Chapter 211-2: Black Market Trading Center (2) |
After a 4-hour voyage, once the small boat approached the coast, it transformed into pixel light points that covered Zhong Yi’s body and generated a set of black light armor.
Leaping onto the shore, he looked up.
Before his eyes was a lush forest of bone trees.
The tall, straight bone trees were arranged in an orderly staggered pattern. White leaves rustled in the breeze.
Following the beach inland toward the island, multicolored shells were sparsely scattered across the sand.
Just as he was about to enter the jungle, he saw a figure sprint over at extreme speed, a cold gleam enlarging before his eyes.
Vital qi surged. Zhong Yi suddenly swung a fist toward the oncoming figure.
Vital qi condensed in the air into a fist shadow, blasting the attacker flying with one punch, slamming into a bone tree and sliding down.
“Cough, cough.”
The other party was about one meter fifty tall, holding a spear polished from bone, his body painted all over with symbols smeared in some unknown pigment.
At this moment he was glaring at him viciously.
Analysis ability activated at this time.
[Night Wolf – Night Sky race warrior]
Hunt level: level 29
Target introduction: A new-generation warrior of the Night Sky race, currently conducting an island patrol duty.
—
“Friend, do not make a move. I have no malice.”
Thinking that he had come to do business, Zhong Yi decisively dispersed the vital qi shrouding his body and raised both hands to show that he bore no ill will.
What he said was translated through the Challenger System and directly understood by Night Wolf.
Night Wolf, however, raised his head warily, body slightly crouched, as if he could spring forward at any time to launch another attack.
“I advise you not to mess around. If I truly wanted to kill you, you would already be dead.”
Seeing that Night Wolf still had fighting intent, Zhong Yi could not help but retort.
“What purpose do you have coming to my Night Sky race island?”
“Business.”
“Business?”
“That is right. I want to ask what goods your race needs. I have a way to bring them to you.”
On hearing this, Night Wolf looked puzzled and said.
“Gifting?”
“Take me to see your elders. With that pig brain of yours you probably cannot understand. I am too lazy to waste words with you.” Zhong Yi could not help rolling his eyes.
“You insult me.” Night Wolf flushed red.
“Hurry and take me to see your elders. If you keep talking nonsense I will really butcher you.” Zhong Yi spoke viciously, and as he spoke he suddenly swung a fist to the right.
The released Vital qi Inherited soul smashed a bone tree with a boom.
“Alright.” Seeing this, Night Wolf nodded fiercely.
This completely convinced Zhong Yi.
Worthy of the Monster World. A kind tone could not solve problems. Fists were the core of negotiation.
Before long, Zhong Yi followed Night Wolf to the Night Sky race’s settlement.
What came into view was a majestic white waterfall.
A gigantic curtain of water roared down from a height of one hundred meters, crashing onto jagged rocks and sending up layers of white spray.
The Night Sky race village was scattered around the waterfall. The architectural style was simple and ancient, with houses mostly built of logs and stone.
The surrounding walls were covered with strange symbols, and along the way stood statues daubed in all kinds of colors.
Just as he entered the Night Sky race’s territory, Zhong Yi was surrounded by a group of Night Sky warriors.
An analysis sweep showed that these Night Sky warriors generally had hunt levels around 40. If a fight really broke out, he would be dead for sure.
The negotiations to come would have to rely on his tongue.
His fists were no longer useful.
At this moment, the Night Sky warriors withdrew to both sides, and a figure leaning on a cane walked toward him.
Sweeping with analysis, Zhong Yi learned the other party’s identity was the chief of the Night Sky race, and also the person he would be negotiating with next.
The Night Sky chief stopped before him, lifted his head, and spoke to him with a complicated expression.
“Our race is under the protection of the Ice Pupil race. We cannot provide any resources to the race you belong to.”
Hearing this, Zhong Yi was full of question marks.
The other party had clearly misunderstood something.
In the subsequent exchange, both sides gradually understood the other’s thinking.
Zhong Yi also understood why the Night Sky chief had said those words at the start.
In fact, there was trade between races in the Azure Star Sea Region, but this trade was more accurately described as exploitation. The two sides of trade were more like master and subordinate.
For example, the island where the Night Sky race lived produced a kind of spirit plant called Kacrisp Fruit. After discovering this island, the Ice Pupil race did not exterminate the Night Sky race.
Because the Ice Pupil race knew that if they exterminated the Night Sky race, then in the future the Kacrisp Fruit produced on the island would have to be planted, tended, and harvested by members of the Ice Pupil race themselves.
