An Honored Guest Comes Calling

The newly arrived hundreds of people had just settled in, and the integration process was proceeding smoothly, creating a busy and hopeful scene in the Fire Tribe Valley. Just then, a group of Youth Team responsible for guarding the outer waterways rushed into the council hall.

"Report! Unidentified boats have been spotted approaching downstream from the valley entrance stream! There are three boats in total, and their style... looks somewhat like they're from the Fish Tribe, but not entirely." The leader was Shibang from the Youth Team; he was much more Chenwen now and his report was clear.

"A ship from the Fish Tribe?" Jianshi asked, slightly puzzled. At this time of year, the Fish Tribe's large-scale trading fleet wouldn't be sailing upstream to this area.

"Look closely, there's a flag on the bow of the Chuantou, made of colorful hemp thread and pottery shards strung together, not the fishbone flag of the Fish Tribe," another sentry added.

"Colored hemp thread and pottery shards?" Jianshi pondered for a moment, a flash of realization crossing his eyes. "It's the Pottery Salt Tribe! Jia Li has arrived!"

Jia Li was the leader of the Pottery Salt Tribe. His tribe was located at a convenient confluence of land and water along a large river, only three days' overland travel from the Fish Tribe's settlement. The Pottery Salt Tribe did not produce pottery or salt themselves; their livelihood depended mainly on "distributing" these two scarce commodities from the Fish Tribe. The Fish Tribe traded large quantities of pottery and coarse salt from the more distant "Valley Tribe," which was said to number "tens of thousands." They consumed some of it themselves, and the rest was resold through "middlemen" like the Pottery and Pottery Salt Tribe to tribes further inland or upstream, profiting from the transactions.

Jia Li was able to start this business not only because of its advantageous location, but also because of a family connection—his wife was the sister of Canglan, the leader of the Fish Tribe. In other words, Jia Li was Canglan's brother-in-law. And Canglan was the brother of Jianshi, Qingye's wife (Qingye was Canglan's sister). So, Jia Li and Jianshi were brothers-in-law.

However, despite being relatives, the Fire Tribe was too poor in the past. Apart from occasionally exchanging for some essential coarse salt, they had practically nothing to trade with the Pottery Salt Tribe. Jia Li himself was busy with affairs and focused more on cultivating relationships with the Fish Tribe and the downstream tribes. He had little interest in these barren mountains and forests upstream, only visiting once as a representative of relatives when Jianshi and Qingye got married. The Fire Tribe back then was a world apart from what it is today.

"Quickly, send someone to the dock to greet him." Jianshi stood up. "Inform Qingye that her brother-in-law has arrived. Jianya and Yan, come with me to greet him."

Jianshi Shi knew perfectly well that a shrewd, businessman-like tribal chief like Jia Li wouldn't come to their door without a reason. In the past two years, the Fire Tribe had not only exchanged a large amount of urgently needed supplies for exporting high-quality pottery to the Fish Tribe, but the Fish Tribe had also made a fortune. As a key distributor for the Fish Tribe, Jia Li must have handled Fire Tribe pottery and sensed something unusual. His visit this time was most likely because he had heard some rumors and was personally investigating.

As Jia Li's swift Xiaozhou approached the mouth of the Fire Tribe Valley, the composure and subtle sense of superiority on his face, befitting a "trading hub chief," cracked the moment he saw the dock.

What kind of dock was it? A wide and sturdy wooden pier extended into the water. Dozens of boats were neatly moored along the shore! Most eye-catching were thirty enormous Muzhou, their size and thickness even larger than the Xiaozhou of the Fish Tribe! Jia Li, being knowledgeable, immediately estimated that these large boats could carry at least two thousand kilograms! Beside them were dozens of smaller, but sleek and fast boats, some even equipped with simple yet effective sails!

His heart skipped a beat. Fire Tribe... when did they acquire such strong shipbuilding capabilities? Although this fleet of scale and quality cannot compare to the massive fleet that Fish Tribe has been building for decades, it is definitely a force that cannot be ignored in this region of the upper reaches of the Pottery Salt Tribe! You must know that their own ships are only a dozen or so small boats that were bought from or copied from the Fish Tribe, each with a carrying capacity of a few hundred kilograms.

