34. Aid to the Neighboring Village

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Daqi, leading his people from Daqi Village, swaggered up to the gates of Little White Village. After requesting an audience, they waited at the entrance for the village chief to receive them. Before long, to their surprise, they saw the chief of Parasol Village and a group of players approaching from the east, arriving at the gates in a rather sorry state.

Seeing Parasol Village in such a disheveled condition, Daqi knew they must have suffered badly from the wolf disaster. He led his group forward, clasped his hands with feigned sympathy, and said with a tone tinged with schadenfreude, “Well, if it isn’t my dear brother Parasol. It’s rare to see you. Looks like you’re all injured—what in the world happened?”

Parasol forced a bitter smile, returned the greeting, and said, “I hope you’ve been well, Brother Daqi. My village has truly suffered this time. Sigh, let’s not talk about it. But may I ask, what brings you here today?”

“Oh, nothing really. Just thought I’d pay a visit to our neighbors.”

Daqi affected a lighthearted air, brushing aside any troubles with a single sentence. Compared to the miserable state of Parasol Village, Daqi Village was in much better shape, which gave Daqi a sense of pride, making his tone all the more buoyant.

The two groups did not wait long before the master of Little White Village came out to greet them.

Zhan Xiaobai, along with Sword Tyrant and other elders, welcomed the visitors with sincere smiles, ushering both groups into the village.

In the administrative hall, hosts and guests took their seats and exchanged a few polite words.

Zhan Xiaobai avoided any mention of the sand wolves or the bandits. Sword Tyrant, a sly old fox, could chatter on about anything under the sun but never touched on the main issue. Daqi wasn’t a fool either—he wouldn’t seek help outright, as that would be a sign of weakness.

Parasol, fully aware of the situation but feeling powerless due to his own weak position, realized that if he didn’t bring up the main topic, no one would. So he said, “Brother Xiaobai, Brother Daqi, what are your thoughts on the sudden appearance of sand wolves and bandits near our villages?”

Zhan Xiaobai turned to Daqi. “Brother Daqi, do you have any thoughts?”

Daqi’s eyes sparkled, knowing it was his turn to speak. He laughed and said, “In my view, sand wolves and bandits are but small matters. Eliminating them is only a matter of time. However, since our three villages are close neighbors and have always shared good relations, why not join forces to deal with the bandits? That way, we can minimize our losses. What do you think, Brother Xiaobai?”

Zhan Xiaobai chuckled. Daqi’s “small matters” was certainly putting it lightly. If it were such a trivial concern, why would they all be gathered here?

He remained silent.

Sword Tyrant took up the conversation. “Village Chief Daqi suggests an alliance?”

Seeing that Little White Village’s grand elder was interested, Daqi perked up immediately. “Exactly!”

Sword Tyrant continued, “And what sort of alliance do you propose?”

Daqi launched into the plan he’d prepared long ago, speaking with great enthusiasm. “It’s simple. First, a manpower alliance—our three villages have plenty of players, and if we combine forces, dealing with the bandits will be a breeze. Second, a resources alliance—sharing what we have and supporting each other. If anyone faces trouble, we lend a hand right away. With these two principles, if our three villages unite, not just bandits, even dominating Xiliang wouldn’t be out of reach.”

Parasol was secretly delighted; this was exactly what he’d hoped for.

Zhan Xiaobai, however, felt annoyed. According to this plan, wouldn’t Little White Village become a talent supplier, an endless funding source, and a security chief all rolled into one?

Sword Tyrant glanced at Zhan Xiaobai.

Zhan Xiaobai shook his head.

Sword Tyrant pondered for a moment, then found an excuse to decline. “Village Chief Daqi’s proposal is sound, but it’s difficult to implement. While our village does have many players, we’ve always followed a ‘voluntary participation’ policy—they don’t answer to us. If we want to hire them for village defense, we have to pay them. The daily wage is ten copper coins. Even though we have some funds, we can’t afford to pay for an army. Can Daqi Village cover these costs? This alone makes forming a united army quite difficult.”

Daqi was stunned. Hire players and pay them? He’d always just ordered the players around—when had he ever paid them? “Well, what should we do then?”

Sword Tyrant smiled. “We have no manpower to offer. As for resources, our village is fairly well-off. If a neighboring village needs help, it’s only right that we provide some support.”

Daqi and Parasol finally managed a smile. If they couldn’t get manpower, at least some financial aid was better than nothing.

“Very well. What sort of assistance can your village provide?” Daqi asked eagerly.

Sword Tyrant put on a thoughtful face. “A little medicine, some timber, some grain, and a few copper coins. I suppose we can manage to spare that much.”

Daqi and Parasol grew anxious. “‘A little’—how much exactly is that?”

Sword Tyrant replied unhurriedly, “That depends on how much the two village chiefs wish to borrow, and how much you’re willing to repay in a month.”

“Ah!” Daqi was instantly disappointed and grumbled, “It has to be repaid?” He thought to himself, isn’t Little White Village supposed to be generous? Where’s their spirit of friendship and mutual aid?

Nearby, Qiushui, Young Hero Spring and Autumn, Ah Fei, and the others nearly burst out laughing and had to stifle themselves. Did this guy really think he could come here and get a free lunch?

Parasol sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t repay anything! My village is in such poor shape, and if there’s any disaster next month, we’ll lose even the little we have left.” He had no confidence in himself.

Daqi asked Sword Tyrant about the interest on the loaned resources, and the two conferred briefly. The interest rate was set at about ten percent.

Daqi realized that borrowing supplies wasn’t worthwhile—he’d be better off on his own. Making some excuses, he said, “I’ll think it over and discuss it later,” then left with his people.

Zhan Xiaobai did not try to stop him.

Parasol felt he couldn’t repay the loan and shook his head to refuse. Still, he and his people remained. He’d resigned himself; the worst that could happen to Parasol Village was the bandits tearing it down—it couldn’t get any worse. He said, “Brother Xiaobai, my forty or fifty brothers and I will stay here for a few days, if you don’t mind.”

Zhan Xiaobai found this agreeable and smiled, raising his hand. “No, Brother Parasol. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Please, go ahead,” Parasol replied.

Zhan Xiaobai said calmly, “How about this: our two villages make a pact—an alliance for mutual offense and defense, a trade alliance, and a pact of mutual assistance. What do you say?”

Parasol and several of his companions were momentarily dumbfounded, joy flashing through their hearts. Little White wanted to give Parasol Village its full support and bring them along the path to prosperity! Heavens, such good fortune was beyond belief!