Chapter 99: Badass Spellcaster!
Chapter 99: Badass Spellcaster!
“Shaman Leader Shan Yan.”
The Spirit Energy Puppet’s black eyes were still flashing erratically; it remained dead. The merchant caravan knight standing beside it couldn’t hold back any longer: “These terms are absolutely unacceptable!”
This young Giant knight wore finely crafted leather armor reinforced with metal; his skin was fair, and he was handsome.
But he lifted his chin with an air of extreme arrogance.
The Elder Shaman smoked his pipe, not even giving the other man a proper glance.
He reached out and patted little Shan Guoer’s head, saying kindly, “Little Guoer, you go back first.”
“Okay.”
Shan Guoer answered obediently.
But she didn’t leave immediately. Her gaze shifted to Gao Jing, who was sitting on the table.
Gao Jing felt the look and turned his head. He gave the little girl a knowing wink and a smile.
Telling her not to worry.
Shan Guoer nodded, then skipped out of the big tent.
A Shan Yue Tribe warrior accompanied her out.
The face of the young knight, who had been completely ignored, turned gloomy. He said coldly, “Shaman Leader Shan Yan, do not forget that your Shan Yue Tribe has always existed under the protection of Qinghe City. Have you considered the consequences of refusing us?”
The Elder Shaman acted as if he hadn’t heard; his expression remained serene.
But Shan Tai was furious. He stepped forward and glared fiercely at the knight.
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes!
Seeing this, Qing Lan, standing to the right of the Spirit Energy Puppet, frowned.
She first shot her companion a dissatisfied look, then cast a meaningful glance towards Shan Tai.
Urging him not to be impulsive.
But Shan Tai ignored her gaze. He clenched his fist, his muscles tensing.
The atmosphere inside the tent instantly grew as sharp as swords!
“Oh?”
The young knight showed no fear. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Trying to pick a fight with me?”
He was a knight from Qinghe City.
He believed he represented the mightiest tribe within a thousand miles: the Qinghe Tribe.
A puny tribe like the Shan Yue, barely a few hundred strong, wasn’t worth a glance in his eyes.
If Shan Tai dared to strike first, this young knight had justification to teach the barbarian who annoyed him a hard lesson!
So as he looked at Shan Tai, his eyes held thick disdain and outright challenge!
“Young man.”
But before Shan Tai could explode into true rage, a thunderous voice suddenly erupted beside the young knight’s ear: “Who has given you the audacity to provoke our Shan Yue Tribe?”
Shan Yan stood up.
His robe stirred as if by an unfelt wind, his long beard and eyebrows lifting.
The surrounding air abruptly became unbearably heavy.
The Elder Shaman fixed his gaze on the knight and said gravely, “Even Qing Kui, if he were standing here, would not dare speak to me like this!”
Qing Kui was the ruler of Qinghe City, the paramount leader of the Qinghe Tribe.
He was also the mightiest Totem Warrior for a thousand miles around!
The young knight wanted to retort, wanted to lash out.
But right then and there, he felt like a lamb pinned under a predator’s stare. All his strength seemed to drain away.
The old Shaman, who moments ago had seemed frail and broken, now loomed immense and terrifying before him.
Any slight movement on his part, he felt sure, would instantly get him crushed to dust!
This knight, who prided himself on his courage, couldn’t help but lower his head. Beads of sweat the size of peas broke out on his forehead.
The terror of imminent death pressed down on his heart like a mountain.
Making his legs shake uncontrollably.
Badass!
Gao Jing, who had been just watching the drama unfold silently, could only give the Elder Shaman a massive mental thumbs-up!
He knew that among Great Wilderness Humans, Shamans were the most powerful, the ultimate supernaturally gifted practitioners.
But just how powerful that was, Gao Jing hadn’t had a clear idea.
Now, he was witnessing the commanding presence of a true spellcaster firsthand.
With sheer aura alone, Shan Yan had almost made this arrogant knight wet himself on the spot!
In that moment, Gao Jing yearned more than ever to become a Shaman.
