Free Web NovelChapter 15: Chapter 14: The Gopher City Lord
Li Ziyu’s voice startled the Gopher. He panicked for a moment, then quickly folded his two paws together and bobbed them up and down, as if mimicking a Human’s formal bow.
"By order of my lord, I have come to pay my respects to the Undead City Lord. My lord is the Lord of Gopher City."
"Respects paid. You can go now."
’Tch, you’re just a Gopher, and you’re trying to put on airs with me? All prim and proper with your words. You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Li Ziyu mentally rolled his eyes and began to unceremoniously shoo the Gopher away.
The Gopher was stunned, his mind struggling to catch up. ’Wait, why is he kicking me out?’
’This isn’t what the City Lord said would happen. Isn’t he supposed to ask something like, "What is your business?" or "Why have you come to see me?"’
’You’re not following the script at all!’
"Um, um..." The Gopher wrung his paws anxiously. ’If the City Lord finds out I was sent packing after only meeting the Undead City Lord for a second, I’ll definitely be exiled.’
"What? Is there something else?" Li Ziyu asked, raising an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of confusion and impatience.
"Yes, yes there is!" Seeing an opening, the Gopher immediately perked up and nodded eagerly.
Li Ziyu leaned back, adjusted his posture, and nodded at the Gopher, signaling for him to go on and state his business.
The Gopher took a deep breath, rapidly organizing his thoughts and choosing his words.
"Gopher City is a city that loves peace. We rarely clash with the other powers in the Wasteland. We come in good faith and hope to avoid any conflict with the City of the Undead."
After speaking, the Gopher stole a glance at the Undead City Lord, only to find him letting out a yawn. He had the look of someone who was tired and wanted to sleep, completely uninterested in what was being said.
This was actually normal. Most of the other powers in the Wasteland had reacted similarly when they were first contacted. Resources were scarce in the Wasteland; survival was guaranteed by Power. To the factions here, words like "peace" and "avoiding conflict" were nothing but empty platitudes.
However, their attitudes usually changed once they learned who the Gophers really were.
"As you can see, we are but a weak existence—wretched things hiding beneath the soil. But we are also a group of reputable Merchants. We control trade routes throughout the Wasteland. Whatever you need, you have only to tell us, and we will deliver the supplies to your doorstep with the utmost speed."
The Gopher rattled off the words. It was a speech they gave often, one they were so used to that it flowed like a comedian’s rapid-fire routine, tumbling out without a single stutter.
Merchants!
The Gopher’s words had finally caught Li Ziyu’s attention. He slowly sat up, the look of boredom and impatience on his face vanishing, replaced by an expression of interest.
He stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on the Gopher as he weighed the creature’s words. ’Are they telling the truth? Are they really Merchants, or is this some kind of trap?’
Gophers weren’t exactly a mighty Race. The only thing they excelled at was digging tunnels.
These creatures were professional excavators; a single swipe of their massive claws could tear through the earth with ease. Though Li Ziyu had never seen Gopher City, he was pretty sure it was some kind of burrow.
’A weak Race with low combat effectiveness, but skilled at digging and hiding... a Race like that is actually perfect for being Merchants.’
’In the games from his past life, plenty of players disliked combat and chose to become career merchants instead. The Lord of Gopher City was probably one of them. Knowing the Race he controlled wasn’t suited for battle, he simply gave up on the path of conquest and pivoted to commerce.’
’The Gopher-dug tunnels formed a sprawling network, like a great subterranean maze. Few other Races could ever find them down there, making it an incredibly secure transport network. Add a Mobile Fortress to the mix, and door-to-door delivery wouldn’t be hard at all.’
Li Ziyu didn’t for a second believe that Merchants were weak enough for anyone to bully. Quite the opposite. Merchants had far too many good things; they just preferred not to fight. Through trade, they could acquire enough wealth and resources to reinforce their own Mobile Fortress.
’They’re like a little kid who’s managed to collect a full set of top-tier gear. They go around smiling, looking all weak and harmless, but if you try to rob them, you first have to get through their defenses while dodging any potential counterattacks. You might not be able to hurt them, but if they land a single hit on you, it’s going to hurt. A lot.’
’A kid you don’t want to mess with.’
’Yes, that’s exactly it.’
"So, what goods do you have?" Li Ziyu decided to ask. ’If they really have resources, and they’re cheap, that would be perfect.’
"Our range of goods is vast. It all depends on what you need," the Gopher said, a smile spreading across his face as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
’Here we go!’ the Gopher thought. ’This is it! This is the conversation!’ ƒreewebɳovel.com
’It happens every time, without fail!’
The Gopher breathed an internal sigh of relief. Once the conversation turned to merchandise, the atmosphere always relaxed. At the very least, his life was no longer in danger, and he had completed the Lord City Lord’s mission.
"I need bones," Li Ziyu said, leaning back into his chair and resuming his lazy posture.
"We have... Er, what was that you needed? Bones? Do you mean the hard kind of skeleton used for forging weapons?" the Gopher asked, momentarily stunned and then confused.
"No, not those. Just bones. Skeletons. The complete, assembled kind," Li Ziyu said with a grin, flashing a set of pearly white teeth.
...The Gopher fell silent.
As far as he knew, Gopher City’s Warehouse had nothing like what the Undead City Lord was describing. The main reason was... they were useless. ’Aren’t bones just garbage? Who the hell would store garbage in their Warehouse?’ freёwebnovel.com
The Warehouse held many strange and wonderful things, but it didn’t contain bones. Most of the resources they traded were things like meat, water, ore, stone, fodder, and Beast Hides. Some of the stranger items included insects and spices.
’You want to trade for bones... but what for?’
The Gopher suddenly realized something. He turned to look at the surrounding walls, built from piles of white bone—each one an Undead. He understood. Bones were the raw material for creating more Undead. No wonder the Undead City Lord wanted them!
"You don’t have any?" Li Ziyu asked with a smile.
’If I don’t make things a little difficult for you, you’ll think I’m a pushover. Every Merchant is a shark. I might be considering a trade, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you swindle me, you little punk.’
The Gopher wrung his paws, thought for a moment, then suddenly nodded.
"We do! We will in the future, that is. We don’t have any right now. But if you need them, we will find bones for you," the Gopher said, his eyes firm and his tone sincere.
"Good. Then come find me when you have some," Li Ziyu said after looking at the Gopher and pausing for a second.
"Undead City Lord, I have a letter here. My City Lord asked me to give it to you." The Gopher took out a piece of Beast Hide no bigger than his paw and held it out.
An Undead stepped forward, took the Beast Hide, and presented it to Li Ziyu.
Li Ziyu glanced at it. A name was written on it: Conscience Merchant.
He nodded at the Gopher and signaled for an Undead to escort him out.
’Only a Transmigrator would understand what’s on this Beast Hide,’ Li Ziyu thought. ’The Lord of Gopher City wants me to add him as a friend.’
