After drinking some water, the Xi Yu Tribe member continued:
"The flat area by the mountain wasn't very large, but it was more than enough to put those stones down. When I got there, there were only some powdery gravel on the ground. I followed the path up the mountain because I saw that group of people go up there. Looking down from the top, there was a large valley with many work sheds, but I didn't know what those buildings were for. After observing for a while, and seeing that there seemed to be no one in the valley below, I carefully went down and came to a work shed that looked fairly decent. That's where I found these things. I think these things were left behind by the people who transported the black stones. I think they were specifically left for trading those black stones."
The tribespeople's analysis was excellent, and Xi Yu agreed. However, a few issues still troubled her. No one in their tribe could understand the letter found in the valley; it must be about the black stone trade. The only person here who could read was the King Chief of the Dried Fish Tribe, but they were close to the Jiang Sen Tribe and couldn't ask him. Doing so would expose their plan to intercept the Jiang Sen Tribe's goods.
Another issue is the black stones. Although they don't have a clear ownership right now, will Jiang Sen and the others be suspicious if they dig them up? However, this isn't a big problem yet. There are a lot of black stones, so digging a small area first, like the outer perimeter, is fine. It's just that digging too many later will cause trouble.
The biggest problem now is that they don't have a boat. Even if they solve the other two problems, they still won't be able to solve the boat problem.
No wonder Jiang Sen and the King Chief of the Dried Fish Tribe are so close; these are the reasons.
What to do? We must seize this opportunity. Going up the mountain is definitely not an option; it's difficult for people to walk, let alone transport goods.
The only ones who can build ships here are the Dried Fish Tribe, so it seems we can only try to find a solution from them. Since Jiang Sen failed to make a deal this time, he probably won't be mining rocks anymore, nor will he need the Dried Fish Tribe's ships.
Haha! This is a great opportunity. Why did I only think of it now? Now all I need to do is secretly dig up those black stones, find a secluded path away from everyone's sight, transport the stones to the lakeside, and then to the mountainside where the trade takes place.
" Thunderclap, what's going on in that valley? Why are there work sheds in there?" Xi Yu wanted to check the situation in the valley again, just in case something unexpected happened.
"Chief, there seems to be a Mine Tunnel in the valley, but it looks like it's been abandoned."
"Oh, forget about that valley then. Our main concern now is to find a way to get the Dried Fish Tribe's ship. I was just thinking about it, and since Jiang Sen didn't succeed in the deal this time, they probably won't want that ship anymore. We need to find a way to cooperate with the Dried Fish Tribe without Jiang Sen knowing."
"Chief, this might be a bit difficult. The Dried Fish Tribe and the Jiang Sen Tribe must have reached some kind of agreement. If we go there rashly, what if the Dried Fish Tribe informs us? We are not sure we can defeat the Jiang Sen Tribe right now."
"Can't you think of other reasons? We could borrow their boats to fish, have fun, find a better place to live, or we could buy some of their boats. If the price is right, they'll sell them, won't they?"
"Is it alright, Chief?" The tribesman asked, somewhat doubtful.
"Forget it, I'll find an opportunity to go to the Dried Fish Tribe. You keep an eye on Jiang Sen and the others. We can secretly dig up some of those black stones for the tribe first." Chief Xi Yu still decided to go to the Dried Fish Tribe himself.
"Yes, Chief."