BXBX NOVEL Chapter 67: External Recruitment
He felt relieved that the Crimson Star Tribe accepted the gift, indicating that the Flower Cat Tribe would likely not face any hostility from them in the future.
However, Lester sensed something amiss.
Beside him, Emily and Raham were staring intently at the coins in his hand.
Lester asked, "Raham, are these coins very valuable?"
Raham explained, "Priest Lester, I've been working for almost half a month, laboring long hours every day, and I still haven't saved up enough to earn a gold coin."
Emily added, "Let me think... A gold coin, if used to buy potatoes, could probably keep a person from going hungry for a month. And if used to buy pottery, it could probably buy five pieces."
Lester exclaimed in disbelief, "Is that so?"
He couldn't fathom how a single coin could buy so much food and pottery.
It seemed unreal to him.
Seeing Lester's astonishment, Raham chuckled and said, "Priest Lester, since you've sold all your goods to Lord Amy, why not explore the marketplace? You might find the goods you're looking for."
Lester nodded eagerly and led his people through the marketplace.
Soon, they were drawn by a tantalizing aroma.
Several members of the tribe, their stomachs growling, hurried along the path from the Flower Cat Tribe towards the Crimson Star Tribe without eating much along the way, eager to arrive quickly.
Priest Lester hesitantly suggested, "Shall we eat something? These three gold coins should be enough, right?"
The proposal received strong approval from several tribe members.
And they hurried towards the source of the enticing smell.
The aroma led them to a large iron pot filled with rich meat stew, accompanied by plenty of vegetables.
Lester was astonished, exclaiming, "This is ironware!"
The other tribe members, driven by hunger, were oblivious to the significance of the ironware. Their noses twitched eagerly, their eyes fixed on the food in the pot, much to Lester's silent disdain.
However, he too succumbed to temptation.
He handed a gold coin to the man standing by the pot and asked, "We'd like four bowls. Will one coin be enough?"
The man nodded eagerly, "More than enough!"
He then called out back, "Lord Rita, Lord Jessica! They want four bowls of delicious stew, paid with one gold coin, and they need change."
Jessica's voice echoed from afar, "Got it!"
Lester then noticed, beyond the stall selling the stew, there were tables and chairs set up for customers to comfortably enjoy their meals.
Additionally, two beautiful girls were busy counting a handful of coins.
The group was invited to take their seats.
Soon, someone brought over four bowls of stew and informed them, "Here are your four bowls of stew. It's five iron coins per bowl, and here's your change—eight coins in total."
The numerical relation wasn't complex.
Priest Lester quickly calculated and murmured, "So three gold coins can only buy sixty bowls of stew."
Just then, other tribe members couldn't help but exclaim, "Salt, there's salt in this stew!"
Priest Lester quickly tasted it himself and detected the salty flavor, which greatly surprised him.
Moreover, the meat in the stew was different.
It was definitely not ordinary game meat.
Lester finally understood why this bowl of stew was so expensive. It wasn't just cooked in an iron pot; the ingredients used were also very special, not to mention the addition of salt.
He felt it was worth every bit of the cost.
Though he couldn't help but feel a bit of heartache—it was still quite expensive.
Therefore, Lester and his companions didn't dare to waste a single drop of the stew in the ceramic bowls. They finished everything—the meat, the vegetables—feeling completely satisfied. Only then did they slowly rise and look around at other parts of the marketplace.
Their fellow travelers couldn't help but sigh, "Lord Priest, this is the most delicious stew I've ever had."
Priest Lester agreed with them.
However, there were more important matters to attend to now. He had already realized that the Crimson Star Tribe was different. Perhaps they truly didn't need their offerings, otherwise, Lord Amy wouldn't have given him three gold coins.
Thinking this through, Priest Lester said, "Let's go see other goods."
With that, he led his people to explore the marketplace.
They encountered a variety of goods that expanded their horizons. At the edge of the marketplace, Lester saw a bamboo hut that seemed to be referred to by the Crimson Star Tribe members as the tribal shop.
Here, he found the potatoes that Emily and Raham had mentioned earlier.
These very potatoes had been part of the stew they had just enjoyed.
They tasted good and were very filling.
Approaching the seller, Lester inquired, "How much are these potatoes?"
