Let MapleStory experience the Fourth Calamity

Chapter 123: A Cooperation Agreement with the Warrior Tribe

Sind and Smith stared at the bubbling cabbage and meat stew in the pot, unable to resist swallowing their saliva.

Reason told them they couldn't easily leave their homeland, but the physical exhaustion from years of blacksmithing and the thunderous hunger in their stomachs made their psychological defenses crumble.

The little snail, confident in its understanding of the psychology of these high-level NPCs, timely threw out its second bargaining chip.

"Masters, the Warriors' Tribe only needs weapons and basic tools. Staying here will only mean a lifetime of blacksmithing."

As long as you go to the southern industrial park of the abandoned capital, not only will you have plenty of food, but there will also be endless recycled metals underground for you to squander.

Seeing the struggle in their eyes, the little snail unleashed its trump card.

"There's a stranger in the ruined capital named Elliott. He's a mechanical enthusiast with his head full of cutting-edge mechanical blueprints. He's currently stuck on basic smelting technology."

He desperately needs guidance from a true master to turn those blueprints into reality.

Upon hearing that they could practice with high-grade metals and come into contact with unheard-of mechanical concepts, the two blacksmiths exchanged a glance, seemingly having found a way to maintain their dignity.

"We are here to provide technical assistance and explore entirely new industrial paths."

Sind coughed and quickly pressed his fingerprint on the long-term employment contract.

Just as the group was about to pick up their bowls and divide the meat, a heavy giant sword fell from the sky.

The broad blade slammed into the open ground in front of the blacksmith's shop, kicking up clouds of yellow sand.

The newcomer was none other than the martial arts instructor and guardian of the Warrior Tribe. He strode over with an unfriendly expression on his face.

He pointed at Little Snail and the others and cursed, "A while ago you led a team to do mass job changes and fleece people. I tolerated it because of our alliance."

Today they've gone too far, trying to undermine the Warriors' tribe with a few cabbages! Without these two master blacksmiths, what weapons will the tribe's warriors use for hand-to-hand combat in the wilderness?

The greatsword's rough surface also bore several cracks and chips, marks left from years of head-on collisions with the mutated giant stone monsters on the plateau.

The martial arts instructor's eyes were bloodshot, and his face was contorted with barely suppressed rage. "Food can certainly save lives, but without weapons, we can't survive even three days in the surrounding wasteland!"

The coach's voice boomed, "You outsiders have no idea how cruel the wasteland is. Taking Sind and Smith away is like draining the Warriors' tribe of its last drop of blood!"

'

As the martial arts coach roared, the surrounding yellow sand seemed to sense his anger and began to swirl around his body.

A dozen or so tribal guards who had been watching from a distance also gathered around. They gripped their iron spears tightly, their dusty faces showing exhaustion.

The guards' eyes darted back and forth between the stewed cabbage and the little snail and the others, but in the end they gritted their teeth, raised their weapons, and surrounded the stall.

The martial arts instructor pulled a giant sword from the ground, and the powerful pressure made the surrounding air scorch.

Faced with this sense of oppression, Yu Wen did not back down; instead, he excitedly licked his chapped lips.

He immediately stepped forward and gripped the steel short hammer in his hand.

A magical shield of light appeared on his body, his muscles tense, ready to take the NPC's wrath head-on.

The magical power within Yu Wen's body, which Xiao Yu jokingly called a "physical cheat code," was quickly activated.

A faint spark flickered at the hammer handle, ready to be used to smash the opponent's head with the force of an explosion.

"Coach, even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms. But if you draw your sword, the nature of the deal changes."

""

The residual heat lowered its center of gravity, assuming a standard defensive stance.

Xiaoyu, who was standing to the side, also silently raised her staff.

He was not yet capable of constructing large-scale destructive spells, so he focused his mental energy into the sand beneath his feet. Several faint whirlwinds, barely perceptible to the naked eye, formed around Yu Wen, ready to use wind elements to disrupt the trajectory of the coach's greatsword.

The heavy greatsword was gripped tightly, about to be raised to slash at the blue shield.

Just as tensions were running high, a deafening thud came from the direction of the abandoned mine in the back mountain of the tribe.

The yellow sand beneath my feet trembled violently, even causing the old tiles on the blacksmith's shop roof to fall off.

Before long, a small, dark gray mushroom cloud rose up.

A strong smell of rotten eggs and gunpowder quickly filled the air.

The sudden explosion was extremely powerful. Even the martial arts instructor instinctively stopped his movements, held his sword in front of him, and looked warily toward the back mountain.

