Perhaps because they had witnessed the changes in the Norma tribe with their own eyes, Patriarch Monto and the two elders were full of hope for cooperation with Xu Yi. Thus, the entire negotiation … Oh no, it could be considered an ordinary negotiation, proceeded very smoothly.
In just a short day, Xu Yi and Patriarch Monto had discussed and settled almost all the details.
As for the hundred dwarven craftsmen provided by the Angola tribe, Xu Yi gave them the same treatment as Canbi and the other dwarves, a salary of eight gold coins a month.
However, in terms of other benefits, it was slightly worse.
This was because Canbi and the other dwarves had already worked in the New Flyer for two months and were now skilled workers. On the other hand, the Angola tribe's dwarves were newcomers, and naturally couldn't receive the same treatment.
Patriarch Monto and the two elders didn't have any objections to this. After all, a salary of eight gold coins a month was enough to satisfy them.
What's more, Xu Yi had also promised to build a material laboratory in the Angola tribe. Not only would he provide them with a fixed research fund of a hundred gold coins a month, they would also receive a reward of five hundred gold coins as long as they produced a result that was ultimately used by the New Flyer.
For the Angola tribe that had been impoverished for a long time, whether it was the fixed salary of eight gold coins a month for working in the New Flyer, or the five hundred gold coins for research results, it was like a sweet rain after a long drought. It made them feel incomparably satisfied, so why would they ask for more at this time?
The dwarves were honest and straightforward to begin with, and now they felt that Xu Yi's conditions were simply to save them.
Hence, Patriarch Monto and the two elders pulled Xu Yi to the Angola tribe as a guest no matter what to express their gratitude.
Xu Yi couldn't resist their enthusiasm, and could only follow them to the Angola tribe under the accompaniment of Patriarch Siluka and Canbi.
Probably because their population was double that of the Norma tribe, the dwarves of the Angola tribe lived in slightly better conditions compared to the Norma tribe. However, there was a limit to it, and they were still at the stage of barely not starving to death.
But compared to the current Norma tribe, the difference was like heaven and earth.
After walking around the Angola tribe, Xu Yi saw a little dwarf boy happily eating a piece of candy he brought with him. Finally, he couldn't help but ask Siluka, "I'm curious. Why is life so difficult for the dwarves?
Dwarves are obviously so hardworking, can endure hardships, and have powerful forging skills. It stands to reason that they shouldn't have been living such a life all the time. "
Chief Siluka and Chief Monto looked at each other and smiled bitterly at the same time.
After a long while, Patriarch Siluka sighed and said, "Chairman Xu, I should be asking you humans this question."
"Oh?" Xu Yi looked curiously at Patriarch Siluka.
"Why?"
"It's very simple.
Ever since the Racial War thousands of years ago, the humans had won a great victory. Following that, they had taken over all the good places in the Sines.
Whether it is us dwarves, the beastmen, or the halflings, goblins, and other races that haven't been seen in a long time, they can only live in barren lands and can't obtain enough food at all.
If we want to obtain food from the humans, we have to pay a very high price.
Chairman Xu, you come from Banta City. Let me ask you, how much does a pound of wheat sell for in Banta City? "
Xu Yi was surprised. After thinking about it, he replied, "If I remember correctly, the current price should be fourteen silver coins per pound."
"Look, it's only fourteen silver coins for half a kilogram!" Patriarch Siluka snorted, his voice filled with dissatisfaction.
Chief Siluka was very dissatisfied, "Do you know how much you humans sell a pound of wheat to us for?"
Xu Yi knit his brows. There was no need to ask, he knew that this price was very high.
As expected, chief Siluka stretched out a thick finger.
"An entire gold coin!
You can only buy a pound of wheat!
Chairman Xu, do you know?
We dwarves eat more than you humans, each person can eat half a pound of wheat in a single meal.
This means that a single gold coin is only enough for us dwarves to eat for a single day! "
When he finished speaking, chief Siluka's voice had a trace of anger. It was clear that he was already filled with anger from the high price the humans were selling wheat for.
"The only hobby we dwarves have is wine, but making wine requires even more wheat.
In order to save the wheat that we obtained with great difficulty from the humans, our Norma Tribe has already banned wine making.
Chairman Xu, do you know that the last time you came to our tribe, it was the first time I drank wine in two years? "
Xu Yi couldn't help revealing a bitter smile. He thought that for the dwarves who loved wine like their lives, not being able to drink for two years was indeed a very painful matter.
It was no wonder that when Xu Yi promised Camby that he would give the dwarves wine from the Sachi Manor as a reward, the dwarves' enthusiasm for work had been incomparably high.
Thinking of this, Xu Yi felt a bit strange.
"That's not right, chief Siluka. According to what you said, what are you going to use to earn gold coins? Or what are you going to use to exchange for food?"
"Very simple, use ores to exchange." Chief Siluka casually pointed at the tall mountain outside the Angola Tribe.
"There are many iron ores in that mountain, as well as magic crystal ores.
The humans felt that this place was too far away and it wasn't worth it to mine, so they didn't care. Therefore, we dwarves relied on collecting these iron ores and magic crystals to sell to the humans in exchange for food. "
"If I didn't guess wrong, the price they paid for the iron ores and magic crystals must be very low, right?" Xu Yi asked in a low voice.
