Chapter 147: The Merchant Caravan Returns
Chapter 147: The Merchant Caravan Returns
On the third day after the entire Muteng Tribe moved to Shan Yue Village,
it started raining.
The rain got heavier and heavier and lasted a full four days and nights.
Along with it came hailstones as big as peas.
Luckily, before this, all the members of the Shan Yue Tribe had worked together, cutting down trees to build houses. They put up over a hundred wooden huts in the valley.
This gave most people from the Muteng Tribe simple but warm shelter.
The rest moved into houses that Shan Yue families cleaned up by sharing rooms among themselves.
Not a single new tribe member had to sleep outside in the rain.
Seeing all of this, Gao Jing couldn’t help feeling moved.
He had worried that since the Muteng Tribe once had problems with the Shan Yue Tribe, they might fight after moving together.
But it turned out that the kind Shan Yue Giants welcomed their past rivals with open arms.
The two tribes blended so smoothly, without trouble, almost warmly.
Gao Jing also feared the heavy rain might cause flash floods in the valley where his people lived.
But he worried too much.
The huge waterfall plunging thousands of meters indeed swelled with water, creating a spectacular sight.
But strangely, the water level in the deep pool at its foot didn’t rise at all. It stayed exactly as it was.
The mountain stream connecting to the pool, flowing through the valley, continued its bubbling path without showing any sign of flooding.
Nothing short of magical!
Gao Jing figured when the Shan Yue Tribe moved thousands of miles to settle here long ago, they must have made sure everything was safe.
On the morning of the fifth day, the rain stopped.
Clouds and mist scattered across the gloomy sky, letting the long-hidden blue sky see daylight again. The sun spread its rays across the endless wilderness.
Whoo~oo!
A horn suddenly sounded over the village, making villagers tense.
But the nervousness was soon replaced by relaxed smiles.
The horns from the watchtower followed meanings.
Short, rapid notes meant guards saw enemies or danger.
But that long note moments ago meant visitors brought no threat.
In normal times, that usually meant a merchant caravan.
The Qinghe Merchant Caravan had come once more.
Their arrival was quite unexpected.
Gao Jing, along with Old Shaman Shan Yan, Shan Tai, and others, went out to welcome them.
The Qinghe Merchant Caravan seemed larger now.
Last time, they had forty or fifty Giant Rhinoceros Beasts. Now around seventy or eighty came with them.
Accordingly, they pulled many more beast-drawn carts piled high with goods.
The caravan also brought more guard riders.
But they all looked worn down. Every Pack Beast and cart was splattered with thick mud.
The guards on the deep red horses didn’t appear fearsome like last time. More like they’d just lost a battle.
Each person showed exhaustion on their face!
Easy to understand, days of relentless rain had struck.
For any caravan crossing the wilderness, it must have been awful!
True to habit, the helpers instantly set up camp outside the village.
Row by row, tents took shape.
Gao Jing caught sight again of the massive Spirit Energy Puppet, as huge as a giant, linked to Zhiqi.
He smiled like an uncle—respectfully warm, if barely.
“Shan Tai!”
As they reached camp, Qing Lan—the female guard who knew Shan Tai—dashed over.
Blushing, she bowed to Shan Yan first: “Shaman Leader Shan Yan, may I speak with Shan Tai for a bit?”
The Elder Shaman nodded. “Go ahead.”
Gladly, Qing Lan slid her hand into Shan Tai’s much bigger one and drew him aside to talk softly.
Eagerly.
What passed between them wasn’t secret in the Shan Yue Tribe.
So everyone understood.
Shan Yan led Shan Hu, Shan Mao, SharZe, and others into the main tent inside camp.
Shanze had once been known as Mu Ze from the Muteng Tribe.
Now he used a new surname.
Such was Great Wilderness custom.
All former Muteng members changed their names to Shan names.
This kept every tribesperson feeling equal and unified,
to prevent old and folk looking down on new ones.
On another note,
during the Muteng Village attack, SharZe saw Shan Tai break through under pressure to Great Warrior rank.
Spurred by this, he broke through his own limits just days ago too.
He became a High-tier Totem Warrior.
In power, SharZe now ranked third among the Shan Yue!
“Shaman Leader Shan Yan, honorable greetings!”
In the great tent, the Spirit Energy Puppet resting center-stage stood up to respectfully greet the Elder Shaman.
Gao Jing noted the attitude seemed more polite than last time.
