Chapter 157: Cooperation |
Zou Jianghe's eyes lit up slightly, and he leaned forward, "Then what can they accept as trade goods?"
Luo Gang thought for a moment before replying, "Rare ores, as well as mountain goods like animal pelts, ivory, deer antlers, and bear paws. They also accept medicinal herbs that are of sufficient age. Currently, the two traveling merchants we've contacted are both from a dynasty called Great Yong, which has an ancient background."
"What about weapons?" Zou Jianghe pressed further, "Can we buy weapons from them?"
Luo Gang shook his head with a bitter smile, "That might be a bit difficult. I inquired about it. In Great Yong, it's strictly forbidden for civilians to privately possess weapons like crossbows, spears, or swords. Possessing a single weapon results in ten strokes of the cane, while possessing five or more is punishable by death. Moreover, iron goods from the south of the Yangtze River are not allowed to be transported north. Basically, there are no weapons for sale among their common folk, so we can only trade for some daily necessities."
"They actually enforce it that strictly." Zou Jianghe leaned back in his chair, disappointed. "I feel that ranged weapons would be more effective against these beasts."
Zou Jianghe then asked, "Will there be any merchant caravans today?"
"Hard to say." Luo Gang shook his head. "The arrival times of these traveling merchants are random. However, once they arrive, we can communicate with them and ask them to stay a while longer. I can notify you when that happens."
Zou Jianghe nodded, "That works too."
Luo Gang picked up his water cup and took a sip. "Besides the traveling merchants, there's another matter. Over the past two days, our students conducted a search of the nearby area. They discovered an altar in a canyon to the east, and a group of Gobi Sand Monitors lives near the altar."
"I hope everyone can cooperate sincerely. The number of those Gobi Sand Monitors exceeds ten. As long as everyone works together, it's not impossible to complete a task." Luo Gang said.
"How do we cooperate? The task to hunt Gobi Sand Monitors requires killing ten. Can you ensure that the same person lands the final blow on all ten?" Zou Jianghe frowned slightly. "I think the difficulty is very high."
"Perhaps... it doesn't need to be that troublesome." Qin Ziwen, sitting in his chair, spoke up.
Seeing both of them look at him, Qin Ziwen said calmly, "After I got first place, Home rewarded me with a Guild Card."
He explained the advantages of the Guild Card in hunting: progress is shared among members within the guild.
Zou Jianghe felt a pang of envy. "The guild actually has such benefits."
Luo Gang said solemnly, "You should have said this earlier."
At this point, Luo Gang suddenly realized something and said apologetically, "Sorry, that was presumptuous of me."
If Qin Ziwen had said this before last night, he would have only suspected Qin Ziwen had ulterior motives.
But after fighting the Giant Hyaenodon last night, they truly realized the difficulty of this task.
"If what you say is true, then the twenty slots in your guild are very important!" Luo Gang said gravely. "They can greatly increase our chances of completing the task."
Hesitating for a moment, Luo Gang said, "It's best to select an elite team from the residential complex to form a core twenty-person squad. Of course, the guild is yours after all, how you choose the members is up to you. However, I still hope to request one slot. I recommend someone: Cao Biansheng is very suitable."
The hand holding Zou Jianghe's water cup trembled slightly. He looked at Luo Gang suspiciously. Are you serious?
He wasn't familiar with that Cao Biansheng, but from the news he'd heard over the past two days, this Cao Biansheng was among the top five figures among the students, right? Among the male students, especially within the Hunting Team, his prestige was very high.
Alright, alright, playing this game, huh?
Using the guise of a recommendation to actually eliminate a potential rival! I never thought you were that kind of person, Teacher Luo.
Zou Jianghe gently blew out a breath, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Cao Biansheng?" Qin Ziwen was very surprised. He mentioned the guild just to try and gain leadership during the hunt. He never imagined he could actually poach Cao Biansheng!
This was the top enforcer among the student group.
Luo Gang looked at him, his gaze frank and open.
Qin Ziwen asked, "What about Cao Biansheng himself? Does he agree?"
Luo Gang said softly, "He will agree."
Watching the two who seemed to be exchanging meaningful looks, Zou Jianghe coughed twice, "Ahem, Guild Leader Qin, since you're already giving Teacher Luo a slot, my Alliance would like one too."
Qin Ziwen smiled, "Alright, but this time we're forming an elite hunting team. President Zou, you'd better recommend someone who can fight."
Someone who can fight?
Hearing this, Zou Jianghe felt something was off. He immediately spoke vaguely, "Alright, I'll go back and give more thought to the candidate."
Luo Gang, meanwhile, sent someone to call Cao Biansheng over, then proposed that he join Qin Ziwen's guild.
Cao Biansheng was taken aback, "Old Luo, are you kicking me out?"
Luo Gang said, "I'm not kicking you out. It's that this task requires everyone to cooperate. I had to beg Guild Leader Qin for this slot! You have the ability, so you should contribute your strength to the residential complex."
Cao Biansheng lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and finally nodded, "Okay."
"Just saying okay isn't enough. Since you're joining, you have to consider yourself part of the team. Otherwise, you should just stay here." Luo Gang said lightly.
Cao Biansheng turned around and said seriously, "Captain Qin, I'll be in your care from now on."
Luo Gang then said to Qin Ziwen, "Captain Qin, Little Cao is a student from my class. I taught him for three years, and we've been through hardship together for a month. I know him quite well. He's usually a bit simple-minded, but during hunts, he gets a bit smarter."
The corner of Cao Biansheng's mouth twitched. For a moment, he couldn't tell if Old Luo was praising him or insulting him.
"I understand. Let's all cooperate sincerely!" Qin Ziwen laughed heartily.
He then sent a guild invitation to Cao Biansheng. Cao Biansheng agreed and joined the guild.
"Alright, for tomorrow's hunt, we will try our best to coordinate with you. Tonight, we'll discuss and come up with a plan on our side."
"Since the candidates are decided, let's wish everyone a successful start to tomorrow's hunt." Luo Gang said.
"Good. Tomorrow, I'll have the Hunting Team under me cooperate with you." Zou Jianghe stood up. "Well, it's getting late. Teacher Luo, remember to contact me if the traveling merchant caravans come later."
After Zou Jianghe left, Qin Ziwen asked, "Teacher Luo, do you have a professional carpenter here?"
Luo Gang pondered and nodded, "There is one."
Qin Ziwen said, "I'd like to ask this master carpenter for a favor, to build some things."
"What things?"
"Vehicle-mounted Crossbows." Qin Ziwen uttered three words.
"You guys actually know how to make these... Good, I'll have Master Wei go to your place to help right now." Luo Gang agreed decisively. He paused, then continued, "If we can make Vehicle-mounted Crossbows, then we shouldn't rush to hunt tomorrow. It's not too late to deal with the Gobi Sand Monitors after the crossbows are made. Do you have enough manpower over there? If not, I can send over some clever students to help, aiming to make several in one go."
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