"It is very low, but what can we do?" Chief Siluka sighed.
"It's also because the humans felt that it wasn't worth it to mine these ores, so they didn't care.
If the humans took a fancy to these ores one day and sent troops to drive us away, then we really wouldn't know how to continue living.
Now we have to thank the humans for at least leaving us a way out. "Saying this, chief Siluka gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Xu Yi was a bit speechless as he looked at chief Monto on the side. Chief Monto also had a bitter smile as he nodded to Xu Yi and said, "Although our tribe's situation was a bit better than the Norma Tribe, it was more or less the same.
In the end, we are not humans, and humans are the rulers of the Sines. "
Seeing the expressions on the faces of the two chiefs, Xu Yi couldn't help feeling a bit awkward.
As a human, he was actually discussing the oppression of the dwarves by humans with two dwarves here, it really made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
But the information revealed in chief Siluka's words just now caught his attention. Looking up at the tall mountain for a while, Xu Yi suddenly asked, "Chief Siluka, are you dwarves not only good at forging, but also good at mining?"
"Un, that's right.
We dwarves don't have any other specialties, but we are indeed very talented in mining ores.
The ores that you humans spend a day mining may not be as much as the ores that we dwarves can mine in the time it takes to eat a meal. "Chief Siluka replied.
"That still doesn't make sense. Since the dwarves are so capable, why didn't the human chamber of commerce hire you dwarves to mine?" Xu Yi asked again.
"There used to be.
But in the past, the human chamber of commerce offered us dwarven brothers very low wages. Of course, the most important thing was that the humans always discriminated against us. It was easy to be bullied in the human mines, so it was better to come back and work on our own.
After a long time, no dwarven brothers are willing to go out and work for the humans. "
Chief Siluka glanced at Xu Yi and continued, "To be honest, Chairman Xu, if it wasn't for the fact that I had no other choice last time, I wouldn't have agreed to let you take my hundred brothers away."
Xu Yi nodded. Master Lanus had already mentioned this point to him last time.
"Of course. Afterwards, Canbi and those brothers said that they were living very well in your New Flyer. Chairman Xu not only let them eat and sleep well, but also let them drink wine. I gradually felt relieved." Chief Siluka changed to a tone of praise.
"I have to say, Chairman Xu, you are not the same as other humans. You don't have any prejudice against us dwarves."
Xu Yi shrugged, "I'll say something you might not like to hear, but I am a pure human merchant.
I only care about whether the other party can bring me benefits, and I don't care about the other party's race. "
Chief Siluka and Chief Monto laughed heartily at the same time. Chief Siluka even stood on tiptoe and patted Xu Yi's shoulder with difficulty, saying, "If all humans were as straightforward as you, Chairman Xu, the lives of us dwarves would be much better."
Xu Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes. He didn't expect that his words would be exchanged for such a straightforward evaluation.
Glancing at the distant mountain, Xu Yi said, "Chief Siluka, since you are not as good at mining as the dwarves, you must be very good at prospecting for ore veins, right?"
"Yes. If we dwarves are second in prospecting for ore veins, no race in the Sines would dare to say they are first!" Chief Siluka said with a face full of pride.
"That's good.
I just happen to have an idea. I need you to find a few experts who are good at prospecting for ore veins. "Xu Yi said.
"No problem." Chief Monto beat Chief Siluka to the side and patted his chest hard.
"When it comes to prospecting for ore veins, our Angola tribe has many.
Let's not talk about others, I am an expert myself. "
Xu Yi shook his head with a faint smile, "Of course there's no need for chief Monto to personally do it. I hope that chief Siluka and chief Monto can each pick five people from your tribe and then follow my instructions to explore all the places in the Lampari Kingdom. It would be best if they could find all the ore veins.
What do the two of you think about this? "
"All the places in the Lampari Kingdom?" The two chiefs looked at each other and knit their brows at the same time.
"This might be a bit difficult, but it isn't impossible. It's just that it will take a bit longer."
"Give me an estimate, how long will it take?" Xu Yi kept asking.
"If it's just prospecting for ore veins and Magic Crystals, our tribe is very experienced. With a total of ten people, I think it'll take less than half a year." Chief Monto said.
"But if it includes other ore veins, it's hard to say … …"
Xu Yi was instantly filled with joy, "Less than half a year?
That's great!
Very good, it's decided like this.
Chief Siluka, chief Monto, you two pick five dwarves who are the most experienced in prospecting and tell them that not only will our New Flyer provide them with enough supplies, after the prospecting, we will also give each of them a hundred gold coins as a reward. "
"A hundred gold coins?
That's too much! "As soon as Xu Yi's voice fell, the two chiefs quickly waved their hands.
"This is just a small matter, there's no need for a reward, not to mention a hundred gold coins."
"The dwarven brothers have worked hard, of course we need to pay them."
"Then a hundred gold coins is too much … …"
… …
When the three of them were arguing, an Angola Tribe dwarf quickly came in front of chief Monto and loudly said, "Chief, the elven guests are here again!"