The ship docked, Jia Li, accompanied by two guards and a follower carrying gifts, stepped onto the wooden planks. The Fire Tribe warriors, who were leading the way, politely but skillfully inspected their gifts (a few jars of salt and some relatively fine painted pottery from the Fish Tribe) before leading them inside.

As he walked, the shock in Jia Li's heart deepened with each step, just like the road beneath his feet, until he was completely dumbfounded.

The road was smooth and wide, clearly man-made. On both sides were vast fields, neatly planned. In the low-lying areas, there were endless stretches of paddy fields, the rice seedlings growing vigorously, their area... Jia Li roughly estimated that it definitely exceeded two thousand acres! On the dry slopes, various crops were planted at different heights, along with many vegetables and fruits he didn't recognize, lush and green, covering an area several times larger than the paddy fields! In the fields, tribesmen were working in an orderly manner.

At the foot of the distant mountains, a large pasture is enclosed by a wooden fence, where herds of cattle and sheep graze and deer roam freely. Near the settlement, there are also areas enclosed by fine netting, from which come the calls of chickens and ducks in astonishing numbers.

What shocked Jia Li the most was the thick earthen wall that wound along the mountainside, nearly two people high, constructed of layers of rammed earth mixed with wood and stone! Warriors patrolling with spears could be seen on the wall, exuding a stern atmosphere. Inside, instead of the scattered shacks of his memory, there were densely packed, neatly arranged wooden or earthen houses, a dark mass with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and faint voices—the population... definitely exceeded that of the Fish Tribe.

Jia Li's throat was dry. His Pottery Salt Tribe, which he managed, was doing well thanks to its distribution business, and its population had grown to nearly five hundred, making it the envy of surrounding smaller tribes. But this Fire Tribe before him... this was no longer the impoverished brother-in-law tribe of a few years ago, needing occasional aid from Canglan. This was clearly a rising, deeply rooted, and infinitely powerful behemoth! Its wealth and strength might even have surpassed the Pottery Salt Tribe, which relied primarily on trade, and was approaching the Fish Tribe, which possessed the advantages of the great river and Yuantu trade network!

He recalled the Wolf Tribe's attempt to attack their Pottery Salt Tribe a few days ago. After being repelled by the combined forces of the Hundred Crafts, Beast Taming, and Fish Tribe, they fled in disarray... right this way. Julang had even mentioned to him then that the Wolf Tribe might go after the Fire Tribe. Now, thinking back... Jia Li's lips twitched involuntarily, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Those cowardly wolves of the Wolf Tribe, if they really saw this scene, their legs would probably go weak! Go after the fire tribe? They'd be too slow to even run for their lives!

He subconsciously straightened his linen robe, dyed with precious dyes and embroidered with simple patterns (a "high-end item" he had traded from a large tribe). The sense of superiority he had felt from controlling trade channels had vanished, replaced by a strong sense of shock and a rapidly rising desire to befriend, and even... rely on.

The soldier leading the way brought them to the earthen gate, and after announcing their arrival, the gate opened. They hadn't gone far when they saw a large building ahead, clearly the core structure, where a group of people hurried to greet them.

The leader, a burly man with a Chenwen demeanor, was none other than Jianshi. Beside him stood the smiling Qingye and the capable Jianya. A bright-eyed and composed young man stood a little behind them. Although Jia Li had never seen him before, he immediately guessed that this must be Yan, the "wise man" who was said to have brought about miraculous changes to the Fire Tribe and was also the source of the Fire Tribe's high-quality pottery.

"Hahaha! Brother-in-law! What a wonderful day it is that you've come all this way? What a rare guest!" Jianshi greeted him with a loud laugh, his voice booming as he opened his arms wide.

Jia Li quickly adjusted his expression, his face beaming with even greater enthusiasm. He rushed forward and gave Jianshi a Jianshi hug. "Brother-in-law! Chief Jianshi! Oh my, you've really... blinded your brother-in-law!" He patted Jianshi's back forcefully, his exclamation genuine, "It's only been a few years! The Fire Tribe has undergone a complete transformation! Incredible, absolutely incredible! I think the upper reaches of this great river will henceforth be ruled by your Fire Tribe!"

