Chapter 374: Chapter 374
"You go up, place this on top, make it inconspicuous, and don’t let anyone discover it."
Xi Qianxue handed a pitch-black object to Du You. It looked like it was polished from a chunk of coal, yet somewhat different.
"What is this?" Du You asked, holding the object.
"It is an alchemical product, capable of recording images, but can only record once. The advantage is that it can’t be falsified, it’s more conclusive as evidence than anything else."
"So we’re spying. Does this world have such things?"
Knowing what Du You was worried about, Xi Qianxue quickly explained, "This is indeed a product of this world. It’s very valuable, even scarce in Border City. It’s obtained in exchange for exceeding merits. Don’t worry, I won’t use something that doesn’t exist in this world as evidence. That could easily cause trouble."
This wasn’t something only Xi Qianxue had done, many others had done the same.
But once they used items that far exceeded the natives’ understanding, it could cause quite a bit of trouble. Unlucky ones may even suffer great losses and ruin their own missions.
With his worries now laid to rest, Du You summoned Xiaozi to fly up. In a hidden place, it quietly dug a small hole with a dagger and placed the object inside.
Who would pay attention to such a place? Who would lay traps in a cave for no reason? So it would never raise anyone’s suspicion. They stayed in the vicinity for the next two days.
Two days later, the person they were waiting for appeared on time. As Wood Shield City and Border City prepared for negotiations, important figures from the former showed up at their location. "They’re here." Xiaodie suddenly spoke.
When her Earth Elemental bugs, strategically placed in the distance detected the ground shaking, Lan Xiaodie was immediately alerted. After confirming it was them, she informed Du You and the others without delay.
"Everything is set up, right?" Xi Qianxue asked lightly.
"Don’t worry. Once the trap is sprung, very few of them will be able to withstand it," Daniu responded.
"Well done. Let’s enter and be quiet. Don’t make any noise."
After Xi Qianxue gave her orders, the group quietly entered the cave, meticulously erasing any signs of their presence along the way. They found a quiet spot in a small cave behind a larger one. They wore something similar to gas masks to muffle their breaths.
Not long after, a group of people entered the cave, the humans leading the way.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man, a nobleman from Wood Shield City. By his side was a young man of apparent high status, but his identity was unknown.
"Will they come? What if they fight?" The young man inquired.
"Luya, you’re the son of the city lord, you must be responsible. These goods are extremely important to the beastmen; they will certainly come. Because the goods are from Border City, we can use the beastmen’s power against Border City."
"But why are we against Border City? And what’s the benefit for us?"
The middle-aged noble scoffed: "Of course, it’s beneficial. If we beat Border City and dominate the entire North territory, we can even take this chance to form a country."
The ambitions of these frontier nobles are indeed great. "By then, your father will be the new king, and you can become a prince. However, you should know, the more you want to gain, the more you’ll have to give."
Luya, who was initially worried, now had ambition blazing in his eyes. "Uncle Enbas, I understand. I will fulfill my duty as a prince should."
Enbas was delighted to see Luya’s fear vanish.
Before long, footsteps echoed at the entrance. A human leading several beastmen entered the cave.
The beastman in the front was a Tiger Person. It was well-known that they were royalty among the beastmen. Even the most insignificant person among them showing up here was unlikely. Fresh chapters posted on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Ah, Marshal Black Tiger, I had no idea you would grace us with your presence this time."
The tag hanging from this guy’s neck read 10th level - the highest level. Not a single person on the human side was at this level. However, this was a negotiation, not a fight.
"Speak. What happened this time? Why did our food supplies suddenly disappear?"
"We deeply regret this. Our supply line was attacked by people from Border City. All the food was taken by them, so we’re making new arrangements."
"Hmph, Border City people again. What do you plan to do? Need any help?"
"Of course. If we start a joint military operation."
Black Tiger rejected outright: "We’re currently resting and recovering; we cannot deploy troops. That’s national policy, which no one can change. But we can help. I have an elite assassination squad which you can use."
Hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up. The assassination squad under Black Tiger was infamous. Their arrival on the battlefield had once been a nightmare for all humans, and now it could be mobilized.
"In appreciation of your trust, we will increase your food supplies by thirty percent once they’re retrieved."
Black Tiger nodded slightly without showing obvious excitement, disappointing Enbas.
"This is a pact. We can sign it right now."
"No, I’ve said it before, we don’t sign pacts. It’s better for both of us. Don’t worry, we beastmen won’t renege on our promises like humans do. We will do what we say."
Not having a pact had been anticipated by Enbas, since the beastmen had always operated that way. Moreover, a pact would be more likely to leave evidence, which could be disadvantageous to their growth. Without a pact tying them down, nobody could challenge their actions against the beastmen once they had expanded their power.
So both sides parted satisfied. After discussing a few details, Black Tiger prepared to take his leave.
"My team will be there tomorrow. It’s best not to see each other too much after this."
Not wishing for too much contact with the beastmen and vice versa, Enbas nodded: "We won’t meet that often — only a few times at most." He raised his glass in a respectful gesture as Enbas.
Their negotiation was over, and all the evidence had been recorded. Now it was time to execute them.