Meng Qi is a very shrewd businessman. It always chooses the famine season when it is not in abundance, and comes to the village of Suan Kakama to trade. There were very few goods in the village that could be exchanged for them, at most a few tanned mutant skins, or trivial things like cow-shaped mutant horns or dog-shaped mutant teeth. For this merchant, the priest Salam Saaka has always had extremely mixed feelings. Because every time Meng Qi came, it meant that some of the young men and women in the village were taken away. But from another point of view, the food in exchange is enough for the people in the village to eat for a long time.

Despite the reluctance and unwillingness to admit it, this trade is indeed fair. At least on the surface.

There are also villagers who have had thoughts of killing people and taking goods. On more than one occasion, Salam Saaka himself considered setting up an ambush, looting everything in the Monchi caravan, and then killing everyone, including Monchi, and salting them as a delicious dish for the festival.

There's nothing immoral about cannibalism. Many of the elderly in Suan Kakama Village are eaten as food. They are no longer useful to the village, unable to participate in battles and fight mutants, nor can they go out of the village and further afield to farm. In the past, every winter, several elderly people in Suan Kakama village were slaughtered and eaten like pigs. This situation did not change until Meng Qi appeared a few years ago.

I have to admit that Meng Qi's transaction is quite fair. It was exchanged from the priests for the villagers of Suan Kakama for three hundred kilograms of sok tubers. Of course, Meng Qi only needs a strong young man, or a strong and powerful woman. If the woman used in exchange is quite young and a little more beautiful, the price will be higher. Four hundred, four hundred and fifty, five hundred...... In Salam's memory, there was once a very beautiful maiden in the village who was exchanged for a full 2,000 kilograms of sok tubers. That winter, the whole village was not starving.

It was from that time that Salam Saaka began to focus on the nurturing of the younger generation by the villagers. Under its arrangement, pregnant women can get more food than usual, and if they give birth to a beautiful baby girl, they can also receive special rewards. Fifty kilograms of sock is a lot of food, and the villagers' views on future generations of men and women are constantly changing with hunger and trade. Under the influence of such strange but natural external conditions, all the women in Suan Kakama Village have never had a time to rest. They are always pregnant, they are constantly protective. Less than a month after giving birth to a baby, she was fertilized again under the continuous cultivation of her husband.

The consequences of this situation are extremely serious and dire. The situation in Suan Kakama is far worse than in Molizaka, where the villagers are unable to guarantee their daily food consumption, let alone nutrition. Sanitation in the village is terrible, and the only medicine to stop bleeding after giving birth is plant ash. For a woman, giving birth in such an environment is tantamount to going through a difficult process from birth to death and then difficult rebirth. However, not every woman is lucky enough to give birth to a child. Most of them die during the production process. Massive hemorrhage, dystocia, respiratory arrest, sudden cardiovascular death...... In the past few years, whether it is an elderly woman or a young woman, they are either exchanged by Meng Qi as goods, or they die in the production process. So much so that now, in the entire village of Suan Kakama, there are only three women alive.

They were all old, old and ugly, and they didn't look good at all. If it weren't for the fact that as women had a womb that could give birth to babies, Salam Saaka and the other villagers would have eaten these women long ago, saving them from wasting food.

To be sure, Salam Saaka hoped that Meng Qi would buy another group of people from the village for three hundred kilograms of sok tubers, as he had done before. After all, both men and women, the villagers of Suan Kakama are thin and weigh around 50 kilograms. Winter and the rainy season are the most scarce seasons of the year. Killing some people to feed others is not a sin, but an indispensable means of perpetuating the population. Not all of the 50 kilograms of living people can be eaten in their mouths. Bones and blood alone make up a large part of the body. Although Salam Saaka has a way of making blood tofu from human blood, it can only be boiled in vegetables or soup, and cannot be eaten.

Sock tubers are different. This stuff can be eaten almost entirely. Especially the Soke brought by Meng Qi was cleanly washed, and there was almost no loss. Kill a villager and get about 30 kilograms of meat, hand over a living person, get 300 kilograms of soke, the value ratio of this is obvious. As long as they are not fools, they will choose the latter.

It was impossible to rob the Meng Qi caravan. Although there were only a dozen of the guards it carried, they were all far stronger than the villagers, and even more powerful than the Force-type mutants. Although Salam Saaka was not clear about the distinguishing criteria between fifth-order enhancers and "slaves", they could still easily judge the strength of each other. Meng Qi has always been very cautious, and the transactions with Su'an Kakama Village are always carried out on the same day, and he does not spend the night in the village at all, and he also uses his own supplies for food and water.

Salam Saaka had tried to keep the caravan in the village for the night, but the plan never succeeded. The old priest sent the most precious virgins of the village to make a soup with the freshest hares and coriander, and asked the women to take the best pains to make the dishes as sumptuous as possible...... These approaches have never worked. Meng Qi and his entourage only ate the barbecue and dough they carried, and the water bladder was always full. As for the virgins who took the initiative to send them, it didn't even look at them much, but just exchanged them with Salam Saaka with Sok tubers step by step.

In addition to the evil idea of robbing the whole village of a good harvest, the old priest also wanted to taste Meng Qi's meat.

