BXBX NOVEL Chapter 69: The Market Conflict
Gene squeezed through to inquire about the long knives.
Addressing the Crimson Star Tribe member managing the shop, Gene asked, "Are these long knives available for sale?"
The shopkeeper glanced at Gene and shook their head, replying, "Sorry, sir. The items in this shop are only available for purchase by members of our tribe. Of course, long-term partners of the Crimson Star Tribe also have purchasing privileges."
Perplexed, Gene queried, "What constitutes a long-term partner?"
The shopkeeper responded, "I\'m not sure. It\'s a rule set by Lord Enzo."
Upon hearing this, Gene ceased questioning right now.
Furthermore, the market was situated outside the camp.
And outsiders were temporarily barred from entering the camp itself.
Gene dared not disobey the rules, although he was frustrated not to meet Priest Enzo.
Just then, he spotted Heru.
Hurrying over, Gene called out, "Captain Heru!"
Heru was assisting at Shirley\'s shop, where garments made from linen fabric hung on display. Shirley recounted recent events to Heru, "Lord Rita of the Venom Tribe has entered a collaboration with us. They\'re supplying large quantities of flax raw materials, which we purchase at three silver coins per bundle. After processing into linen thread and clothing, despite some challenges, we\'re earning around one gold coin per day. It\'s become the most lucrative job in the tribe."
Listening to Shirley, Heru\'s face lit up with a genuine smile.
Life in the tribe was steadily improving.
At that moment, someone called out to him. Heru turned to see Gene and promptly invited him into the shop, pouring a bowl of water and offering several apples. He asked, "Priest Gene, how\'s your browsing been?"
On their way back, they chatted amiably, having developed a friendship.
Gene remarked, "It\'s been eye-opening!"
However, he expressed some frustration, "But there are things... I\'m not qualified to purchase."
Hearing this, Shirley interjected, "Priest Gene, I reckon it won\'t be long before the tribe opens up special item purchasing privileges."
Gene was delighted and asked eagerly, "Really?"
Shirley nodded, adding, "Lord Enzo will announce it tonight. And there\'s an even bigger surprise."
Knowing about it in advance would spoil the surprise.
Gene refrained from further inquiries and chose to wait. He strolled through the bustling market, and before he knew it, the afternoon had passed swiftly, and dusk was settling in.
Then, turmoil erupted.
Several disdainful-looking tribe members stormed into the shop selling iron long knives, promptly destroying it. A wheat-colored-skinned woman, leading the group, picked up a long knife and admired it, remarking, "Not bad, I\'ll take this!"
This group, of course, included Willa and others.
Willa and her group had followed several jungle tribe members to the market, cautiously observing from afar upon arrival.
Initially, their presence didn\'t attract much attention.
There were too many people attending this market, so Willa and the others\' actions didn\'t seem unusual.
After confirming there was no danger, Willa and her group confidently entered, intending to explore the market and gather information to find the person.
However, the richness of the market\'s offerings exceeded Willa\'s expectation.
Pottery, ironware, pristine salt...
All items capable of bringing immense wealth. Controlling these resources could enable her to build a formidable force like the Giant Bone Wolf Riders, capable of dominating the entire Plata Plain!
In that moment, Willa\'s ambition was ignited.
That prompted her to resort to the most direct means—robbery!
Yet Willa was caught off guard when someone dared to intervene—a person with a severed arm.
Facing her was Heru, visibly enraged, shouting, "Drop your weapons!"
Willa smirked cruelly.
She brandished her long knife with a faint red glow enveloping her. She swiftly moved forward, aiming to strike at Heru\'s other arm.
Heru\'s expression changed as he attempted to evade.
But to his horror, he found his movements slowed inexplicably—the speed of her blade\'s strike was overwhelming.
He couldn\'t escape!
Damn, what ability was this?!
In his moment of peril, a finely crafted dagger collided with Willa\'s hand, deflecting her blade off course and preventing further harm to Heru\'s arm.
The market erupted in cheers, "Lord Clara!"
Clara manipulated the dagger back into her hand through telekinesis, her gaze turning slightly solemn as she confronted Willa, questioning, "This is an affront to the Crimson Star Tribe! Moreover, you\'re not from the jungle tribes!"
Willa chuckled, admitting truthfully, "I\'m Clara, Captain of the Giant Bone Wolf Riders from the Mpondo Tribe in Plata Plain!"
