Chapter 149: Trade
As they carefully navigated the icy ground, they made sure not to drive too fast.
Thankfully, they moved quickly enough to leave the bear’s territory behind. On the way back, they caught two nets full of fish downstream.
These fish were similar to the ones they had caught before, with only a few species unique to the river in the bear’s territory.
They tossed the fish into the truck bed alongside the bears and drove back to Xiong An Tian’s place.
By the time they reached the outskirts of the Black Gold Base, it was already dark.
Xiong An Tian was shocked when he saw them. His eyes nearly popped out when he saw the loot in the truck bed.
Turning to Yan Xi Nian, he exclaimed, “Yan, your strength is incredible!”
“Keep it down,” Yan Xi Nian replied wearily. “We need to stay the night at your place. Charge us whatever you like for the room and for watching over the truck. Thanks.”
“No problem!” Xiong An Tian said, rubbing his hands. “The room you stayed in last time is still available. Just head up, and I’ll keep an eye on things down here.”
Yan Xi Nian patted his shoulder. “Thanks for your help.”
After entrusting the truck to Xiong An Tian, the group slung their heavy backpacks over their shoulders. Xiong An Tian smelled the blood from their packs but didn’t ask any questions, pretending not to notice.
As they headed upstairs, they bumped into Mai Dong on his way down.
Yan Xi Nian thanked him, “Thanks for the map and the information. I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow.”
Mai Dong, looking conflicted, said, “No need to thank me. I didn’t expect you’d have the strength to fight bears.”
“It was just a sneak attack,” Yan Xi Nian replied modestly, too exhausted for more conversation. After a brief exchange, he and the others continued upstairs.
Just as Yan Xi Nian stepped onto the last stair, Mai Dong called out, “Captain Yan.”
Yan Xi Nian turned back.
Mai Dong hesitated, but under Xia Huo Qu’s calm gaze, he seemed to feel a strange sense of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Would you consider selling the bear meat and fish outside the base? There’s no tax if you sell here.”
Yan Xi Nian wasn’t surprised. “If we sell here, what do people typically trade?”
“Whatever people inside the Black Gold Base offer: weapons, instruments, seeds, black gold coins… Whatever you need, they can trade it,” Mai Dong explained, gripping the stair railing for support.
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “That’s good to hear. We’d rather not pay the hefty entry fees to sell inside the Black Gold Base if people here can handle it.”
Mai Dong offered, “Shall I notify people nearby?”
“If you don’t mind. Is it possible to do it tonight? I’d like to sell all the bear meat before the night is over.”
Mai Dong nodded and limped off to spread the word.
Watching him leave, Xia Lu Nong quietly asked, “Is it safe to trade bear meat here?”
“It wouldn’t be safe in the Black Gold Base either,” Xia Huo Qu whispered. “We’ll need to go back to the bears’ habitat in a few days and bring everything to the Black Gold Base for trade. It’s too risky.”
Xia Lu Nong narrowed his eyes, looking out the window. “I’m a bit worried about being double-crossed.”
Yan Xi Nian patted Xia Lu Nong’s back. “Don’t worry. We know what we’re doing. You and Kong Zhi should get some rest.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him, then at his brother, said nothing, and left with Kong Zhi to head to their room.
At Xiong An Tian’s place, there were rooms with hot water and even hair dryers.
Xia Lu Nong first washed up in his human form, then, suppressing his natural dislike of water, transformed into a cat to clean his fur with a damp towel. Once his fur was dried and sleek, he curled up in Kong Zhi’s arms and fell asleep, now a glossy, well-groomed big cat.
He was extremely tired, and after falling asleep, he even started snoring lightly.
Kong Zhi looked much better off than him. Even while asleep, he kept half an ear out for any disturbances outside.
Xia the cat was awakened by the noisy voices outside in the night.
He opened his emerald-green eyes and turned his head to look around. Kong Zhi was no longer in the room, but it wasn’t dark.
He glanced around and noticed an orange-yellow light shining in from the window.
The streetlights outside had come on at some point.
He quickly ran to the window, where he saw his brother and a few others outside by the truck bed, swapping bear meat.
Most of the people coming to trade were strong young men, all carrying bags or clutching items, looking very vigilant.
Xia the cat peeked out from the window for a while.
Kong Zhi was the first to notice him and waved at him.
Xia the cat quickly pulled his head back inside.
He shifted back into human form, layered on several pieces of clothing, and then, carrying his backpack, headed downstairs.
He still looked sleepy since he hadn’t slept long enough.
When Xiong An Tian and the others saw him coming down, they warmly greeted him.
Xia Lu Nong politely nodded and walked over to the truck.
Many people just glanced at him before quickly focusing their attention elsewhere.
Xia Lu Nong had rarely seen so many people look so tense.
Many of those lining up to exchange for bear and fish meat were overly cautious.
