Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 111: A New Trade Route
After their roughhousing, all traces of drowsiness vanished. Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing sat side-by-side on the edge of the Bone Plate Platform to rest.
Zhang Peng patted himself down, pulled out two small, finger-length sticks, nudged Liu Xingxing with his elbow, and offered him one. "Want one?"
Looking at the proffered stick, Liu Xingxing took it in surprise. "What’s this? A cigarette?"
"Something like that." Zhang Peng took out an object resembling a fire-starter, stuck the Otherworld-version of a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. He took a deep drag and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. "It’s different from the cigarettes in our past lives. The outside isn’t paper; it’s a type of dried plant skin. I don’t know if it’s bark or not. The inside is some kind of medicinal herb."
Watching Zhang Peng puffing out clouds of smoke, Liu Xingxing twirled the "cigarette" between his fingers without lighting it. "You can smoke medicinal herbs?"
Gazing up at the azure sky, Zhang Peng looked utterly content. "Of course you can. I didn’t discover this; I got them from the Natives. They’re refreshing and clear your head. If you’re not going to smoke it, give it back. This stuff is pretty expensive."
Hearing it was expensive, Liu Xingxing quickly put the "cigarette" away. He couldn’t just give it back, even if he didn’t smoke it. Who would pass up a freebie? Now that it was in his hands, there was no way he was handing it over. "Are there any poisonous side effects? I’d rather not get lung cancer from this."
Zhang Peng turned his head back and shot Liu Xingxing an annoyed glare. "You’ve already transmigrated, so why are you afraid of lung cancer? It’s not like you can die. Besides, this stuff is actually a type of medicine. The Tribe I trade with doesn’t use it to clear their heads. They use it to stop bleeding and treat wounds. I don’t know what the ingredients are, but it really does speed up healing. If you’re injured, having one of these might just save your life."
"Holy crap, you should have said something so important sooner!" Liu Xingxing cried out, quickly digging the "cigarette" back out and storing it carefully against his body.
He was a Treasure Hunter, so getting injured in the wild was a common occurrence. He’d even been bitten by a snake while treasure hunting before. The Otherworld wasn’t like their past lives; there were no rapid-response rescue teams, let alone professional medical teams. A medicine that could quickly heal wounds was one of the best life-saving items you could have.
After stashing the "cigarette" safely, Liu Xingxing looked back at Zhang Peng with a cheeky grin. "Got any more? Gimme a few more. I’m heading into the wild; you never know what might happen."
Zhang Peng rolled his eyes and blew a puff of white smoke into Liu Xingxing’s face. "Give you an inch and you take a mile, huh? I give you one and you’re already asking for more. I’m a Merchant, you know. If you want more, trade me some resources for them."
"COUGH COUGH! Stingy. So stingy." Liu Xingxing coughed, choking on the smoke, but his Spirit sharpened and his mind cleared considerably. ’This Otherworld cigarette really is refreshing.’ "Where am I supposed to get resources? I still rely on the boss to give me resources for building troops."
"Tsk. Stupid. Why don’t you sell me your Catmen? I could sell them to the Natives as pets. That should work," Zhang Peng said with a wicked grin.
"Holy shit! I don’t know if Catmen count as people, but you’re a real scumbag! I’m never selling my Catmen to you, so just forget it!" Liu Xingxing leaped to his feet and cursed as if his tail had been stepped on, while Zhang Peng just chuckled gleefully.
After bickering for a bit, Liu Xingxing sat down again and asked curiously, "Which Tribe are you planning to contact first?"
When the conversation turned to business, Zhang Peng got serious as well. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don’t know. I’m still not sure what Tribes are in the area. I’ll wander around for a bit first and see. If I run into one, I’ll make contact. If we can cooperate, great. If not, I’ll just find another Tribe and try again."
That was how he had developed, bit by bit, ever since he first arrived in the Otherworld—approaching others with nothing but goodwill to discuss cooperation.
Not every Race likes Merchants; some would rather just rob him of his goods. But none had ever succeeded. Once they chased him underground, they would usually get lost in the caverns.
Zhang Peng didn’t know how long Li Ziyu planned to stay here. If it was for an extended period, he would need to prepare in advance. At the very least, he had to find out what Tribes were in the surrounding area, which ones he could cooperate with, and which ones were dangerous.
"What about you? Where are you planning to go with your 200 pets?"
"Call them pets again and I’ll lose it! Catmen have combat power, you know. Believe it or not, they’ll scratch your face to shreds!" Liu Xingxing threatened, glaring at Zhang Peng. "I’ve discovered a bunch of places with treasure, I just didn’t have the strength to go before. Now that I have enough manpower, I’m planning to check them out, gather some materials, and upgrade my fortress. I can’t just wait for the boss to give me all the materials, can I?"
After chatting for a while, the two had breakfast and then prepared to set off.
The Minotaurs knew the two City Lords were heading out today, so they ran over to watch the spectacle.
The two fortresses activated with a RUMBLE, slowly pulling away from the Bone Plate Platform. The Treasure-Hunting Catman Mobile Fortress shuddered, gradually picked up speed, and drove out into the wilderness. Meanwhile, the Gopher Mobile Fortress aimed its drill at the ground. Dirt flew everywhere as it burrowed into the earth, leaving the Minotaurs speechless with amazement.
After a moment of awe, they went back to whatever they were doing. They were all Allies, after all. There would be plenty of opportunities to see them in the future; they’d get used to it eventually.
Ever since joining the Undead, the Minotaurs clearly felt they had become much more worldly. If this had happened in the past, their minds would have been unsettled for the entire day. But now, they were much calmer.
...
"City Lord, where are we going now?" a Gopher asked after coming before Zhang Peng once the Mobile Fortress had burrowed underground.
Zhang Peng opened the map panel. The screen was completely black. This was the fortress’s own map. Unlike a normal map, it displayed the Underworld, and only the areas the fortress traveled through would be recorded.
