Chương 61: Negotiation

When Sera walked up to the material shed, the crowd gathered around the wooden table quickly fell silent. Several hunters had been stretching their necks to look at the strange gray-white crossbow. Once they heard footsteps, they immediately pulled their hands back. Marlock followed behind her. Taun stood slightly behind Marlock's side. In his eyes, this matter was no longer as simple as a few hunters watching something interesting. That was why he had gone to the central tent immediately.

Sera glanced at the Tendon-Cord Crossbow on the wooden table, then at the gathered crowd.

"Disperse." Her voice was not loud. But the hunters, apprentices, and carriers in the outer ring immediately stepped back. Someone still wanted to take another look. Marlock swept his gaze over him, and he instantly lowered his head and left. Bren stood beside the wooden table, holding the newly repaired short spear. The excitement on his face had not fully faded. Harg leaned against a bundle of herbs. Seeing Sera arrive, he obediently closed his mouth. Sera looked at Bren.

"Don't spread word about the crossbow for now." Bren immediately nodded.

"Yes." Sera then looked at Harg.

"You and Bren wait outside." Harg opened his mouth. Sera said, "I know you want to speak for him. When I need you to explain, I'll call you." Harg rubbed his nose and said nothing more. Rowan stood beside the tent and watched the scene. Sera turned and motioned for him to follow.

"Rowan. Bring your crossbow. We should talk." Rowan picked up the Tendon-Cord Crossbow. Chestnut had been lying beside the tent like a gray-scaled stone. Hearing the movement, it raised its front claws and tapped the ground twice. Fine dust fell from between its scale plates. Rowan glanced at it.

"No need to come." Chestnut's nose twitched, as if it were weighing the smell of dried cheese left in the tent against the forest scent on Rowan's body. After a moment, it lowered itself again, its belly scales pressing back onto the hide. It did not follow. Sera chose the small tent beside the material shed as the place for their talk. The inside of the small tent was simple. One wooden table. Several hide stools. A few wooden tags and two crude maps hung on the wall.

Red lines on the maps marked the outer ring of Antler Camp, the old hunting trail, water sources, and several mudswamps that could not be approached casually. There were already three people inside the tent. Marlock stood by the entrance and did not sit. Taun sat near the corner of the table with the account book in his arms. Elaine leaned against the other side, fiddling with an empty medicine bottle. Her expression looked as if she were ready to curse at any moment.

Sera sat behind the table and pointed at the stool opposite her.

"Sit." Rowan sat down and placed the Tendon-Cord Crossbow beside his knee. He did not push it onto the table. Marlock glanced at the movement but said nothing. Before Sera spoke, she first looked at Elaine.

"Priest Lowen still isn't back?" Elaine tucked the medicine bottle back at her waist.

"The report at White Candle Town won't be finished that quickly. He also needs to replenish holy oil, hemostatic holy salt, and purification wax, and submit last month's death records to the chapel. Two days at the fastest." Sera nodded. That sentence seemed to be meant for Elaine, but also for Rowan. Antler Camp still had a priest who was not present. For now, in this small tent, Sera was the one in charge. Sera looked at Rowan.

"Taun has already told me." Her Gardian was clearer than the others', and she deliberately slowed her speech a little.

"The short spear was repaired." She pointed outside the tent.

"The strange crossbow has also been tested." Then she looked at the Tendon-Cord Crossbow beside Rowan's knee.

"Bren brought back more than usual." Rowan did not respond. Sera continued, "You repaired the spear for no money, and you lent out the strange crossbow for free. You are a Tier 1 Mage with this kind of craft, yet you are doing these things in the outer ring." She paused.

"Rowan, you are not doing this only to help Bren." The small tent fell quiet. Taun's hand paused over the account book. Marlock remained standing by the entrance, his gaze on Rowan's hands. Elaine watched Rowan, as if waiting to see whether he would produce another strangely pronounced word. Rowan thought for a moment.

