Chapter 92: Barter should be acceptable, shouldn’t it?!

Abo’s rugged, broad-featured face immediately twisted into an expression of obvious difficulty.

Seeing that, Wang Chen knew at once that the man was not good at hiding his thoughts. He could not tell whether Abo was merely an exception, or whether the people of the Wind Hunt tribe were all so plainspoken that they never bothered to conceal what they felt.

“I say, no strength. Gang say, strong.” Abo spoke in halting fragments, leaving Wang Chen utterly puzzled.

After some effort, aided by gestures on both sides, Wang Chen finally understood what he meant.

The “Gang” he mentioned must be the one in charge. If Wang Chen wanted to negotiate cooperation, speaking to Abo would not count for anything; he would have to find this leader.

Wang Chen did not mind. He intended to speak with Gang about the matter a little later.

He lifted the Staff of the Forest’s Gale toward Abo’s palm, and a gentle radiance gathered at the tip.

“Blessing of Life!”

A band of blue-green healing light struck Abo’s hand, and the wounds across his palm slowly began to close.

Abo stared at it with curiosity. “You, shaman?”

Wang Chen considered the word for a moment, guessing that “shaman” in the Wind Hunt tribe referred to someone who handled healing, and so only said that it was more or less right.

More than that, Wang Chen was concerned about the other Wind Hunt warriors’ whereabouts. “How long until your companions return?”

Abo stammered that Tianxing Fir grew not far from here, so they should be arriving soon.

Wang Chen silently scoffed to himself. From the time that giant named Gon had run off, it had already been about half an hour, hadn’t it? At this speed, if Wang Chen had not happened to lend a hand, Abo would likely have been left with an empty head long ago.

He did not think Abo could resist the ratmen on his own.

After all, Wang Chen had just asked him why he had not simply fled in the opposite direction after Gon ran off—he could have drawn the ratmen away and delayed them for a while, rather than stubbornly taking the tongue-tube head-on.

Yet the big fellow had said that he had not made such an agreement with Gon and could not make that decision on his own.

And besides, he was supposed to protect the camp’s supplies.

Wang Chen found this utterly baffling. Compared with those two reasons, life was clearly more important, no? Could it be that all members of the Wind Hunt tribe were such rigid, overfaithful sticklers?

Under Wang Chen’s bewildered questioning, Abo finally added, in an embarrassed mumble, that he had not thought of running the other way to lure the ratmen off.

Wang Chen almost could not hold back a laugh. If he had not come out to help, the ratmen would have enjoyed quite a feast. Abo’s brains would surely have been delicious, fresh as they were and barely touched.

Wang Chen then exchanged a few simple questions with Abo. What seemed like casual chit-chat was in fact a roundabout way of probing the basic circumstances of the Wind Hunt tribe.

Before long, Wang Chen had easily learned the information he wanted, since Abo was utterly without defenses and had little caution to begin with.

In the distance, a tremor rolled over the ground like the passing of a beast tide. Wang Chen knew the other Wind Hunt warriors had arrived.

A huge hand parted the leaves blocking the way. The tree was more than three meters tall, yet when that enormous hand swept aside its crown, it was like lifting a tavern curtain.

Then a one-eyed giant over four meters tall came into view, carrying a great bow. Seven or eight more giants followed behind him, each similarly solemn, each armed.

As for Gon, he had been hiding at the very end of the group.

The one-eyed giant nearly drew his bow the moment he saw Wang Chen, and Abo reacted swiftly, stepping in front of him.

The one-eyed giant bellowed a few thunderous words in confusion, and Abo answered urgently.

Though Abo stood between the one-eyed giant and Wang Chen, he could not block the others.

The moment the one-eyed giant drew his bow, the rest did not even need orders. They dispersed at once, nocked their arrows, and aimed at Wang Chen.

They seemed ready to turn him into a sieve the instant the one-eyed giant gave the command.

For a moment, Wang Chen had the sense that Loki was about to be beaten senseless by the Hulk—except there were eight or nine Hulks. Who could possibly withstand that?

Fortunately, after Abo’s explanation, the one-eyed giant gave a casual wave, and all the giants lowered their bows and arrows.

At Abo’s signal, Wang Chen walked up to the one-eyed giant and tentatively said, “Hello.”

“Hello.”

The one-eyed giant’s human speech was even better than Abo’s.

Then he actually clasped his hands in salute to Wang Chen, his manner astonishingly human.

“Thank you for saving my tribesman. The Wind Hunt tribe will remember your kindness,” the one-eyed giant said with a humble expression.

“You’re welcome. Travelers should help one another, and besides, I came for the Tianxing Fir as well. I was hoping to work together with you…” Wang Chen had not finished before he was abruptly cut off.

“Human, regarding the cooperation you proposed, we cannot agree. Moreover, you must leave this place.” The one who interrupted Wang Chen was a giant beside the one-eyed leader, one with a terrible scar across his forehead.

Wang Chen frowned. “Without my help, the marrow-sucking ratmen will be formidable foes, and I do not need many Tianxing Fir cores.”

The scarred giant said disdainfully, “Warriors of the Wind Hunt tribe do not need tricks to drive back their enemies.”

His huge eye rolled beneath the scarred lids as he looked Wang Chen up and down. “Besides, I will not fight side by side with a human of unknown origin.”

It seemed there were fools with foul mouths in both the human world and among the Wind Hunt tribe.

Wang Chen was speechless beyond measure.

The scarred face seemed about to continue its taunting, but the one-eyed giant turned and rebuked him, and the scarred one stepped back at once, saying no more.

Then the one-eyed giant said to Wang Chen, “I apologize. I have not restrained my tribesman properly, allowing him to speak such rude words.”

Wang Chen looked at him coldly, thinking: what do you mean, not restrained? You clearly let him say it. Putting on a good face and a bad face for me, are you?

Seeing that Wang Chen remained silent, the one-eyed giant said, “To express our apology, and to repay you for saving Abo, once we return to the tribe, we will butcher fifty meat sheep for you and have them delivered to your home.”

He pointed at the scarred face, who had gone to stand alone to the side, and continued, “As you can see, my tribesmen are not used to working with outsiders, so I must refuse your request for cooperation. My apologies.”

Wang Chen said coldly, “I don’t think this is about being unused to fighting with outsiders. It’s that Tianxing Fir is too precious, and you do not wish to share it with me—not even two trees’ worth, not even if working with me could prevent your people from being injured.”

His words struck at the heart of the matter, and they were not wrong. The lives of the Wind Hunt tribe might be at risk, but even so, they were not worth as much as two Tianxing Fir trees.

If most of the Wind Hunt tribe had understood human speech, then hearing this would probably have darkened their expressions as much as the scarred giant’s.

“Still, if that is how you weigh things, then I won’t expect to trade my cooperation for Tianxing Fir.”

With a flash at his fingertips, a large bundle of barbaric ox sinew fell to the ground. “What if I exchange these for Tianxing Fir cores?”

The one-eyed giant’s single eye widened at the sight of the sinew, clearly delighted.

But then he looked at Wang Chen with suspicion. “Why do you have barbaric ox sinew, and why do you still need Tianxing Fir cores? What are you planning to do with these things?”

Wang Chen smiled. “Rest assured, my purpose is not the same as yours. I only need to complete a task.”