Douglas' wooden house.
Upon hearing Roman's words, Fierro and Christina also looked at Douglas.
Douglas chuckled disdainfully and said, "No, it's not just these five pieces of pottery. I've taken on a big deal, with profits of at least fifty thousand gold leaves!"
Upon hearing this, the others were completely incredulous.
Douglas had anticipated this and remained calm, saying to Richard, "Richard, why don't you confirm if I'm lying?"
Richard replied, "Mr. Douglas, for me to testify, it'll cost you extra."
Douglas handed over a handful of gold leaves.
Richard smiled as he pocketed them and then said, "Mr. Douglas is not lying. During this journey, we encountered a remarkable tribe..."
As Richard recounted the tale, the disdain on Christina, Roman, and Fierro's faces gradually turned into seriousness and intensity. Their breathing quickened as they pondered whether to get involved.
They trusted Richard implicitly. He was known for his honesty.
Moreover, the detailed description of the miraculous tribe .
It seemed too elaborate to be fabricated!
Christina exchanged a glance with Roman and Fierro. A hint of intrigue flashed in their reddish-brown eyes. She looked at Douglas, a faint smile playing on her lips. However, Douglas now stood with his head held high, gazing at the ceiling with narrowed eyes, arms crossed over his chest—a stance that indicated he was not in the mood to entertain anyone.
Seeing this, Christina winked at Roman and Fierro.
She stood up first, stretched her legs, and walked towards the door, remarking, "What a pity, I have a few deals to handle and no time for a journey."
Roman and Fierro also stood up, agreeing, "Indeed, same here."
Seeing all three about to leave his house, Douglas could no longer maintain his current composure. He jumped up in anger, shouting at Christina and the others, "Enough from all of you! This is information I've worked tirelessly to uncover, and now I'm giving it to you for free, yet you choose to ignore it!"
Christina suddenly turned back, swiftly returning to the table.
Slapping her hand down on it, she angrily rebuked, "Douglas, do you think we care about this piece of information? You silent bastard, you just left without a word! Off trading in distant dangerous places, do you even realize the risks involved? Or perhaps you think you're capable enough to leave our team behind!"
The air grew heavy.
The room fell into a tense silence, palpable to everyone present.
Douglas looked at Christina's stern face and the resigned expressions of Fierro and Roman. Deflated, he said, "I'm sorry, Christina. I didn't think this through. But this is a great opportunity. If we succeed in the trade, we could enter the Inner Rings, become senior members of the Gold Oak Tribe, maybe even gain supernatural powers."
Christina shook her head, her gaze dim.
She scoffed, a mix of mockery and regret in her voice, "Douglas, it's not that easy. Do you know how much they're asking for a chance at the Totem Fire in the Inner Rings?"
Douglas lifted his head, meeting Christina's gaze.
Fierro and Roman also turned their attention to her.
Among the five individuals, including Richard who joined midway, they were all members of the Flame Association, led by Christina, who was also the head of the association.
Christina had some knowledge about the Inner Rings.
But she had never voluntarily disclosed it before today, which made everyone very curious.
Christina smiled and spoke slowly, "Fifty thousand gold leaves."
"Fifty thousand!" Douglas jumped up again, grumbling, "Fifty thousand gold leaves! It's a robbery! I couldn't earn that much in twenty years!"
Roman, with his round face and squinted eyes, mocked, "That price must have been pulled out of thin air by those people."
Richard, however, pondered as he looked at Christina, who was counting gold leaves on the table with one hand. He asked, "Christina, this price seems unusually high, right? If it's really that much, not many people would be able to afford it and become totem warriors."
Christina stretched lazily, put away the gold leaves, and smiled, "You're right."
She wore a playful smile on her face and continued, "Many qualify but lack enough gold leaves, so they choose another option: becoming slaves to the tribe's rulers, doing their bidding, and fighting dangerous supernatural creatures and giants on their behalf."
Fierro, thin and wiry, couldn't help but ask, "Don't they resist?"
Christina chuckled, "Resist? With what? Among the elders who control the Gold Oak Tribe's high council, some wield powerful spiritual supernatural abilities that enforce contractual agreements. Do you think becoming a totem warrior grants them the power to resist?"