"You misunderstand." Sera raised an eyebrow slightly. Rowan said, "I leave tomorrow." As soon as he said that, the atmosphere inside the tent clearly shifted. Taun frowned. Elaine's gaze became a little strange. Marlock's finger lightly tapped the hilt of his blade. Sera looked at him, her tone still steady.

"You let Bren take your crossbow out and bring back game, and now you tell me you're leaving tomorrow?" Rowan nodded.

"Yes." Sera's eyes cooled slightly.

"Don't take me for an apprentice who just entered the forest." She leaned forward slightly.

"If you want something, say it directly. Antler Camp is not a grand city workshop, but we are not so poor that we cannot keep a Tier 1 mage-craftsman." Rowan understood most of it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. This was a misunderstanding. Sera thought he was raising the price. He did not rush to explain. Instead, he first organized the words he could say in his mind.

"Two days. Not price talk." He pointed toward the forest outside the tent.

"Every so often, I need return to deep forest." Sera did not interrupt. Rowan continued, "Cultivation. Find materials. Find inspiration." He paused.

"This is rule of the school my teacher taught me." The sentences were still stiff, but they were no longer just single words strung together. After hearing him, Elaine gave a soft snort.

"Remote forest schools do have plenty of strange rules." Sera looked at her. Elaine said lazily, "I've met a few wilderness mages before. Some really do get restless if they stay in a camp too long. They have to go into the forest alone for a few days, and when they come back, they look alive again." Taun also spoke.

"The way he looks at materials really doesn't look like something from a city workshop. Probably a craft from the backwoods beyond that forest." Sera looked at Rowan. After several breaths, she said,"You may leave." Rowan looked at her. Sera continued, "But if you still want to return and use Antler Camp as a foothold, you need to follow Antler Camp's rules." Only now had the real negotiation begun. Rowan sat up a little straighter. Sera raised her hand and tapped the tabletop.

"First, the outer ring can give you a temporary repair stall. Right beside the material shed." Taun added, "Not for free. Tool wear must be recorded." Sera ignored him and continued,"You may repair low-tier mana-conductive weapons in the outer ring, process materials, and take registered orders. You may not enter the inner camp, and you may not approach the array pillars." Marlock spoke at this point. His voice was much harder than Sera's.

"You must show your wooden tag when you return to the camp." He stared at Rowan.

"If you enter the camp by another route without authorization, don't blame us for treating you as a threat." Rowan nodded.

"Understood." Sera continued, "Second, the material shed will give you official trading qualification." Rowan's attention immediately sharpened. Sera noticed. She said, "Ordinary bone, tendon, hide, and damaged mana crystals go through Taun's account." Taun opened the account book.

"I appraise. You pay, or trade with items." Sera continued, "For key parts from Tier 1 mana-beasts, you may also make an internal offer first." At those words, Rowan's eyes shifted slightly. Sera looked at him.

"But every transaction must be registered. Complete mana crystals, main tendons, heart blood, and intact long bones are not things you can take away with one sentence. Taun must appraise them first." Rowan did not hide his interest.

"Acceptable." Sera said, "Third, Antler Camp has priority purchase rights for the low-tier armaments you make." Rowan asked, "Exclusive?" That was a word Aila had corrected for him over the past two days. He said it somewhat stiffly. Sera glanced at him.

"Not exclusive." She said, "For the same price, Antler Camp gets first choice." Rowan nodded. That was acceptable. Sera looked at the Tendon-Cord Crossbow.

"Fourth, dangerous armaments like this cannot be privately sold inside the camp to unknown mercenaries, outside armed groups, or caravans bypassing Antler Camp's accounts." Elaine joined in.

"That weapon of yours is indeed uncanny. But if someone points it at the camp gate, we are the ones who get the trouble." She looked at the Tendon-Cord Crossbow.

"Don't complain that there are too many conditions. If Antler Camp falls into disorder, everyone suffers." Rowan nodded.

"Acceptable." He had planned to register part of the finished products anyway. The core blueprints would not be handed over. Finished products could be registered. Those were two different things. Sera seemed to see what he was thinking.