Observing earlier at how Qing Lan pulled Shan Tai away excitedly, he wondered if he saw hints of something.
Neither side wasted time. Quickly down to trade talk.
This return of the Qinghe Merchant Caravan was unexpected at Shan Yue Village.
Yet they brought important grain and weapons for the tribe.
However, Zhiqi sought…Seven-Colored Stones this time.
The Elder Shaman immediately saw the benefit.
Last visit, the Qinghe Merchant Caravan took away the tribe’s stored fur and healing herbs.
The village fort’s supplies weren’t much left, and they needed to be saved for their own use.
And the large amount of Seven-Colored Stones obtained from retaking Mu Teng Village? Besides a few top-quality Green Crystals useful to Shan Yan, the rest just piled up uselessly in the storeroom.
The women of the tribe didn’t fancy wearing Seven-Colored Stone jewelry, and there were no craftsmen in the village fort who made such things.
So, for them, Seven-Colored Stones were merely pretty rocks.
Trading them for grain and weapons was a fantastic deal.
After some intense bargaining, Zhiqi traded five carts of grain plus over a hundred Black Iron Spears.
He took away several hundred high-quality Seven-Colored Stones.
These stones had been carefully selected from an enormous pile of raw ore.
Gao Jing had seen the process when Giants extracted valuable pieces from ore back in Mu Teng Village.
All Seven-Colored Stones were wrapped in thick, rocky shells, looking just like dark, bluish-grey boulders.
The Giants first dug out uncut stones of all sizes from the Mine Cave.
Then they smashed them open with brute force.
If the raw stone inside showed good quality, stone hammers and Stone Axes were used to chip off the outer rock, freeing the valuable core.
If the raw stone quality was poor? It was all thrown away.
Actually, Gao Jing thought most of those discarded “worthless” stones looked quite beautiful.
Such a ridiculously simple and crude mining method!
It was a horrible waste!
But there were just so many of those “worthless stones”.
Seeing so many discarded eventually numbed him to it.
The main measure of a Seven-Colored Stone’s value was its internal concentration of Spiritual Energy. Higher concentration meant greater worth.
An essence among essences like Green Crystal? They were super rare, more met by chance than found by seeking.
“Shaman Leader Shan Yan.”
After the deal was done, Zhiqi suddenly addressed Shan Yan: “Would the Shan Yue Tribe consider selling Mu Teng Village?”
The Elder Shaman frowned instantly. “You wish to buy?”
Although the entire Muteng Tribe had now moved into Shan Yue Village, changing their family names since.
Mu Teng Village was effectively abandoned.
But by the rules of the Great Wilderness, ownership of that land still belonged to the Shan Yue Tribe.
The Shan Yue Tribe had also erected their clan’s marker there.
This meant other tribes couldn’t just take over Mu Teng Village without the Shan Yue Tribe’s permission.
To do so would make them enemies of the Shan Yue Tribe!
Most importantly, an unfinished Seven-Colored Stone mine still remained in Mu Teng Village!
Zhiqi clearly knew this very well: “We offer a high price!”
He raised his Spirit Energy Puppet’s right hand, spreading five fingers. “Fifty thousand Shell Coins.”
The Elder Shaman looked visibly affected.
That price truly wasn’t low.
Although valuable Green Crystals had been mined from that Seven-Colored Stone deposit.
There was no guarantee more remained inside.
Plus, reopening the mine required lots of workers, taking much time and effort, not to mention grain and tools.
For a place that was essentially already given up…
Getting fifty thousand Shell Coins for it?
It was undoubtedly a profitable deal!
Cough! Cough!
Just as the Elder Shaman felt tempted, Gao Jing, sitting atop the large table, forcefully cleared his throat twice.
The Elder Shaman smiled knowingly.
He stated: “Your Honor Zhiqi, our Shan Yue Tribe has no intention of selling Mu Teng Village.”
The Spirit Energy Puppet’s eyes gleamed. “The price is negotiable.”
“It’s not about the price.”
The Elder Shaman shook his head. “I must preserve land for my tribe’s future growth.”
Zhiqi stayed silent for a short while, then replied: “Your wisdom is the Shan Yue Tribe’s greatest fortune.”
The Elder Shaman smiled modestly. “You flatter me.”
He’d almost made a foolish mistake just then.
And standing behind the Elder Shaman right then, Shanze felt a flicker of gratitude in his eyes.
Who wants their former home turned into a tradeable commodity?
It’s not like tearing down urban village houses.