419 Marketing favour (1/2)
That mountain banshee beneath the na'vi’s groin was a class of its own. Its mere physical frame was already 2-3 times larger and exhibited an amplified savageness with its pure dark grandiose. Although it definitely couldn’t compare to the likes of a Great Leonopteryx, based on the shade of its skin and built, it would at least be a Tier 4 or 5 legendary creature!
Following the intelligence supplied by the RDA company, Sheyan and the rest pressed their fist to their chest and humbly bowed in respectful greeting.
“O noble Takji clan patriarch, we bring you greetings and endowments from the great ‘Dragon’s Daughter’ Mo`at.”
Mo`at was the current Tsahik (Spiritual leader) of the Omaticaya clan. The reason she was acclaimed as the ‘Dragon’s Daughter’ was because she inherited the blood of the latest Toruk Makto (Rider of the Last Shadow). Hence, not only did she inherit greater ability to communicate with Mother Nature Eywa smoothly, she also grasped several secret arts in taming Mountain Banshees. Therefore, the Omaticaya clan had much superior and manifold aerial riders as compared to other clans. Moreover, her prestige amongst the na'vi race was also extremely prominent.
Upon hearing Mo`at’s name, in addition to the sufficient reverential goodwill the three invaders had exhibited, an immense possibility remained – that the Takji Clan Patriarch would ignore them if it was under normal circumstances. Besides, in their minds, these outsiders seemed to display a certain inharmonious air between them. However, his current Takji clan was witnessing one of the most dire ordeal to date…..many thoughts flashed through the Takji Clan Patriarch's mind but ultimately, he still nodded.
“We appreciate Mo`at’s greetings, and grateful for Mother Eywa’s blessings.”
Sheyan motioned with his head, as Jinkuang appeared and offered several cylinders of alcohol in response. After the na'vi patriarch uncocked it and sniffed slightly, he immediately revealed a delighted countenance.
“This is Mastaba Gafsa (Fruit wine)?”
He then directly gulped down a mouthful; in a split second, his eyeballs instantly swelled out as he choked on the intensity of the alcohol, without being able to take in a single breath of air. Such an unusual reaction immediately caused the na'vi riders behind to turn anxious and glare furiously at the humans; their loud heavy panting was apparent in this atmosphere.
After a few brief fleeting seconds, everyone watched as the Takji Clan patriarch urgently retrieved a meat patty from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth. He then comfortably belched from the alcohol and began lauding praises.
“Magnificent. Splendid! From henceforth, you are friends of our Takji Clan.”
Following the clan patriarch’s proclamation, Sheyan and the rest received a notification. “You have obtained the friendship of the Takji Clan, reputation system for the Takji Clan is now initiated.”
“So it is indeed so…..these sly old foxes can only be pacified by benefits.” Sheyan scoffed in his heart. “Under the current difficulty, I reckon we are only able to initiate reputation system amidst several smaller scale na'vi clans. Only when we raised our reputation in these clans to ‘Worship’ would we be able to start accumulating reputation in major clans like the Omaticaya clan. If this Takji clan hadn’t fell to our schemes and declined to become a minor clan, and this method still worked…..then anyone could simply call the winds and summon the rain* at the Omaticaya clan. That would mean it would be too simple to alter the storyline!”
(TN: *Chinese idiom which means stir up troubles)
Proceeding that, Jinkuang pointed to the dying lizard goats, who were still wailing in anguish, and declared.
“Those are our felicitations for the respectable Takji clan.”
As his words echoed out, one of the 5-6 na'vi cavalry whistled, hinting another to gallop away. Not long later, he brought along another pack of na'vi Direhorse riders. If one could primarily describe the aforementioned na'vi hunters as ‘old and weak’, then their secondary pack of riders could be described as ‘sickly and crippled’.
Leading the second pack of na'vi clansmen was a na'vi leader with crippled legs. That na'vi leader had facial features that betrayed his identity as a Takji clan elder, yet his face hinted of having only experienced light hardships. The clansmen presented a dying lizard goat in front of him. The na'vi leader then sat on the ground cross-legged and pinched towards the carcass head, twisting the lizard goat’s head 360 degree around mercilessly
With a flicker of his wrist, he pulled out a thin and acute black sickle that was pasted to his chest and bluntly slice downwards; his action was as smooth as water. Such an incisive slice released an impression that the air had been severed as well.
The Lizard Goat’s body fur were all standing and disheveled from its anguish, as the black sickle outrightly tore through from its chest down; its innards came sloshing out. Instead, a na'vi clansman immediately retrieved the innards and segregated them into distinctive organ piles.