moment the door opened, brilliant light spilled out from the room, causing Qiao and En to pause in slight surprise.
But once they stepped inside, they were utterly astonished.
Unlike the faint glow of the oil lamps they had seen earlier, here it was bright as broad daylight, with no sense at all that night had arrived.
Nowhere, whether in the East or the West, had they ever seen lamps this bright!
Qiao and En looked toward the source of the light, momentarily forgetting to offer a greeting.
The thing giving off such brightness was an extremely strange device. They didn’t know what it was, but they could see it was made of highly transparent crystal!
No wonder the divine envoy had shown no interest in the crystal cups. No wonder that the shaman had been so calm in his demeanor!
Qiao and En both felt uneasy, their ears starting to burn as a deep sense of embarrassment washed over them. It was something they had never experienced before.
Before coming here, they had still believed they possessed enough means to buy off this mysterious envoy.
But now, they had completely lost all confidence.
Especially when they noticed, on a low table to the side, a hexagonal game board scattered with dozens of crystal beads.
These crystal beads were not only perfectly clear and rounded, of extremely high quality, but within them, there were even colors, making them all the more exquisite.
Such precious crystal beads. Yet, they were being used casually for everyday play. It was obvious that their visit was being treated with little seriousness or regard.
For someone with such immense wealth, just how high a price would it take to buy him off?
Even offering up an entire city might not be enough to satisfy him.
“Please, have a seat, honored guests from afar.” A gentle voice rang out, breaking the deadlock.
Even though Qiao and En inwardly wished to avoid facing this situation, as seasoned merchants with rich experience, they quickly adjusted their emotions and lifted their warmest smiles toward the mysterious envoy.
“It is our greatest honor to meet you, Divine Envoy.”
Both Qiao and En carried themselves with utmost respect and sincerity.
This envoy was not tall. Dressed in a white robe, his figure appeared rather thin, carrying no sense of aggression.
And yet, it was precisely this that made him impossible to underestimate.
All the more so with Hei Lie sitting beside him, eyes sharp and watchful. The man was like a crouching panther. If anyone dared to make a move, he would spring forth and tear them apart in an instant.
The envoy had black hair. His features leaned toward those of Eastern Continent people, yet there was a clear and striking difference.
Whether in appearance or in bearing, no one like him could be found on either continent.
The reception room itself was decorated with remarkable refinement and uniqueness, distinctly more tasteful than the places they had visited earlier today.
Yet at the same time, it was not ostentatious, nor did it impose an oppressive seriousness. The style remained simple and unadorned. It carried an indescribable, elusive quality.
Soothing, yet without letting one relax too much; full of order, yet not overly rigid.
It made one unable to look down on those within the room, and unconsciously straightened their posture, adopting a humble attitude.
It was a truly wondrous feeling—just like the aura brought by this mysterious envoy.
Even many years later, En never forgot the feeling of seeing Yang Yi for the first time.
Everything from that day was etched deeply into his memory.
“Please, sit, honored guests.” Yang Yi smiled faintly. The curve of his lips is neither too much nor too little. It was not overly enthusiastic, yet it carried warmth.
This was something Yang Yi had deliberately trained himself in, all for the sake of maintaining his sense of mystery.
His frail constitution was impossible to conceal. He could never make himself appear like a strong warrior, so he could only lean into the path of mystery.
Thus, when facing outsiders, he tried his best to control his expressions. As long as his emotions did not show too strongly, it was easy for others to fail to gauge his depth.
In this, he did fairly well. After all, he truly was different from others.
Qiao and En sat down on a long bench made of huanghuali wood, with soft cushions padded on top stuffed with cotton mixed with duck and goose feathers.
Although it was not as soft and springy as a sofa, it was still far more pleasant than a cold, hard chair. It was comfortable enough that one couldn’t help but relax.
At this moment, a young girl walked in to steep and pour tea for everyone.
Her movements were fluid and graceful, pleasing to the eye and refined to the point of elegance, allowing Qiao and En to truly experience what Eastern grace meant.
“These teas are a little different from what you drank before. They can help with digestion and ease greasiness.”
Qiao and En also noticed the refreshing fragrance, clearly sensing the difference. Taking a sip, the taste was even more mellow and aromatic. It is truly delightful.
“This is really something else!” Qiao exclaimed in admiration.