“Shaman Leader Shan Yan.”
The Spirit Energy Puppet’s “operating system” finally returned to normal. It hastily stood and bowed: “Please forgive Qing Feng’s insolence. This is his first time traveling with the caravan; he does not yet understand propriety.”
“I do not wish for such a thing to happen again.”
Shan Yan withdrew his presence, returning to his old, frail appearance.
He lowered his eyelids and sat down again. “The Shan Yue Tribe will not be insulted!”
The pressure on the young knight Qing Feng vanished abruptly. Caught off guard, he staggered backward and nearly fell.
His face instantly flushed a deep, ugly purple!
“Qing Feng, step outside.”
The Spirit Energy Puppet rumbled: “Reflect on your actions. If you still cannot grasp your error, I shall report you to Leader Qing Kui.”
Qing Feng left the tent like a frostbitten eggplant, utterly wilted.
The Spirit Energy Puppet sat back down. “Shaman Leader Shan Yan, shall we continue?”
It did not return to the topic of trade.
The items the Shan Yue Tribe traded with the Qinghe Merchant Caravan weren’t limited to Salt Stone and Sabertooth Tiger pelts.
However, having had his ‘chicken killed to scare the monkeys’ by Elder Shaman Shan Yan’s display of force, Zhiqi’s attitude became substantially more pragmatic.
No more wild demands.
Thus, a new agreement was swiftly reached.
The Shan Yue Tribe traded vast quantities of animal pelts, meat, bones, and other materials, along with wild medicinal herbs.
To the Qinghe Merchant Caravan in exchange for Black Iron Spears and Millet.
The Black Iron Spears were essential metal weapons for hunting large predators like Sabertooth Tigers and Monster Beasts.
In reality, the Qinghe Caravan only supplied the Shan Yue Tribe with the iron spearheads; the Tribesmen had to craft the wooden shafts themselves.
But possessing such weapons allowed the Tribe’s Totem Warriors to encircle and kill prey from a distance by throwing the spears.
Greatly reducing their own casualties.
They were undoubtedly good weapons, but they were also very expensive.
And not particularly durable either.
With just thirty Black Iron Spearheads, the Qinghe Caravan obtained two whole cartloads of wild medicinal herbs.
These herbs were gathered painstakingly by the Tribe’s women and hunters during their daily forays into the mountains.
The Millet, meanwhile, was a staple food the Giants needed.
Without the ability to cultivate it themselves, the Shan Yue Tribe bartered hunts-provided meat and pelts for it.
Gao Jing observed the entire negotiation process from start to finish.
He learned quite a bit.
He could see that Shan Yan was actually quite satisfied with the trade outcome.
“Your Honor Zhiqi…”
Finally, the Elder Shaman pointed towards Gao Jing and said, “Your Honor Gao Jing, like you, is from The Abyss. Without objection, perhaps the two of you might speak further?”
“Of course.”
The Spirit Energy Puppet nodded, its black crystal flashing. “It would be my honor to converse with Your Honor Gao Jing.”
“Then you may talk.”
The Elder Shaman stood up. “I shall not participate.”
Gao Jing wasn’t surprised by this.
The Elder Shaman had previously told him that within the Qinghe Merchant Caravan was a fellow Ancient Remnant Clan member, just like him.
He just hadn’t expected that this fellow Ancient Remnant Clan member was actually this Spirit Energy Puppet!
But flooded with knowledge and information from the Primary World, Gao Jing easily deduced that Zhiqi, the member of the Ancient Remnant Clan, was concealed inside the Spirit Energy Puppet.
Controlling its every word and action.
A mech pilot?
The Elder Shaman confidently took his leave with Shan Tai and the other Tribesmen.
Zhiqi also motioned for Qing Lan to go out.
Inside the large tent, only it and Gao Jing remained.
The Spirit Energy Puppet raised its right arm. Its right palm pressed against the steel plate on its chest.
The next second, a series of “crack-crack” mechanical sounds echoed. The shield-shaped armor plate slid upward automatically.
The inner compartment was immediately revealed!