Chapter 484: How Many?

Just as Baifeng was holding a meeting with a stern face, preparing to mobilize the entire city to meet the enemy, another Soldier ran over in a panic. After entering the conference room, he panted heavily and said, "King, it's a misunderstanding. The Suiren clan isn't here to attack us; they are here to trade!"

"Huh?"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Baifeng was also left somewhat bewildered, but his tense nerves finally relaxed. He stood stunned for a few seconds, then said to the others, "You all should still make preparations. In case the Suiren clan is using the guise of trade to prepare an attack, one can never be sure. I will go take a look first."

The Soldiers of the Phylum followed quickly, guarding Baifeng's side.

Once Baifeng climbed the city wall and took a look through the Telescope, he saw that the number of people on the ice was very large, but if one observed carefully, the problem could be identified.

Among those people from the Suiren clan, at least half were not carrying any Weapons, and they looked sickly—not at all like Soldiers, but rather more like disaster victims. At this, Baifeng believed the claim that the Suiren clan was here to trade by more than half.

At this moment, the people from the Phylum huffed and puffed as they brought over Baifeng's armor and served him while he put it on. Afterward, Baifeng prepared to go down to leave the city and talk with Baoxi.

Although everyone was very worried about the King's safety, the Tribal Chief of the Suiren clan was also present; if Baifeng did not go, it would be inappropriate. If it had been a small tribe that came, there would have been no need for Baifeng to show his face personally.

The city gate opened slowly, and Baifeng, under the protection of a group of Soldiers in Full Armor, slowly left the city and headed toward the location of the Suiren clan.

The Soldiers of Huaxia had already changed into spiked boots, allowing them to walk on the ice without slipping easily; even if they had to fight, they would have the advantage.

This time, Baoxi kept his attitude very low and was already standing in front waiting. However, every time he took a breath of cold air, he would cough a few times, giving off the distinct impression of a sickly person.

When the two sides met, there was silence at first. Baoxi did not know how to start the conversation, while Baifeng was observing Baoxi's condition. Baoxi had little color in his face now, though it was hard to tell if his body had become thin, as he was wrapped in so many layers.

Finally, it was Baoxi who spoke first: "Baifeng, you should already be clear about what the Suiren clan is like now, right? We no longer have the ability to attack you, so you can completely rest easy regarding me, your neighbor. From now on, let's just get along peacefully, how about that?"

Baifeng had no objections. He even hoped that the Suiren clan would recover quickly so they could keep Xuanyuan in check and provide him with time for his expansion in the west.

"No problem. You also know that we in Huaxia have never liked war. As long as you are willing to communicate in a friendly manner, we are naturally very happy. It is not easy for the human race to survive and develop, so why should we attack each other, right?"

Baoxi could not judge whether what Baifeng said was sincere, but at least the surface-level courtesies were fulfilled.

Thus, Baoxi stated the purpose of his visit: "Baifeng, I know that you in Huaxia are very short on population. It just so happens that we in the Suiren clan are prepared to sell these useless Slaves who only consume food to you. How about it? Are you willing to trade?"

Baifeng was not very surprised now. In the past, the Suiren clan and Xuanyuan would only trade Slaves who were severely injured or near death, but looking at it now, it seemed that all the Slaves he could see were at least physically sound and not severely injured. Baoxi had no reason to sell them; the only possibility was that the situation in the Suiren clan was currently dire and they were extremely short on food.

Baifeng was, of course, very willing to engage in this kind of trade. He would naturally not let go of an opportunity to rapidly increase his population.

"Of course you can. If there are Slaves, we will naturally trade. How many Slaves do you want to trade this time?"

Baoxi stated a number in a very flat tone that shocked Baifeng: "Ten thousand. Is that enough?"

Baifeng thought he had misheard and asked with extreme uncertainty: "H-how many?"

Baoxi repeated: "Ten thousand. If you think that's not enough, as long as you offer a suitable price, I can sell you another five thousand."

Baifeng looked behind Baoxi in surprise. Baoxi and the Suiren Soldiers very tactfully stepped aside to reveal those Slaves.

Baifeng's feet slipped slightly, and the Soldiers beside him quickly steadied him before they began to walk to the side. Baifeng made a rough calculation; this—this really might be ten thousand.

After Baifeng finished looking and walked over, Baoxi said: "How about it? I was generous enough this time, wasn't I? I brought so many for you directly, and they are all uninjured, just a bit thin."

Baifeng still did not quite believe it: "But why do you want to trade so many Slaves? I thought it would be two or three thousand. With this many Slaves, I'm afraid this is almost the entire Suiren clan, right?"

Baoxi shook his head: "Didn't I say? I just don't want to keep feeding these useless wastes in the Suiren clan anymore. I have discovered that food and supplies should be given to the tribesmen who can contribute to the tribe. Too many Slaves are of no benefit to our Suiren clan. Besides, this is not all of our Suiren clan's Slaves; we have kept more than this."

Baifeng clicked his tongue in wonder: "My goodness... then for so many Slaves, what do you want to exchange? Food, Ironware?"

Baoxi's tone was very firm: "I only want food."

This, instead, made Baifeng somewhat troubled. Huaxia's food abundance was based on the original population base of Huaxia, but they had just received about ten thousand people not long ago, and now another ten thousand made Baifeng somewhat troubled.

"Then, if it is food, how do you calculate the price?"

Baoxi knew he had to ask for a high price, but with such a large quantity, he could not ask for too much because he was not sure if Huaxia could produce that much food.

So he said a relatively conservative number: "The same weight in food for one Slave, how about that?"

Baifeng quickly estimated in his heart. These Slaves looked to be about seventy jin each, so the equivalent food would be seven or eight hundred thousand jin. This was a very large amount for Huaxia. Furthermore, buying them was one thing, but feeding them in the future would require even more food. Baifeng was now considering whether Huaxia had the capacity to take them all in.

However, this kind of issue was within the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. They knew best how much food Huaxia had and how long it would last. Baifeng only knew a rough estimate, so he could not make a decision casually now, otherwise, it might bring trouble to Huaxia.

So he said to Baoxi: "The transaction volume this time is too large. I need to go back first and calculate with my officials to see what price and how many are more appropriate. So, I'm afraid you will have to wait for a while."

Baoxi had no objections. He knew that such a large transaction volume could not be decided casually, so he nodded and said it was fine.

Baifeng did not know how long they would need to calculate, so he said very politely to Baoxi: "Baoxi, how about this: you all first retreat to the shore to set up camp. You can cut down the trees on the shore as you please so you don't freeze. I don't know how long it will take, so you will have to suffer here for now. However, I will be as quick as possible. If you have any trouble or needs, you can send someone over to tell us. We will help as much as we can, okay?"

Today, Baoxi was exceptionally easy to talk to and agreed directly. Baifeng's attitude was so good also because of this trade. Baoxi was a super client this time; regardless of the quantity, Baifeng would definitely go through with this trade, so he had to stabilize Baoxi first.