In their eyes, the Night Sky race posed no threat, so they chose to establish a trade relationship with them.
But it was a one-sided trade.
At intervals, the Night Sky race had to present a batch of Kacrisp Fruit to the Ice Pupil race and received only the Ice Pupil race’s verbal protection.
But to Zhong Yi’s ears, so-called protection was just another way of explaining protection fees.
If something truly serious happened, the Ice Pupil race would certainly not stand up for the Night Sky race.
Yet the Night Sky race had no power to refuse this trade relationship.
Behind the Night Sky race there was no racial cooperation organization like the Earth Alliance. The price of not paying was genocide.
Therefore, when the Night Sky chief heard that he had come to trade, he instinctively assumed another race was here to collect protection fees.
After learning the details, Zhong Yi immediately explained his purpose and his idea of barter.
In the eyes of the Night Sky chief, this idea was clearly too far fetched.
He could not understand that in the Monster World there would actually be a force willing to trade in this way. It was truly absurd.
But after Zhong Yi explained the idea, the thought that surfaced in the Night Sky chief’s mind was.
Perhaps this outsider had no backing at all. Otherwise, why choose to conduct trade by way of barter?
As a chief of the Night Sky race whose internal resources were perpetually scarce, a greedy thought arose at once.
“I would like to know your background.”
“Is that important?” Seeing the chief’s tone shift from humble to neutral, a line surged up in Zhong Yi’s mind: ‘The weak raise the blade at those weaker.’
Faced with the oppression of the Ice Pupil race, the Night Sky race could only offer tribute in humility.
This was not kindness, but a choice made under compulsion.
Yet when facing a target weaker than themselves, humility could turn into greed, and even into a butcher’s knife.
Zhong Yi did not hide his thoughts, looking at the Night Sky chief with helplessness in his expression.
“Old chief, your thoughts are a bit too obvious. I just want to do normal trade with you. Can you not start making trouble the moment we begin? In short, behind me is an existence you cannot afford to provoke. Wiping out your whole race would be a wave of the hand, understand?”
The old chief looked a bit embarrassed, let out two awkward laughs in a strange tone to ease the atmosphere, and then asked.
“Foreign guest, our island has only Kacrisp Fruit, no other spiritual resources.”
As he spoke, the old chief called for his people to bring Kacrisp Fruit.
Zhong Yi swept with analysis and found it was a level 2 spirit plant, with a sacrifice price to the Emperor’s Sign of 219 sacrificial power.
Assuming a transaction at original price, after deducting the Trading House’s 5 percent handling fee and adding the 12 percent extra return, he could earn a 7 percent profit.
Of course, by not going through the Trading House and trading directly with other players, he could lock in a 12 percent profit. It was just that the process would be more troublesome.
Before proceeding, Zhong Yi voiced what was on his mind.
“Old chief, tell me first. What does your Night Sky race lack right now?”
After a brief silence, the old chief began to describe his race’s difficulties.
Zhong Yi summoned the forum interface and recorded the keywords of the old chief’s description.
After organizing, the tradable goods came to three categories.
First, food.
There was still enough space on the island to accommodate more Night Sky people, but the population growth of the Night Sky race was limited by food shortages and could only maintain its current scale.
Second, spiritual ore.
This was also an important resource affecting the Night Sky race’s ability to raise its combat power. Without spiritual ore, they could not forge enough weapons, equipment, or even fishing tools.
Third, medicine.
There were many poisonous insects on Night Sky Island. The Night Sky race was often troubled by them, and those bitten for long periods did not live long. They needed goods that could detoxify.
After clarifying the tradable goods, Zhong Yi summoned the shop panel.
After careful thought, he spent 1 point of sacrificial power to purchase a can of food, opened it, and handed it to the old chief.
“This is food. How many Kacrisp Fruit do you think it can be exchanged for?”
Taking the can, the old chief lowered his head to sniff lightly, his brows knitting. Then he dug out a piece of meat with his finger, put it in his mouth, and chewed.
His expression suddenly changed. He spat it violently onto the ground, then lifted his head to look at Zhong Yi in disbelief.
“This is also food?”
Zhong Yi: …
Though the canned food did not taste great, it was the main food for players to transition in the early stage.
“Eating this stuff is worse than gnawing on leaves.” The old chief said angrily, face flushed.
The old chief’s words made Zhong Yi instantly realize the crux.
This was not Earth. The definition of food was not merely to fill the belly.
Thinking carefully, it made sense. The island’s vegetation was lush. How could there not be enough food?
What the old chief obviously meant was spiritual food.