Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 235: Sleeping in the Same Tent
After a day of travel, Laura and the others were indeed a bit tired. After finishing a bowl of steaming hot milk tea, they instantly felt much better.
When Spill saw their expressions, he couldn't help but smile. With his already large pig-like mouth, his grin made it even bigger, causing Laura and the others to chuckle.
Once they set down their tea bowls, Spill's wife refilled their cups with milk tea. Spill then spoke up, “Beautiful lady, may I ask how much food you’ve brought this time and what the prices are?”
Orcs prefer to be direct, so Spill wasted no time and asked Laura about the prices. He had already noticed that all the food Laura and her companions had brought was grain, which was highly needed by any orc tribe.
Laura smiled and replied, “Respected clan leader, we have brought a total of fifty thousand pounds of grain, all bamboo rice. To show my appreciation for your hospitality, I am willing to exchange two thousand pounds of grain for a mountain goat. What do you think?”
Spill looked at Laura uncertainly and asked, “You mean two thousand pounds of bamboo rice for a mountain goat? You didn’t misspeak?” This was the first time Spill had talked to Laura without adding the phrase "beautiful lady," which showed how shocked he was.
Laura chuckled, “Yes, Clan Leader Spill, I said two thousand pounds of bamboo rice for one mountain goat. I didn’t misspeak, and you didn’t misunderstand.”
Spill became excited. He stood up suddenly and gave Laura a very formal hand on heart gesture, saying, “Beautiful Miss Laura, your generosity is like the beautiful Yaga River. From today onwards, you are the most honored guest of the Goat Head Hammer Tribe.”
Laura laughed and said, “Respected Clan Leader Spill, we are already friends. Friends shouldn’t be so polite. Let me introduce you; this is my fiancé, Zhao Hai. He is a mage, and in fact, all this grain comes from his territory. This price is also set by him.”
At this moment, Laura introduced Zhao Hai like this because she didn’t want to steal his thunder. Moreover, she noticed that Spill didn’t seem to like Zhao Hai very much. Laura didn’t want Zhao Hai to feel neglected, so she introduced him to Spill in this manner.
Sure enough, upon hearing Laura's introduction, Spill immediately offered Zhao Hai a hand on heart gesture, saying, “Respected Mage Mr. Zhao Hai, please forgive my previous rudeness.”
Zhao Hai quickly returned the gesture and said, “No need to be polite, Clan Leader Spill. I know my status isn’t well liked, but I hope to become friends with you.”
Upon hearing Zhao Hai's words, Spill's expression turned serious, “Respected Mr. Zhao Hai, your magnanimity is as vast as the prairie. Today, I must treat you to the best of my ability.”
Zhao Hai smiled and replied, “Then I won’t hold back. However, please allow me to give your lovely son a gift.” With that, he turned his hand and produced an iron shield.
The iron shield was not very large; it was a round shield, not a tower shield, which Zhao Hai had purchased during a big shopping trip in the Versailles Principality. The craftsmanship could be considered average, but for a prairie tribe lacking iron, it was definitely a remarkable gift.
Spill happily accepted the round shield and thanked Zhao Hai. As for Zhao Hai's sudden gift of the shield, Spill had no other thoughts. These orcs were from a marginal small tribe and had little contact with the human race. For them, a mage was a very mysterious profession, and the reputation of human mages had been exaggerated endlessly by the orcs. Thus, Zhao Hai, this pseudo-mage, performing well in front of Spill was not surprising.
As the sky darkened, Spill turned to Zhao Hai and said, “Brother Zhao Hai, the bonfire outside has been lit, and the mountain goat is roasting over the fire. Come, let’s go enjoy the warmth of the orc hospitality together.”
Zhao Hai had already taken off his magic hat; after all, no one here recognized him. He stood up with a smile and said, “Alright, Brother Spill, I have been craving the orc’s roasted mountain goat for a long time.” With that, Spill pulled him out of the tent.