Her revelation immediately sent shockwaves through the surrounding crowd.
A member from Plata Plain—the captain of the feared Giant Bone Wolf Riders!
For decades, this had been the jungle tribes\' nightmare. The jungle was impoverished, forcing its people to venture into other regions for resources. Plata Plain was particularly perilous, where the tribes\' lax control over the Giant Bone Wolves often led to attacks on jungle tribes, treating them as prey.
Thus, deep-seated animosities existed between the jungle tribes and Plata Plain.
However, they were fueled by fear of the latter\'s power.
Many among the crowd panicked, murmuring, "What should we do? What should we do? We came here just for the market and now we\'ve encountered people from Plata Plain. Maybe we should persuade the Crimson Star Tribe\'s manager to apologize..."
Such sentiments were not uncommon.
Clara was furious upon hearing these words.
However, resolving the current conflict was paramount.
Without hesitation, she manipulated her dagger to fly swiftly towards Willa.
Through the rainy season and recent training sessions, her abilities had greatly improved. She could manipulate objects weighing over 200 kilograms through telekinesis for brief periods, though not easily movable.
But this dagger was light.
Its weightlessness made it incredibly fast. To Clara\'s surprise, however, as the dagger approached Willa, its speed slowed and finally halted completely, ending up in Willa\'s hands.
Willa couldn\'t help but marvel, "What a perfect dagger!"
Clara seethed, "Give it back to me!"
Willa smirked and glanced at the others, mocking, "Looks like I overestimated you all. With this level of strength, daring to mimic the marketplaces of the larger tribes—it\'s truly reckless! Since you seek death, I shall fulfill your wish!"
With that, Willa\'s companions attacked the others.
However, their attacks were quickly thwarted.
Tia arrived swiftly with the Battle Squad members, joined by Enzo, Amy, and others. Seeing the tribe\'s warriors in unison, Willa\'s expression shifted.
This couldn\'t be!
Willa couldn\'t believe it, but it was true.
Most importantly, her supernatural ability—gravity field—could only be used once more.
This power , gravity field , came from the essence of a supernatural alligator snapping turtle that had died of old age in Qaidam Lake. Willa had been fortunate to obtain this essence and further blessed with the Totem Fire initiation, becoming a totem warrior.
Such occurrences were extremely rare in Plata Plain, bolstering Willa\'s confidence in her own abilities.
But facing so many people, she couldn\'t be sure if she could kill them all.
Especially that young man, though he appeared gentle, he brought her immense pressure.
Therefore, with dagger in hand, Willa shouted towards Enzo, "I challenge you to a duel!"
In many places, duels were a method to resolve conflicts and were matters of honor.
But what Willa hadn\'t expected was that Enzo didn\'t immediately agree. Instead, he calmly addressed her, "You, as a person from Plata Plain, have ventured into the jungle and disrupted the market I painstakingly prepared, intending to kill my people. Now you wish to duel with me to escape. Do you think I should agree to your request?"
Willa remained silent.
A duel was indeed a fair confrontation, but it didn\'t mean others had to agree.
Yet, to Willa\'s surprise, Enzo spoke again, "I can agree to your duel request, but I have a condition. After winning the duel, you must inform me of everything I wish to know."
Willa nodded in agreement, "Okay!"
She couldn\'t help but taunt, "If I were you, I definitely wouldn\'t agree to this duel. Because you wouldn\'t stand a chance against me!"
Without hesitation, Willa unleashed a gravity field, concentrating its force on Enzo.
She raised her long knife and lunged towards him.
However, just as the blade was about to reach Enzo, Willa noticed him move.
A slight sidestep caused her attack to miss completely. In return, Enzo swung a powerful punch that landed heavily on her abdomen, sending her flying into the crowd.
The onlookers quickly scattered to avoid the impact, while Willa crashed to the ground, unable to move.
Enzo approached calmly and remarked, "Impressive ability, but unfortunately, your strength is too weak. Now, fulfill your promise... Tell me everything about the Mpondo Tribe and how to tame the Giant Bone Wolf."
But upon hearing this, Willa sneered, "Dream on!"
With immense pride, she added, "I\'m working for the candidate Lord Priest Freya of the Golden Lion Tribe. If you dare lay a hand on me, Lord Freya will not forgive you!"