Yang Yi smiled and said, “There are many kinds of tea. Different varieties and methods of processing produce different teas, and their effects also vary. Tea itself is relatively easy to obtain, but fine tea can be more precious than gold. No matter how much you’re willing to pay, you might not even find a place to buy it.”
“Then… is this tea the best kind?” En asked.
Yang Yi smiled again. “This kind is only of middling quality.”
Qiao and En both drew in a sharp breath. If something of merely average grade already tasted like this, then what would truly exceptional tea be like!
The last traces of pride and sense of superiority in the two were completely shattered.
“We are very sincere about wanting to make a trade with you. But to be honest, we no longer know what could possibly move you.”
For once, En lowered his head, setting aside his inner arrogance.
There was nothing here he was willing to give up, yet it was obvious that his former attitude would not work in this place.
“We are very interested in your short-legged horses. And not only those horses, I believe that on the Western Continent, you must also have more domesticated animals raised for food, correct? I want to obtain them, along with fish fry suitable for breeding, and so on.”
En pressed his lips together, making one last struggle: “Can it not be something else?”
“For example?” Yang Yi’s demeanor remained as gentle as ever. “Gold, silver, jewels, fine wine, wool… we have no need for them. Even the linen garments you are wearing now, we can acquire by our own means.”
It was only upon seeing the linen garments on them that Yang Yi remembered there was also such a plant that could be made into clothing.
Flax was common in many places and not difficult to find.
He had simply overlooked it before, always thinking that once cotton matured, he would have cloth, and had completely forgotten that flax, too, was a fine material.
“You know about it?” En, though already mentally prepared, still felt a deep unwillingness.
The linen garments they wore were also one of their important trade goods.
They were cheap to produce and very lightweight, which made them popular. Many caravans liked to bring large quantities of linen products.
“They, like cotton, also come from plants.”
En fell silent, then, after some thought, spoke again: “I can bring you a large number of slaves. I imagine you must be in great need of manpower, right?”
This was no secret, since many people from the Green Python Tribe were already working here. It was impossible not to notice.
“We truly are short on manpower, but at present, we have no intention of purchasing slaves. However, if you can find the clansmen from our tribe’s former settlement, then we can trade.”
This was a decision Yang Yi had thought over for a long time before finally settling on.
He knew that such an idea was unnecessary in this world, yet he still insisted on his principles.
No trade, no harm. Too many tribes in the Eastern Continent had been annihilated because of the slave trade system.
It was as if he could see the black slaves of the past also taken by Western plunderers from their own homelands, sold off to distant lands, and reduced to the lowest form of servitude.
And back then, just as the people of the Western Continent were doing now, the plunderers themselves had hardly needed to act. Most of the destruction came from within, from their own infighting.
Whether from his own values or from the perspective of the Eastern Continent’s future development, Yang Yi was unwilling to become the one who pushed the East toward destruction.
This was no exaggeration. Already, far too many warriors and strong common folk had been sold to the Western Continent.
It had even triggered wars among the tribes. Although plunder and slaughter had always existed, it had never been as frequent as it was now.
Perhaps a single tribe under him could not change this phenomenon, but neither could he go along with it. Doing so would betray his principles.
Nor could he use the self-righteous excuse of “I can give them a better life” to ignore their will and violate their freedom.
The moment he opened the door to such a trade, some tribes would surely be driven to extinction because of it.
Slave raids were brutally cruel: most of a tribe would be massacred, and only a handful of the “fit” ones would be captured and sold.
Because of this, man-eating tribes like the Fang Tribe had become even more rampant in recent years.
After all, human flesh could now often be bartered. The Blackstone Tribe had once been among the sellers.
At present, although the tribe was still short of manpower, at least the problem of food and clothing had been solved fairly well. After this year, there should even be a surplus, strengthening their ability to withstand risks.
The issue of security was more urgent. The ditches they had dug so far were still too few and could not withstand a large-scale invasion by external enemies.
However, they possessed advanced weapons, so the risks they faced were not much different from those of ordinary tribes. It is within the normal range for this world.
They would gradually expand. Though killing would inevitably still occur, Yang Yi stubbornly held fast to his stance.
Perhaps it was foolish, but he did not want to go against his own principles just because of others’ opinions or because the environment had changed.
Hei Lie had no objections to his decision, though his reasoning was very different.
Yang Yi believed that the slave trade would lead to more killing, while Hei Lie thought that slaves should come from war, not from buying and selling.
