Chapter 32: I Will Help You Eliminate the Kobolds, Clever Natives

Ji Chen gazed at the native human lying on the ground with curiosity. Like the Kobolds, his was clothed in animal skins and fiber. his skin was wheat-colored and his body and face were covered in a layer of green liquid. 

His weapons consisted of a sharpened bone dagger at the waist and a simple wooden bow on the back. 

He appeared to be a native.

Ji Chen had a notion that these natives lived on islands surrounded by the sea, traveled in canoes, believed in peculiar beliefs, and some even practiced cannibalism.

However, he was not too surprised. To be able to fight evenly with the group of Kobolds and look like noobs fighting each other, their level of civilization was naturally not that high.

With a wave of his hand, he instructed a Naga warrior to carry the native on his shoulder and bring him back to the territory.

He placed the native on the empty ground.

The residents were surprised to see Ji Chen bring back a man dressed in simple animal skin.

When they heard that he was a native of the island, they started discussing in surprise.

They had been here for more than a month, but they had not found any natives at all. They thought that there were only wild beasts and monsters on this island.

Perhaps it was because of the chaotic discussion of the people, the native lying on the ground slowly woke up.

Upon opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a large group of strangers, causing him to immediately feel frightened and crawl back on his hands and feet. 

After a few steps, he bumped into a hard object and looked up to see a snake-bodied monster staring down at him with a cold, predatory gaze. 

"Aaaah-!"

The native subconsciously cried out in fear.

Her voice was almost louder and sharper than Alice's singing.

After a while, the young native finally calmed down and stood in front of Ji Chen timidly.

Perhaps it was the game's settings, but the native language was also the common language.

Ji Chen looked at him kindly. "I ask, you answer. Understand?"

The native hurriedly nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Panther"

The name sounded like a primitive tribe.

"Why are you approaching my territory?"

"The leader said that all the wild beasts in this forest have escaped. He thought that something had happened here, so he called me here to investigate."

The native stood up straight and answered truthfully. His appearance was so obedient that it made one's heart ache.

However, it was also possible that the ferocious Naga warriors surrounding him had caused him to become like this.

"Then can you take me to your tribe?"

"... I can't."

The native's face turned red as he gritted his teeth.

Ji Chen couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not looking for trouble with your tribe. I want to invite you to join my territory."

"I met the Kobolds. They should have a grudge against you, right?"

"Those Kobolds have been the enemy of our tribe for generations." The native gritted his teeth and said, "We can't wait to kill them all and use them as fertilizer for the land!"

"Well, that's perfect." Ji Chen snapped his fingers. "I'll help you get rid of the Kobolds. In exchange, you have to submit to me."

The native opened his mouth in surprise, but he didn't say anything.

Killing the Kobolds had always been the goal of the tribe, but did this man in gorgeous clothes really have the strength to kill that many Kobolds?

He looked around at the tall and strong Naga warriors with cruel eyes and believed him.

"I'm just a small warrior in the tribe. I can't make such an important decision." The native shook his head. "We need to let the leader decide."

Ji Chen didn't make things difficult for him. Once again, Ji Chen instructed him to deliver these words to his tribal leader before letting him go.

He couldn't treat this human native the same way he treated the Kobolds.

Releasing him was also a friendly signal. 

Watching the native agilely dart into the jungle, Ji Chen pondered and quietly followed him.

This native was very agile and cautious, familiar with the jungle, and constantly moving through complex terrain, showing a good sense of counter-surveillance. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have lost track of him long ago.

However, what the native could not have imagined was that Ji Chen was using a map hack, and no matter how he took detours or moved forward, Ji Chen could see it all clearly.

Ten minutes later, Ji Chen came to a stop with a frown. 

The yellow dot representing the natives was now two hundred meters ahead, but when he looked closer, he saw that there was no one there in the open lowland. 

Nonetheless, the yellow dot was still moving, changing directions rapidly and even coming as close as a few dozen meters from him. T

his left him feeling confused. 

Was he invisible, in the heavens, or was his map damaged? 

Despite his efforts, he couldn't locate the natives and could only watch as the yellow dot disappeared at the edge of the map. 

Ji Chen studied the map, deep in thought as he tried to recall any unusual occurrences that had happened before.

A moment later, Ji Chen suddenly raised his head and recalled what happened a minute or two ago. 

He realized that the native had stopped at a certain spot for dozens of seconds, which seemed suspicious to him. 

He quickly returned to the spot and saw only rocks and lush vegetation around. There was nothing worth paying attention to at a glance. 

As he looked up, he saw the lush canopy and the blue sky. When he looked down, he saw rocks and vegetation.

Wait, rocks?

After pondering, he asked the Naga warriors to move these medium-sized stones.

One by one, the rocks were moved, revealing the moist soil and insects living underneath. 

As they lifted a slab of stone, a small hole was exposed. It was so small that only one person could enter, and the sound of flowing water could be heard emanating from within.

A rattan ladder was stuck at the entrance of the cave, leading to a karst cave below.

Ji Chen finally understood that the natives had escaped through the cave. 

He had previously discovered many underground caves in the forest, which were like blood vessels, connecting the entire forest. 

Since the natives had lived in the area for countless years, they were familiar with the direction of these karst caves and used them as escape routes.

As expected, the natives were clever and have many options or contingency plans to avoid danger or difficulty.

Ji Chen smiled and shook his head, deciding not to continue the pursuit. He replaced the stone and clapped his hands before heading back to his territory. 

Continuing to chase might have been futile, as he had already gained a considerable harvest. 

He had shown his goodwill towards the human natives, and now he needed to wait for their response.

If it doesn't work, some tough measures can be implemented.

At that time, he could say:

"Native, you don't want your people to be slaughtered, do you?"

Of course, if he could subdue them peacefully, it would be the best result.

After all, Ji Chen was not a bloodthirsty killer. At most, he would force them to mine and give them a beating if they didn't obtain the designated ores.

He thought of applying the same strategy to the Kobolds, so forcing them to submit wasn't necessary. 

He believed that by confiscating the Kobolds' weapons and monitoring them, they could be coerced to work in the mines. 

They wouldn't be provided with food unless they mined the ores, and their stubbornness wouldn't save them from hunger.

Could the Kobolds withstand hunger with their stubbornness?

Vaguely, an unimagined path unfolded before him.

Ah, this was not called evil capitalism!

It's only considered that way when applied to humans, but it didn't count for Kobolds.