Time passed by slowly.
When the fleet reached Western River Bend, a relatively narrow place, the originally calm and flowing water suddenly exploded into water jets.
Countless crystal clear water splashes Shatter.
With a clanging sound, thick and long iron chains were pulled up from the water, stretched straight, locking the river surface, blocking several Iron Shield Caravan ships in front.
At the same time.
The men and horses led by Silver Mane appeared from the reeds on both sides of the river. Their armored front hooves stepped heavily into the shallows. Their majestic and tall figures blocked the sunlight and cast slender shadows on the river.
"Stop the boat! This is the river section under the jurisdiction of the Molten Iron Tribe!"
The majestic and burly leader of the men and horses said in a deep voice, his rich voice passing through the hull of the ship.
Clang Clang Clang!
The sword is unsheathed.
The guards of Iron Shield Caravan drew out their gleaming swords. They were fully armed, clutching their weapons tightly, and were on full alert. At the same time, the hull deck cracked, and two Alchemy Golem made of steel rose from it, standing on the deck like iron towers.
A team that dares to do business in a place full of ferocious beasts and monsters.
Either he is a life-betting fanatic, or he has a certain amount of confidence.
However, the engine of Alchemy Golem did not start immediately.
Merchant ship owner Hammer wiped off the drops of water on his face, whether it was river water or sweat, and appeared on the deck. He first asked the guards to put down their weapons, and then waved to the leader of the men and horses, with a smile on his face:
"If you have anything to discuss, let's discuss it carefully and make money by being harmonious."
"We had a very happy conversation before, so why go to war?"
The ship anchored and was temporarily moored on the river bank. The moccasin boots of the merchant ship owner Hammer got stuck in the wet river sand.
He refused to be accompanied by an escort, got off the boat alone, walked up to the strong leader of the troops, and handed him a bottle of southern wine.
I saw the strong men and horses accepting the wine.
The businessman relaxed his tense shoulders slightly and asked in a low voice:
"Zachary Your Excellency, why did you stop us today?"
Molten Iron Tribe has been entrenched in the southwest for more than ten years, and often trades with merchant ships. Among them, Silver Mane Zachary appears most frequently.
As the leader of a caravan that travels to the southwest all year round, this is not the first time Hammer has dealt with Silver Mane.
He knows Silver Mane Zachary's style of doing things.
This Molten Iron Tribe leader would never intercept a merchant ship rashly if he had nothing important to do.
He vaguely guessed the reason, but pretended not to know.
Silver Mane has a meaningful smile on his lips:
"Hammer, why ask even though you already know?"
The smile on the businessman's face suddenly froze, and he waved his hands quickly. "Where do you start with these words? I really don't understand."
Hearing this, the centaur leader's smile faded, and his usually kind expression became cold and hard.
"Molten Iron Tribe allows business groups to pass through the river bends under our jurisdiction. We regularly clean up the river beasts here to protect the business groups and provide you with convenience. We do not charge tolls. The only requirement is to conduct fair and reasonable transactions with the business groups."
He spoke bluntly and said in a business-like tone, "However, recently, many business groups did not stop when passing through the river section under the jurisdiction of the Molten Iron Tribe."
"Including you Iron Shield Caravan."
He leaned forward suddenly, and his burly body cast an oppressive shadow, swallowing up the thin businessman. "It seems that we are too tolerant and made you forget who you are facing."
The men and horses behind him all shouted their halberds in unison, and the metallic sound shocked the waterfowl in the sky.
On the bank hill, dozens of long bows were fully drawn, and the gleaming arrows were pointed directly at the merchant ship escorts.
Hammer had cold sweat on his forehead and took out his handkerchief to wipe it. "It turned out to be for this reason. I didn't see your staff when I passed by a few times before, and I was in a hurry, so I passed through directly. Since we met today, how about we trade at the old price?"
"Refined Iron Ore, seven hundred gold coins per ton."
Silver Mane Straight to the point.
"This. We will not accept Gray Magnetite in the near future."
The businessman looked sad.
Silver Mane reported several more ores, but Hammer kept pushing back and politely refused.
After a moment of stalemate, the commander suddenly changed the subject. "Golden Fang Tribe, what price will you give?"
The businessman was silent for a while, and after realizing that Molten Iron Tribe couldn't be fooled this time, he stopped prevaricating.
He said frankly, "For example, Refined Iron Ore and Golden Fang Tribe only cost 600 gold per ton. The selling price per ton of other ores is also lower than yours."
As an old tribe with deep roots and rooted in Borderlands for many years.
The number of resource points under the jurisdiction of the Golden Fang Tribe exceeds that of the Molten Iron Tribe. Moreover, they have been operating for a long time, their various processes are more perfect, their alchemy industry is developed, and their production capacity exceeds that of the Molten Iron Tribe.
Besides.
Goblin people don't mind making less wealth in the short term. They engage in price wars with the Molten Iron Tribe by hurting others but not benefiting themselves. As long as they can monopolize trade, the current losses are not worth mentioning in the eyes of Goblin people.
Silver Mane frowned. "We can charge your spices at 120% of the market price."
Hammer smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Golden Fang Tribe gives one hundred and forty percent."
Silver Mane was silent, but did not let go.
Negotiations reached an impasse.
"Sir Zachary, how about we give you a toll fee?"
Hammer's voice was very low, almost a whisper, but Silver Mane still didn't say a word, only the clanking of the iron chains in the river wind answered.
At the same time, a deep voice sounded in Silver Mane's heart:
"Tell him, Molten Iron Tribe didn't charge tolls before, won't charge them now, and won't charge them in the future."
This is the spiritual whisper of Iron Dragon Sorog.
He used psychic magic to establish Mind Link with Silver Mane, leading the negotiations.
"Honorable Iron King, is there something wrong with this? They are now more willing to trade with the Golden Fang Tribe and collect tolls. We can at least get some blood back."
Silver Mane asked in his heart.
"Compared to this small profit, word of mouth is more important. We must focus on the future."
After a brief pause, the order was categorical, "Let them go."
Silver Mane said no more and repeated Iron Dragon's words to Hammer.
After hearing the words of the centaur leader, the businessman's pupils expanded slightly, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"Come on, you can leave."
As Silver Mane waved, the iron chain blocking the river slowly retracted, and the archers on the bank also lowered their bowstrings.
"Sir Zachary, your tolerance and open-mindedness are unforgettable to me."
A smile appeared on the businessman's face and he bowed in greeting.
Immediately, he boarded the boat and set sail away from Western River Bend, heading towards the eastern bank of the river mainly controlled by the Golden Fang Tribe.
After they leave.
Iron Dragon walked out step by step from the dense forest on the south bank, looking coldly towards the direction in which the merchant ship was leaving.
"Honorable Iron King, shall we swallow this breath?"
Silver Mane bowed slightly, saluted Iron Dragon, and then asked in a low voice with some reluctance.
"I overlooked one thing."
Iron Dragon said slowly, "Golden Fang Tribe has abundant funds. It is not a wise move to fight a trade war or a price war with them. It is a short-term attack but a long-term one."
He admitted that Goblin's provocation had ignited his competitive spirit.
Facing Golden Fang Tribe's little moves, Iron Dragon wanted to fight back in the same way, letting Goblins appreciate the wisdom of Dragonkin.
But.
The facts are before us.
Golden Fang Tribe has a profound background, and using the weak to attack the strong regardless of the consequences will only damage the interests of the Molten Iron Tribe, and cannot really hurt Golden Fang Tribe.
After careful consideration, Iron Dragon gradually suppressed his competitiveness and did not rashly engage in a price war. He was ready to listen to Garos's suggestions first.