Chapter 236 – Jackal
Of course, Zhao Hai definitely didn’t know about the thoughts of the two women. Under that atmosphere, however, he could only continue to think about being intimate with Laura, so he left the tent. Naturally, that feeling had also tapered off.
After he left the tent, Zhao Hai breathed in some fresh air and looked around. He discovered that some Pig tribe women were already awake at this early hour and were busy with tasks around the camp. Some of them crowded together to milk the sheep, some were nursing the lambs, and some were cleaning the mess from yesterday’s feast. When they saw Zhao Hai leave his tent, they greeted him and Zhao Hai hastily greeted them back.
One would have to say that the ordinary life of a beastfolk was still very hard. Take Spear and this tribe; there were no slaves so they had to do everything themselves. Moreover, their main source of income came from selling argali. Selling wool was their secondary source.
Wool products from the beastfolk were famous on the continent. It didn’t only maintain warmth due the thickness, but were also strong and durable. More importantly, the surface patterns had strong beastfolk characteristics; giving off a rugged and mysterious, exotic beauty. All of this made it very popular.
The wool products, however, didn’t have a very unified production line. Instead, they were all made by hand by beastfolk using techniques handed down since ancient times. They manufactured them bit by bit. These sheepskin products wasn’t their only main sources of income, but was also a part of their lives.
Zhao Hai didn’t watch the women as they worked. His eyes were aimed at the mount Spear had used, as well as those dogs.
Those dogs were similar to another type of dog from Zhao Hai’s previous world—the mastiff. They did seem much fiercer than a mastiff, however, and this could be attributed to them being magic beasts.
Spear’s mount made Zhao Hai even more curious. They seemed like relatives to the wild boar and were really big. Based on Zhao Hai’s view, they almost seemed like a smaller version of an elephant. What’s even rarer was that they were quick. This was a very good mount.
Maybe it was due to him and Spear drinking last night, but whether it were the dogs or the pig, they didn’t show any hostility towards Zhao Hai. Several of the dogs even wagged their tails before Zhao Hai.
At this time, Spear’s voice sounded, “Brother Zhao Hai, you’re up really early. Were you happy with yesterday’s drinking?”
Zhao Hai turned to Spear. He couldn’t help but show a faint smile, saying, “Brother Spear, you didn’t get up late as well. Last night was the happiest I’ve been since birth. I’m truly thankful for your hospitality.”
Spear patted Zhao Hai’s shoulders forcefully and said, “Brother Zhao Hai, you are too polite! Entertaining a friend is an honor for our beastfolk race. Hahahaha.”
Zhao Hai understood that the beastfolk were straightforward, but with regards to Spear’s enthusiasm when he patted his shoulder, he really couldn’t enjoy it.
Shaking his numb shoulder, Zhao Hai smiled bitterly as he turned his head to smile at Spear. “Then, Brother Spear, I won’t be polite with you. I can give you 25 tonnes of food, but what I want in return are several of the argali and a dog. Also, it would better to also get a mount. What do you think?”
Spear smiled. “No problem. I can give you a dog. The pig is one of our Big Bellied Pig tribe specific and unique war beasts, so I can’t give you one directly. A few days ago, however, one of our pigs had just given birth, so I can give you the piglet and thirty argali. How does that sound to you?”
When Spear finished speaking, he watched and waited for Zhao Hai’s decision. He feared Zhao Hai might not agree since he thought that the transaction would mean a loss on Zhao Hai’s part.
Zhao Hai shook his head. “Brother Spear, you are too polite. Just give me a dog, a pig, two wool blankets, and ten of those argali. The 25 tonnes of food is yours.”
For Zhao Hai, this was enough. The s.p.a.ce could gain three magic beasts, and moreover he would also gain ten argali and two wool blankets. He would also only have to give 25 tonnes of food in return. The things he obtained from this would gain him several hundred gold coins if sold on the continent. It was a profit for them.
Spear didn’t think the same and thought Zhao Hai would suffer a loss. He shook his head and hastily said, “Brother Zhao Hai, you’ll suffer a loss if we do it like this. The beastfolk don’t want their friends to suffer losses, so you must accept thirty argali or more wool blankets. Anything we make, I can give to you.”
Laughing, Zhao Hai patted Spear’s arm—as he was shorter, he couldn’t reach Spear’s shoulder—and said, “Brother Spear, you don’t need to be so polite. Didn’t Laura tell you yesterday that the food had all been produced in my territory? It was planted by me, so I didn’t buy them. The investments are small. Getting ten argali is already a lot. I also can’t let you suffer, right?”
Spear looked at Zhao Hai with complex eyes. He forcefully patted Zhao Hai’s shoulders and said, “Brother Zhao Hai, from today onward, you are this Spear’s true brother. To be honest, it is the first time I’ve ever seen a Terran like you. I’ve seen many Terrans before you, and many of them were like vampires. You are, however, a naturally generous person. I am willing to give you the war flag of our tribe. This isn’t the supplier’s kind of war flag, but a brother’s war flag.”
