Chapter 1864: Negotiations

Chief Dikaka and Chief Siwadike walked over together.

After Liu Zheng helped them eliminate the war, the relationship between the two tribes had stabilized.

At least until Liu Zheng left, these two tribes presented a scene of peace on the surface.

They had even intermarried.

But Liu Zheng knew that once the danger he posed was gone, this island might fall back into war.

However, this problem would soon be solved.

After seeing the two of them, Liu Zheng thought of the way to handle them.

The two chiefs spread their arms and leaned forward to bow.

"Respected friends, thank you for bringing us peace," the first mate translated from the side.

Liu Zheng nodded slightly.

Chief Siwadike reached Liu Zheng first, bumped Chief Dikaka aside, and grasped Liu Zheng's hands with both of his.

Acting as if he were the ruler who could represent the entire island, he said enthusiastically: "..."

The first mate translated: "Respected sir, we feel regret that you are about to leave; please allow me to send you our sincere blessings."

A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Chief Dikaka's face, but as he walked, his expression became increasingly genial.

"Respected sirs, your departure truly makes one feel a sense of loss. Once again, thank you for the peace you brought; our two tribes will coexist peacefully."

"Thank you for securing half of the panacea for our Dikaka Tribe."

When Chief Dikaka mentioned the panacea, a flash of ferocity crossed the eyes of the Chief of the Siwadike Tribe.

Liu Zheng kept the details of both men in his eyes and let out a laugh.

He reckoned that after they left, these two tribes would fight to the death again because of 'Petroleum'.

Liu Zheng smiled and said: "Actually, the reason I called you here this time is that there is a matter I would like to cooperate with you on."

The first mate translated, and the two chiefs were slightly stunned.

"Please speak," they said.

Liu Zheng smiled and said: "Do you want to obtain more panacea?"

When they heard the first mate translate the words 'panacea', their expressions changed instantly; this was the holy relic of their tribes.

It was a holy relic bestowed by the gods.

Every time, only a tiny bit would emerge from the ground.

The amount they gave Liu Zheng was already a year's worth of production.

For Liu Zheng to say he could let them obtain more 'panacea'—unless Liu Zheng was a god capable of bestowing miracles upon them.

Otherwise, they would absolutely not believe such a thing could happen.

The first mate glanced at Liu Zheng from the side, thinking Liu Zheng was going to do something like refining Fierce Fire Oil.

To bribe these two tribes.

But upon reflection, it seemed unlikely; two primitive tribes had no value.

Seeing the look of disbelief on their faces, Liu Zheng continued: "Actually, to obtain more panacea is quite simple; it only requires extraction."

"We will do the extracting, you will receive thirty percent of the panacea, and you will also receive aid from our Longyan. We will help you build houses, build hospitals, and you will no longer have to wear animal skins..."

The first mate looked at Liu Zheng in astonishment and asked in a low voice: "Sir, do we really have to do this?"

"These are just primitive tribes. Aside from that Fierce Fire Oil that can burn, this island has no resources. Does our Longyan need to aid them like this?"

Liu Zheng glanced at the first mate, did not answer his question, and only told him to translate truthfully.

Currently, the Internal Combustion Engine had not yet been invented.

Chemistry had also not progressed, remaining at the stage where a group of chemists posed as 'alchemists', using eggs and the indescribable bodily fluids of certain men to refine mosquito larvae.

They had no idea how important Petroleum was.

Seeing Liu Zheng's persistence, the first mate had no choice but to translate his words to the two chiefs without missing a word.

The two chiefs were silent for a long while.

They communicated with each other.

Only then did they finally digest what Liu Zheng had said. There were doctors on the island, but in their terms, they were Witch Doctors.

A combination of witchcraft and medicine.

Extremely primitive and backward; such living conditions resulted in a sparse population within the two tribes on the island.

Moreover, this was a small island; an average person could walk across the entire island in five days—it was truly too small.

This resulted in many of them not even having clothes to wear.

Liu Zheng's proposal was very tempting.

But both tribes remained skeptical, and the panacea was their holy relic; such conditions were not enough to make them hand over the holy relic to these outsiders.

The two of them expressed their meaning to Liu Zheng.

The first mate glared at them and said in a deep voice: "Sir, they say they will absolutely not hand the holy relic over to us."

Liu Zheng nodded; he had anticipated this matter long ago.

He sighed and said: "First mate, tell them: survival or destruction—they can choose for themselves."

Liu Zheng came to the window of the Supply Ship and looked at the scenery outside through the glass.

The scenery on the small island was quite nice. Liu Zheng nodded and sighed: "What a pity. First mate, open fire; let these two chiefs take one last look at this small island."

The first mate was expressionless and made a gesture.

The Main Cannon on the Supply Ship let out a boom and fired a massive Cannonball.

It struck the small island.

The place that was struck erupted into raging flames, and the trees on the ground seemed to have been obliterated by a deity, leaving only charred remains.

The cannonball from just a moment ago landed not far from the two tribes.

With a sound truly like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting, the two chieftains heard the noise and saw the scene of their small island being struck by the cannonball, becoming incomparably terrified and speaking in a language Liu Zheng could not understand.

Liu Zheng watched indifferently as they prostrated themselves and knelt in worship toward Liu Zheng.

The first mate watched all of this indifferently.

"My lord, they say not to destroy their tribes."

"You are a true god, capable of leaving behind divine miracles."

Liu Zheng ignored them and made another gesture, and the giant cannon on the supply ship moved once again.

The sound of the cannon seemed as if it were about to ring out once more.

The chieftain of the Dikaka Tribe shouted in a deep voice.

The chieftain of the Siwadike Tribe shouted in a deep voice.

Their appearance was just like mortals pleading to a god, praying for them to take back the disaster.

The first mate translated expressionlessly: "My lord, they say that a god has the right to take back the panacea bestowed upon them."

The corners of Liu Zheng's mouth curled upward, and he made a gesture to stop the attack.

The sound of the bombardment ceased, and Liu Zheng turned around to look at the two tribal chieftains trembling on the ground.

"First mate, have them sign the agreement; we will give them thirty percent of the petroleum we extract."

The first mate acknowledged the order.

Liu Zheng turned and left, not looking at these two chieftains again.

Only when facing survival do these primitive tribes know what they should do.

Liu Zheng is not a colonizer; he cannot bring himself to come to this nameless island, slaughter all the indigenous inhabitants, and then declare sovereignty over this island, calling it such-and-such Colonial Area.

He would rather spend a little time seeking cooperation with the local indigenous inhabitants.

But, Liu Zheng is also no saint; it is merely the principle of the weak being prey to the strong.