The Great Shaman of the Barbarian Tribe, accompanied by Yu Su, visited many places. His emotions deepened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Lord Yu Su, I've truly never seen these things before."
Yu Su chuckled, "These things are actually ordinary. As long as the Barbarian Tribe needs them, we can exchange or simply sell them to you."
The Great Shaman was delighted, "These can be exchanged too?"
Yu Su nodded, "Certainly."
Overjoyed, the Great Shaman immediately began planning how to exchange these advanced tools he had never seen before.
Yu Su said, "No rush, take your time to consider. These things won't disappear; you can exchange them anytime. Let's go and see the trading market first."
The Great Shaman snapped back, "Yes, let's see the trading market first."
At this moment, people from other villages started arriving. They crossed the main road through the canyon plain, officially entering Yu Village's territory and approaching the trading market.
Yu Su, along with the Great Shaman and others, walked toward the east bank of the Great River.
...
East Bank of the Great River.
Leaders from various northern wilderness villages gradually arrived at Yu Village's territory. Those who hadn't visited before were impressed by Yu Village's prosperity.
Awaiting reception, Yu Village's personnel led them towards the trading market. As Yu Su requested, the trading market had a spacious canopy to shield against the sun and rain.
The market floor was paved with stones, neat and clean. Areas for herbs, food, animal hides and bones, daily utensils, and livestock were indoors. An additional section was set up for horse and livestock transactions to ensure cleanliness.
Entrances and exits were guarded to prevent theft, disturbances, and littering.
Once inside the trading market, people from various villages couldn't help but curiously explore. It was cleaner than their living spaces, yet it was just a marketplace.
Now, Yu Su, the Great Shaman, and their entourage arrived. Everyone gathered to greet them.
"Lord Yu Su."
"Greetings, Lord Yu Su."
After exchanging greetings with leaders from various villages, Yu Su introduced them to the Great Shaman and others.
Once everyone became acquainted, someone from a village presented the invitation letter Yu Su had sent earlier. With some trepidation, they explained the accidental tearing of the invitation, hoping for Yu Su's forgiveness.
Yu Su smiled, "It's nothing. Since it's an invitation given to you, it's yours. Even if it's accidentally burned, it doesn't matter. No need to apologize."
Next, Yu Su explained what paper was and its uses in detail. The primitive people from the Barbarian Tribe found it particularly astonishing.
Yu Su had intended to showcase paper and ink during this opportunity. Therefore, someone in the group had brought these items. This person, upon hearing Yu Su talk about them, took them out and placed them on a table.
While demonstrating the uses of paper and ink, Yu Su noticed the lack of enthusiasm from the Barbarians. Even when he emphasized the portability and ease of writing, they only made symbolic purchases. Yu Su sensed their confusion.
Later, through communication, Yu Su understood the issue. He tentatively suggested teaching writing to ordinary people but faced strong opposition from village leaders.
"Lord Yu Su, how can the knowledge of the Shamanic script be taught to ordinary people? It's disrespectful to the gods."
"Yes, Lord Yu Su, this is something only shamans can learn. It must not be revealed."
Hearing the opposition, Yu Su initially wanted to counter, but seeing Jian Yunchuan shaking his head and even the Great Shaman subtly disapproving, Yu Su paused. He swallowed his words of rebuttal and had the paper and ink collected. With a renewed gentle smile, he said, "Let's not dwell on this. The auspicious time is approaching. Let's proceed with the ribbon-cutting."
Everyone's attention quickly shifted to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They saw people from Yu Village pulling a ribbon with scissors in hand, unsure of what was happening.
A nearby villager explained the ceremony. After understanding that it was a gesture for good luck, everyone accepted it.
When the auspicious time arrived, following Yu Su's lead, they cut the ribbon, completing the opening ceremony. From then on, the trading market could officially open.
Before that, Yu Su had someone announce the rules of the trading market. In summary, no fighting, no cheating, no littering, etc. Violators would be punished by Yu Village, and serious offenders would be banned from trading there.
Everyone accepted these rules, unanimously expressing their willingness to comply.
