Chapter 544: Anxious All Around

Having waited until he was anxious beyond measure and feeling a headache every day, Sixia finally saw the people from Huaxia. Excited, he almost went over to kneel before them. Fortunately, what Huaxia brought was also good news, as they said straightforwardly: "Take all the Sulfur you have collected during this time and let's go. We have already brought the grain over, and it is still in the original place."

Sixia hurriedly gathered his people to carry the Sulfur. The sacks they had left behind when they last departed were already completely full. Now, the Sixia Tribe had piled the collected Sulfur in the open because there was nothing left to pack it in. As for the bags that held the grain, they naturally considered them their own property and would never take them to pack things for Huaxia; they basically just cut and trimmed them, then used bone needles to sew them into clothes for themselves to wear.

It was the familiar small Boat, but this time the people from Huaxia were experienced; they directly designated one boat as Sixia's exclusive boat. Sixia sat at the stern, while two Soldiers sat at the bow responsible for steering, and under the pretext of having secrets, they refused to let Sixia come to the front.

Fortunately, their communication was not affected. Sixia asked, almost crying with a runny nose: "Why did you come so late? I almost thought you were going to break your oath and abandon us here."

The two young Soldiers from Huaxia knew some things should not be said, so they could only say: "Was there not a heavy rainstorm a while ago? The river channel was full of floodwater; how could the boat have gotten through? Now that the water has slowed, haven't we come immediately? Rest assured, as allies of Huaxia, it is impossible for us to abandon the Sixia Tribe."

In the time that followed, it was mostly Sixia muttering something to himself there, and the Huaxia Soldiers ignored him, because there were some words and some things that should not be spoken by them.

However, they felt that Sixia's mental state seemed to have become somewhat poor. The Sixia of the past was only a bit reserved; he had never spoken so much, and his words were somewhat fragmented and dense, with no discernible thread.

The tribesmen of the Sixia Tribe on the shore also seemed to be in worse physical condition, but not much time had passed. They knew that Sulfur was toxic, especially after it was burned or evaporated; under normal conditions, there was no problem. Could it be that they were eating the Sulfur?

"You still have plenty of grain, right? With so few of you, that much grain should be enough for you to eat until Winter, right?"

Sixia suddenly snapped back to his senses, surprised that it was the person from Huaxia talking to him. He also hurriedly replied: "Not much left, not much left. Our tribesmen can eat a lot; if you hadn't come, we might have starved to death tomorrow."

The Huaxia Soldier curled his lip in disdain and then decided to remain silent, no longer speaking to him. It was just that they were too unlucky; when deciding whose boat Sixia would sit on, they had lost the game of rock-paper-scissors.

The two of them had originally argued: "Just let Sixia walk directly; it's not like we absolutely have to take him."

But the Small Team leader shook his finger: "No, no, no. This is a manifestation of how much we in Huaxia value the Sixia Tribe. Think about it: last time we brought Sixia onto the boat; if we don't take him this time, what will he think? If he harbors any resentment or other bad ideas in his heart and simply stops finding Sulfur for us in Huaxia, what then?"

The two of them felt it was impossible: "If they don't dig for Sulfur to trade for grain, they can only starve to death."

"They didn't dig for Sulfur before, and I didn't see them starve to death."

Subsequently, the Small Team leader very firmly made the two of them carry out the mission. Just after they got on the boat, they heard the unrestrained laughter of their comrades.

Sixia met Yishang very smoothly, though this time Yishang met him directly on the shore. The grain had basically been transported over as well. What they were pursuing this time was speed; returning to Huaxia one day earlier would provide one more bit of support for Huaxia. The current Huaxia was already very empty.

Of course, not wanting Yishang to dirty the boat was also one of the reasons. During the conversation, Yishang intentionally kept a distance from Sixia. If Sixia wanted to get closer, the Soldiers beside Yishang would quietly block him.

"Have you discovered anyone from the Suiren Clan during this time?" Yishang went straight to the point.

Sixia's expression was flustered and somewhat fearful, but there was no sign of lying: "No. If the Suiren Clan had come, our tribe would have been gone long ago."

Yishang nodded. It seemed the Suiren Clan was still busy with their own internal affairs and had no energy to manage this place. After the Suiren Clan regained their strength, they would still have to attack the tribes closer to them again before they could come here. Therefore, the Sulfur here should still be able to be collected a few more times.

"Good, then let's load the Sulfur onto the boat first. You count the grain bag by bag as well."

Because they had not anticipated that the Sixia Tribe could fill all the bags, Yishang had only had people transport a portion down. But now it seemed it was not enough, so after the Sulfur was loaded onto the Large Ship, they transported a few more trips of grain to make up the difference.

Sixia, who had no clear concept of quantity, had to count bag by bag and then draw circles on the ground to calculate clearly. If there had been a long enough piece of Grass, Sixia probably would have liked it more.

He also did not trust Huaxia to calculate for them, feeling that it was better to calculate it slowly himself. Only after confirming there was absolutely no problem did he let out a happy, long sigh. The Soldiers facing him held their breath in unison and then turned their heads.

This time, Yishang left him even more bags, though they were not new; they were reused. Now they still seemed relatively sturdy, and as long as they were not intentionally damaged, they could continue to be used.

Sixia happily intended to say goodbye and return, but Yishang called him back: "Don't be in a hurry to leave yet. This time I have brought you even better Weapons, better even than our Iron Knives."

Sixia's eyes lit up instantly, and then his gaze stared fixedly at Yishang's side-worn Knife. Yishang turned around nonchalantly to cover the Knife, while calling out: "Bring the things over."

Only then did Sixia's gaze shift to the boxes being carried onto the shore.

The box opened, revealing the Explosives inside. Sixia had never seen this before, and since it was said to be for them, he moved toward it very directly.

The Soldier guarding the box hurriedly pushed him away: "This thing is very dangerous. Wait until we teach you how to use it before you look." Only then did Sixia retreat with a sullen look.

With a look from Yishang, the Soldier immediately took out a Bomb, then locked his gaze on a crack in a rock relatively far away from them. After taking it over and placing it inside, he waved for everyone to step back. He himself blew the Fire Tinder to ignite it, carefully lit the Fuse, and then sprinted away.