That was an abandoned mine long ago. Could it be that a herd of mutated fire pigs has rioted?

Just then, a figure with a face covered in coal dust and a robe torn to shreds ran from the direction of the mine, carrying two sacks of ore that emitted a pungent odor, cursing and swearing.

"Holy crap, the gunpowder on this plateau is incredibly potent! Just add a little carbon powder and purify it using rudimentary methods, and it explodes all at once, almost blowing my underwear off!"

It was a goose that came to the plateau alone in search of sulfur and saltpeter.

He was holding a charred tin can in his hands, with the remnants of some kind of chemical gel still visible on the edge.

Upon seeing the group of people in the distance, the goose excitedly ran forward to join Yu Wen and Xiao Yu.

"Hey, ready to get to work? Count me in!" Big Goose casually tossed the sack on the ground.

He skillfully pulled out a handful of rubble, then glanced at the charred iron can, seemingly calculating how many guards on the other side could be killed if he threw this half-finished homemade bomb.

The martial arts instructor, carrying a giant sword, glanced at the three outsiders dressed in mage robes.

One was a muscular man wielding a hammer, ready for hand-to-hand combat at any moment; another manipulated air currents to do manual labor for a cart; and the third was a madman with a face full of fanaticism and reeking of dangerous chemicals.

The martial arts instructor's preconceived notions about the magic stone shattered into pieces at that moment.

These lunatics, masquerading as magic, cannot be judged by common sense.

The coach's grip on the sword tightened involuntarily.

As a warrior, he was not afraid of death, but he had to weigh the consequences: if a bloody conflict broke out here, would the entire tribe's fortification area be razed to the ground by that guy who played with explosives?

The fight was interrupted by the sudden explosion. Taking advantage of the moment, the little snail stopped Yu Wen, who was about to make his move, straightened his dusty collar, and began to negotiate with the martial arts instructor.

"Coach, listen to me. If we force the blacksmith to stay, we'll all just starve to death on the plateau."

""

The little snail pointed to the big pot. "Smell this. This is just a meal, but if you agree to this deal, this will be the norm from now on."

"How arrogant!"

The coach said coldly, "Your area is full of polluted ruins. How can you expect to fulfill your promises?"

"We can turn the wilderness into a productive farm."

The little snail, representing the abandoned city, put forward a geo-trade agreement: "The agricultural base of Archer Village has now joined our guild and can supply a fixed amount of cabbage and pork to Warrior Tribe every month to solve your famine."

Furthermore, we can also provide high-purity Pearl Harbor sea salt.

Upon hearing the word "sea salt," the coach visibly wavered.

For soldiers who fight and sweat in high temperatures year-round, pure salt is a hundred times more precious than meat.

"Then what about our tribe's defense?" the coach asked through gritted teeth.

"The two blacksmiths in the southern industrial park of the ruined city will have better machine tools and a better supply of ore, which is definitely much better than hammering with scrap iron."

The little snail analyzed slowly, "In return, the two blacksmiths moved to the ruined city, and the Warrior Tribe has priority to purchase the new weapons produced by the armory."

Coach, you traded two starving craftsmen for the survival of the entire tribe and future access to more powerful equipment. I think you understand the math.

""

The martial arts instructor looked at the emaciated tribal patrol members in the distance, at the chapped lips of those young men and their tattered equipment, and knew that he had no right to refuse this food-for-industry treaty.

Even the strongest bones cannot withstand the pressure of the entire tribe's survival.

He sighed heavily, sheathed his greatsword, and tacitly agreed to the agreement. Before leaving, he left only a warning: if these two masters go hungry, he will personally go to the ruined capital and kill people.

Crisis resolved —

The little snail breathed a sigh of relief and began helping the two blacksmiths pack their bedding and tools.

The final piece of the puzzle for the South District Industrial Park has finally been found. All that's left is for the goose's gunpowder formula to arrive, and then the guild's component process will be completed. Once that's done, the industrial machines will be ready to go.

The group carried the heavy anvil onto a handcart enchanted with wind elemental magic, ready to set off.

Just as they were pushing their carts, preparing to step out of the Warriors Tribe camp and embark on their journey back to the ruined capital, a figure slowly emerged from the yellow sand ahead.

As the dust settled slightly, the outline of a woman came into view.

The little snail stopped and frowned slightly.

The woman in sight was wearing a slightly worn coarse cloth robe, and her gait was steady.

Although he looked somewhat familiar, as if I had seen him somewhere before, the indifference and aloofness he exuded in his every move gave me a strange sense of unfamiliarity.