“Other than the Black Water Merchant Guild, are there any other forces nearby?” Jose asked.
Luna Bloodfeather was about to reply when she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, yes, Master, you wanted to know more about the Merchant Guild. I have someone here who knows more than I do.”
“Who is that?”
“I’ll bring you there.”
“Help… help!”
Before they could fly any closer, Jose heard a weak cry for help and looked toward the source of the sound — a peculiar harpy nest with a fence made of sticks around it. Thorns were still wrapped around the sticks, so there was no way out but to fly through the opening into the sky. It must be the harpy’s version of a prison.
Jose looked inside the prison. There was a black and thin bar-shaped object lying inside the prison. The bar-shaped object was thin and bony, and the ribs on its chest could be seen clearly. Its body was covered in long black skin, and two burnt yellow fangs extended out from its mouth. The cry for help had come from it.
“What is this thing?!”
“Master, he’s not a thing. The person I’m talking about is him.”
The thin black creature’s voice was weak as it said, “Great True Dragon, I… I am a boarman merchant — Hulk, a traveling merchant of the plains.”
Jose raised his eyebrows and looked at the boarman with some sympathy. If he did not speak, who would believe that this skinny fellow was a burly boarman?
As for why this happened, it was because the harpies had drained him dry.
The harpies were all female. If they wanted to reproduce, they had to borrow the sperm of the males of other races. When they encountered males they liked, they would capture them alive and bring their prey back to the nest to slowly enjoy themselves.
It was not a beautiful experience. In fact, being reduced to a breeding machine for harpies was more painful than most lethal punishments.
A harpy that ate raw meat and drank blood did not know what gentleness was. It was fine as long as she enjoyed it. Most importantly, there was not just one or two harpies, but a group of them lined up.
Most people would have a mental breakdown within a week after falling into their hands.
“Respected True Dragon, I beg you to save me.”
“Save you?” Jose was intrigued. He sized up the boarman, whose body was very dirty but whose eyes were abnormally bright. “Why should I do so?”
“I’m a merchant working for the Conch Merchant Guild. If you let me go, I’ll definitely repay you when I’m rich.”
“Interesting.” Jose turned to his subordinate. “How long has he been in captivity?”
“About ten days.”
Jose became even more interested in the boarman.
It was very rare for a merchant to appear among the boarmen, who were known for their stupidity. After falling into the hands of the harpies for 10 days, he was squeezed dry until there was only skin and bones left, but he did not experience a mental breakdown. On the contrary, he could still think logically; this was a rare quality.
This boarman’s will is so strong. If he met the right opportunity, he might be able to make a name for himself.
It just so happened that Jose could give him that chance.
“Luna, give him some food and water.”
The boarman merchant wolfed down the food sent by the harpy and gulped down a large jar of water. He regained some vitality, and his mind became much more active.
From what the harpy had said, he knew that the Red Dragon’s arrival was not a coincidence. The harpy had brought it here on her own accord, so he must have something she wanted. If he could seize this opportunity to show his value, he could use the Red Dragon to escape the harpies’ clutches.
With this thought in mind, Hulk struggled to stand up and gave a standard but passable greeting.
“Thank you for granting me food, benevolent True Dragon. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I want to know the distribution of power in the nearby plains, especially the situation of the human Merchant Guilds. Tell me about your Merchant Guild and others, as well as how they operate.”
“You asked a lot of questions. Let me start by answering the first one.”
After organizing his words, Hulk continued, “Great True Dragon, in the outside world, this small plains where the three lands intersect is called the Triangle Plains. In the entire Triangle Plains, if we don’t count the numerous small tribes, only three medium-sized tribes are present. One is the gray-tailed centaur tribe. The other is the black raven beastman tribe, and the last is my stone-tooth boarman tribe.
“The three tribes have their respective strengths. The gray-tailed centaurs are agile and come and go like the wind. The black ravens are brave and skilled in battle. They also have a group of goblin vassals. The stone-tooth boarmen are numerous, and our tribe’s base camp, Odal Hill, is protected by the Thorn Forest.
“As for the Merchant Guild”—Hulk lowered his head and organized his words for a while before looking up at Jose—”there is a trading camp near the black raven beastman tribe. This camp is protected by them and is called the crossroad camp. Almost all the merchants stay there, and all the native tribes of the Triangle Plains will send their goods to this crossroad camp where merchants will sometimes make purchases.
“As for the conflict between the Merchant Guilds and how things are set up, it’s too complicated. I can’t explain it in a short time.”
“If you can’t explain it, I’ll take a look for myself.” Jose took out a scale.
Today was really a lucky day. Not only did Jose obtain a harpy with a dragon bloodline, but he also got a spy among the gray-tailed centaurs, to boot. Finally, he even obtained an experienced boarman merchant.
Whether it was from the perspective of observing the stone-tooth boarman tribe, understanding the situation in the plains, or the idea of opening up the blood-tooth tribe’s trade route to the outside world, Jose should definitely consider making the boarman into his subordinate.
“Don’t resist.”
Resist?
No way!
Hulk was overjoyed. Not to mention the long lifespan and explosive strength after being transformed into a dragonkin, just being able to escape from the current hellish situation made him unable to refuse.
Moreover, with a True Dragon as his backer, he could do things that he did not dare to do before. When the True Dragon grew up, the benefits he obtained would be even more immeasurable.
Without any issue, Jose’s fourth follower was born.
“Lucky guy,” Luna Bloodfeather muttered. “Since we are all Master’s subordinates, then we are one family. Let me apprise you that it wasn’t a coincidence for you to meet a large group of centaurs. Before you set off, the Khan of the gray-tailed centaurs had entrusted us to pay attention to the situation of your caravan.”
“The gray-tailed centaurs?! The Black Water Merchant Guild?!
“I see! This is a conspiracy! A conspiracy against the Conch Merchant Guild!” Hulk was so angry that he clenched his fists and panted heavily. Soon after, he calmed down, but his eyes were still flickering with uncertainty.
Jose was a little interested in the feud between the two Merchant Guilds, but he did not ask. After creating the contract, he would be able to read the memories of his followers. He planned to look at them carefully when he returned. There was no rush now.
He tilted his head and looked at the setting sun on the horizon.
“Luna, send your companion back to the plains, and…”
He then looked at Hulk’s miserable appearance and said, “Forget it. Let him regain some weight first before sending him there. Otherwise, it will be too embarrassing.”