If others were willing to exchange, fine. If not, it didn’t matter.
Though their viewpoints were worlds apart, even opposing in origin, they still managed to reach harmony on this point.
As for those who had already been sold, Yang Yi was willing to trade them back, to pull them out of their suffering.
At least from what he knew for now, being sold into slavery meant their lives could not possibly be good.
“This way costs far more than simply buying slaves. After all, finding them is no easy task. They may already be on the Western Continent. Are you truly determined to do this?” En asked.
Yang Yi was firm: “As long as the person himself is willing to leave his original master’s home, then I am willing to do this.”
“Do not attempt to exploit the envoy’s kindness. We are not so desperate for them.” Hei Lie, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up with a warning.
En had already formed a plan in his heart. Though this deal was troublesome, it was still possible to carry out.
Hoping to use it as a way to trade for much more was unrealistic.
“We have food rich in salt. Would you be willing to take it?”
Before the attendants even had time to lay out what they had brought, Yang Yi spoke again:
“You mean seafood? From waters vaster than lakes, waters that are bitter and salty.”
“Yes. The food from the sea is very different from that of the land, and it carries a salty taste. It can serve as salt.”
By now, En and Qiao were no longer surprised that Yang Yi knew of the sea. Although many Eastern Continent tribes were far from the coast and had no knowledge of the ocean, there were still tribes that did.
The Spark Tribe had previously taken in many survivors from the Fang Tribe, so learning about it from their mouths was not strange.
Not mentioning it directly at first, was that also a kind of test? If the other party didn’t know, then this could be used to exchange for more. That was the shrewdness common to all merchants.
“These are things we need. You may continue to bring them in the future, so long as the quality is guaranteed.”
Seafood contained iodine. Inland diets were prone to iodine deficiency, which could lead to goiter.
Although such symptoms had not yet appeared here, prevention was better. Yang Yi was also glad to see a greater variety of flavors in their food.
Qiao and En let out a breath of relief. They had worried that since an agreement had already been made with the Green Python Tribe, salt would no longer be in short supply, and thus there might be little interest in seafood.
After all, not everyone was accustomed to the taste of seafood. In some places, it did not sell well at all, and people valued it mostly for its salt content.
Yang Yi himself did not handle the actual pricing of trades. That was the responsibility of those more experienced in commerce.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a special division for foreign trade, dedicated to such work.
Yang Yi would only provide initial reference opinions and give final approval. He would not be involved in the detailed price negotiations in between.
This applied not only to trade, but to other matters as well.
The attendants placed some of the seafood they had brought onto the tea table. When opened, it revealed a variety of dried sea fish, shrimp, kelp, seaweed, and more. A fairly diverse assortment.
The caravan had also brought quite a few pearls, but Yang Yi showed no interest.
“If what you bring are the cheaper ones, then I might consider them.”
After all, pearls could be used medicinally. Though for the moment, aside from thinking they could be made into face masks, Yang Yi couldn’t recall any other uses.
“You really put us in a very difficult position.” En gave a bitter smile. This was the most troublesome trade they had ever faced in the Eastern Continent.
The envoy before them looked gentle, yet in truth, his attitude was extremely firm, giving the impression of someone with no desires at all.
Or perhaps it was that he already possessed such treasures in abundance that he simply had no interest in what they had brought.
Yang Yi smiled and said, “If you can obtain domesticated animals for us, we will reward you richly. Though it may be troublesome, there may be some losses along the way. Please believe me, it will all be worth it.”
“May we tour the tribe?” Qiao asked.
Earlier today, they had already realized that their movements were restricted, and they could not go wandering freely.
“The tribe is not yet fully built, so it is not suitable for you to walk around. However, we will arrange a proper time, with someone designated to guide you.”
Hei Lie spoke, his presence carrying a sense of oppression. It was clearly a warning.
You may only go where I permit you to go. Otherwise…
“At the celebration, everything our tribe currently possesses will be displayed one by one. On that day, you may decide what you wish to trade for, according to your needs.”
En asked, “Including iron?”
Hei Lie’s expression darkened, and the pressure he exuded grew even stronger. It felt as though the entire room was being crushed down upon them, leaving them unable to breathe.
Qiao and En’s faces turned grim, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Yang Yi, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He simply reached out and patted Hei Lie’s hand beside him.