Douglas and the others fell silent.
They had chosen to join the Flame Association not only out of admiration for Christina's abilities but also to accumulate enough gold leaves through the association to control supernatural powers.
This was the greatest pursuit of all the people of the Gold Oak Tribe.
But now, this dream was shattered.
Douglas sat despondently in his chair, completely devoid of the vigor he had upon returning. Even when he looked at those colorful pottery pieces, there was no passion left in him as he asked, "Christina, what should we do?"
Christina toyed with the colorful pottery in her hands.
A strange glint flashed in her eyes, and without hesitation, she said, "Earn more money."
The others were stunned.
Earn money?
Even if they earned more gold leaves, what good would it do?
Christina examined each piece of colorful pottery carefully and then said confidently, "That priest from the Crimson Star Tribe knows how to fire these colorful pottery pieces. He can tame creatures close to the supernatural, like the Huge Silver Backed Bear, and he has extraordinary courage. He is definitely not an ordinary priest, and I am very interested in him."
With that, Christina licked her lips.
Douglas seemed to understand something and asked eagerly, "Are you suggesting that I go back to the Crimson Star Tribe again and trade goods with Enzo?"
"No!"
Christina shook her head, smiling as she said, "Douglas, it's not just you. It's all of us. I've decided to sell all the goods of the Flame Association and gather enough of the materials that priest mentioned, then go to the Crimson Star Tribe."
Douglas, Fierro, and Roman exclaimed in unison, "You're crazy, Christina!"
Christina turned her head, her hazel eyes now shimmering with colorful light.
She appeared somewhat frenzied, her aura suddenly intense and complex. A faint smile played on her lips as tears welled in her eyes, and she said, "This time, I see hope!"
Once again, Douglas and the others couldn't help but be astonished. "Priest inheritance power!"
Priest inheritance power is the most mysterious among all supernatural powers, unique to the tribe's priests.
However, this power is often very weak.
There are even cases where the totem warrior of the tribe is stronger than the priest. Such situations are quite common.
However, compared to the power obtained by totem warriors, which is generally related to the essence of the supernatural creatures they use, the acquisition of priest inheritance power is completely irregular. Even priest inheritances from the same tribe can have vastly different abilities, encompassing all sorts of peculiar powers.
The Gold Oak Tribe is a large tribe that has absorbed many smaller tribes, some of which had their own priests.
However, these tribal priests often reside in the inner rings of the tribe.
Christina, however, resides in the outer ring.
Douglas and the others' expressions became complex, but before they could ask, the colorful light in Christina's eyes faded, and she spoke first, "My inheritance power isn't for combat; it's only useful for gathering information."
Roman believed Christina's words and asked, "So, all that intelligence you gather, it's from using this power?"
Christina nodded, admitting, "That's right."
Douglas then asked, "So, what did you see this time?"
Christina didn't answer directly, her tone cooling as she said, "Douglas, have you forgotten? I'm the president of the Flame Association. As for what I saw, it's hard to explain. You can choose to believe it or not. I'm not forcing anyone."
With that said, Christina walked toward the door.
Without much thought, Douglas called out, "Boss, wait for me."
As a traveling merchant, keeping promises was essential to Douglas.
That's why he insisted on fulfilling the agreement with the Crimson Star Tribe once again.
The other three didn't hesitate either and followed him out of the house.
Outside, the ground had been cleared and leveled, with houses built from stacked stones and supported by trees, creating a somewhat messy appearance. It wasn't until they reached the marketplace area of the Gold Oak Tribe that the houses were neatly arranged in rows.
Christina and her group passed through several stalls and finally entered a building surrounded by stone walls.
This was the headquarters of the Flame Association.
Gold Oak Tribe had many such merchant associations.
Inside, Christina pulled out a stack of bamboo slips, each recording current inventory details of the Flame Association.
She tossed them to Fierro and said, "Fierro, sell off all the goods listed there and buy a large quantity of yaks, slaves, and animal skins."
Fierro took the slips reluctantly.
However, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Christina, can't you reveal a bit of information? After all, the association is our shared effort."
This statement left Christina silent.
Christina sighed and said solemnly, "Through farsighted eyes, I have seen a deity."