Chapter 563: Negotiations with the Mao Mao, Refusal, and Deciding Through Battle

After such a long time, the Mao Mao that had obtained a Forest Deer were naturally already full. They could not process the entire Forest Deer directly, so they chose the method they often used.

They bypassed the thick deer hide through the wounds on its body, using thin and sharp metal blades to pass directly through these wounds, shaving the venison off from under the hide bit by bit.

They shaved the venison into slices, then lit small fires in the Mine suitable for the size of the Mao Mao, and cooked the venison by placing the slices on ceramic vessels over the fires to eat.

Do not underestimate this method as slow; because the Forest Deer had been dragged all the way here, there were many torn wounds on the hide. With multiple Mao Mao chefs working together, they quickly removed a great deal of venison from the Forest Deer's carcass.

According to their status within the tribe, age, and strength, the Mao Mao lined up in an orderly fashion under the command and scolding of several leaders, taking turns receiving the hot, roasted venison slices from the chef Mao Mao.

Without adding any seasoning, the ordinary Mao Mao just popped the piping hot meat slices into their mouths, too busy to care about the heat, tearing the meat apart and swallowing it. The Mao Mao with some status were not so crude; after receiving the meat slices, they would eat them alongside insect larvae or pupae that had been bitten open, taking a bite of meat and then sucking on the soft, chewy, and slightly sweet insect viscera—it was truly enjoyable.

After eating, the Mao Mao all lay on the ground, sleeping soundly. When Jier finished organizing the Villager team and found them, the Mao Mao finally got up and began discussing going out in groups to steal Mineral Ore from the Human villagers.

The Mao Mao had sensitive ears, and since Jier had not restricted everyone from talking quietly when he brought them over, as soon as the group reached the Mao Mao's territory, there were already Mao Mao holding Human Daggers as weapons, fur bristling, blocking the way.

They could not help but bristle; the pressure of over a hundred tall Humans holding weapons and eyeing them covetously was not something a few Mao Mao could consciously block.

Let alone blocking them, if the crowd surged forward, they might even be knocked over and trampled to death by the Human villagers.

"Meow!!!!!" The sharp warning sound, combined with the fierce, reflective Monster pupils, still frightened some of the young villagers at the front.

But Jier was not frightened; he continued to stride forward, his hands empty, spreading them out to show the Mao Mao that he had no malicious intent.

"Hiss-ha—"

Yet the blocking Mao Mao still hissed at Jier, their mouths wide open, revealing small, sharp teeth to display their bravery.

Jier chuckled and continued to approach with his hands spread.

At this, the few Mao Mao Warrior blocking the way could not hold back; using their tails to push off the ground for leverage, plus the kicking of their legs, the entire Mao Mao leaped rapidly toward Jier.

At the same time in mid-air, they nimbly adjusted their bodies, bringing the Iron Daggers they considered formidable to the front, preparing to poke a few holes in Jier's face and neck.

"Watch out!"

"Jier!!"

The villagers in the front row exclaimed, but it was too late for them to come over and help.

However, they breathed a sigh of relief the next moment, because Jier used movements even more nimble than the Mao Mao, reaching out to catch the Mao Mao Warrior that had leaped over to Thrust, grabbing the opponent's wrist, and turning to throw them back to the very spot they had jumped from.

Because of the excellent balance of the Mao Mao Warrior, they even landed on their feet; if not for seeing the scene of them leaping to attack, many would have thought they had never moved from their spots at all!

"Ha, interesting, right? Come again, come again!"

To Jier, this was simply like playing a game with these fluffy little things. After throwing them back, he felt a bit unsatisfied and gestured for them to continue.

But these few Mao Mao Warrior understood; they understood they were no match for the opponent, and continuing to fight would only bring humiliation upon themselves. Thus, they quickly retreated into the depths of the mine tunnel, ceding this part of the mine to the Humans.

"Eh? Why did they leave? Forget it, everyone, follow me!"

Jier waved to those behind him, signaling everyone to follow him.

The crowd moved with a rumble, talking about the scene that only the villagers in the front row had been able to see. Just now, the movements of both Jier and the Mao Mao Warrior were very fast; the average villager could not react at all. If it had been them, they likely would have had their necks or faces slashed open in a single encounter and died from excessive blood loss.

This would have been a severe blow to morale, because the strength of most villagers was not very good. If the Mao Mao sent Refining Qi warriors to ambush the Human villagers, they could kill all three hundred-plus Human villagers in this dark, stuffy mine in just half a night.

Sometimes battle is like this; if the opponent's combat strength is a cut above yours, and they can end every fight quickly and without loss, then the other side can only be beaten unilaterally.

The combat loss ratio would reach a very exaggerated, jaw-dropping level.

"Jili gulu jili gulu..." (Humans have broken in! Humans have broken in!)

Those few Mao Mao Warrior were the sentries patrolling the outermost perimeter of the Mao Mao territory. As they ran into the mine tunnel, they loudly woke up the other Mao Mao resting everywhere in the tunnel. These Mao Mao were full and sleepy, sleeping soundly, when they were woken up by the noise. Just as they were about to lose their temper, they heard the shouting from above.

