The Abyss World, the Kemono Girl Encyclopedia Project!

Unexpectedly, this big rabbit seemed to have quite a say in this tribe. In the end, the chief of the rock sheep tribe just sighed and didn't say another word.

"Sir merchant, and ladies traveling with you, I'm here on behalf of the argali tribe to make this deal with you. The argali tribe will offer 500 kilograms of salt in exchange for your vegetables. What do you say?"

Wang Yan had no objection to the proposal; in fact, it exceeded his expectations, so he nodded in agreement.

The chieftain said no more, and instructed several rock sheep men to return to the depths of the cave to move rock salt. At this moment, the black python said with a hint of apology:

"I'm so sorry, merchant from afar, but this group of ibex is not greedy. Although they have stored a lot of rock salt, it is actually a resource that generations of ibex have relied on for their survival."

"If these salt mines are depleted, this group of ibex will embark on a journey to find a new home, which will be a perilous one."

"Moreover, due to the salt mine resources, some nearby human tribes often came to plunder the argali tribe, making the already timid argali tribe even more sensitive and hostile to humans."

Wang Yan wasn't unreasonable; he understood these things. The salt mine was a resource that had been used by generations of people. Once it was used up, they would have to look for new salt mines, but that wasn't a reason for them to try to lower the price.

Seeing that Wang Yan didn't say anything more, the witch smiled at him and said softly:

"The merchants who have come from afar will need to wait a while. Why don't you join this young lady at my humble abode for a short rest?"

Wang Yan originally wanted to refuse, but the woman's voice seemed to have a magical power, and he nodded as if possessed.

"Hehe, well... please follow me, you two—"

The black python swayed its waist gracefully, its black rabbit tail resembling a small, fluffy ball, making it look rather cute.

The cave is quite spacious, and the rock sheep tribe has also expanded it, so it's not very cramped.

After following her for a while, we found that the witch's dwelling was located in the deepest part of the cave. Compared to the mud houses, her house was not large, but it was built of wood and had a door and a window.

With a creak, the python opened the wooden door. The interior was simply furnished, with only a wooden bed, a set of tables and chairs, and a small pot of glowing grass. The ceiling was decorated with a few glowing stones to provide lighting. In addition, there was a small shrine in the corner.

The room was clean and tidy, with a faint fragrance of orchids. Wang Yan and You Li sat facing Xuan Ran. Just then, the wooden door knocked twice, and Lily was seen carrying a tray of tea, which she placed on the wooden table with her head down.

"My lady, tea."

The python smiled and touched Lily's ram horns.

"Good boy, thank you for your hard work, go on."

Lily was patted on the head by the python, her face full of smiles. She hummed in agreement, then closed the door and left.

"Gentlemen, this is tea made with licorice leaves. It's a bit meager due to our remote location. Please forgive us."

There were three cups of tea on the table. Wang Yan and You Li picked them up first, and Wang Yan chose the cup closest to the Xuanran, keeping it in mind.

The black python chuckled, picked up its cup, blew on it, took a sip, and began to initiate the conversation:

"The two of them must have learned of this location from that blue-haired merchant, right?"

Before Wang Yan could explain, she continued:

"Besides that little girl, I doubt anyone else knows about the presence of the argali tribe here."

As it spoke, the black python slowly turned its head, its golden eyes looking at Wang Yan, and said:

"Please, you two, do not mention the whereabouts of the ibex tribe to anyone else. These children live a very difficult life. Salt is a very precious commodity in the Wall Abyss. If too much information is leaked, it may bring disaster to the ibex tribe."

Wang Yan shrugged and said:

"I have no intention of revealing my location to others. On the contrary, I would rather people not know, because I want to establish a long-term business partnership with the argali tribe, so the less people know, the better."

Wang Yan didn't say the last sentence; he certainly wouldn't reveal it, but it was hard to say about Xiao Lingdang.

After all, this woman sells intelligence for money.

The black python covered its mouth and smiled sweetly, saying, "With your help, sir, these children will be able to eat fresh vegetables occasionally. I will thank you on their behalf for now."

The shrine maiden's words seemed to possess a magical power; every word carried a tingling, ear-numbing force that was quite enjoyable.

Wang Yan guessed that this might be related to her talent of "melodious and graceful voice".

"The shrine maiden doesn't seem to be from the lower class?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot to introduce myself."

"My name is Xuanran. As I mentioned when we met, I am a priestess who walks through the abyss to purify impurities. I passed by this place and saw that these children were suffering from the plague. I took action to heal them and stayed."

Wang Yan nodded, and the witch continued, also asking Wang Yan a question in return:

"Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be merchants, but their skill in producing things out of thin air is something I've never seen before."

Wang Yan didn't want to discuss this topic further, and simply smiled and replied perfunctorily:

"Haha, they're just some fancy tricks, nothing to brag about. Actually, you're right, we're not professional merchants, but a small, mid-level force. We just happened to find out about this place and wanted to trade some fresh vegetables for salt mines."

The black python narrowed its eyes, a barely perceptible glint of something unusual flashing across its face, but it vanished in an instant.

"Hehe, it seems that you are quite wealthy, sir. Although your offer is a bit high, things are valued for their scarcity. In this place, your pricing is not unreasonable. If we can cooperate with someone like you, I'm sure those children won't suffer too much of a loss."

If they continued talking, it would all be just empty pleasantries. Wang Yan didn't dare to have any deeper conversations with this woman. Wanzhuan Yuyin, who could clearly list her expertise, was definitely not an ordinary person. She probably had the ability to hypnotize people with her voice.

Moreover, she's an old woman who's lived for over three thousand years, and she's incredibly cunning. You never know when she might lead you astray.

After exchanging a few words with the Xuanran, several knocks sounded at the door again. The rock sheep outside informed them that the rock salt was ready. Wang Yan then left without saying anything more and led You Li away.

After quickly taking inventory, Wang Yan also took out the vegetables from the warehouse, which were all products he had accumulated over the past few days. After putting the salt mines in the warehouse, he didn't want to stay there any longer.

The woman thought about it more and more and felt that something was wrong, so she decided it was best to leave first.

(Sorry for posting this so late, I'm such a useless person, I'll still post two updates tomorrow.)