A single War Pig eats ten kilograms of food.
And they still looked as if they hadn’t had enough.
Aililan finally understood how they had eaten themselves into poverty.
Baccus, the leader of the War Pig Tribe, wiped the grease from his mouth and smacked his lips. “I’m 70% full. It’s alright.”
Aililan was speechless.
They ate that much, and they were only 70% full?
Aililan could feel an overwhelming, surging power erupting from the full War Pig soldiers. It made her think of a saying: a War Pig who hasn’t eaten is not a threat, but a full one is invincible.
Baccus stood up and shouted, “Warriors of the War Pig Tribe, do you want to keep eating this food without worrying about your next meal?”
“YES!”
“Then follow me!”
At the same time, he laughed loudly at Aililan. “Miss, please wait a moment. We will go fetch the Gold Sand needed for the trade right now.”
Aililan nodded slightly. “Alright.”
The War Pig soldiers left in a grand, sweeping procession.
Human scouts followed them in the shadows. Soon, more news came back. It turned out the War Pigs weren’t doing nothing; they had gone to the Porcupine Tribe a few days ago under the pretext of participating in a joint inspection.
This hadn’t aroused any suspicion from the Porcupine Orcs. They simply thought their poor relatives were coming to freeload.
After all, the Porcupine Tribe controlled a river that flowed with gold, and their lives were decent. Even though they looked down on the War Pigs for coming to scrounge for food, they still accepted them.
***
That night, fire broke out in the Porcupine Tribe.
The War Pigs already inside coordinated with the soldiers outside. With almost no effort, they completely occupied the Porcupine Tribe.
The leader of the Porcupine Tribe was dying, shouting in rage, “Baccus, we were hospitable! Why did you do this?”
Cruelty flashed in Baccus’s eyes as he said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, but the development of the War Pigs requires your sacrifice. We won’t forget you.”
Following Baccus’s command, the warriors of the Porcupine Tribe were almost all killed. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to recruit them, but since the seeds of hatred had already been planted, it was better to just kill them.
When the news reached Bitgel, everyone was shocked.
Gareyas couldn’t help but comment, “These War Pigs are too ruthless. Those Porcupines are really pitiful.”
Aililan sighed. “Don’t worry. The War Pigs will need us Humans for a long time to come. Although I know your concerns, I know better than you that there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.”
Hearing this, the crowd felt a bit more at ease. As long as their Saintess knew what she was doing, it was fine. Otherwise, given the nature of the War Pigs, it truly would be like raising a tiger and inviting trouble.
Furthermore, the War Pig race had another characteristic: they were extremely fertile. Even though their population was currently only 60,000, if given enough resources, they could develop into a massive tribe of hundreds of thousands within a few years.
***
The next morning, more War Pigs arrived at Bitgel.
At the same time, they brought wealth — large amounts of Gold Sand packed in sacks were placed on the ground.
Cyril, the Sage of the War Pigs, arrived again. After enjoying the white, refined grain, he said with satisfaction, “Human Miss, I haven’t eaten such delicious food in a long time. May the cooperation between the War Pigs and you be pleasant.”
Aililan smiled slightly. “Naturally. Once the Gold Sand is inspected, the trade will be complete. All the supplies I brought will be yours.”
Cyril said, “Oh, praise the God of War.”
Aililan replied, “Oh, everything is the will of the God of Light.”
“So, Human Miss, we need more. We already have an entire river flowing with Gold Sand. Can you bring us more and even better supplies?”
“Respected Sage Cyril, I assure you that in a few days, our craftsmen and workers will build a market here. We will also bring more supplies. I only hope you can ensure everything goes smoothly.”
“Human Miss, please rest assured. Anyone who comes to disrupt the market now is an enemy of our War Pig Tribe.”
“Very well, Master Cyril. We also need a large amount of livestock and leather. Just one kilogram of meat can be exchanged for one kilogram of white grain. What do you think?”
“Human Miss, isn’t this too unequal? We can just eat the meat ourselves. Why should we exchange it for grain with you?”
“Sage Cyril, business is mutual. Although the items traded with you Orcs are several times more expensive than in human lands, please understand the hardships of traveling thousands of miles. To transport 100 kilograms of food here, considering various losses, having half of it left is considered a small loss. Therefore, a price several times higher than in human territory is completely reasonable.”
“Human Miss, perhaps you are right.”
“Then Sage Cyril, just wait for the good news! Countless amounts of grain, salt, and spices will be continuously transported here soon.”
Aililan paused and continued, “I only hope the War Pig Tribe can consume this much cargo! If the War Pigs’ appetite isn’t big enough, I also hope Sage Cyril can help contact nearby Orcs. Let them come to the market to trade with us using cattle, sheep, warhorses, or leather.”
“Only when the merchants’ goods are sold…”
“Will more merchants come here.”
“Do you understand?”
Cyril pondered for a long time before laughing loudly. “Human Miss, you are right. But do not underestimate the appetite of the War Pigs. We will take as much as you have.”
“You want cattle and sheep?”
“The War Pigs will bring them to you.”
“Of course, don’t misunderstand. Although we War Pigs don’t have cattle and sheep, we are the porters of them.”
Aililan couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. “Working with you truly makes me feel happy.”
Cyril just smiled and said nothing more.
Both sides understood each other’s motives clearly. The human goal was different from the War Pigs’ goal, but their common point was that their interests were aligned at this moment.
One needed to stabilize the border. The other needed to develop their own tribe. For the War Pigs, as long as they could eat their fill, any price was worth it.
Aililan specifically took several thousand kilograms of Gold Sand. If this stuff were actually refined, a sack of several hundred kilograms might only yield two or three gold coins, which would be considered high gold content.
Refining it all in Bitgel wasn’t realistic.
Interestingly, when the trading party returned to the City, the sacks of Gold Sand — whether accidentally or intentionally — had several holes in them. The grains with a fiery golden glow spilled all the way from the city gate to the Inner City area.
Civilians scrambled to snatch the Gold Sand scattered on the ground.
“Gold Sand! It’s Gold Sand!”
“Did the Saintess really make money?”
“Of course she did. Hundreds of carts of goods were sent over, and only this much Gold Sand was brought back?”
“You might not have seen it, but my cousin, who went to the Inner City to help unload, said the sacks were filled with Gold Sand. Brilliant, shining Gold Sand!”
Not to mention the profit-obsessed merchants, even many civilians were becoming envious. They might not understand complex logic, but the Saintess was telling them through actual actions.
Trading with the Orcs was truly like taking sacks to scoop up money.