"We will not ask about your blueprints." She said, "Antler Camp is not a workshop guild, nor a mage tower. If there are things you don't want to hand over, we will not force you." She paused.

"But as long as something is sold in Antler Camp, or leaves through Antler Camp, it goes into the accounts." That was very clear. Rowan nodded. Sera looked at him.

"Antler Camp gives you a place, material channels, and trade protection." She tapped the table.

"What can you offer?" Rowan did not answer immediately. Sera said, "Taun said your Tendon-Cord Crossbow has value. But one trial piece is not enough." Taun coughed.

"I only said it was somewhat interesting." Elaine was merciless.

"That was not your tone when you ran to the central tent." Taun's face darkened. Sera ignored them.

"Two pieces." She looked at Rowan.

"Antler Camp provides the materials. You waive the labor fee and make two trial low-tier armaments for the camp." Rowan looked at her. Sera continued, "The finished products belong to the camp for testing. You receive the testing feedback." This was more reasonable than Rowan had expected. In Terra, if someone wanted to set up a stall on another person's territory, site fees, management fees, and protection fees would all be unavoidable.

Antler Camp would provide materials, provide a place, and even provide trade protection. Asking him to offset the account with two trial armaments was not excessive. He did not agree immediately. Because he still had one request. Rowan said, "I need one thing." Marlock's gaze immediately grew alert.

"What thing?" Rowan looked at Sera.

"For entering deep forest." He raised his hand, pointed at himself, then pointed outside the tent toward the forest.

"Conceal scent. Lower mana fluctuation. Avoid strong mana-beasts." This time, Sera understood without Harg translating.

"You want a concealment talisman plaque?" Rowan nodded.

"Gray Deer Concealment Talisman Plaque." This was a term he had heard from the hunters' conversations over the past two days. He was not sure whether his pronunciation was completely accurate. Taun glanced at him.

"You do know how to choose." Elaine also clicked her tongue.

"That thing isn't dried meat." Marlock frowned.

"What do you want it for?" Rowan answered quickly.

"Deep forest cultivation." He said, "If I meet something I cannot fight, run." Marlock stared at him for several breaths, as if judging whether that was true. Sera considered for a while. The Gray Deer Concealment Talisman Plaque was not cheap. It was not an offensive item, but it was very useful for hunting teams retreating or hiding the injured. Once crushed, it could suppress human scent, body heat, and shallow mana fluctuations for a short time, buying a person a chance to break away from pursuit.

For a backwoods craftsman who claimed he needed to enter the deep forest for cultivation, this request was reasonable. And precisely because it was reasonable, Sera could not easily use it to probe anything more. She said, "One hundred breaths." Rowan looked at her. Sera explained, "The Gray Deer Concealment Talisman Plaque can last at most one hundred breaths. Running violently, casting spells, or bleeding too much will weaken the effect. If a high-tier mana-beast gets close enough, it can still smell you."

Elaine added, "Don't expect it to turn you into air. It only makes you smell less like freshly cut meat." Rowan nodded.

"Enough." Sera looked at him.

"Two trial armaments." She said, "The camp provides the materials. You waive the labor fee. After the two pieces are completed, this talisman plaque's account is settled." Rowan was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Acceptable." Marlock was still not satisfied.

"And that little beast." Rowan looked at him. Marlock said, "If you enter the deep forest, what happens to it?" Rowan said, "Stays." This made several people look at him. Sera's gaze shifted slightly. Marlock's frown deepened.

"Stays in Antler Camp?"

"Outer ring." Rowan said, "It stays in outer ring. I will return." Sera did not agree immediately. This pangolin had saved Bren and had not caused trouble in the camp. But it was still a strange beast, and it was clearly much smarter than ordinary small beasts. Rowan taking the initiative to leave it behind was indeed a signal that he would return. But a signal was not the same as trust. Sera asked, "Who watches it?" Rowan thought for a moment.

"Harg." Then he added, "Aila feeds." Sera finally nodded.

