Chapter 448: A Valuable Gift

The messengers of the Suiren Clan were "escorted" by Huaxia Soldiers to the foot of the city wall. Because the city was currently filled with Weapons, they were not brought inside to avoid exposing their strength and armaments; instead, they were made to converse from beneath the wall.

The messenger saw Baifeng, who was clad in full armor, and was so afraid that he could barely lift his head. After a quick glance, he immediately lowered his gaze and said in a trembling voice, "Hu... Huaxia King, we are messengers of the Suiren Clan. This time, w... we have not come to attack Huaxia. It is our Tribal Chief who says he wants to give you a gift, and he hopes you can come to collect it in person."

By the end of his sentence, the messenger's voice was so quiet that even he could not hear it, let alone Baifeng, who was up on the city wall.

Baifeng frowned, trying his best to hear clearly, but he truly could not make out what was said at the end. He asked the Soldiers beside him, but they all shook their heads to indicate they had not heard it either.

Baifeng then shouted loudly at the messengers: "Speak up! Are you messengers of the Suiren Clan unable to even speak clearly? Did you not eat? Do you need us in Huaxia to provide you with a meal?"

The messenger was so startled by Baifeng's voice that he took a step back and fell to the ground. The Huaxia Soldiers had originally wanted to maintain their manners and hold back, but eventually, someone laughed out loud, and soon everyone on the city wall was roaring with laughter. Even the corners of Baifeng's mouth curled up involuntarily.

Below the wall, a Soldier watching the messengers muttered in a low voice, "With such a timid heart, why even serve as a messenger?"

The men from the Suiren Clan blushed with shame, but they were too terrified to refute a single word, and could only keep their heads bowed.

Baifeng had no choice but to say again, "Whatever you have to say, speak up!"

The messenger gathered his courage, raised his head, and said loudly, "Our Tribal Chief wants to give you a gift, and he hopes you can come to collect it in person!"

Once he finished speaking, his courage was completely exhausted, and he kept his head down, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Hearing the messenger's words, Baifeng was somewhat puzzled: "What is this Baoxi trying to do, suddenly sending me a gift?"

Baifeng had no choice but to continue questioning: "What kind of gift is it that requires me to collect it in person? Can't you just send it over via messenger?"

The messenger shook his head repeatedly: "We do not know what the gift is either, but the Tribal Chief said it seems to be very important to Huaxia."

Baifeng became curious. What could it be that was so important to Huaxia? Seeing that Baifeng was somewhat tempted, Yishang quickly spoke up to dissuade him: "King, we do not know what the Suiren Clan is truly planning. If they have some conspiracy, it would be far too dangerous for you to go in person. Why not just send a messenger instead?"

Baifeng did not reply to Yishang, but instead asked the messenger: "If I do not go, Baoxi will not give me this gift, is that right?"

The messengers looked at each other, as the Tribal Chief had not given them instructions on this point. However, in order to complete their mission, they could only bite the bullet and say yes.

"Then why not let Baoxi send it over? Wouldn't that be the same?"

The messengers did not answer, but silently turned and pointed to the Large Ship anchored in the river.

Lu mocked from the side: "This Baoxi is truly timid. To this day, I have never seen him set foot on this side of the riverbank."

Yishang retorted to Lu: "A Tribal Chief should not take risks, and our King even more so. You cannot go to see Baoxi for a gift of unknown nature. If something were to happen, what would become of our Huaxia?"

Lu wanted to argue further, but Baifeng raised his hand to stop the dispute between the two, then asked the messengers: "Then where does your Tribal Chief want to meet? I do not see Baoxi anywhere right now; surely you don't expect me to go to the Suiren Clan's territory to collect the gift."

Seeing that there was progress, the messengers were not as afraid anymore and hurriedly said: "No, no, we were just afraid that Huaxia would misunderstand and attack us directly, so they are still in the woods and have not come out. If you are afraid of danger, you can stay on the Boat; you don't need to go ashore. Our Tribal Chief's intention is that as long as you can see each other and converse, that is enough."

After thinking it over, Baifeng felt it was necessary to make the trip. There might be danger, but it posed no threat to him. If the Suiren Clan could manufacture long-range Weapons in such a short time, then they would not be the Suiren Clan.

Moreover, Baifeng also wanted to communicate with Baoxi, preferably to persuade Baoxi to give up attacking Huaxia. The Suiren Clan would gain no benefits from attacking Huaxia, and Huaxia was unwilling to remain in a state of war, which hindered their development. It would be good if he could clearly explain the pros and cons to Baoxi.

Thus, Baifeng ordered the Navy to send a few small boats to pick him up and also to transport these messengers over, rather than letting them row that flimsy Bamboo Raft; if they capsized in the river, it would become a diplomatic incident.

Yishang still wanted to persuade him, but it was ineffective, so he requested that Baifeng take him along so he could personally protect him. Baifeng did not refuse.

The Navy first sent the messengers to the opposite bank to deliver the message. The Suiren Clan did not attack the Navy. After the messengers reported to Baoxi, Baoxi finally dared to appear in Huaxia's view, surrounded by Soldiers.

Seeing Baoxi appear, Baifeng boarded a small boat and began moving toward the opposite bank. However, when they reached the middle of the river, he transferred to the Large Ship. The Large Ship moved closer to the shore until it stopped at a distance where both sides could easily converse.

As Baoxi looked at the fully armed Soldiers on the Large Ship, he was already considering an escape route. But for now, he still had to control his emotions; if he appeared too weak, how could he continue to be the Tribal Chief, and how would the Suiren Clan survive on this land in the future?

Baifeng sat on a grand armchair, surrounded by Soldiers holding Iron shields, which could instantly be joined together to block in front of him. Once Baifeng could clearly see Baoxi's face, he said: "Baoxi, you said you wanted to give me a gift. I am very curious: what kind of grand gift could it be that you would deliver it in person and insist that I come to collect it myself?"

Baoxi smiled without answering directly, only saying: "Once you have it in your hands, you will know."

He then handed the wooden box to the Huaxia Navy that had been waiting on the shore. When the Navy Soldier took the relatively large wooden box, he felt it was quite heavy, so he truly believed it was something valuable. He held it carefully, rowed the boat to the Large Ship, and sent it up.

The Soldier handed the wooden box to Baifeng, but Baifeng did not open it himself. Yishang handed the box to a Soldier and told him to open it slowly to avoid any danger, because in Huaxia, there were many such harmful mechanisms, and there was no guarantee the Suiren Clan would not have them too.

After the Soldier opened it, a human head covered in salt grains lay inside. Even the Soldier was startled and nearly lost his grip on the box. Fortunately, they were all veterans who had been on the battlefield and seen blood, so they instantly returned to normal.