That suffocating aura instantly dissipated, and everything returned to normal.
Qiao and En felt as though they had narrowly escaped death. They gasped heavily, taking a long while to recover.
That man was far too powerful! Terrifying was the only word to describe him!
“Iron is not impossible to trade.” Yang Yi suddenly spoke.
Qiao and En immediately lifted their heads to look at him. The fear and indignation En had felt under Hei Lie’s earlier suppression vanished at once, sweeping away any thought of dissatisfaction.
“You mean it?!”
Yang Yi nodded with absolute certainty. “As long as you exchange it with copper, or with other metals. That will also do.”
At present, what they had was only iron. It was still far from enough.
They had not yet found other metal mines nearby. If the mines were too far away, with so few people under him now, there was no way they could exploit them.
So entrusting this matter to the caravans was the most suitable option.
Yang Yi planned to sell them pig iron. Given the smelting techniques of this world, they were far inferior to the knowledge he had brought. Even the relatively primitive methods he carried with him were still many times more advanced than what existed here.
At least for a period of time, their techniques would remain the very best, allowing them to possess the sharpest and sturdiest weapons.
As long as he controlled the amount exported, their reserves would definitely exceed those of anyone else, so the problem would not be too great.
In fact, even if he wanted to open the supply fully, the other side might not have the capacity to trade for it.
Pig iron could only be exchanged for metals, and it would be valued at several times the amount of other metals.
Although Yang Yi did not know exactly how precious iron was on the Western Continent, judging from Earth’s history and the situation here, the West should still be in the Bronze Age, where iron was exceedingly expensive.
And these people likely did not yet have the technology to smelt it. Even if they could, the output would be extremely low, so his asking price was entirely reasonable.
En felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. He had known this deal would not be so easy to make.
“In fact, aside from these, there are other items as well. If you can find them, you may also bring them. I’ll have someone prepare a detailed list for you.
Or, if you come across anything novel or unusual, you can also bring it to me. Perhaps I might take an interest.”
Yang Yi still wore a gentle smile. The goods this caravan had brought this time simply lacked sufficient appeal.
But his sights had never been fixed solely on the present. There were far too many things he needed. Until he could find them himself, trade remained the most convenient and efficient method of acquisition.
Things like sulfur, saltpeter, coal, quartz sand, and so on.
At this point, En found it difficult to remain optimistic. The things this envoy sought were by no means simple.
Yet he had no other choice but to try. So long as he wished to trade for the rare and wondrous goods here.
What frustrated him most was that he could not discern the methods behind the making of these items.
For example, those sheets of paper are as smooth and white as snow. They were not made of any kind of hide at all, but seemed instead to come from plants.
But how could those hard, unyielding plants be transformed into paper like this? He was utterly baffled.
“We will do our utmost to find them for you. Please believe in our strength. Our caravan is absolutely worth cooperating with,” Qiao said earnestly.
Yang Yi smiled. “I hope so. After all, you are the very first caravan from the Western Continent to come to our tribe. Compared to the ones that come after, that will always make you special.”
Those words made Qiao and En’s hearts jolt. It sounded gracious, but in truth, it was a reminder that there would be other caravans from the Western Continent besides theirs!
Qiao and En left Yang Yi’s reception room. Though they had met the divine envoy, there had been little progress in trade.
The seafood they brought could be exchanged for only a few things, or rather, so few it was pitiful, completely falling short of their expectations.
“This divine envoy really isn’t easy to deal with,” Qiao muttered gloomily, stripped of his usual dashing ease.
En furrowed his brows, silent, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Qiao’s expression darkened. “En, you’re not seriously considering trading for the things he mentioned, are you? That’s something that’s never been done before.”
Goods brought to the Eastern Continent were always controlled. Though there were no explicit rules, everyone abided by the unspoken conventions.
The people of the Eastern Continent were very strong, with a far higher proportion of warriors than those of the Western Continent. This was also an important reason why they liked to plunder Eastern Continent people as slaves.
But because the Easterners were still in a barbaric state, their productivity was far lower, which allowed the Western Continent to maintain its superiority.
For this reason, caravans would only bring goods meant for enjoyment, never things that could make the Easterners stronger. Even if they did, it would never be in large quantities.
“There’s always a first, isn’t there?” En’s eyes grew fervent. “The one who gains the most is often the very first. Don’t you feel tempted?”
