Section 016: Exchange and Alliance

Registration was now complete. The registrar collected the register and returned to the back hall, leaving only the tribe leaders in the guest room. The troublesome NPCs had all departed—now was the perfect opportunity for these players to exchange words in private. Clearly, the chiefs shared the same intent; none left the room, each harboring their own thoughts, but not one willing to take the initiative to speak.

After a brief silence...

The first to rise was Slanted Radish, who stood at Li Zhan’s side. He cleared his throat and said, “Ahem, my tribe, Slanted, has a large supply of honey for sale—available in top and mid-grade. We welcome trades for wood or grain, especially wood—the price is negotiable.”

Honey, in the game, was classified as a condiment, not a vital resource. Given the current state of the various tribes, none would be willing to trade their foundational resources—wood or grain—for such a nonessential luxury. Yet Slanted Radish’s words broke the ice. Immediately, the other chiefs stood and began to speak as well, most discussions centering around resource exchanges. Of these, wood and grain were the most sought-after barter. Some tribes were rich in wood but short on food, others the opposite; thus, exchange naturally achieved a balance.

Li Zhan’s Yanhuang Tribe was not currently lacking in wood, but he had grand plans to expand his navy. Besides, their grain stores were always abundant—even without counting raw fish as a food resource. Thus, he quickly struck a deal with the chief of a tribe called Gale, trading grain for wood at a one-to-one ratio.

The Gale Tribe, as its name suggested, was also built along the Han River, upstream from Li Zhan’s location. He’d chosen this tribe for the convenience of water transport, which was more efficient than land, with a greater carrying capacity. Their first trade involved three hundred units: three hundred grain for three hundred wood. Shortly after, Gale’s sister, Windchime, also reached an agreement with Li Zhan—two hundred grain for two hundred wood. Her tribe, named after herself, was not on the riverbank, but close to her brother’s. She could ship the wood to her brother, who would then use fishing boats to deliver it to Yanhuang.

With five hundred units of wood secured in one go, Li Zhan felt his naval expansion plan had taken a solid step forward; his reserves were now sufficient to meet his expectations. All that remained was to wait for the tribe to upgrade, then he could start building arrow boats. As for grain, though supplies were a bit tight for the moment, most of his villagers were skilled in farming and weaving—soon, prosperity would return.

During these exchanges, two tribes announced they possessed coal and iron—two vital mineral resources—and sought to trade. However, their asking prices were exorbitant, giving the impression they were more interested in showing off than making deals. The two tribe chiefs held their heads high, exuding arrogance.

Li Zhan found this amusing. If he’d possessed such strategic resources, he’d have hidden them away, not flaunted them. These two, by parading their fortunes so openly, were only inviting trouble—jealous players would never let such an opportunity slip by.

Li Zhan glanced around, observing the reactions of the others. As expected, a few players shot furtive, greedy glances at the two show-offs.

The exchange continued for over ten minutes. During this time, each tribe’s business partners arrived in the guest room, standing beside their respective chiefs, haggling and seizing the chance to promote their own tribes and form alliances.

At this moment, Lei Long, chief of the downstream Thunderclap Tribe, rose to his feet and declared in a loud voice, “Our Thunderclap Tribe is among the strongest in Danyang County. I, Lei Long, am fond of making friends and despise those who throw their weight around—especially the arrogant NPCs among us.” He paused deliberately, sweeping his gaze over the assembled chiefs.

The others, hearing Lei Long’s words, looked about to confirm there were indeed no NPCs nearby before breathing a sigh of relief. Though his sentiments matched their own, it was rather reckless to voice such thoughts so openly, particularly in the magistrate’s guest room.

Lei Long snorted and continued, “One day I, Lei Long, will personally wipe out those obnoxious NPCs! If any chief here shares my resolve, step forward now! Thunderclap Tribe is ready to form a brotherhood alliance—live and die together, never betray each other!”

The chiefs exchanged uneasy glances; their business partners whispered into their ears. Yet despite Lei Long’s bold proposal, not one person stood up. While many agreed with his ideas and had entertained similar notions, Lei Long struck them as too impulsive—a risky ally.

Slanted Radish leaned over and whispered to Li Zhan, “That hothead never thinks before he acts. If you ask me, anyone who allies with him is just cannon fodder waiting to happen.”

Li Zhan said nothing, but a plan was already taking shape in his mind.

Seeing their leader’s speech met with silence, Lei Long’s three lieutenants hurried to back him up—

“Our Thunderclap Tribe’s overall strength is second to none—ranked 451st in the Chinese region, and 4,557,815th worldwide, climbing hundreds of places daily.”

“Anyone who joins Thunderclap is making the right choice. Our boss, Lei Long, is a true man of honor—he won’t let you down.”

“What are you all waiting for? Don’t hesitate! Miss this chance, and you won’t get another. If it were me, I’d have jumped at the chance to ally with Thunderclap already—where else would you find such a deal?”

The three did their best to drum up support, but Lei Long waved them to silence. He looked around, frowning, and was about to speak when he saw Li Zhan, chief of the Yanhuang Tribe, quietly rise to his feet.

A glimmer of hope sparked in Lei Long’s eyes; the other players looked on in surprise. Even Slanted Radish, beside Li Zhan, was stunned. “Brother Li, you…” he started, only to be silenced by Li Zhan’s gesture.

Lei Long chuckled, “Brother, although your tribe’s development has been a bit slow, I’m not a snob. Rest assured, from now on, Thunderclap and Yanhuang are brother tribes. My word is my bond!”

Li Zhan smiled in return. “Thank you for your kind offer, Chief Lei Long, but that’s not why I stood up.”