"From now on, the trading market is officially open to everyone."
"You can set up your stalls now."
When the leaders of various villages arrived, they had already brought goods from their villages. Hearing Yu Su's announcement, people from each village rushed into the market, occupying stalls.
Although they promised to follow the rules, some incidents occurred during the process. Some people quarreled over a stall, unwilling to yield; others tried to bring livestock into non-livestock trade areas and argued when stopped; some even mixed bloody animal hides and bones with food for sale, leading to disputes when prevented.
Seeing more and more disturbances and hearing refusal from those involved, the Yu Village officials responsible for supervision immediately frowned. Without hesitation, they blew a whistle.
Shortly after, a guard team arrived.
After listening to the situation, the guard team's captain, Yu Yong, shouted, "Quiet!"
Standing at a high point, Yu Yong scanned the entire trading market with a sharp gaze. The warriors from Yu Village behind him emitted a formidable aura, having experienced battle and exuding a chilling bloodthirstiness. Facing them, everyone instinctively quieted down, even the troublemakers silenced their voices, avoiding eye contact.
"The rules of the trading market were made clear just now. Everyone must adhere to them."
"If anyone refuses to leave or violates the rules, don't blame us for being impolite. Lord Yu Su said that such individuals will be strictly dealt with, up to and including execution."
"Don't believe it? You can give it a try, see if it's your good fortune or my blade is quicker."
Yu Yong's words made the troublemakers from earlier slightly pale.
At this moment, they remembered that Yu Village wasn't a weak and easily bullied village. It was a village capable of wiping out Snake Village, defeating Salt Village, and the Fengcheng Battle Team. If Yu Village became angry, not only they as individuals but also their villages behind them could be easily crushed.
"Misunderstood, it was all a misunderstanding. We'll comply immediately."
"Yes, yes, just a misunderstanding. We didn't hear clearly earlier."
The ones who had ignored advice quickly followed the instructions, moving livestock to the designated area and refraining from further stall grabbing. Everything gradually became orderly.
When Yu Su learned of this, he was chatting with the leaders of various villages in the village's meeting hall. The leaders heard the report from the Yu Village warriors, and their expressions turned unpleasant.
"Lord Yu Su, blame me for not disciplining them properly. I'll go and teach them a lesson now."
"I'll make them leave right away."
After they spoke, Yu Su smiled and said, "Village leaders, don't worry. In the beginning, there are always areas of discomfort. It'll be corrected; it's not a big deal."
The Village Chief of Yu Village also smiled, "Exactly, everyone, please continue chatting."
Seeing that Yu Su didn't seem angry, everyone relaxed and resumed chatting. However, many of them decided to go back and discipline the troublemakers.
...
Next, the situation in the trading market stabilized.
Stalls from various villages were set up smoothly, and each Barbarian Tribe had its own stalls. Items unique to the Northern villages caught the interest of the Barbarian Tribes, and vice versa. They quickly developed a strong willingness to exchange goods.
Ironware from Zhutie Village and various advanced production tools and daily utensils from Yu Village were the most popular. Those who could afford it exchanged a portion of their goods in return.
Except for ink, paper, and brushes being challenging to sell, everything else from Yu Village was quickly exchanged.
This left Yu Su somewhat perplexed. Initially, he thought these items would be the most popular. However, apart from the Great Shaman of the Barbarian Tribe ordering a batch, no one else showed interest.
Yu Su said to Lu Yan, "I don't understand. Even if the shamans refuse to teach writing, why don't others want to learn?"
Lu Yan replied, "Because they don't see the utility in learning. It can't be eaten or worn."
Yu Su sighed, realizing it was indeed a very practical issue. Not long ago, people in this region were struggling not to starve. What use was learning writing, something that took time and money, and might offend the shamans? In their view, only fools would do such a thing.
Lu Yan comforted, "Take it slow. Once they realize the benefits, they'll naturally want to learn."
Yu Su acknowledged that he had been somewhat presumptuous before and decided not to let people sell paper, brushes, and ink in the trading market, keeping them for use within his village.