Zhao Hai stared, puzzled, as he asked, “What’s the difference? I heard that many large caravans obtained war flags from war tribes. Aren’t war flags only used by war tribes?”
Spear laughed. “My brother, your understanding of our beastfolk is too little. Us beastfolk have many kinds of war flags. There are war flags used in war, and we don’t give those away. After all, it represents our honor. Another type, however, will be given to those merchant caravans. Although the war flags look the same, as long as one is a beastfolk, they can see the difference.
“The third type of war flag is a friends.h.i.+p war flag. This war flag isn’t used during wartime, but it instead represents that one has obtained our friends.h.i.+p. A person with this kind of war flag can be said to have obtained the friends.h.i.+p of the beastfolk. As long as a beastfolk sees this kind of war flag, they will know that the person is our beastfolk’s genuine friend. No matter where, he will earn the corresponding respect. Although our Big Bellied Pig tribe is only a normal tribe and not a war tribe, so long as you get our friends.h.i.+p war flag, it’ll be much safer than when you use a merchant’s war flag. This is because the beastfolk wouldn’t attack one of their friends.”
Zhao Hai now understood that the beastfolk had several types of war flags. He wasn’t polite as he smiled and said, “Alright then, brother. Thank you very much.”
Spear laughed. “Brother, you’re too polite. Beastfolk don’t need such politeness. Also, brother, you must still pay attention. Some time ago, I had heard of a nearby Jackal[1] tribe appearing and disappearing. That group is definitely full of robbers and thieves and shouldn’t even be called beastfolk. You must stay careful of these fellows.”
Zhao Hai nodded. With regards to this Jackal tribe, Zhao Hai knew of them due to the beastfolk records[2] that mentioned them. This ethnic race was more cold-blooded than the Snake ethnic race and were more cunning than the Fox ethnic race. They were also a lot crueler than the Wolf ethnic race. Jackals weren’t only disliked by Terrans, but also by the other beastfolk.
The Jackal tribe people were of a very special ethnic race. They weren’t as strong as the Lion race, nor as fast as the Wolf race. Speaking frankly, they also weren’t as cunning as the Fox race. Although they didn’t have abilities to the extent of these three races, their survival capability was the strongest.
Jackal tribe generally lived in the areas of the Beastfolk Prairie with the harshest conditions. To survive, they could only continue to fight, hunt, rob, and kill. If they didn’t do so, then they would starve to death.
No matter what race they faced, so long as they thought they could rob them, they would rob. Moreover, the Jackal tribe had the most outstanding hunters. They were united, patient, and had a different kind of cunning that no other beastfolk had. All of this made them the Beastfolk Prairie’s most notorious hunters, and also the most unpopular ones.
The beastfolk didn’t like them because they robbed relentlessly. Terran merchants didn’t like them because they didn’t leave anyone alive. While other beastfolk might rob them, at the very least they wouldn’t kill you so long as your didn’t offend them. This was because they needed the merchants to continue to transfer grains and food into the prairie.
The Jackal tribe, however, didn’t follow this. They didn’t only rob the commodities, but also robbed the lives of Terrans. They would even kidnap Terran merchants, resulting in many Terran slaves within the prairie. Many of the Terran merchants were kidnapped and held by the Jackal tribe, then sold. It could be said that this was their way to survive. Such an ethnic race was unscrupulous.
Another reason why the Jackal tribe wasn’t welcome by the other beastfolk was due to the fact that they didn’t have their own war flag!
War flags, to the beastfolk, held their honor and represented them. The Jackal tribe, on the other hand, didn’t have their own war flag. This wasn’t to say that they didn’t have war flags. In fact, they had many war flags. These war flags, however, weren’t theirs, but those that had been s.n.a.t.c.hed from the other ethnic races.
They would use these war flags as bait. Weaker beastfolk ethnic group war flags would be used to lure in Terran merchants who came seeking shelter in their camp for the night. They would strike at that time. Among the entirety of the beastfolk, only the Jackal tribe would do such a thing. The other ethnic races, even the most aggressive Wolf race or cunning Fox race, wouldn’t do this. They had their own honor and disdained from such actions.
The Jackal tribe actually enjoyed such tactics. This was because such activities brought them an income. Many Terran merchants would fall for this type of scheme by the Jackal tribe. In the end, the Jackal tribe would swallow their goods.
Notes:
-This chapter was MTL’ed. Please leave a comment for constructive criticisms and advice. Thanks.
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-Please check out the Editor’s footnotes, thanks.
Footnotes:
[1] 豺狗 – Chái gǒu. ↩
[2] Zhao Hai’s lack of knowledge about beastfolk seems more questionable by the chapter.