Chapter 282: A Terrified Hai Lian (1/2)
Chapter 282: A Terrified Hai Lian
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong blinked. He was caught off guard. As it was, everyone on his side had no money at all, not even a single zuan. Nonetheless, Ye Chong was not embarrassed over it. He never really thought highly of money, and being penniless was absolutely normal for him. Ye Chong replied, ”Hmm, we have no money. But, if you’re interested in that, we’ll need time to pay you.” Mu and Shang had told him before, that almost everyone would be interested in money.
Hai Lian looked at the man before him, and felt like he could not understand him at all. He had just told him that they were broke without any embarrassment, like he was only talking about the weather.
Hai Lian spoke more respectfully, ”I’m not too keen on money. If possible, please give me a full-skeleton mech, and I’ll be most grateful.” Someone as weathered as Hai Lian would know not to offer too low a price, so that there was room for negotiation.
A full-skeleton mech. Ye Chong quietly sighed in relief. To him, it was not too difficult. Ye Chong nodded. ”Alright then. However, we didn’t bring any extra full-skeleton mechs. For a new full-skeleton mech, we’ll need some time to deliver.” It would take time, whether it was building a new one from scratch, or getting one from the Sang Family Village.
”No problem,” Hai Lian answered quickly, afraid that Ye Chong might take back his word. Heavens, he never thought Ye Chong would actually agree to it. To him, a full-skeleton mech would more than satisfy him, and now the man had actually agreed without hesitation. He could almost jump with joy.
He would risk his life for a full-skeleton mech, much less waiting for awhile. Besides, the other man seemed honest enough. More importantly, he understood his position in this negotiation.
The thought of having a full-skeleton mech was euphoric. Hai Lian almost fainted with joy. What’s in a full-skeleton mech? If someone were to offer a full-skeleton mech as a reward when hiring a freelance mech pilot, Hai Lian was sure that many would jump at the offer. An excellent mech to a mech pilot was like a finely honed sword to a swordsman, or a beauty to a playboy; besides, this was a full-skeleton mech!
The turn from downright miserable to absolute joy was like a dream to Hai Lian. He could feel himself enveloped in a dreamy sensation of happiness. Fortunately, the full-skeleton mech was only promised to him. If they were to present him with a full-skeleton mech there and then, Hai Lian thought he would probably faint on the spot.
”Since you’ve agreed, then let’s talk about how to make things work between us.” Ye Chong’s voice broke Hai Lian’s reverie. Hai Lian finally came to, and remembered then that the mech would come at a price.
”Just let me know what I can do for you, sir!” With the full-skeleton mech as price, Hai Lian submitted unreservedly to provide his services.
Ye Chong continued evenly, ”Hmm, we’re not asking for much, other than that you work as a reliable guide for us. On the other hand, don’t try to look into our background, and don’t tell anyone about us. Any action on your part must go through my approval. Oh, right, and another thing, I’ll leave the matter of our identification documents to you.”
Hai Lian nodded as he listened. The job was not too difficult, reasonable even. Sang Pu and the rest listened on the side as well. The outside world was too unfamiliar to them.
Ye Chong took a glance at the villagers and continued, ”What we have to do now is to stay low, our safety is top priority. All your plans must be based on this.” He then turned to look at Sang Pu and the others and said, ”The same goes for all of you.”
”Yes sir,” Sang Pu and the rest bowed, answering in unison.
Hai Lian looked respectfully at Ye Chong. He could not understand how a young man like him could command such respect from these people. Hai Lian himself was impressed by the discipline that this group had demonstrated. He was sure that, with the exception of the three main aristocratic families, no one in the He Yue galaxy could come close to this attitude.
Ye Chong took a casual glance at Hai Lian and said, ”Since we have an agreement, I hope you’ll do your part. If you turn back on the deal, you should know the consequences to that, I’m sure.”
Hai Lian could feel cold sweat rolling down along his back, down to the tip of his spine. There was a deep chill spreading from the depths of his heart. Ye Chong’s casual sentence came out like a blizzard.
Hai Lian quickly replied, ”Don’t worry, sir, I will do my best.” He was moaning regretfully on the inside. The full-skeleton mech will not come easy, indeed.
Sang Pu, Sang Fan and the others quickly passed the word from Ye Chong to the rest. The Sang family members were all used to hunting, and had lived under the laws of nature. No one understood better than Ye Chong what disaster they would cause once they stepped into human society, since he had done it before himself.
Looking back at those days, he would not have survived without Mu and Shang. His own journey was not all stars and glory, but littered with a good many deadly battles.
Human society was too complicated. He was still continually vexed by it. Once, he would leave such problems for Mu and Shang to worry about; now, it was up to him to solve their predicament. Moreover, it was not just him now, but a whole 5,000 Sang family villagers. He must take every step with the utmost care.
While Ye Chong was not familiar with this kind of problem, he was at least able to calculate the best solution, out of influence from Mu. The order he just gave was based on his considerations of the situation at hand.
The only ones in the world whom Ye Chong would sacrifice so much for would be Mu and Shang, but this did not mean that Ye Chong would act irresponsibly. He would do his best to protect the 5,000 Sang family members, even if he would not die for them.
Ye Chong asked, ”Are you familiar with this place?”
Hai Lian nodded. ”Yes, I’ve been around for years.”
”Are there many visitors?” Ye Chong asked.
Hai Lian shook his head. ”Not many. The wild animals here are nasty things, plus the land is difficult to travel. Aside from independent hunters, and mech pilots here for actual combat training, no one really comes here.”
Ye Chong was satisfied with that, since it greatly reduced the probability of the Sang family members being found out. Having 5,000 people suddenly visiting a city would have been big news, much less when they all looked vicious as h*ll.