Chapter 395 - 194: Encountering Desert Bandits 2

After all, they made a living robbing people. It was a line of work where you put your life on the line, so you couldn’t become a Desert Bandit without some real Power. Thus, their individual combat prowess was quite decent. In some respects, the Desert Bandits’ fighting ability even surpassed that of the malignant races; their only problem was unity.

The malignant races, on the other hand, were each a single Race with established hierarchies and class structures. This was true for goblins, Lizardmen, and the Headhunter Race alike. Members of the same Race trusted each other more and were more united. In contrast, while the Desert Bandits were strong individually, they hailed from various races. Theirs was a union born of pure self-interest, with no trust to speak of, let alone unity.

"You should go, quickly! If the Desert Bandits get any closer, you won’t be able to leave," the Chieftain said anxiously when he saw Zhang Peng standing still.

"It’s fine. There’s no need to rush. I’m actually quite curious to see these Desert Bandits for myself," Zhang Peng said calmly, turning his head to glance at the Gopher.

The Gopher immediately understood. He called to his companions, and with grunts of effort, they carried a long object wrapped in black burlap over to Zhang Peng.

The band of Desert Bandits picked up their pace, drawing nearer until they stopped about fifty meters away. Two of them broke off and approached Zhang Peng and the nervous Chieftain.

The one in the lead was one of the Arrow Boar People, flanked by a Lizardman carrying a Bow and Arrow. The Chieftain saw the pair and started to step forward, but the Lizardman suddenly nocked, drew, and loosed an arrow. With a WHOOSH, the shaft flew past and thudded into the ground just in front of the Chieftain’s feet, stopping him in his tracks.

Zhang Peng glanced at the arrow, then at the Lizardman Archer, his expression completely unperturbed. He reached out, took the long pole from the Gopher, and began to unwrap the black burlap covering it.

The Arrow Boar Person wore an arrogant and disdainful smile. He pointed with his Wide-Backed Great Saber and snorted. "Hmph, hmph. Your resources for your lives. You pay per head. Food is best. You know the rules. Don’t make me waste my breath."

"Half! We’ll give you half! We don’t have that much, only half!" the Chieftain yelled at the Arrow Boar Person. Simultaneously, the members of his Tribe raised their Weapons and let out a cacophony of roars. This was a form of intimidation, a way of telling the Desert Bandits that they should be satisfied. If it came to a real fight, they wouldn’t be pushed around.

Zhang Peng continued to unwrap the black burlap, watching the exchange with interest. It was the first time he’d ever seen a Tribe haggling with Desert Bandits, and he was quite curious.

He’d always assumed Desert Bandits would just attack without a word and take everything they could. He never imagined they would actually negotiate. And judging by the Chieftain’s demeanor, this was clearly not the first or even second time this had happened.

But this was where Zhang Peng had been mistaken. The Desert Bandits weren’t idiots; they were after profit, not murder. A direct assault would be met with desperate resistance, and people would die. The bandits had no desire to throw their lives away so pointlessly. The best outcome was to acquire resources without suffering any casualties.

"Who are those guys? I’ve never seen them before." The Arrow Boar Person ignored the Chieftain, instead pointing his saber at Zhang Peng.

"They’re not with us! They’re a merchant party! We’re not paying their per-head price!" the Chieftain declared, selling Zhang Peng out without a moment’s hesitation. The trade was done, after all; Zhang Peng had served his purpose. What did friendship matter? To the Chieftain, friends were just tools to be used and discarded.

Zhang Peng shot the Chieftain a sideways glance and clicked his tongue. ’He didn’t really blame the Chieftain for the betrayal. It was to be expected. Most of the Tribes he’d encountered were the same. The Tribe’s interests always came first. He was just a Merchant. Without Zhang Peng, there would be a Liu Peng or a Wang Peng. They could always wait for the next Merchant to come along. A Tribe would never fight the Desert Bandits to the death for his sake.’

’They were two separate groups to begin with. You had to rely on your own strength to protect your interests and live a better life. Besides, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t noticed the calculating look that flickered in the Chieftain’s eyes during our trade earlier. If my Black Knight guards hadn’t been there, the Chieftain might very well have decided to play the role of a Desert Bandit himself.’

The Arrow Boar Person’s eyes lit up at the words "merchant party."

’Merchant parties are the best,’ he thought. ’They’re always loaded with resources. An excellent target for robbing or extorting... a fat sheep for the slaughter!’

"You there, from the merchant party! Send out someone in charge to talk!" The Arrow Boar Person shouted at Zhang Peng’s group, completely ignoring the Chieftain. ’The Tribe isn’t going anywhere,’ he figured. ’Might as well fleece the merchants first.’

The Lizardman flicked his tongue, nocked an arrow, and drew his bow, aiming it at Zhang Peng’s group.

Zhang Peng shot the Arrow Boar Person a cold glare. He had finally finished unwrapping the black burlap, revealing a three-meter-long staff. He hefted the staff and started walking toward the bandit. Seeing him move, the Lizardman immediately fixed his aim on Zhang Peng, his eyes flicking to the long staff in his hands.

Two Black Knights silently strode forward to flank Zhang Peng’s front, shielding him as he advanced. The other dozen or so Black Knights moved to follow at his sides.

After taking a few steps, Zhang Peng stopped. He raised the staff high and then plunged it forcefully into the ground. At its top was a bleached white Skeleton skull!

Gripping the Banner of the Undead, Zhang Peng looked calmly at the Arrow Boar Person and said slowly, "So, what is it you want? Say it."

A menacing aura spread out from the Black Knights. The muscle at the corner of the Lizardman Archer’s eye twitched, his gaze filled with apprehension. He shot a nearly imperceptible glance at the Arrow Boar Person, whose own expression had soured.

’This aura... This Human Merchant’s bodyguards are something else.’