“How are you? If you’re not okay, rest a little more!”
Half a day has passed since Alyon opened his eyes, and during that time, he never took his eyes off the ceiling of the tent. However, after Nafız called out to him, he proceeded to get up and put on his armor.
“Did you take off the armor? I’ve started to bother you a lot now!”
Alyon, speaking with a dirty grin, made Nafız upset.
“Unfortunately no, I have deemed worthy of this honor to the Orcs of the supply department we came out of. While their hands still haven’t lost the warmth of the s*** they’ve collected, they carried you this far and took care of you.”
Completing his words, Nafız came out without seeing more of Alyon’s body parts. Only Pigtail could approach the prohibited area, and when he came to pick up the meat to be distributed today, he also heard of Alyon waking up. Pigtail was delighted that both of his saviors were fine, as he had some important news to give to Nafız.
Today was one of the days when the merchant visited the tribe every three months. Previously, only the tribal chief met with the merchant. He was very nervous as he had no experience in this matter. He was afraid that if the female orc, who called himself Nafız, opened the subject, it would turn out to be wrong. Her action ten days ago was still fresh in memories.
Receiving the news, Alyon urgently ordered the chief’s tent to be repaired. The new tent, which was built to replace the old one, was completed quickly. The preparation was over before the merchant arrived, as Alyon had requested.
“It looks like something happened here, Sasha!”
The merchant was overseeing his surroundings while talking to the golden-haired young man next to him. The merchant, who entered the tribe with an automated vehicle resembling a train locomotive, had two more wagons behind him.
“Yes, Mr. Dimitri, there is a much smaller tent now in place of the chief’s tent. I think there was a civil war in the tribe; it would be our best to be careful.”
“Even in this desolate place at the end of the world, has there been a power struggle?”
Realizing what was happening, the merchant was moving forward without showing any signs of fear. When he saw Pigtail welcoming them in front of the chief’s tent, his expression changed, and the merchant seemed to be in a minor shock.
“Where is Chief Ayıboğan? Why isn’t he here to meet me?”
Dimitri, who was familiar with his internal affairs because he had been trading with the tribe for a long time, was very disturbed by the reception of an orc from the supplies department.
“The chef is inside waiting for you.”
Looking at the merchant with unexpressive eyes, Pigtail opened the door with his hand and showed the way. The merchant and his assistant entered, and their anger grew even more at the sight they saw.
“As if it wasn’t enough that you didn’t greet us at the door, do you want to meet while playing with your woman? Who do you think you are?”
When Sasha saw Alyon and Nafız waiting in the tent, he shouted in a voice filled with arrogance. The fuss created by the person entering through the door was enough to make Nafız’s nerves jump.
“How many times do I have to tell those at the door that pets are not allowed? Look at that little dog; it’s already barking.”
After what he heard, Sasha was about to make a move to pull his weapon, a feeling of warmth in his throat. The blood-red whip in the hand of the orc who had just humiliated him was wrapped around his neck. Sasha, finding himself face down before he had time to react, began to turn purple because he could not breathe.
“What is going on here? If something happens to us, you can’t save your life.
Alyon yelled as Dimitri started making threats as his aide was dying.
“You have entered the tent of an orc chief. Merchant, how long will you wait to pay your respects?”
The loudness of the voice shook Dimitri. Feeling his internal organs shifting, the merchant hurriedly dropped to one knee.
“I am Dimitri from the Golden Leaf trade guild guarded by mercenaries. We are honored to be in your presence with my assistant, Sasha.”
After the merchant’s presentation, Alyon signaled Nafız to loosen the whip.
“Then let’s assume what happened as a misunderstanding. My name is Alyon, and the name of my friend next to me is Nafız.”
When Alyon finished her speech, the whip went back to Nafız’s bracelet. Seeing this scene, Dimitri could not prevent his right eye from twitching.
“Replaceable equipment! How can there be such a magnificent piece of equipment in the hands of an orc in this desolate tribe?”
Nafız, who laughed at the merchant’s reaction, said, “Can we start trading now?”
The merchant realized that the two Orcs were not as simple as they seemed.
“We had a fixed agreement with the previous chief. Will we continue in the same way, or will we have to talk about the terms again? “
Alyon said, “We didn’t have the opportunity to discuss these issues with the previous chef. I ask you to explain the terms of the agreement between you.”
Nafız watched with a smile as Sasha gathered up and took his place with the merchant.
“Sir, I have two wagons of pure steel weapons in my load. Previous agreement; it was one by 20 for claws, horns, and teeth. I sincerely wish to meet you on a common point.”
Hearing the circumstances, Alyon sighed profoundly and made eye contact with Nafız beside him. Because of their heritage, they knew the commercial value of all substances found in this world. Ayıboğan, who had been robbed for years because of his ignorance, starved his tribe in vain.
So how much were you paying for wild creature crystals?
Dimitri’s eyes widened at the question he heard. He didn’t know what to say.
“Since we came here to trade, we were received by the previous chef as a gift.”
Nafız burst out violently.
“Thieves, how can you get such a thing for free?”
Wild creature crystals, whose primary function was weapon-making, played a vital role in developing totem and transformation techniques. The exchange of such a valuable item for free was not an everyday occurrence.
“These friends are merchants. Wouldn’t it be a little unfair to blame them for their customers’ ignorance?”
Alyon spoke to calm Nafız, who had been sternly at his merchant and his assistant. The trader, who took a sigh of relief due to the chef’s approach protecting them, realized that the conditions would change and took action.
“Sir, we must continue our new business under brand new conditions. Can you share your views on this subject with us?”
Feeling that he could lose his life at any moment in his environment, the trader started to keep a low profile.
“From now on, claw, horn, teeth, and fur will be traded as one by 8. I hope you don’t ignore the goodwill that I recommend a higher than normal rate because of the tribe’s position!”
As Alyon announced the new prices, he had not neglected to threaten.
“Of course, sir, it is our pleasure to trade at the odds you say. How much do you want to buy today?”
Receiving a bid above two units of standard rates, the trader realized that the chief left space for him. Even though rates remained well below previous years, the tribe still expressed good value commercially.
Nafız got up from her seat and threw a small bag in front of the merchant.
“Here are twenty semi-conscious monster essences. You can unload the wagons in front of the tent.”
Unlike the deal with Alyon, there were no gaps for the trader this time around. If the transaction ended this way, the trader would not be earned anything. Realizing the trader’s predicament, Alyon ended his silence.
“Dude, we will ask you to provide some material and information for us.”
Completing his word, Alyon handed over the piece of leather with the long list to the merchant’s assistant. Reading the list, Dimitri could not hide his astonishment.
Where could the two Orcs have learned the items and herbs on the list? How could they know so much about other civilizations while living at the end of the world?
Some of Alyon’s list items consisted of various plants, war technique books, and unique materials. The remainder requested information on hidden issues and current situations about the World of Six Civilizations.
“Sir, I can get the full list within a month, except for the information about the Mercenaries Golden City. With forgiveness, I am asking, how will you pay for this list?”
Looking at the desired products, Dimitri calculated that even the half-wagon wild creature crystal would be insufficient. Nafız opened the lid of the chest next to her and called out to the merchant.
“Would you like to come and check it yourself?”
Dimitri, who got up and proceeded to the ballot box with uneasy steps, could not control his excitement when he saw the contents.
“Are these his horns?”
—————————————————————————————————————–
I have no shortage other than myself.
Franz Kafka
