"This wild flavor is just overpowering." Zhao Guang fought back the urge to vomit while forcing a smile to show his enjoyment.
He really wanted to give them the middle finger, but the thought of a bunch of burly men flipping him off made Zhao Guang chuckle dryly and abandon the tempting idea.
"Brother, why keep gnawing on those flavorless bones? Don't worry, if there's one thing we're never short of, it's meat. These are so good, eat more of these."
Kapas piled a heap of entrails in front of Zhao Guang, making him feel nauseated.
"Well, ever since I was little, my family said that the entrails are the best part and should be offered to Mother Earth." Saying this, Zhao Guang cautiously pushed the entrails on the ground and observed the expressions of the surrounding Beastmen.
If any of their expressions seemed off, Zhao Guang would immediately stop, trying to appear obedient.
"That's very considerate, but it's a shame to waste such delicacies. We only worship the Beast God and the War God, so I won't give you these anymore," Kapas said with a hint of regret, but did not pick up the entrails from the ground.
Zhao Guang finally exhaled in relief, thinking that these Beastmen were quite easy to hoodwink, no, rather easy to persuade.
But no sooner had he relaxed than he noticed the Beastmen staring at him. Not at him, to be precise, but at the large bowl in front of him. Looking around, he saw that they had already polished off their chili oil.
Even the oil barrel had been ripped open and licked clean, looking as if it had been mauled by a pack of dogs.
He really couldn't figure out these Beastmen's fondness for spicy food.
"How about we eat together?" Zhao Guang suggested with a forced smile.
The Beastmen immediately got excited, flipping Zhao Guang the middle finger, then jostling to smear their food with chili oil. They greedily slathered on heaps of it, as if afraid there wouldn't be enough.
It would be fine if they were just using it as a dipping sauce for barbecue, but what's with reaching in with their paws? What kind of signal does grabbing the bowl imply?
By the time the Beastmen retracted their hands, the large bowl was empty, as though it had been scrubbed clean with cleaner.
The surrounding Beastmen chuckled awkwardly while the elder's face stiffened. "Look at the mess you're making, is this how we treat a friend?"
"Don't be upset, don't be upset. It just proves that what I brought is popular. I'll bring more next time," Zhao Guang quickly placated them, not wanting any commotion. With his slight build, a mere brush from these muscular behemoths could be fatal, and he was certain he couldn't match their strength.
After eating a few more bites, Zhao Guang indicated he was full.
The remaining food was gobbled up by the Beastmen. They were never short of meat, but they never wasted food either.
"Come with me, and take a look at what you'd like to trade for. The things we typically trade with are all like this," the elder said after the meal, leading Zhao Guang to the storeroom.
As Zhao Guang entered, he felt a bit depressed; all he saw were primitive materials.
Could he even take those animal pelts back with him? That would be illegal, as they were from wild animals.
And those bones, how would he explain them or sell them? Did he even have a channel for that?
There were some ores and medicinal herbs, but Zhao Guang had to admit his knowledge fell short; he didn't recognize any of these items. Was he really going to return empty-handed? Although he hadn't spent much, the journey had been quite a hassle.
"Well, I don't need these items, as I haven't really gotten off the ground yet, and taking some things back could cause other merchants to target me, which would be troublesome."
"What, someone dares to target Brother Zhao Guang? Tell me who it is, and I'll take my men to wipe them out."
Kapas thumped his chest with a "bang bang" that resounded like a large gorilla.
The elder glared at Kapas, "You shut up, merchants have their own way of doing things, and your way would just cause trouble for our friend."
After saying that, the elder frowned somewhat.
Because they usually traded these items with merchants, the Beastmen didn't have a currency system.
Their usual practice was bartering or having the strong ones in charge of distribution.
"Elder, it seems we have some items that came from the humans."
A Priest Apprentice whispered nearby, and Zhao Guang couldn't make out which race he belonged to, with his dusty-grey fur that made him look like a groundhog, though not resembling a rodent.
"From the humans, right, I remember now, hurry and bring them out."
After speaking, the elder apologetically explained to Zhao Guang, "You know, many humans misunderstand us and often harass us, sometimes we have to fight back."
Zhao Guang hurriedly waved his hands, "I understand, I myself often suffer harassment from bandits."
As he spoke, Zhao Guang glanced at the items being turned over, which were armor and weapons—what kind of bandits would have such things?
He had seen similar items in the army camp, and only those of a certain rank had them.
The craftsmanship was so exquisite, could the original owner of this armor have been a noble?
And what's this in here, why is it all stained with blood? Although the blood had dried, the tiny bits of flesh inside were falling out, making Zhao Guang feel nauseous.
But if he wanted to do business with them, he would have to adapt, adapt.
Finally, Zhao Guang saw something familiar, those captivating golden discs shimmering with alluring light—it was the luster of Gold Coins.
All of a sudden, Zhao Guang felt no revulsion, the sight of fresh blood and dry, crumbled flesh meant nothing in the presence of gold. "Exactly, these Gold Coins are all I can take for now."
"Ah, these Gold Coins, they seem to be the currency used by humans, we do have some."
"Previously some merchants used Gold Coins to buy things from us, but later couldn't spend them elsewhere, causing us to waste a lot of items," muttered the Priest Apprentice discontentedly.
While speaking, he dragged over a chest, revealing a large pile of Gold Coins inside.
Not considering the purity, just the weight of the Gold Coins themselves, it was quite substantial. Zhao Guang had never handled so much Gold, but that much iron must weigh at least several pounds.
"We'll give them all to you. If there's extra, just bring more items next time," said the elder, pushing them all towards Zhao Guang, as they were of no use to them anyway. Remembering the flavor of the chili oil he had tasted, the elder reminisced, never having had such a delightful experience in his life.
Excitedly, Zhao Guang reached for the chest, but with a "thud," he failed to catch it. It was truly heavy, dropping down and leaving a small crater in the ground.