"Acceptable." She said, "Chestnut stays in the outer-ring tent. Harg guarantees it. Aila may bring food, but she cannot take it into the inner camp, nor near the array pillars." Rowan nodded. At this point, the negotiation was basically over. Sera took a new wooden tag from under the table. This wooden tag was thicker than the one Rowan had before. The front was still carved with deer antler patterns, but the back no longer had only three shallow marks. Instead, there was an additional ring-shaped carved line.

"Return outer-ring tag." Sera pushed the wooden tag in front of him. She looked at Rowan.

"Outer-ring guest tag."

"With this, you are a guest of Antler Camp, not a camp member." Rowan took the wooden tag. It was slightly heavy in his hand, and its edges still carried the smell of freshly carved wood shavings. Sera then took out a small gray talisman plaque. The plaque was only two fingers wide. Its surface was carved with the image of a low-crouching deer, its antlers intertwined with talisman patterns. It was not smooth like Terra's disposable spell cards. Instead, it looked like an old bone shard smoked over fire.

But Rowan could feel the extremely fine mana fluctuations compressed inside it. Concealed. Withdrawn inward. Like a gray deer crouching in snow. Sera placed it on the table.

"Gray Deer Concealment Talisman Plaque." Rowan put the talisman plaque away. Marlock walked to the tent entrance and lifted the curtain. The talk was over. Rowan stood, picked up the Tendon-Cord Crossbow, and walked out of the small tent. The sky outside was already half dark. Bren and Harg were still waiting beside the material shed. Aila stood farther away, holding a small cloth bundle in her hand. Judging from the look of it, she had brought food for Chestnut again.

Sera waved Harg and Aila over and began giving instructions. Rowan returned to the outer-ring tent. Chestnut was lying on the hide, its front claws pressing down on a half-eaten piece of dried cheese. The plates on its body showed a faint earthy gray in the dim light, and several tiny phase-array patterns were hidden between the scale gaps, appearing and disappearing with its breathing. Rowan crouched down.

"I need to leave for a while." Chestnut raised its head. Rowan slowed his voice.

"Not long." He thought for a moment, then added,"I will come back more often later." Chestnut's front claws lightly caught the hide, its claw tips sinking a little into the surface. Rowan continued, "Next time, I'll let you chew more good things." The scales on Chestnut's body tightened slightly. After a moment, it lowered its head and bit the dried cheese, dragging the remaining half under itself. Then it curled into a ball again, its back plates closing together like a small gray stone sphere. Rowan understood.

A reluctant agreement. Outside the tent, Aila carefully poked her head in.

"You want it to... stay?" Rowan turned to look at her.

"Stay." Aila immediately nodded, as if she had received an extremely important task.

"I'll bring food." Harg coughed behind her.

"I'm the one guaranteeing it. Don't say that backward." Aila said softly, "I know." Half an hour later, Rowan left Antler Camp. He exited through the west gate. The guards checked his return outer-ring tag. The wooden gate slowly closed behind him. The firelight of Antler Camp was swallowed bit by bit by the shadows of the trees. Rowan did not activate the Möbius Ring immediately. He walked along the old hunting trail for a while, then changed direction twice.

Only after confirming that there were no footsteps following him and no mana-beasts approaching did he enter a hollow sheltered by rock walls and shrubs. The Gray Deer Concealment Talisman Plaque was pressed inside his chest. The return outer-ring tag was tucked into his mage robe. The Möbius Ring birthmark at his wrist began to warm slightly. Rowan lowered his head and glanced at his hand. The damp soil of the other world still clung to the soles of his boots.

The next instant, space seemed to twist under an invisible ring surface. The forest's insect cries stretched long, and the last bit of firelight from Antler Camp bent into an arc at the edge of his vision. When he opened his eyes again, the walls of the low rental room were vibrating faintly. Outside the window were the neon lights and pipe steam of Terra's slums. Rowan stood in the narrow room, still carrying the damp chill of the deep forest. Almost at the same instant, his communicator began vibrating wildly.

Messages popped up one after another. Rad.

"Rowan! Where the hell are you?!"

"They're about to verify the attendant list at Starlight Tower!"

"If you don't get here soon, your qualification will be canceled!"