At the Flaming River Trading Point, there were Yanjiao warriors in charge of reception. These people would verify the authenticity of the invitations and lead them into the trading point. They would bring them to a designated area to rest.
Shao Xuan had already told them about this. They knew which area each tribe was assigned to. Even if they couldn't remember, as long as they remembered the general location, they would be able to see the signs when they arrived.
The person who led the Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe in was Kun Tu, who was on duty today. He looked at the Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe and roughly estimated the number of people. Then, he led them into the trading point.
Because there were more teams arriving, the number of guards increased. Those who weren't led in by the Yanjiao and didn't have invitations would be killed by the guards if they tried to force their way in. At times like this, the Yanjiao people wouldn't show any mercy.
When they were outside the trading point, the Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe could already hear the sounds of people inside the trading point and smell the aroma of food wafting out. Before them, many people who were invited had already arrived.
At the entrance of the trading point, if you walked in a little, you would see two large stone trays by the side of the road. On the trays were some roasted food.
When the Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe passed by, someone happened to be putting food on the trays. Freshly roasted food that was still steaming hot was piled on the trays. The aroma of the food wafted towards the incoming teams.
"The food on the trays in the trading point is all edible. You can take whatever you want," Kun Tu explained.
The Mang tribe and Eight Limbs tribe were hesitant. They hadn't eaten anything on the way here after rushing for so long. Now that they smelled the food, they were hungry too. The food they ate in the morning had already been digested. They could even hear their stomachs moving.
It was fine if the trays were filled with other things, but now, all the food on the trays were filled with worms!
It was not that they never ate these things, but they thought that they had already left the primitive state of savagery. Other than when they were on a mission or when they were forced to a certain extent, they were more particular about the food they ate. They rarely ate insects, especially for those who had some status in the tribe. Their daily food was usually carefully prepared, but when they came here, the first thing they saw was a large plate of roasted insects!
Even though he had mentally prepared himself for this, he was still rather displeased when he actually encountered it.
If Yanjiao only planned to use these insects as the main course of the banquet, then they could only laugh at Yanjiao and turn around to leave. They did not want to stay for a moment longer because it was not worth it.
I didn't come all the way here to eat worms with you!
Those insects were roasted red, and it was unknown what was sprinkled on them, but they were still insects, and they were even longer than half an arm!
Qu Ce looked at the pile of roasted insects on the trays. After thinking for a while, he decided to grab one as he passed by. It was rare for him to come to Yanjiao, so he had to try something new to make this trip worthwhile.
Like Qu Ce, a few other young men also grabbed some insects from the trays. Only the leader of the group still had a straight face, as if he did not care about the insects.
Behind the Mang tribe and the Eight Limbs tribe, not long after the two tribes entered, the people of the Drumming tribe came over slowly. Although they also looked overly cautious, compared to the last time they came here, they were much better.
The guards at the entrance also recognized Abuli, but they still checked the "invitation letter" Abuli took out before bringing them into the trading area.
The dazzling crystal necklace on Abuli's neck was indeed very eye-catching. Everyone who saw it looked at him a few times.
Feeling the gazes around him, Abuli moved his neck uncomfortably, then straightened his back. This feeling of being stared at was pretty good.
When they passed by the two large trays, the Drumming tribesmen, who were originally restrained, all stared at the trays.
What was there to care about when there was food? Eating was the most important thing.
To them, having food was a good thing. The type of food, whether it tasted good or not, was secondary. Why would they care about these things when they were hungry most of the time?
As a tribe that often lacked food and starvation was normal, the Drumming tribesmen had no qualms about eating insects. They ate live insects all the time, not to mention these roasted insects.
Eat!
Abuli took the lead and grabbed a bug from the large tray. The people behind him also rushed over and reached their hands towards the tray.
Other than their desire for food, the people of the Drumming tribe were also very interested in the roasted worms on the huge tray. They had never seen these worms before, not even a single one of them. The worm in Abuli's hand was almost as long as his arm. It had four limbs full of short thorns and a ferocious face. It opened its sharp jaws and even after being roasted to a crisp, its terrifying appearance did not diminish much.
However, this did not affect Abuli's appetite at all. The insect's strong hind legs could even be sucked out half of the liquid meat.
Abuli didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the meat on these insects tasted much better than the insects they usually caught in the forest. It was as if there was a warm current flowing through his body, relieving his tiredness. It was not comparable to fearsome beast meat, but it was better than what they usually ate.
"Delicious!" It smells good too.
After the first bite, the Drumming tribesmen ran over to take more. After taking two more, they used their armpits to pick up more. As a result, when the Drumming tribesmen passed by, the small mountain of roasted insects on the tray was reduced by half.
As he followed the Yanjiao warrior who led the way, Abuli chewed on the insects. He thought to himself that when he left after the banquet, he would exchange some of these insects with the Yanjiao. Insects should be cheaper than beast meat. He should be able to exchange a crystal of the same size for quite a few insects.
The Yanjiao people were not stingy with these insects. In fact, these insects were all swatted down by the guards in the fields with giant flyswatters. After spring came and flowers bloomed, the flourishing crops in the fields attracted many flying insects. Especially recently, when the crops in the fields grew better, they attracted even more flying insects. Every day, the flying insects that were swatted down by the warriors could pile up into a small mountain. The green ducks were fattened up by the feeding, and recently, even the female ducks had started laying eggs.
The Flaming Horn tribesmen had eaten these insects before, and they felt that it was a good dish. They wouldn't embarrass themselves if they sold them in the trading point. Shao Xuan even joked, "This can be considered a seasonal dish."
After eating one insect, Abuli looked around and realized that compared to the last time he was here, the trading point had changed quite a bit. The original wooden buildings had been replaced with stone houses, and they looked sturdier and taller. Many of the houses had been painted with colors, and the stone tablets by the roadside were carved into the shape of ferocious beasts. They stood there, adding a sense of fierceness to the trading point.
The Zhi tribe was arranged to be near other smaller tribes in the Little Flaming River area. They were slightly further away from the center of the trading point. Even if they were arranged to be near the center of the trading point, they would not be willing. That place was filled with more powerful tribes, and they would feel uncomfortable there. Just like the fire seed, they would not be able to sit or stand still. Yanjiao's arrangement was exactly what they wanted.
"Um, when can we start eating … No, when will the banquet start? It's already time. " Abuli pointed at the two moons drawn on the "invitation letter" and asked the Yanjiao warrior who led them here.
"It's either tomorrow or the day after, because there are still tribes that have not arrived yet. The shaman and the chief said to wait a little longer, and they will inform you when the time comes," the Yanjiao warrior said.
"So slow." Abuli complained about the tribes that dragged on, but when he thought about how they didn't have to worry about food here, his gloominess disappeared. He thought of something, then pointed at the surroundings and asked, "Will the banquet be held here?"
"Of course not." The Yanjiao warrior who led them here grinned, then pointed at the center of the trading point. "The banquet will be held at the 'Flaming River Castle'."
Abuli looked over from the window. The tall stone building they saw outside the trading point should be the so-called 'Flaming River Castle'. It wasn't finished last winter, and now it was complete.
He estimated the size of the 'Flaming River Castle' in his mind and realized that it was about the same size as the Zhi tribe's place! He was too nervous the last time he came here, so he didn't take a closer look. Now that he thought about it, he realized this fact.
On the roof of the tallest building in the Flaming River Castle, there was a huge flag with two flaming horns on it. The flag fluttered in the wind.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