Judging by the expressions on their faces, it seemed as though they were ready to draw weapons at any moment.
Xia Lu Nong then looked over at his brother and the others.
His brother and the group appeared much more relaxed as they calmly appraised the items everyone brought for trade.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t really have anything to help with, so he just stood to the side watching.
Kong Zhi moved a chair over for him to sit on.
Mai Dong and the others were maintaining order nearby.
Perhaps it was their presence, but no one in the line caused any trouble.
Mai Dong and the others had already spread the word in advance.
Most of the people trading bear meat brought various instruments.
There were many instruments scattered across the wilderness, most of them now unclaimed.
Normally, these instruments wouldn’t fetch much at the Black Gold Base market, but since Xia Huo Qu and the others were interested, people brought them for trade.
Xia Huo Qu’s group would only accept one piece of each type of instrument.
If someone earlier in the line had already traded an instrument, those in the back would have to bring something else to trade.
Later on, people began offering various animal meats and seeds.
Many of the seeds weren’t the optimized ones from the Black Gold Base but were instead found in the wild.
Xia Huo Qu’s group didn’t turn anyone away; as long as they were crop seeds, they were willing to trade, though the amount of bear meat they offered in exchange varied.
Bear meat, rich in energy, promoted the growth of beastmen.
The bear meat they offered was in high demand, with people even traveling from farther away to get in line.
Besides seeds and meat, they also traded for a variety of weapons, armor, and supplies.
By around 1 a.m., they had traded away all the bear and fish meat they had on hand.
Several latecomers, seeing the empty truck bed, looked disappointed and asked if they would be hunting bears again.
Yan Xi Nian smiled and said, “We’ll see.”
After trading all the bear meat, the group finally stopped to rest.
Their dinner and midnight snack consisted of pan-fried bear meat.
Like pan-frying steak, Xia Lu Nong placed the bear meat in the pan, using oil and sauce to fry it until it was crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Bear meat contained a lot of fat, and frying it brought out a unique aroma.
Mai Dong and the others had been helping out all evening.
When Xia Lu Nong made the midnight snack, he made some for them as well.
At the table, Yan Xi Nian asked Mai Dong, “Life here is really tough. Have you ever thought about moving somewhere else?”
Mai Dong asked, “Where to? Your base?”
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “Our base doesn’t have many people, and we’re in need of more. If you’re willing to come, we’d be happy to welcome you with open arms.”
Mai Dong hesitated for a moment and then said, “Everyone has worked so hard to gather near the Black Gold Base. I’m afraid we don’t have the courage to take such a risk.”
Yan Xi Nian said, “The Black Gold Base is growing larger, and the resources nearby are dwindling. Life here will likely only get harder.”
Xiong An Tian couldn’t help but interject, “Captain Yan, what’s your base like? I heard you even have a communal dining hall where everyone can eat?”
“Yes,” Yan Xi Nian nodded, “Everyone at our base can eat until they’re full, and even have meat once a month. Though the meat is of lower quality, since we have many elderly and children.”
“Wow, just having meat is a blessing! Who cares about quality?” Xiong An Tian sniffed, “Do you have many wild animals and mutated plants around your base?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Not many. We focus on clearing the areas near the base to ensure everyone’s safety. But since there aren’t many people near us, if you want to hunt, you’ll need to go further out. Just this autumn, we caught dozens of mutated sheep.”
He briefly introduced the area around their base, and Xiong An Tian’s group listened with bright eyes.
After the midnight snack, everyone’s expressions shifted subtly.
They had already traded all the bear and fish meat they had.
After moving the traded supplies into the room, the group went back to sleep.
Looking at the messy pile of goods they’d traded for, Xia Lu Nong asked, “So, did we end up making a loss just for the sake of reputation?”
Yan Xi Nian patted his shoulder, “You could see it that way.”
Xia Huo Qu said calmly, “Taking the bear meat to the Black Gold Base wouldn’t have made much difference. It’s just that the supplies we got this time are more varied.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced between the two and asked, “Brother, are you really thinking of recruiting people to our base?”
“Why not try?” Xia Huo Qu said. “The base does need to expand, and we need diverse talents. Did you notice Mai Dong’s leg injury?”
Xia Lu Nong nodded.
Mai Dong’s foot injury was too obvious; it was hard not to notice.
Xia Huo Qu said, “In just two days, he’s already walking with a limp. This means there’s someone around here with decent medical skills. Looking at this place, they don’t lack water, electricity, gas, or weapons, so it’s unlikely that Black Gold Base sent technicians to help maintain everything.”
Hearing this, Xia Lu Nong immediately understood, “So that means there’s a hidden tech team here?”
“Not just that,” Xia Huo Qu continued, “Unlike our base, this place is almost entirely made up of young people. This means if they’re willing to come back with us, they’ll become strong labor as soon as they arrive.”
