Chapter 502

Chapter 502: Fur Trade

After meeting this brother and sister, the two caravans began to travel together.

Lolan Hill wanted to meet several shamans of the large tribes, and the Lamia Chamber was also going to those large tribes for procurement and trade.

The horse-drawn wagons formed a long snake-like line leading to the tents in the distance.

Most of these large felt tents were white, with vertical wooden poles around them, covered with felt cloth, topped with a round conical roof, very similar to the buildings in the grasslands that the young lady remembered.

Perhaps this was inevitable due to the environment. Even without inheriting past knowledge, creatures in the present era had developed something similar.

The caravan stopped at the outskirts of the tent cluster. A tall, muscular man wearing a fur vest walked out. He had two large upward-curving horns on either side of his head, and strange tattoos all over his body, giving him a powerful and oppressive aura.

“Long time no see, Horland.” The orc with bull horns, nearly three meters tall, extended his rough hand and shook hands with Horland. It was like a giant facing a chick.

“It’s been three years. I didn’t expect Chizhu to have grown so much taller,” Horland looked at the young bull-horned man who was almost unrecognizable compared to their similar sizes three years ago.

“Hahaha.” The muscular man laughed loudly, his voice echoing for miles around.

“These past two years have been better. Forget it, let’s not talk about it. Come inside and discuss business. You’re here to purchase goods, right?”

“Yes.”

After they started walking in, Horland suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” The man asked, his voice deep and resonant.

“I almost forgot, there are two more people coming. One is my sister, and the other is also a leader of a trade caravan.”

After saying this, Horland greeted them, and his attendant ran to notify the rear. Then, the doors of two carriages opened, and two girls stepped out—one was Mei’er, and the other was Lolan Hill.

A few people entered the tall felt tent and sat around the open space in the middle, beginning their discussion.

“This is Miss Lacya, the leader of the Lagatis Caravan. We met by chance on the road, and she was kind enough to join us,” Horland introduced her.

“Lacya, this is Chizhu, the son of the chief of the Red Horn Tribe, a branch of the Bull Horn Clan.”

“Greetings,” Lacya bowed slightly and glanced at the interior of the felt tent, which was quite spacious. The remaining white ash in the center suggested it was used for barbecuing and daily life.

“Greetings.”

Chizhu nodded. Although he was surprised by the girl’s appearance, he was more concerned about the Lamia Chamber’s transactions this year, as it directly affected the tribe’s livelihood for the next year.

“How much merchandise will the Lamia Chamber buy this year?”

“Hehe, you know as well. As long as the quality is good, we’ll take whatever is available,” Horland said generously.

The bull-horned man sat grandly on a thick wooden chair, raising his large palm and then speaking.

“This year is different from before. Our production is definitely sufficient, but I wonder if Young Master Horland can afford the price.”

Chizhu leaned back in a chair made of thick logs, recalling this year’s harvest, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.

Since two years ago, when the Flame Songstress brought new grass seeds, various tribes on the grasslands competed to plant them. This grass called alfalfa was a divine gift, capable of growing on any land with extremely high yields, no longer requiring rotation of pastures.

As a result, the grassland’s arable land doubled or even quadrupled, providing ample buffer for previous conflicts.

In the past two years, livestock production gradually increased, indicating that this was just the beginning.

Of course, he couldn’t reveal everything to this ‘old acquaintance.’ If the other party knew the specific market conditions, they would surely take advantage and lower the price. The best approach was to sign a long-term supply contract to ensure good prices for the next few years.

Many outsiders thought the Bull Horns were simpletons, but in fact, there were many smart individuals among them. Chizhu was one such example, with a keen mind beneath his rugged exterior.

“Oh, it seems your tribe has done well this year.”

Horland was slightly surprised. Merchants like him knew roughly what was happening on the grasslands through their business dealings. Seeing Chizhu’s confident demeanor, it was likely that they had defeated several neighboring tribes in the past two years, acquiring many pastures and spoils.

“Can I see the goods first?”

“No problem.” Chizhu pushed himself up using the armrests of his chair and led the three out of the large tent to the warehouse where the tribe stored its goods.

Lifting the waterproof thick cloth, the bundled furs were displayed before everyone. Chizhu casually pulled out a few pieces and placed them on a table nearby for Horland, Lolan Hill, and the others to examine.

Horland picked them up carefully, examining them closely, feeling their texture, and smelling their scent. His method was quite proficient. Mei’er and Lolan Hill stood by, only lightly touching them and not doing anything further.

Mei’er did this because she trusted her brother’s skills, while Lolan Hill relied on her system and extraordinary perception, making it unnecessary to do more to understand the condition of the goods.

Although she remained composed on the surface, the young lady shook her head inwardly.

These furs might have been good originally, but the tanning techniques were too crude, resulting in poor quality. They could even rot over long storage. She had seen similar goods recently at the border market.

Animal skins, after being stripped, contained fat, flesh, and other impurities, and were not clean. There were even odors.

To truly make coats or blankets, one needed to start with cleaning, washing, soaking, tanning, reshaping, dyeing, and preserving—there was once a complete process in ancient civilization.

In this world, although advanced fields benefited from extraordinary powers, providing products and services comparable to the past, ordinary civilian areas still had a long way to go.

“Very high-quality goods!”

After inspecting several pieces, Horland couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up and praise loudly. He seemed very satisfied.

“Hahaha, I told you so, little brother.” Chizhu also laughed heartily, slapping Horland on the shoulder, causing the latter to shudder. Fortunately, Horland had Sequence 2 strength and wasn’t knocked down.

“Then let’s sign the contract for the next two years.”

After putting down the furs, Chizhu and Horland headed to another large tent, where wine and a feast were prepared to discuss matters over food.

Lolan Hill watched the two men chat and leave the tent. Knowing the current situation on the grasslands, she naturally understood Chizhu’s intentions and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

It seemed there were quite a few smart individuals among these orcs.

But that was fine; at least smart people could reason. If they were stubborn, she really wouldn’t know what to do.

Thank you to Aglietti, Gray Ash V, fihdz, Xiao Dao Kan Tian Xia, Maple Bridge Night Mooring, Ke Li, Meng Die Ting Yu Mian, Flura, and eight other readers for your support.

Special thanks to reader Aglietti for your support. I will add an extra chapter tomorrow.