Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
More than twenty white-tailed deer were caught and the hunting party cried in joy.
Ah Ow’s status became even higher in the eyes of the Tavisi, and her title of a Holy Wolf has been fully established.
Hakatulama even went forward on purpose to apologize to Li Du and Ah Ow.
Although this man was reckless, he was more straightforward than Sadisram. Li Du had no good impression of Sadisram. He avoided Sadisram when the man tried to talk to him a few times during the hunt.
Dead white-tailed deer were skinned and bloodied on the spot. Living deer were tied up and dragged away as long as they could walk. The ones who had broken bones were tied up and carried.
More than twenty white-tailed deer looked like a lot, but it was not too much for a population of more than fourteen hundred.
On the way back, Li Du asked the chief, “How much do you hunt usually?”
“That’s about what we get in a week. Of course, we have a team. The total amount of our hunt is about ten deer per day,” said the chief.
Because the bobcats and wolves of the Appalachians were hunted so much, there were more deer, goats, and wild boars in the mountains than ever before and the natives could hunt a lot with relative impunity.
The balance was key, of course, if they were to, maintain a healthy deer population. They could not have a big party like the night before that frequently because then it would be difficult for them to get more meat.
If they had Ah Ow to assist them, hunting would naturally become much easier.
On the way, the chief constantly stared at Ah Ow, and Li Du could feel that he was thinking of something. This put him on his guard.
Back in the village, before the rest of the hunting party had returned, the women took over the work of cleaning up the carcasses so that the hunters could rest.
In Li Du’s eyes, Americans loved to enjoy life and were lazy, and Native Americans were even more so.
It was just after noon when they came back, and the hunters seemed to retire for the day. They took a keg of beer to rest in the shade, drink, or play cards for money.
The natives gambled a lot, and many tribes had casinos. In some states, Native Americans did not have to pay taxes on their casinos, and the money they earned was used to feed their tribes.
The chief came to Li Du with some fruit from the mountains. He brought two attendants, who carried two boxes in their hands. They came in and put down the boxes.
Sitting opposite Li Du, the chief invited him to eat some fruit, then beckoned, and his men opened the chest.
Each box contained something different – gold, silver, a glass bottle, and a box of ginseng and other dried precious plants.
Eating a pear, Li Du asked, “Chief, what are these things for?”
The chief said, “Trade. I want to trade with you.”
Li Du asked, “How? These things are very valuable indeed. You want to sell them to me?”
The chief didn’t answer. He looked at the dozing Ah Ow next to him and asked, “The Holy Wolf is the work of God, isn’t it?”
Li Du was suddenly alarmed and stared at him. “You want to buy my pet?”
The chief did not answer directly, but said, “We have some gold, and if you are willing to trade with us, we can make it worth your while.”
Li Du pushed the fruit plate away impatiently and said, “My pet is my family, I can’t sell her.”
Brother Wolf and the others who were in the house selected a few positions. If the tribe people had any fishy ideas, they could take the chief hostage at once.
The chief sadly shook his head and said, “Well, I have thought about it for a long time. Of course, you will not treat the Holy Wolf as a bargaining chip. If I owned the Holy Wolf, I would never agree to part with it, no matter how much money you gave me.”
Li Du smiled and said, “Thanks for understanding.”
The chief said, “Well, let’s talk business. Instead of trying to trade for the Holy Wolf, let’s say I want to sell these things for money. Will you buy them?”
Li Du went and looked at the four boxes. He knew what three of them were about. He did not know what was in the glass bottle. So he asked, “What is in there?”
The chief replied, “The treasure of our tribe, snake blood and venom.”
Reversing time with the space-time bug, Li Du saw the collection process of liquid in the vial. The tribe bred some poisonous snakes, and every time there were different people to collect the venom.
“How much do you have to offer? I’m not very interested in small quantities,” said Li Du.
“You only see one-thousandth of what we have,” the chief interrupted haughtily.
Li Du was surprised. “You really have so much?”
There were at least ten kilograms of gold here. If it was only one-thousandth, it meant that the tribe had at least one ton of gold and maybe more.
The chief said, “Don’t underestimate us. Our tribe has a history of thousands of years. We have been collecting treasures for much of that period. Besides them, we have all kinds of furs, antlers, and handicrafts.”
Looking at Li Du, he continued, “You must wonder why our tribe has so many things but did not sell them before, right?”
Li Du nodded.
The chief said helplessly, “Because our tribe has rules stating that we cannot trade with white and black people. In these mountains, besides whites and blacks, the only people we meet are our fellow Native Americans. However, they can’t pay a good price, and the old chiefs and senators are not willing to sell. What fools they are!”
“I am different from the other people of the tribe. My father was chief before me, and he once sent me out to school, so I know what the outside world is like. From the time I became the chief, I always wanted to fit in the outside world!”
Li Du understood, and said, “No wonder you were so friendly to me when we first met. You wanted to cooperate with me then?”
“Yes, and I could tell you are rich.” The chief pointed to his clothes, his knapsack, and his equipment, all of which were brand-name. He was a man who knew how to judge.
The Chief said, “I was happy to meet you since you’re not white or black. You are rich, and I see that we could cooperate.”
“However, I did not expect you to be such a good partner and the master of the Holy Wolf. No, it’s not my power to manage the tribal wealth. It’s the power of the entire tribe.”
Li Du did not expect to come to the tribe and even negotiate a business deal, and apparently a large one at that.
He studied the contents of the box and, turning back the time, he nodded. “Yes, I’d like to work with you. Let’s talk about how we could work together.”
