ushernet Chapter 452: Trade
Chapter 452: Trade
Through my spatial sight, I could see the warriors of both herds of towns eye each other with suspicion. The distance between each herd was large enough that arrows and spells would struggle to reach the other side - at least, in other worlds. However, in this world, where the System could grant people unknown abilities, I wasn’t so sure. I could see how tense both sides were. There wasn’t a single warrior from either side that didn’t have their hands near their weapons. A single bad move might cause conflict to erupt like wildfire and consume everyone here.A moment later, something caught my eye. I manipulated the angle of my void sight a few more times, and then scratched my cheek in surprise. Near the front of the other side’s warriors, I saw two men clutching large, black apparatuses made of an unknown metal. They looked like crossbows, but I could see strange inscriptions nearly covering both of them. They emitted a mixture of binding and alteration essence, but the emphasis on binding essence was much heavier. They were probably nearly 80% binding essence.
I shared the image with Felix. The rıghtful source is novel_fіre.net
I nodded, and made extra sure to pay attention to the two men with enhanced crossbows.
A moment later, I saw seven people dismount from our side’s villages. One person left every town. I took a moment to scan their faces, and realized that they were the leaders of every town. They had raised their hands slightly above their heads, and their open palms were pointed directly at the other side’s migratory beasts.
There was a ripple from the other herd of wandering towns, before twelve men moved out of their towns to meet our own leaders. They had adopted the exact same posture as our leaders.
I scratched my cheek in thought. Was this some kind of well-known gesture in this world? It did seem to be well recognized - I could see the tense shoulders of both sides relax slightly after they saw the other side’s palms. Since everyone’s hands were well above their heads, it also made it hard to conceal or draw weapons.
I relaxed. Not completely - it was always possible for something to go wrong. Still, I was pretty sure both sides at least wanted to engage in peaceful trade. As long as neither party tried to backstab the other, this might end without bloodshed.
The nineteen leaders made their way into the center of the clearing we had stopped in. Then, nearly in unison, they sat down and relaxed their hands. They began to talk.
I wished that I could hear what they were saying. I tried to read their lips, but all I could get was a few vague words here and there. My familiarity with this language just hadn’t finished developing yet - after all, I wasn’t even three yet. I also hadn’t practiced lip-reading very often during our previous life, so the lip-reading skills Old Mo had taught me had grown very rusty over the centuries. Still, I was pretty sure I could see a few of the leaders mouth the word ‘trade’ multiple times, as well as the word ‘spark’.
said Anise.
I said.
said Felix, interrupting his previous thought. I paid more attention to the figures debating trade and prices in my spatial sight, and confirmed that the leaders of the towns were standing up. Both sides walked back towards their respective herds of towns, and then started distributing instructions to their subordinates. I saw a few townsfolk dash off towards the building where I knew we stored unusual and valuable materials, while a few others started to spread through the village. Several of them started to round up townsfolk that I didn’t recognize… and a moment later, Felix also started sharing images via communication bracelet.
In Felix’s vision, I saw one of the town warriors knock on the door. After Felix’s parents opened it, the man gave Felix’s parents and Felix a grin.
“Felix, are you still interested in acquiring a crafting class?” asked the warrior.
Felix fervently nodded.
“You’re in luck! We’ve arranged a trade with the town we encountered. They seem to be peaceful, although you should keep an eye out for treachery. We have two options - [Blacksmith] or [Woodcarver]. Which one do you want more?”
Felix sent a wave of joy through the bracelet.
<[Wood Carver], obviously,> said Felix.
Felix informed the warrior of his decision, and the warrior led Felix and his parents to a group of other townsfolk. I used my spatial sight to keep an eye on Felix as the soldier led Felix and the other townsfolk to the other side’s ember, just in case they tried anything shady. Fortunately, neither side tried to double cross the other. The process of Felix acquiring a spark looked remarkably similar to the process I had gone through when acquiring a spark - with the only major difference being that the other town’s [Priest] handled the process, instead of our town’s [Priest]. Meanwhile, both herds of towns delivered several rounds of resources to each other. Both sides kept their weapons ready and their guard up during the trading process, but nothing happened.
Twelve hours later, our two embers sprang back to life. I could still see that both embers wanted to consume each other, but they seemed helpless to actually start a fight if the humans following them didn’t do anything. The two embers gave up, and started to drift apart again. I saw several warriors remain tense until the other ember finally disappeared… and then I grinned.
No conflict had broken out. More importantly, Felix finally had his spark.
Everything had turned out for the best, at least this time.