"Shit." Gwen, who finally lay down, sighed. "I should have taken care of you guys. I'm the one with the medical skills...."
"Shut up, or I'll twist your nipples off." Leva snorted, causing the face mask she was wearing to bulge for a moment. She had just applied a compress to that woman's head. "You've done more than enough."
"But...."
Leva stuffed Gwen's mouth with a peeled banana, creating an odd-looking scene.
Not long after, Eric came in and spoke. "Looks like a merchant group is coming."
It's a horrible time for them to come, but my colony really needs them. No one can hunt to supplement my colony's foods. My colonists had to buy as much as possible from the merchant.
I don't want anything wrong to happen again, like Sun's death. So Eric and Leva mainly were at home and only went out occasionally. They must continue to monitor the condition of the other members. So, Eric can't set traps for animals either.
"Tell them to wash the money you gave them with wine or other form of alcohol," Gwen said and coughed. "That's to prevent germs from being transmitted to them."
"Oh, okay." As per my orders, Leva came out of the house, waited a moment for the merchant party carrying the two horses to approach, then raised her hands high. "Sorry, but it's better if you don't come any closer! We have a disease outbreak! However, we still want to do business with you!"
"Ah, fine then. We will discuss first!" The leader of the group, a tall black man I knew was from Acornhull, raised his hand as well.
"Thank you...." Leva choked when she realized another man from the group was waving at her.
The pale-skinned body, the thinly cut hair, and the big and muscular tall stature. It was Ivan, the man who used to be Leva's opponent in the final, who then confessed his love for the red-haired woman.
Leva raised her hand again, but not as high as before, then waved stiffly. I couldn't see her mouth because it was covered by a face mask, but she seemed to be grinning awkwardly. Seeing that, Ivan waved his hand even more excitedly and smiled widely. He had to be pulled by a female member to discuss with the others.
Do they really want to have a discussion, or is this the wish of their guardian spirit?
"Alright, we've made up our minds." The group leader said again after about three minutes of discussion with his followers. "You must already know Ivan, right? He will be the one to deliver goods and collect money from your tribe while transactions are carried out over long distances. Don't worry. He has the ability to withstand various diseases. Since birth, he has never been sick."
I went straight into the house, whispering to Gwen who was still lying down. "I know it's hard for you to do what I'm about to ask you to. However, it's very important, Gwen. So I beg you, activate your psychic powers."
I left the house again, finding that Leva had already started bargaining with the leader of the merchant group. Not long after, a slender, brown transparent figure appeared beside the group.
As soon as I pressed the pause button, Brown looked around and scratched his head, then looked at his people closely one by one.
"Welcome to my house." I walked up to the figure.
"Is this one of your powers?" Brown is still watching his tribe members. "When I found out that you had members who could do psychic, I was quite shocked. But this is far more amazing. I've never seen anything like it."
I took a deep breath. Maybe I still hate Brown and don't want anything to do with this figure. You could say he was the main mastermind behind Leva's humiliation. However, at a crucial moment like this, I had to put my ego aside for a moment. Yes, it hurts, but this opportunity cannot be wasted.
"Could you lend Ivan to take care of my people, as well as take care of other things that my sick people can't take care of? He just needs to be here until most of my people are healed." I asked in a quick tone, not wanting to mince words. "Please."
Brown turned his head to me, was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud. "Ahahaha!!! You're funny, O guardian spirit of the nameless tribe!"
"I'm serious."
"Alright, alright." Even though he said that, Brown was still laughing, to the point it irritated me even more. "So, what makes you think I will accept your offer? Ivan is one of the most valuable warriors in my tribe. He is the best attacker. The only reason he came here is that he misses Leva so much, to the point until he can't do his job properly. Hell, he often daydreams while feeding the pets."
"I'm sure there are many other great people in your tribe who can guard well." I sighed. "Of course, I wouldn't ask for this without rewarding you."
"Hooo...." Brown crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want to give? Ah, I know about the salt cave from the Redtooth tribe. I don't want it. I have my own salt supplier."
"No…" I had a feeling the possibility of offering this salt would be less likely to be accepted. But still, things would be easier if Brown received it.
So, now I am forced to offer something else.
"How about you let Ivan take Leva as his wife?"
"Hell no..." I cleared my throat, keeping my annoyance out of my tone. "Leva will only provide a small benefit. This is something that is arguably much bigger than that."
"What's that?"
"You know opium, right?"
Brown fell silent immediately. A few minutes passed, I was about to ask him again, but finally, the figure spoke in a colder and more serious tone. "Yes, I know that thing. Why are you asking that?"
"You also know that it's useful for reducing pain, right? It's handy for anyone who is seriously injured and needs surgery... For example, one of your people needs stitches in their wound. This thing will suppress the pain..."
"I know about that too." Brown cut me off. "No need to go into detail. Why are you talking about things like this?"
I brought my face closer to Brown's. "My people have poppy seeds and know how to grow them."