TPWBI Chapter 127

In the dense forest, amidst the thick grass, a ripple stirred. But no one stepped out.

Hei Lie shot a glance at the deputy beside him. The deputy took the bow from his back, drew an arrow, and aimed toward a certain spot before releasing it.

A sharp scream immediately pierced through the seemingly tranquil grass. Someone leapt out from the thicket, only to hastily crouch back down, still unwilling to come out.

“This arrow was just a warning. If you still refuse to show yourselves, then don’t blame us for being merciless.”

Hei Lie raised his hand. At once, everyone lifted their weapons, readying themselves for an attack.

Silence fell again. Just as Hei Lie’s patience was about to run dry and he was preparing to give the order to strike, the person who had been grazed by the arrow finally stood up.

“W-we’ll come out. We mean no harm.”

The person’s Western Continent tongue carried a thick accent. It was quite different from that of the Western Continent merchant caravans.

Anyone who wasn’t well-versed in that language would have a hard time understanding what they were saying.

After that person stood up, the others followed suit one after another. None of them is holding any weapons.

The people of the Spark Tribe also lowered their weapons, no longer in an attacking stance, though their vigilance remained.

“Who are you people? Why have you been following us?” Yang Yi asked.

“Who we are doesn’t matter,” the man replied. “We just want to make a trade with you.”

Hei Lie gave a short, derisive laugh. “A trade? Or a robbery?”

The man quickly waved his hands. “No, no. We only rob nobles. You’re from the Eastern Continent, and you’re on good terms with Morri. We truly wish to trade with you.”

Hei Lie and Yang Yi exchanged a glance. Morri indeed had connections with certain so-called bandits.

That wasn’t anything unusual. In fact, besides Morri, many other city lords had some degree of dealings with bandits or underworld groups.

Some of those bandits were genuinely vicious and ruthless, but others had been forced into that life, driven to the mountains with no other path to survive.

Someone like Morri, able to openly carve out a territory of his own on the Western Continent, was rare and nearly impossible without powerful backing.

Without the support of the Spark Tribe behind him, it would have been extremely difficult to achieve.

Morri had friendships with several of those bandits who had been forced into their situation. They were all people who had once been poor or born as slaves, so there was a sense of shared understanding between them.

Yang Yi’s group hadn’t gone out of their way to conceal their movements, so it was no surprise that the bandits knew who they were and where they had been traveling.

“What kind of trade do you want to make with us?”

“We want to exchange for tea, silk, essential oils, and coffee,” the bandit said quickly, his tone eager.

Yang Yi smiled. “Those are all high-value goods.”

These items were highly sought after on the Western Continent. It all came with hefty price tags, luxuries reserved for nobles.

Silk and essential oils, in particular, were extremely expensive regardless of quality.

Even in the Spark Tribe, they were considered extravagant. Let alone after being transported all the way across the continent, which only made them even more precious.

Their supply was limited, especially the top-grade varieties, which were often impossible to buy even with money.

Whatever quantities were available would sell out immediately. Demand always far exceeded supply.

Because of that, every trading caravan or tribe had to prepay and place orders in advance. Even then, there were strict limits on how much they could get.

“You’ll have to offer something that truly interests us,” Yang Yi said, still wearing a faint smile, though his tone was firm and unwavering.

“We… we’ve found a kind of plant,” the bandit replied, his gaze flickering evasively. “I think it might be the one you’re looking for.”

Hei Lie raised an eyebrow. “We’re looking for many kinds of plants. Not every one of them is valuable enough to be traded for the goods you mentioned.”

The bandit’s expression darkened. He bent down and picked up a handful of leaves from the ground. “We brought some of its leaves…”

Before he could finish speaking, the leaves in his hand vanished and reappeared in Hei Lie’s hand.

The bandits all stared wide-eyed in shock. This ability was terrifying!

They hadn’t even sensed Hei Lie’s movement. If he had chosen to attack just now, their heads would’ve rolled before they had a chance to react.

“This leaf is…” Hei Lie’s eyes lit up, though he didn’t dare be certain.

Yang Yi, not particularly skilled at identifying plants, handed it to the person beside him, who possessed a plant-type talent.

The plant-type ability user carefully examined the leaf in his hands, then said excitedly, “Divine Envoy! This should be from the rubber tree!”

“Really?”

“It matches the description on the Tree’s record quite well. I think it’s very likely.”

He didn’t dare to be completely certain. After all, he had never seen one with his own eyes, and this was only a leaf.

“What are the characteristics of these trees?” Yang Yi asked.

“If you cut the bark with a knife, a white sap will flow out,” the bandit said quickly. “We brought some of that sap with us, too.”

The bandit picked up a clay jar from the ground. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in Hei Lie’s hand once again.

Even though they already knew about Hei Lie’s ability, the bandits were still utterly stunned.

Incredible! Simply incredible!

It was a good thing they had come to trade and not to rob. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gained a single advantage. They’d only have lost their lives.

When Yang Yi opened the jar, he saw the white liquid inside. A surge of joy instantly lit up his face.

“It’s from a rubber tree!”

Rubber had an enormous range of uses and could be made into countless things. Its value was practically irreplaceable.

Yang Yi had long been searching for it. But even after Han Bing had traveled through so many regions, they had never come across one.

Seeing the expression on Yang Yi’s face, the bandit finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“Are there many of these rubber trees?” Yang Yi asked.