They were startled, quickly waking from their sleepy state. The fur on their bodies slowly bristled, and their hidden claws were revealed on their hands and feet.

One by one, the Mao Mao gathered together, preparing to fight.

But when they saw the Human villagers crowding both sides of the mine tunnel ahead, they immediately retreated.

It was not that these Mao Mao were not brave, but that the Mao Mao possessed a certain level of combat discipline. They knew that with just this many Mao Mao, they could not block the large crowd surging forward, so it was better to retreat and form a larger group to confront these Humans then.

"They retreated!"

"They really retreated! Haha, having more people is indeed useful!"

"We should have gathered everyone up earlier and worked together to drive these aliens out of the mine! It would save them from stealing the Mineral Ore everyone worked so hard to get every day."

The villagers became excited, not expecting that after gathering together, they could force back those hateful little fur balls without even fighting—those damned little monsters with long tails.

But Jier knew it was not like that.

The Mao Mao's active retreat was not because they were afraid. On the contrary, they were lawless and did not know what fear was; they were just gathering their own people to prepare for a confrontation.

But Jier did not point this out, nor did he move to stop the Mao Mao from retreating.

Sure enough, after walking for a while, passing through a tunnel filled with Mineral Ore, all the Mao Mao were gathered in a wide, branching tunnel ahead. They set up a formation of equal size, looking like they intended to fight.

At this moment, it was the Human villagers who saw this scene who hesitated slightly. Their hesitation was written all over their faces, and one by one they began to shrink back, wavering and not daring to move forward.

Jier turned his head to look, said nothing, and just continued forward, walking alone to the front of the Mao Mao.

Earlier, for safety, he had hidden one of the few remaining Red-eye Mushroom Sugar Pill in his bosom. At this moment, he took it out and popped it into his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing it in a few bites.

With this as a foundation, plus the combat reaction ability he had improved after Knight Training and being nourished by Life Energy, his bare-handed combat strength was now much stronger than his fully armed self from last year.

"Send a Mao Mao over, I have something to discuss with your leader!"

Jier shouted loudly.

His voice was resonant, instantly suppressing the many alien Beast who were furious and eyeing them covetously, and it also gave the many Human villagers behind him some courage, causing them to involuntarily take two steps forward.

There were over a hundred Mao Mao, naturally not managed by a single Mao Mao; they had five leaders, but one of them had a slightly higher status, and this one stepped out now.

It had variegated stripes all over its body, and many old scars could be seen on its face and body; it was clearly a Mao Mao Warrior who had walked through various battles. It first walked out cautiously, carrying a Human Steel Dagger on its back, and the tip of its tail was even bound with a leather cord and a metal ring, using this as a special weapon as well.

Seeing that it had modified its tail to add a weapon, Jier's eyes lit up, and he felt the urge to spar. After all, he had already eaten the Red-eye Mushroom Sugar Pill; if he didn't fight, wouldn't he have wasted this good thing?

But as that Mao Mao leader approached Jier, even though Jier had changed into ragged clothes, the Mao Mao leader still recognized from Jier's aura and his hard-to-change scent that Jier was the mysterious Human who had hidden inside the Forest Deer to sneak in.

"It's you!"

It spoke, and unlike other Mao Mao, it did not talk much when speaking the Human language.

Jier also narrowed his eyes, not expecting that even after he had taken a bath and changed his clothes, he would be recognized by a Mao Mao leader he had only seen once. The Mao Mao leader with the striped fur he had dealt with more was still in the distant Mao Mao team, watching this side; that one hadn't recognized him, but he hadn't expected this one to recognize him at a glance.

"Oh, yes, it's me!"

Jier first showed his empty hands to indicate he had no malicious intent. But this seemed to be of no use; after all, standing fully packed behind Jier were over a hundred Human Villagers holding Mining Picks, so it was hard to say there was no malicious intent no matter how one looked at it.

"What for?"

This Mao Mao leader did not say much, but every word hit the key point.

Jier said with a grin: "I have come to discuss a deal with you! This deal has great benefits for both you and me; would you like to hear it first?"

"Not listening, back off!"

The Mao Mao leader drew the Human Steel Dagger carried on its back, and at the same time, its long tail with a metal band fiercely struck the ground.

The metal on the tail made a violent clanging sound against the hard Mineral Ore ground, even striking out some sparks. If one were to be struck by this tail, it is estimated that even a Human would have their limbs broken in one blow.

The other party said not to listen, but Jier still spoke up, talking incessantly about his deal.

"Through observation and understanding, we Humans have discovered that you need Mineral Ore, a large amount of Mineral Ore. And we Villagers trapped in the Mine need food, a large amount of food. We can cooperate! We can trade most of the Mineral Ore we dig up directly to you, and you won't have to think of ways to steal or snatch Mineral Ore from us; you can just take the prey you get from hunting outside and use that prey to exchange for Mineral Ore with us!"

