CH 14

"He did not make it through."

"He froze to death," said Lin Shuang, lowering her sword slowly. She knew struggling would be futile and might cost her her own life.

Rather than continue to show hostility, it was time to gamble.

Would they believe her if she told a lie?

No matter what, she could not tell them that the man had been killed by her own people, and even less that she had been the one to take his brother's corpse to Old Bone....

Now, the body should have been turned to fertilizer, buried in the ground....

Chen Jiu shook his head in secret on the other side. This woman was too foolish.

How could such an explanation possibly convince any enemy who held a grudge against her?

Fortunately, he did not intend to harm her.

After all, she was a score in the assessment of Chidi.

He could not restore that!

Even though he was angry, he could not simply kill her in revenge.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and pretended to say sadly:

"Regret filled the air... the Redland was such a place, a chill of the coming Ice was in the air, none knew if they would live to see tomorrow..." Qin Chuan interjected, annoyed at not being told of this exclusive plot. Chen Jiu quickly pulled him aside, whispering, "This is a character background plot. Just watch quietly, and I will explain later." Upon hearing it was exclusive, Qin Chuan complied, standing by and watching as Chen Jiu negotiated with Lin Shuang. They reached an agreement, that she could continue to collect acorns, and could exchange them for dried meat in the cave if needed. Relief washed over Lin Shuang's face, the ordeal finally over. With it, a glimmer of anticipation, for if she could get her hands on the dried meat, she could exchange it for more buckwheat back in the village.

In the bitter cold where temperatures plummeted, the fat that came with the dried meat could very well determine life and death, a hard currency that was absolutely certain to be traded.

"Can I go now?" She tentatively asked.

"Of course!" Chen Jiuli immediately replied.

He hadn't expected the breakthrough to go so smoothly; if he could establish a connection with Xiahe Village through this woman, it would be much easier to accomplish other things. At least he wouldn't be cut off at the knees like before, merely with a suggestion.

Soon the three of them followed Qin Chuan's footsteps back to the entrance of the research institute and Chen Jiuli naturally couldn't allow the woman, Lin Shuang, to enter. So he sent Qin Chuan to get the dried meat while he stayed outside with Lin Shuang.

--Of course, there was another reason he couldn't disclose, that he had to keep an eye on Lin Shuang, just in case she stole the meat that was being roasted and ran away.

It was undeniable that Chen Jiuli had a good understanding of human nature, but it wasn't good enough.

Because of the current Chidi, when she saw the full rack of roasted meat, the thought that flashed through her mind was:

Chidi gazed upon the full rack of roasted meat, and in that moment a thought struck her:

"Regret filled the air... the Redland was such a place, a chill of the coming Ice was in the air, none knew if they would live to see tomorrow..." Qin Chuan interjected, annoyed at not being told of this exclusive plot. Chen Jiu quickly pulled him aside, whispering, "This is a character background plot. Just watch quietly, and I will explain later." Upon hearing it was exclusive, Qin Chuan complied, standing by and watching as Chen Jiu negotiated with Lin Shuang. They reached an agreement, that she could continue to collect acorns, and could exchange them for dried meat in the cave if needed. Relief washed over Lin Shuang's face, the ordeal finally over. With it, a glimmer of anticipation, for if she could get her hands on the dried meat, she could exchange it for more buckwheat back in the village.

If killing these few refugees would mean that the meat would be all theirs, had the thought not been pushed down so quickly, the fourth day of calamity's wrath would likely have been brought down not only upon her but also upon the entire village of Xiahe.

Cursing herself inwardly, Lin Shuang felt the guilt, self-loathing and fear suddenly swell up. How could she even consider such a thing? What difference would that make between her and those bandits? The land had twisted her and her fellow villagers, eroding away their humanity until the icy chill passed, and who knew what was left of them by then.

Minutes later, Qin Chuan arrived with the dried meat, followed by the curious Wig.

"Oh, a new NPC!" Wig leapt in front of Lin Shuang, who backed away instinctually.

"NPC is so timid... Is this the merchant that spawned, Brother Jiuger?" 

"Yes, it's the peddler who arrived in Xiahe Village earlier and can exchange goods."

"So... What do you have?"

The question was asked to Lin Shuang and she paused, replying, "I only have acorns."

"If you need it, I can bring some hemp and buckwheat as well."

She didn't understand the meaning of the word "NPC" but she could comprehend what the word "merchant" represented.

It seemed these people wanted to use her to trade with Xiahe Village.

The best outcome, for she would then truly have a purpose.

And one who is of use, would not be so easily killed.

These so-called "bandits" were quite interesting.

To her, the interest lay not only in their lack of preconceptions but in their overall performance.

It seemed as though the young woman and all those around her paid no mind to the coming Ice Tide--no, they had suppressed their worries about it. It was as if they had accepted death as a certainty. That expression, that tone, had never been seen in anyone from the Xiahe Village. Indeed, they were people who would risk their lives in the hunt, so perhaps only they could truly survive on the barren land. Before she had time to ponder, Qin Chuan had already thrown the jerky at her feet. "Thirty jin in total, I've had Chidi count it for me," he said. "What do you need so much for?" Chen Jiu asked in confusion. "Does it need to be asked? Raising favourability, of course!" "Hehe, I just tried, it's a mission trade, these jerky don't need to be bought with points, it's all for free, so why not give a little extra?" "Well, the exchange rate was set by us, the jerky is from Chidi, the favourability is ours!" "You wait, I'll go get some more!" Qin Chuan said gleefully, pleased to have found another exploit.

Chenjiu's heart sank as he realized that Chidi hadn't yet fully grasped the game mechanics, so he quickly sent a message to the administrator to tell Chidi not to give any more jerky to Qin Chuan. But what was to be done with the jerky that had already been taken? He couldn't just not give it! That wouldn't be consistent with his player identity. Chenjiu felt miserable, but could only grit his teeth and swallow his pride. Fortunately, for players, the acquisition of jerky wasn't as difficult as that of the natives, so he said reluctantly, "Take all the jerky on the ground, and leave the acorns behind."

Chidi stared in disbelief at the jerky on the ground, her voice trembling, "All of this is for me?"

"Yes, take it quickly and don't forget to leave a good review," he said with a forced smile.

Lin Shuang's expression became ever more complex. At this moment, she felt a sudden embarrassment. Yes, the other side really had no ill will. They were even putting in their utmost effort to help her. And only minutes ago, she had harboured such base thoughts. Her face was instantly flushed red, even though Chitou had taught her many things and she had long since abandoned those useless 'kindnesses', this did not mean that such kindness did not dwell in her heart. The three people in front of her were like a ray of sunlight amidst the red tide, stinging her to the bone. Maybe... this world was about to change.