He had traveled over two hundred miles that day, a fast pace for the average person, but for Ma Lin, it was considered very slow.
The next day, he continued along the main road and spent half the day to reach a low mountainous area.
He hadn't intended to take a look inside, but as he walked, he saw a column of black smoke.
Was it a wildfire? He observed it for a while, but it seemed more likely to be smoke from a fire used for cooking.
The fire baboons he had encountered before used fire and knew how to cook things, so it was possible that beneath the column of smoke was an intelligent demonic creature, and it might be dangerous.
Despite this, Ma Lin still wanted to go and take a look.
On the road these past two days, he hadn't discovered much, only feeling that surviving in this world was extremely difficult and lonely.
Old Hu, the big orange tiger, had somewhat improved his life, but the current situation was still a bit bad, and his mood was still filled with unease.
He carefully entered the mountains, paying attention to various traces along the path.
For instance, around the lair of an evil creature, there would certainly be things that made him feel uncomfortable.
After walking two miles, he noticed a tree with a small piece of bark peeled off. On closer inspection, it was done with some kind of tool, so there should be some sort of intelligent beings or even civilization in the mountains. However, civilizations can also be divided into good and evil, so he still needed to observe further.
So, could there be traps in the mountains?
Then he fell into hesitation. If he walked on the main road, he would easily be seen by the residents inside. What if they were hostile towards him? That would be troublesome. But if he wanted to sneak past, what if he encountered traps?
Fortunately, he soon saw another stone carving, a deer, rough in craftsmanship but with a certain aesthetic.
Ma Lin felt a little reassured, and then followed the main road.
He was getting closer and closer to the smoke column.
After climbing over a ridge, he suddenly saw buildings in a depression on the opposite mountain.
He quickly lay down, cautiously peering through the cracks between the stones.
Two rows of houses were enclosed in the center by very solid stone walls, with gate towers and arrow towers. Inside, some short creatures bustled about, each with a dog's head and a very sturdy body - creatures of the demonic kind, but they looked more neurotic than fierce.
He wasn't sure if they could communicate, and he didn't know their stance. He wondered if he would be in danger if discovered.
As he hesitated, a warning alarm suddenly sounded from within the village, and then all the 'canine people' ran to grab weapons.
Then, on the mountain peak to his side, three canine people appeared, staring at him and Old Hu, the big orange tiger, incessantly, while making threatening barks.
Ma Lin was somewhat at a loss.
Even on Earth, there were cannibalistic tribes, which meant that even humans could not be trusted. So how would the canine people treat him?
This made him very hesitant.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a large piece of smoked meat from the bag on his back, held it up and waved it, then took out a demonic corn and waved that too, followed by a wooden bowl, which he also lifted and waved.
He clearly saw the hostility of the others lessen, which made him feel somewhat relieved.
Then, five very sturdy canine people with weapons came out from the village. Two with wooden shields and stone axes, one with a bone spear, one holding a bow and arrow, and one wielding a staff.
After they left the village, the other canine people seemed uneasy, so another dozen or so followed, men and women both, each with a bone spear.
Ma Lin didn't know their combat strength, but if they were well-trained, dealing with one or two tigers wouldn't be a problem.
Ma Lin stood still on the ridge as they approached.
Old Hu, the big orange tiger, circled Ma Lin twice, then lay down, clearly domesticated.
The five canine people stopped about five or six steps away from Ma Lin, highly wary of Old Hu. So Ma Lin reached out and stroked Old Hu's head, and the tiger squinted its eyes, clearly enjoying the touch.
The one holding the bow and arrow said something to Ma Lin in a babble he couldn't understand.
Then Ma Lin began speaking in standard 'Eggdevil' language, "I don't understand your words. Can anyone understand mine?"
Then, one of the canine people from behind approached and said, "I understand. Who are you, and what do you want to do?"
Ma Lin replied, "I have come from the wilderness in the south. I am passing by here and would like to trade some food and seeds while also gathering some information."
"What do you have to trade?"
Ma Lin rummaged through his leather bag, first pulling out a large chunk of salt rock, then three devil's paw fruits, two demonic oranges, and a wooden knife of very good quality.
One of the five Canine warriors approached, first tasting the salt rock, then inspecting the Demon's Hand fruit, the Devil's Oranges and the wooden knife, before turning back and mumbling a lengthy paragraph.
The translator said, "What would you like to trade for?"
Ma Lin said, "What do you have? Do you have flour?"
He took out a corn cake he had made himself and showed it to them.
Then one of the Canine people ran back to the village and soon brought back several cakes made of flour. They were much more refined than Ma Lin's, likely milled with a grinder, and judging by the material, it looked like grain was grown.
Ma Lin said, "May I try a bite of each?"
After a brief consultation with the others, the translator said to Ma Lin, "Come up and taste."
A Canine person broke off a small piece and handed it to Ma Lin, who stepped forward and tried a bite. The grey cakes were tasty and edible.
They were still very wary of him.
He proposed trading a small piece of salt rock for seven grey cakes, and without bargaining, they agreed to the trade.
Next, he took out four Devil's Oranges, indicating he wanted to trade for a bow.
They agreed to the trade without haggling as well.
The bow felt quite solid in hand and had a strong draw weight.
He pulled it once and felt very satisfied. The translator asked, "Do you find the bow easy to draw?"
Ma Lin said, "Very easy."
Then he pulled strongly a couple of times.
The translator remarked, "You really are quite strong."
Next, he traded a piece of smoked meat for more than twenty arrows.
Mainly because the other party did not know the method of making smoked meat, they found it rather exotic.
The bow was about one meter twenty in length, and trying to bend the bow and set an arrow, he shot towards the high diagonal, discovering the range was close to three hundred meters.
Medieval longbowmen could shoot that far, so Ma Lin didn't find it too strange.
He was in a good mood, having been able to purchase such a fine bow here was already a win. He remembered the night when he was exploring the south and encountered a monster while sleeping, which planned to ambush him and Old Hu once they fell asleep, and how they couldn't drive it away no matter what. Now with a bow and arrows, it would be much easier to handle such a situation.
But indeed, bowmanship would need some practice.
The trade was complete, but he still wanted to chat.
Because it had been so long since he had met a living creature he could talk to.
So, he expressed this thought.
The translator said, "We also haven't seen an outsider for five years."
Following that, Ma Lin invented an identity for himself, saying he was adopted by an old man and lived more than two hundred miles to the south, surviving by hunting, and had a young tiger as a companion, never lacking food.
After the old man died, he lived with Old Hu, and now he wanted to come out and look around.
At noon, the Canine people still hadn't let down their guard regarding him, so they didn't invite him into the village for a meal.
The five warriors were still standing guard at the entrance to the road.
Ma Lin collected some firewood on the side and then grilled meat to eat. He had hunted a very large creature that looked like both a rat and a rabbit in the early morning, identified as edible by the "Book of Servants," and now it had become Old Hu's lunch.
As for Ma Lin, he grilled smoked meat and potatoes and shared with the five warriors.
Perhaps because it was novel to them, they were very satisfied with the grilled smoked meat and potatoes, and their attitude towards Ma Lin improved a lot in an instant.
They had their families send over some hot food and then shared it with Ma Lin, everyone ate together.
Ma Lin took out some more smoked meat and peanuts he had harvested.
Everyone ate their fill.
A Canine person wanted to pet Old Hu's head, and to express friendship, Old Hu didn't resist.
After the meal, they invited Ma Lin to visit their homes.