— Alexander still has a point — the two of you finished off that count's monk in battle. Besides him, no one really knew much about other races. I only have some common peasant superstitions, like how elves always kidnap human women and kill men. And gnomes supposedly eat people. But these are all lies, stupid peasant superstitions. So go ahead — when the time comes, we'll drink the blood we need and get those scraps of knowledge you have, but right now they're not so important that someone with such knowledge would need their throat slit over it. — Eugene took a sip of herbal infusion.
How nice. It's like drinking blood, but enjoyable.
— Well, thanks for that. — Sergey playfully bowed. — Then I'll continue — gnomes! Gnomes don't eat people, and they kill outsiders with great reluctance in general. They believe that attacking a stranger is like getting covered in shit. And that goes for talking to strangers too. So gnomes don't socialize with non-gnomes and completely ignore them. They even appoint not their best, but rather those who have misbehaved as diplomats — as a punishment.
— That's a good punishment — dealing with a load of manure!
— Exactly how they see it. So they'll only kill as a last resort — if you attack first. Gnomes won't initiate aggression, they'll ignore you for as long as possible. That's why gnomes don't fight with humans and elves. Although they do have their share of skirmishes with goblins. Their trade is based on barter, simply exchanging precious stones and gold for leather and wood.
— What do they eat in their caves?
— Some mushrooms, I guess. That monk didn't really know much, but they don't exchange food with humans and elves. Apart from that barter, they have no dealings with humans and elves at all. Unlike elves, who love trading with humans and cheating them during trade.
— Well, that's sacred!
Everyone laughed.
— And what do elves trade? — Gennady was intrigued by the mention of trade and barter, a topic he had been developing over the past few days but couldn't yet boast any successes.
— Whatever they can. But their main traffic is in alchemical remedies, protective amulets for civilian use, mostly against curses, food, magically enhanced animals for work, mostly magically enhanced horses, but infertile. And most importantly, pure magical power, stored in crystals. Elves have some sacred groves or something similar where these crystals naturally accumulate power, and they sell them when they're filled, not taking back empty ones. Thanks to this, there's an excess of elven crystals among humans, and they're cheap, although growing and cutting them correctly, then enchanting them, is serious expensive work, but humans don't make their own. I even think there are no practicing specialists in this field among humans, just theorists, because making such a new crystal costs ten times more than buying an empty one from the shop.
— I have a feeling that elves aren't just deceiving humans, but playing a long-term cunning game here? — Eugene glanced at everyone.
— No data, but for the future we need to remember this situation does look very strange indeed. — Sergey made a note in his notebook.
— Okay, but what about elves...
— Guys, why are we talking about elves and gnomes? Do we not have more pressing problems? Gnomes and elves are far away. We have trolls and goblins nearby. Plus, we're facing issues with the local church, the local baron, and a bunch of local people. And not far from us to the north, there's a road where many merchants travel, a lot of freight traffic, and they send convicts to the northern mines of the kingdom. And along this road for a couple hundred kilometers, there are no settlements, inns, or hamlets at all. Just clearings fenced off with walls where there's water nearby, and that's it — spend the night under that protection. I'm more afraid not that the church will start asking questions about where our local priest is and what gods we believe in, but that the local baron will start hinting indecently that we should move closer to the road or at least establish an inn on it — that's huge money that can be made by local standards.
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