The bandit immediately grew cautious. “There are… many. But I won’t tell you where they are. If there’s something you want, we can supply it to you instead.”

Yang Yi hadn’t expected that before even reaching the royal city, such an enormous surprise would fall right into their hands.

Discovering the rubber tree was a tremendous boon for the development of their tribe.

If nothing else, just the tires they could make from it would make their vehicles much smoother and more shock-resistant.

They could also produce waterproof medical gloves and countless other useful items. Its applications were vast.

This time, Yang Yi’s smile was truly sincere. “I think from now on, you won’t have to live by robbing others. If you plant more of these rubber trees, your lives could become quite good.”

The bandits were overjoyed. They hadn’t become bandits out of greed or cruelty. It was only because survival had left them no other choice.

In fact, their discovery of the rubber trees had come about while they were searching for a way to sustain themselves. It was then that, through Morri, they heard the Spark Tribe was seeking certain rare things.

Morri had a collection of illustrated books and descriptions, all brought by Lan Jian.

The bandit leader had gone through them with a “might as well take a look” attitude. Unexpectedly, he came across a tree that looked exactly like one he had seen before.

But at the time, he had kept silent and shown no reaction. When profit was involved, no one could be easily trusted.

When they had discovered those trees, they were troubled over how to contact the Spark Tribe, only to hear that the Spark Divine Envoy and the chieftain were entering the Western Continent. They hurried over immediately.

Because they didn’t know what kind of people the Spark Tribe were, or whether they would be hostile toward them, they followed quietly from a distance to observe instead of appearing abruptly.

“What you said… is it true?” one of them asked.

Yang Yi raised three fingers toward the sky. “I swear by the righteousness of heaven and earth.”

Right then and there, they signed an agreement. Yang Yi even taught the group how to properly collect rubber.

As long as they gathered enough rubber, they could bring it to the Spark Tribe for trade.

If they couldn’t make it to the Spark Tribe themselves, they could first deliver it to Morri. The Spark Tribe would inform him in advance.

Of course, the price offered by the Spark Tribe would be higher than what they’d get in Morri’s City.

To show their goodwill, before leaving, Yang Yi and Hei Lie also left behind some tea.

The tea wasn’t of the finest grade, but it could still fetch a good price. More importantly, they had left quite a generous amount.

“Honored Divine Envoy…” the man who had been speaking with Yang Yi, named Aiwen, finally spoke up hesitantly, “may we exchange these tea leaves for other goods?”

Yang Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Was this man really trying to trade back the very goods they had just given him? This Aiwen was certainly clever.

“What is it you want to trade for?”

Aiwen swallowed hard. “That thing you were cooking earlier… it smelled so good!”

Yang Yi burst out laughing. It seemed the charm of hotpot worked no matter where one went!

“Let’s just hope this Aiwen isn’t a liar,” he thought.

The group continued on their journey, not lingering long because of this brief encounter. Yang Yi felt both anticipation and a trace of unease in his heart.

The tea they had given away wasn’t worth much. There hadn’t been a large quantity anyway. What worried him more was the possibility of disappointment, that there might not actually be much rubber after all.

“Even if there isn’t any now,” Hei Lie said, “as long as they start planting, it won’t be long before there’s a whole forest of rubber trees. If Aiwen has any sense, he’ll treasure this opportunity.”

Yang Yi nodded. “I hope so.”

The Spark Tribe’s purchase prices were quite generous. It is far better and safer than living as bandits.

From the look of Aiwen and his group, they were clearly just ordinary folk or former slaves who had turned to banditry out of desperation. They didn’t even have proper weapons, and their combat ability was far from strong.

Each of them was thin and frail. It must have been difficult for them to survive, even as bandits.

After that small episode, the journey toward the royal city went smoothly, without any further incidents.

They didn’t encounter any truly vicious bandits either. Those types at least had enough sense to recognize the strength of this group. They knew better than to throw eggs at a rock.

After several days of travel, they finally caught sight of the royal city of the Western Continent.

“The royal city really is magnificent,” Yang Yi said with genuine admiration as he gazed from atop a mountain.

Unlike the Spark Tribe, where most buildings were made of rammed earth and tiles, the royal city’s structures were built from stone.

Its defensive walls were constructed from massive stone blocks. It was an enormous feat of engineering, solid and imposing.

And the grand, ornate castle perched on the edge of a cliff made Yang Yi marvel even more at the city’s power and extravagance.

At a glance, this city clearly had a much longer history than any of the Spark Tribe’s newer settlements. Compared to it, the Spark cities seemed almost like young, inexperienced children.

But Yang Yi soon noticed a glaring issue. “Didn’t they say the royal city’s population is nearing half a million? Yet the city itself looks smaller than Yi City. And with that huge castle taking up so much space… it must be terribly crowded inside.”

Before the Central City had even been established, Yi City had already reached its comfortable limit at a little over a hundred thousand residents. Any more, and the city began to feel overcrowded and stifling.

Yet the royal city had far more people and looked even smaller. There weren’t even any three-story buildings like in Yi City. All around were low, squat houses, meaning they could hold even fewer people in the same space.

Hei Lie’s expression darkened. “I think we need to be prepared.”

“Prepared?” Yang Yi asked in confusion.

“I can already smell the stench coming from the river,” Hei Lie said grimly. “I fear the situation inside the city will be much worse.”