I Became The Chief Of A Primitive Village

Chapter 1032, The Flame Dragon Tribe’s Guide

Translator: Silavin

*Splash splash splash…*

The rain fell like beads cascading from a broken string. Ye Tu and the others passed through the Flame Dragon Tribe’s inspection.

Everyone stepped inside the Flame Dragon Tribe with undisguised curiosity, heads turning left and right at every step. They resembled newborn kittens, utterly entranced by everything around them, though at the same time their darting eyes carried a rather furtive quality.

“Welcome to our Flame Dragon Tribe. Would you like a guide?” Cai Cai asked warmly.

She was an orphan of the Flame Dragon Tribe. Her appearance was unremarkable. She was just an ordinary woman, nothing noteworthy in terms of beauty. Her Husband had died somewhere in the primitive forest, leaving her no choice but to fend for herself.

As fortune would have it, the Flame Dragon Tribe had recently opened up a new profession: the guide.

Ever since the Flame Dragon Tribe established the Central Market, members of a great many other Tribes had come streaming in. These visitors were outsiders with no knowledge of the Flame Dragon Tribe. They wandered aimlessly, with no idea where to go or what they might want to trade for.

In such circumstances, a guide was exactly what was needed, and so the profession had come into being naturally. It was a Tribe-recognised vocation, with a monthly wage paid out regularly.

“A guide? What is a guide?” Ye Tu asked, genuinely puzzled.

He was somewhat startled. This person had been remarkably forward, approaching them the very moment they walked through the entrance.

“Who are you? We’re people from another Tribe. Why are you treating us like this?” Huang Ji asked.

“A guide is a profession unique to the Flame Dragon Tribe. My role is primarily to introduce you to our Tribe.”

Cai Cai was entirely courteous. “I treat you this way because it is my professional duty. There is no need to feel any pressure.”

“We don’t have to give you anything in return, do we?” Ye Tu asked cautiously. He simply could not believe anything could be this straightforward.

As the Boss responsible for leading the Wild Fox Tribe’s trading parties, he naturally had to be careful about such things. Agreeing without understanding the terms now might cost them something unexpected later.

“Rest assured, this is entirely up to you. Give me something if you wish, and if you don’t, there is absolutely no need to.” Cai Cai waved a hand and continued. “In any case, the Chieftain issues me currency notes each day, and I can use those to buy whatever I need. It amounts to the same thing.”

She had said this deliberately, intending to promote the Flame Dragon Tribe’s currency notes to as wide an audience as possible. The more Tribes that became aware of it, the better the spread.

“Currency notes? What are those? Why do you speak so strangely? We can’t follow half of what you’re saying.” Ye Tu furrowed his brow.

He grew more cautious with every moment. Something about this Tribe was simply too different.

“Because you are an outsider. You are not familiar with our Flame Dragon Tribe. It is entirely normal that you cannot follow.” Cai Cai gave him a look of light disdain. “But of all the people who have come to understand our Tribe, not a single one has left without loving it.”

She tilted her chin skyward as she finished, wearing an expression of considerable pride.

Cai Cai understood the principle of playing hard to get. She turned to leave without another word.

She knew with certainty that they would call her back. Pressing too hard would only breed irritation and suspicion. Better to let them come to her.

“Wait. In that case, come and be our guide. We know nothing about the Flame Dragon Tribe. Having someone to introduce us can only be a good thing.” Ye Tu called out quickly, fearing that if he let her go, no one else might come.

He still had not fully recovered from the sight of the strange weapon in Shu Feng’s hands back outside. His heart had not stopped hammering since.

“I particularly enjoy guiding Warriors. Warriors are direct and easy to talk to, which makes my work smoother.” Cai Cai rolled up her sleeves with characteristic bluntness and strode ahead with easy confidence, taking up the umbrella she had set aside and opening it in one smooth motion.

She had been waiting at the Tribe’s entrance the whole time, specifically for visitors from other Tribes.

The section of road just inside the Flame Dragon Tribe’s gate had a covered overhead structure, so the umbrella was not yet needed there.

*Pitter-patter pitter-patter…*

The moment Cai Cai stepped out with the open umbrella into the rain, the water drummed against it with a crisp, clear sound.

Her movement and the umbrella itself immediately drew every eye from the Wild Fox Tribe. All of them fixed their gaze on it at once. It was for no other reason than that this object filled them entirely with curiosity.

“Look at that. Just what is that thing? It resembles a leaf, yet it isn’t.” Ye Tu nudged the Totem Warrior beside him with his elbow.

“How extraordinary. She’s standing beneath that thing and not getting wet at all. That has to be one of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s remarkable items, surely?”

Huang Ji stared with his mouth hanging open, entirely indifferent to the rain continuing to strike him from all sides.

“Just ask and we’ll know.” Ye Tu, equally unbothered by the rain, stepped forward and asked. “What is it that you’re holding? It looks amazing!”

He made no effort at all to conceal how much he wanted one. The words “can I have one?” might as well have been written plainly across his face.

Cai Cai was startled by his forwardness and took a half-step sideways. “This is an umbrella. Only our Tribe’s people have them. You won’t find one anywhere else.”

She stood a little taller after saying that, her unremarkable face lifted to an even more triumphant angle.

“Erm… could we have one as well? Surely it isn’t pleasant for us to be soaked like this?” Ye Tu asked.

Did he want one? He desperately wanted one. He was ready to possess an umbrella that very instant.

“No. Unless you rent one. Rent and you can use one for a period.” Cai Cai said bluntly.

“Rent? What is rent? How does one rent?” Ye Tu asked. Strange vocabulary no longer mattered, possessing one was all that counted.

“I doubt you’ve brought any dried meat, which means renting is probably out of the question for you.” Cai Cai looked them over with undisguised distaste.

She observed that Ye Tu and the others carried nothing on their backs whatsoever, let alone anything resembling dried meat or similar goods.

“When you say rent, do you mean exchanging something for it?” Ye Tu pressed.

“No, no, no. You have that wrong. Rent means the item never becomes yours. You may use it for a period of time, but when that time is up, you return it. Exchange is exchange, once exchanged, the item is yours. Rent is not the same.” Cai Cai raised one finger and shook it firmly, her expression thoroughly serious as she explained.

“Then that won’t do at all. That seems far too disadvantageous for us. Exchanging would be far better.” Ye Tu dismissed it without a second thought.

“Then there is nothing to be done. The umbrella is not available for exchange, only for rent. Understood?” Cai Cai asked.

“Why? Why can it only be rented and not exchanged?” Ye Tu expressed genuine bewilderment.

“No particular reason, because it belongs to our Flame Dragon Tribe.” Cai Cai answered with absolute certainty.