The Crimson Star Tribe member in charge of selling potatoes replied, "They're only one silver coin per bag."
One silver coin per bag!
Lester's eyes widened in disbelief.
The potatoes were woven into netted bags made of vines, allowing one to see exactly how many were in each bag. Based on Priest Lester's estimate, one bag would be enough to feed a member of the Flower Cat Tribe for at least half a month.
And now, he had two gold coins and eight silver coins.
This meant he could purchase twenty-eight bags!
Lester's breathing quickened with excitement. He hurriedly said, "I'll take twenty-eight bags!"
The seller's face lit up with a smile and replied eagerly, "No problem!"
Next, he proposed, "This is for you, the guest from other tribes. Twenty-eight bags are quite a lot. I suggest you buy a cart to transport them back. A cart only costs five silver coins."
Lester glanced at the carts in the distance.
He was tempted but ultimately decided, "We have four people. We can carry them back ourselves."
Seeing this, the potato seller didn't insist.
However, after buying the potatoes, Lester and his group had spent all their money.
They looked longingly at the pottery and fruits, and three accompanying tribe members couldn't help but speak up, "Priest Lester, we need more money!"
Meanwhile, as Lester and the others pondered how to acquire more funds, Enzo had also gathered the tribe's leadership for another meeting.
...
Inside the bamboo building.
Amy, Tia, Ward, and others all took their seats, even Jessica joined them.
Since Enzo agreed to integrate the Venom Tribe into the Crimson Star Tribe, the Venom Tribe had become part of them, though its members still lived in the swamp.
Jessica was a part of the Venom Tribe's leadership.
So she had the right to participate in discussions without issue.
Ward was a bit impatient and spoke first, "Lord Enzo, what is the matter we're dealing with?"
Enzo advised, "Ward, don't be hasty."
Ward complained, "Lord Enzo, it's not that I want to rush things, but since the marketplace opened, we've been handling not just internal tribal matters but also dealing with many issues involving outsiders. I'm sure others feel the same. It's really busy right now."
Enzo smiled and said, "Ward, I called you all here precisely for this matter."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately paid serious attention.
Enzo unfolded a piece of hemp cloth covered with dense writing. It detailed plans to expand the current management team, allowing regional leaders to select their own assistants, permitting private pottery and other product manufacturing, and most importantly, external recruitment.
Monta, puzzled, asked, "Lord Enzo, what does external recruitment entail?"
Enzo didn't respond immediately but turned to the group and asked, "It's now noon, and the marketplace has only just opened. What are your impressions so far?"
Jessica quickly replied, "I've made quite a bit of money."
The people in the bamboo hall burst into laughter. Amy smiled too but earnestly responded to Enzo's question, "The internal members of the Crimson Star Tribe are fine. They were prepared for the marketplace opening. However, many of the external tribes are here out of fear rather than for trading. They come to offer tribute and seek the protection of the Crimson Star Tribe."
A few nodded in agreement, affirming, "Amy is right."
Enzo gestured for Amy to continue her narrative.
Amy spoke again, "Following Lord Enzo's instructions, I accepted the tribute goods from those people and compensated them with coins. With money in hand, they began spending at the market. However, their funds were quickly depleted. According to current statistics, the majority of purchases made by the visiting tribes are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and similar foods."
At this point, the others began to grasp the implications.
Enzo responded to Monta's query, saying, "These members of the visiting tribes need money to purchase goods from the Crimson Star Tribe, but they lack funds. However, we can provide them money in exchange for their labor."
The realization dawned on everyone instantly.
Ward couldn't help but praise, "Lord Enzo, your plan is brilliant! The rainy season isn't over yet, and many tribe members are hungry. But with the fair compensation from the Crimson Star Tribe, as long as they help out, they can sustain themselves, and the tribe's camp can develop faster. It's a win-win!"
Brian chimed in eagerly, "Lord Enzo, I'll go recruit people right away!"
All the yellow iron ore brought back had been used up, yet there was still a significant gap in ironware production for the tribe. Despite mentioning this to Enzo previously, Brian now had a new idea and could find people to transport it himself, without burdening Enzo with every task.
Others also had different ideas on how to recruit members from other tribes.
At that moment, Amy seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke up, "Lord Enzo..."