"You are not good at mining, but you are good at hunting in the mountains and forests; why not make good use of your strengths instead of insisting on learning from us Humans, using our tools, to forcibly mine?"

Jier pointed to the mine tunnel filled with Mineral Ore: "Look around; there is Mineral Ore everywhere. If you handed this place over to us, we Humans would have already dug it all out! And you, in these days, how much of this Mineral Ore have you dug? Thirty percent? Ten percent? In my opinion, not even five percent, right?"

"How about this: you hand this Mine over to us for development, and we take the dug-up Mineral Ore to trade for the prey you hunt, how about that? I guarantee that the Mineral Ore you harvest will double, and it is even possible for it to increase several times over."

"And we, we poor Human Villagers, can also eat the various animals from the mountains and forests that you hunt and fill our stomachs. This is a win-win! You get benefits, and we get benefits! How about it?"

Jier said to the Mao Maos with a grin.

He saw that quite a few Mao Maos who could understand the Human language revealed expressions of being moved; the weapons they held and the sharp claws they had revealed were either lowered or put away.

Seeing this, Jier knew that the matter was half-succeeded.

But unexpectedly, even though many Mao Maos had agreed, the Mao Mao leader opposite him spoke coldly: "Not good!"

Jier narrowed his eyes: "You don't agree? Why?"

This Mao Mao leader slowly rubbed its sharp claws back and forth on the sharp Steel Dagger and said bluntly: "Right now, it is not bad."

It shook its head: "No need to change."

The smile on Jier's face faded: "I think it can be changed."

"No."

The other party continued to refuse.

"Is that so? But I see that the other Long-Haired Lynx Beast leaders seem to have different thoughts than you?"

Jier pointed to the other four Mao Mao leaders and said to this stubborn Mao Mao leader.

This Mao Mao leader suddenly turned its head to look at its companions, still shook its head: "I said no."

At this moment, Jier waved directly at the other party and shouted loudly to everyone present: "It seems the negotiation for the deal has encountered a small setback; this Long-Haired Lynx Beast leader does not agree to the deal, simply because it does not want to do so."

Jier pointed at the other party: "I demand to fight it, but not a duel! Everyone take note, it is not me taking advantage of size, but me alone, against it, including at least fifteen Warriors under its command! So, do you dare to accept? This leader? If you don't dare, then change to another leader; if you dare, then you must guarantee that if I defeat you and the fifteen Warriors, you must agree to this deal, how about it?"

The Mao Maos were in an uproar. Some Mao Maos who could understand Human speech translated Jier's words to their other companions. Everyone was startled; this Human was simply crazy. Their leader was famous in the tribe for being able to fight well; it even had a legendary experience of defeating a Monster by itself. To fight it, and also include its fifteen Warriors—they didn't know if this Human was arrogant or just looked down on them, the Mao Maos, too much.

And the Human Villagers behind Jier were also whispering. The portion of Villagers who had fought Jier changed their previous resentment toward Jier and instead felt that Jier could win; after all, dozens of them had attacked together before and couldn't do anything to Jier alone. Instead, Jier had beaten them to a pulp, making them run away in a panic and look utterly disgraceful.

As for the Villagers who joined the team later and hadn't witnessed Jier's skills, they were a bit uneasy, feeling that Jier was too overconfident to place such an important matter on a single fight. If they talked properly with the Beast, for example, letting the Mao Maos change the person negotiating, perhaps the deal could be reached.

But they did not understand that as a Long-Haired Lynx Beast group still under a backward tribal system, you must suppress them with force before you can truly communicate with them properly.

Methods that are too civilized would instead be considered by the Mao Maos as a sign of weakness to be bullied.

You must be tough, tougher than them, and they will be used by you.

Even if they suffer a loss, they will be willing to listen to you.

"Seeking death!"

The tough-minded Mao Mao leader waved to its subordinates behind it, signaling for fifteen Mao Mao Warriors to come up. At the same time, it said to Jier: "What if you die?"

Jier let out a sound: "Ha! If I die, then we Humans will retreat and never talk about the deal again, how about that? I have no friends or family here; no one will be willing to avenge me. You don't need to worry."

"Best if so."

After saying this coldly, fifteen Mao Maos holding Human metal tools walked up, forming a semi-encirclement. Jier took a close look, and based on his understanding of the Mao Maos, he discovered that these fifteen Mao Mao Warriors were all melee Mao Maos.

"Hmph, am I being looked down upon? Very well, I have it even easier."

After Jier finished speaking, he loosened up his body and threw two punches into the air. The fists made a *bang-bang* sound and brought out obvious wind from the punches. Just this scene alone made many Warriors in the Mao Mao team feel pressure.

The two punches Jier had just thrown casually into the air—any one of them hitting the Mao Mao's small body would be enough to kill them with a single blow.

That power could not be faked.

Consequently, the Mao Maos also put away their contempt and one after another prepared for battle.

Jier waved his hand casually, and the battle broke out at the first moment!

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