"Brother-in-law, you're too kind. We just farm a little land and raise some livestock, barely making ends meet," Jianshi said modestly, but the confidence in his eyes was undeniable. "Quickly, please come in! Qingye, go and prepare, bring out our best to entertain brother-in-law!"

The group entered the spacious and bright council hall and took their seats. They were served clear Quanshui and freshly picked wild fruit, a simple yet refreshing meal.

After a few casual greetings, the conversation naturally turned to recent events.

"Brother-in-law, was your journey peaceful?" Jianshi asked with concern.

Jia Li sighed and gave a wry smile, "Things weren't peaceful a few days ago. Those mad dogs from the Wolf Tribe somehow targeted our Pottery Salt Tribe. Luckily, we were close to the Hundred Crafts and Beast Taming tribes, and we joined forces to drive them back. We lost twenty or thirty of them, and they slunk away." He paused, looking at Jianshi, "Later, I heard from the Fish Tribe that they were coming this way? At the time, Julang from the Fish Tribe was still talking to me, saying he was a little worried about you. Seeing this along the way today..." He shook his head, his face full of emotion, "My worries, and the Fish Tribe's worries, are simply a joke! With the Fire Tribe's current strength, if the Wolf Tribe really dared to come, wouldn't they be courting death?"

Everyone in the hall laughed, feeling proud.

Jianshi smiled, his tone calm. "The Wolf Tribe did come. Just a few days ago, they ran into us outside Wild Boar Gully."

"Oh?" Jia Li leaned forward, even though he already knew the answer in his heart, he still wanted to hear this shocking news with his own ears.

"They tried to sneak in, but we spotted them first," Jianshi said casually. "Our men rushed out, and I exchanged a few blows with their leader, Xueya. He's quite strong, but I was still outmatched, and Xueya was injured. Seeing the situation was bad, they tried to run, but we chased after them and beat them up. About eighty of them were left behind; the rest followed the injured Xueya into the mountains. We chased them for a while, but the forest was too dense, so we came back."

More than eighty people! Jia Li's eyelids twitched. The Wolf Tribe's main force of over a hundred people had been almost completely wiped out by the Fire Tribe! Even the infamous Xueya had personally taken action and was defeated and wounded! This achievement was enough to shock all the surrounding tribes!

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" Jia Li exclaimed sincerely, giving a thumbs up. "No wonder I've heard so many tribes talking about the Fire Tribe defeating the Wolf Tribe! It turns out they're even more impressive than the rumors suggest! Chief Jianshi, your victory has truly avenged us all! After this defeat, the Wolf Tribe won't be able to hold their heads high for at least a few years!"

"It was just self-defense." Jianshi waved his hand. "But it's your ability to unite and repel the Wolf Tribe, brother-in-law, that's real skill."

The two sides exchanged pleasantries, the atmosphere harmonious. But Jia Li knew perfectly well what was going on. The rise of the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe was unstoppable; their agricultural output, population size, and military strength had all reached an awe-inspiring level. More importantly, they were producers of high-quality pottery! In the past two years, the Fish Tribe had made a fortune by reselling the Fire Tribe's pottery, and even he, as a downstream distributor, had profited handsomely. Now, witnessing the Fire Tribe's strength firsthand, one thought became increasingly clear in Jia Li's mind: he must firmly grasp this connection! Establishing a closer and more direct relationship with the Fire Tribe would yield far greater benefits than the distribution business he was currently dependent on the Fish Tribe for!

Looking at his shrewd and capable brother-in-law who had suddenly arrived, Jian Jianshi had a general idea of what was going on. It seemed that the Fire Tribe's pottery had already attracted enough attention. Jia Li's arrival might be an opportunity, an opportunity for the Fire Tribe's products to enter the downstream trade network more directly and efficiently.

Qingye and her entourage served a sumptuous lunch: large bowls of stewed meat, a whole roasted chicken, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, soft rice cakes, and Fire Tribe goat milk. The aroma was irresistible, and the atmosphere was lively.

But both Jia Li and Jianshi understood that this meal was just the beginning. The real "deal" and "negotiation" were only just beginning.