The snakes watched the territory during Kurus' absence, and this one must have been assigned to guard the area I was in.
I nodded to it in greeting and continued walking, my head turning back every now and then to check if it was still there.
It was, and it looked down at me until I was out of its sight.
A few more snakes showed up in the distance, watching from the trees, following me with their yellow eyes.
How big of a territory did they "rent" from the Kushan Royal family of tiger beastmen?
There weren't any unclaimed lands left in this world, everything was either a territory of a tribe or a kingdom.
One could either rent a territory or take it by force, which often led to a war.
"Are you sure you want to go this way?" I heard some voice speak from further up, "It reeks of danger."
"It can't be helped, it's the shortest path," another voice replied, "Just avoid touching anything that belongs to them and you'll be fine."
I peeked through the bushes and saw two females passing by. They wore light armor, and had deer horns on their heads.
"We can't win against Juju's tribe without help, and they are the only ones who don't belong to any faction," they continued talking.
They didn't look strong, more like messengers, but they were armed, which meant they knew how to defend themselves.
I moved to the side to let them pass, but their steps stopped, their eyes on me.
"A sheep? A lone sheep?" one of them looked surprised.
"Hisss, hiss." Hissing sounds came from all sides, snakes popping up from the bushes, surrounding them.
The females were taken aback, stepping closer to each other for support. The armor made it hard to be gobbled up by the snakes in one bite, but they could still bite them, poison them and make them paralyzed.
"Damnit, the sheep must have lured them to her," the other female spat, "Once they go after her, we make a run for it."
They pulled out their weapons and took a fighting stance, trying to look more intimidating than me, to get the snakes to focus on me.
I continued to walk to the side. It was not my business. It seemed like another war was about to break out, and it was best to stay away from it.
The hissing only got louder, the snakes growing in numbers, as if they called for reinforcements.
"Why are they not attacking the sheep?" one of the females said as more snakes surrounded them. They began to look nervous, taking a step back, "We are not going to make it in time."
I moved further away from them, the snakes moving along with me, keeping me in their circle.
"Don't hurt the snakes," I said when they were about to cut their way out.
They stopped, their eyes on me.
I sprinkled the urine in their direction and they flinched, taking a big leap back.
I sprinkled some more, making them step back again. War was dangerous and if I could make owners avoid it, it would be great. I wanted them to be safe.
"W-what was that?" They shuddered, looking at the ground, then back at me, "Where did you get that?"
I looked down at the bottle in my hand, then back at them, "From the owners."
They exchanged a look, like they knew something I didn't.
"H-how much?" one of them asked, "We are willing to pay."
They took all of their valuables out and started stacking them on the ground. It was a lot of shiny stuff, different gems and crystals, probably worth a lot.
I blinked, thinking about what to do. They probably wanted to mark their own territory to keep other predators away from their home, so I could give them a little bit.
I haven't earned anything myself yet, so should I bargain for something instead? I would have wasted the urine anyway, if I kept pouring it on my favorite bushes, just because I could.
I stretched my neck forward to check if the stuff was real and if it was worth anything. It looked like they brought them here to negotiate.
"Don't be shy, you can have it all if you want," one of them said, "We can bring more too, if that's not enough."
They seemed desperate.
"I can't trade the bottle, but I can give you some." I offered.
"We will take it!" They jumped at my words, took their water skin and poured out the content on the ground. "Here, pour it here."
I walked over to them and tipped the bottle, pouring the urine into their water skin. It was not even half full, but they were already so happy about it.
They closed the lid and put the skin into a bag, wrapping it up tightly.
"We will bring more tomorrow," they promised, and left in a hurry.
I looked at the pile of shiny stuff and then back at the retreating figures. I collected them into my basket and covered them with mushrooms, then carried it back to the camp.
"Do you know how to get back?" I asked the snakes for directions.
One began to slither away and I followed, the others disappearing back into the bushes.
It took a while, but I made it back to the clearing.
Baron and Skaris were still out. Moyu was flying above the trees, stretching his wings, while Madam was still sitting with the females.
They looked fresh and clean, the platform they were on was dry and had a roof, and there were a few rugs and cushions for them to sit on. Food was plentiful and within their reach.
My tent belonged to Madam now while the big tent had a sleeping Michael in it. I didn't have any other place to go beside the storage tent, which I entered.
Shelves with boxes, pots, and bags filled the space, and there was a small cleared out spot in the middle, where I could sit and eat berries.
I munched on them, looking at the gems in the basket.
Should I keep them for myself?
Should I share them?
Splitting them equally wasn't an option since I didn't know their value. I had to wait for the owners' return and ask them.
I licked the juice off my fingers and lay down on the floor, facing the roof of the tent.
I was a bit tired from all the walking, so I closed my eyes for a short rest.
And then fell asleep.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Thank you for GTs and powerstones!
Here are 2 chapters for the 2 loyal readers this novel seem to have. 😆
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