This guy has very white skin and looks delicate, like expensive silky satin. This is the most striking characteristic of a perennial unproductive and extremely leisurely rich man. It is said that the meat of this kind of person is unusually delicious and delicious, and the meat is even more tender than that of a newborn baby, and it is not at all comparable to the villagers in the village who are so thin that they are too old to chew and have to spend a lot of firewood and time to simmer slowly.

Meng Qi is not a fool. The exchange price it issued this time was the lowest in years.

Eighty kilograms of sok tubers for one villager almost made Salam Saaka despair.

"You, you can't do that."

Salam Saaka's face turned pale, and his hands, feet, and body trembled violently as if he was sifting chaff: "This, this is our village. You took almost all of our young people with you. Now, you, you, you still want to take everything here for yourself? ”

"I repeat, it's just a normal trade exchange."

Meng Qi was very dissatisfied with Salam Sa'aka's statement. Its thick and beautiful eyebrows furrowed in the middle, and its right hand slowly stroked a ring on its left hand, and said slowly: "This is equivalent to giving you a way to live, and you will not be starved to death." You yourself know that once the rainy season comes, it will be difficult for you to even get out of the village gates, let alone go out in search of food. Taking a step back, even if you can barely make ends meet, you don't have the stamina to cut firewood nearby. ”

Salam Saaka's face was contorted, and his breathing was as heavy as a steam locomotive: "You, you're going to sell us all into slavery." ”

"What's so bad about slaves?"

Meng Qi spread out his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and a sarcastic sneer appeared on his face: "At least you can eat enough, and you don't have to worry about food and clothing anymore." Your master will take care of it all. Of course, if you listen honestly to me. I'll keep you in good condition for a few weeks, and when you have grown some more flesh and look stronger and fatter, I'll sell you in the slave market. A skinny ghost with bones all over his body can't sell for a price, and I'm thinking about you. ”

Salam Saaka wanted to pounce and tear Meng Qi's ugly face, but it couldn't do it, and it couldn't refute it, so it could only stare at Meng Qi silently. After a long time, he shook his head heavily and said, "This is impossible. ”

"Whatever you want!"

Meng Qi got up from the chair, rubbed his hands very boredly, paced back and forth in place, and his two thin lips continued to release ruthless and vicious words: "I just made a condition, and it is your freedom to accept it or not." I never force someone to do anything. But I have to warn you that once I decide to leave, you don't have a second choice. Either become slaves or starve to death. For the sake of our old acquaintances, I'll give you and your villagers ten minutes to think about it. ”

Salam Saaka fell to his knees with a "plop" and slammed his forehead against the ground, crying and crying bitterly: "Can't you show mercy?" At the price of the previous transaction, we are willing to exchange it for ten people. ”

"Ten people?"

Meng Qi pretended to be surprised, turned around, pointed to the villagers standing in the wooden hut with dull expressions, dull eyes, almost no different from skin and bones, and said, "Do you think they can still be exchanged for three hundred kilograms of soke?" Do you think anyone in the market would want to buy such a slave? Eighty kilograms is already the highest price I can offer. Even if you are willing to accept it, I will have to continue to invest more in you. Let you eat enough and raise your body to be fat, which one does not cost money? As for the mercy you are talking about, am I not compassionate? ”

Salam Saaka stood on his knees for a few seconds, a sad expression on his weather-beaten face. It looked up at the ruined pyramids outside the hut from afar, shaking its head and muttering, "No, we won't leave." This is the place of reproduction that the Lord God has given us, and we must guard it and never leave it. ”

"Lord God?"

Meng Qi scoffed at this statement: "Only an old immortal like you would believe in some hellish gods." I've been in Rabangca since I was a kid and I've never seen a damn god. The so-called legends are jokes used to deceive stubborn old fellows like you. ”

"Nope! You are not allowed to insult the gods. ”

Salam Saaka turned his head suddenly, staring at Meng Qi with a fierce and angry gaze, and the beard on his lips trembled violently with rage: "The Lord God is protecting us all the time. Everyone in Rabangka is bathed in the light of God. All are its most faithful believers. You are blasphemy, and you had better repent of those words immediately, or else you ......"

"How else?"

Meng Qi sneered while lazily moving his body, and said nonchalantly, "The Lord God wants to kill me?" Or do you want to eat me like a snack? That damn bastard didn't even know what he looked like, and he never appeared in public. When it comes to piety, only you, the guardian tribes who live on the edge of the mountains, are the true believers. Salam Saaka, it's not me talking about you, sober up! There has never been a so-called Lord God in this world. Everything is a legend that has been made up. If there is a god, it should bless you with abundant food and clothing, so that each of you can be fed and clothed, and all the damned mutants in the mountains will disappear. But now? The village of Suan Kakama is no longer as prosperous as it once was. There are only a few dozen of you left, and if I hadn't rushed over now, maybe the village would have been breached by mutants tonight, or the whole village would have starved to death in a few days. ”

Taking a deep breath, Meng Qi once again had a cold and majestic expression on his face. It turned to the other villagers standing in the hut, stretched out its hands, and made a gesture of holding everything in its arms, and proclaimed loudly in the performative and mysterious tone characteristic of the god stick: "If there really is a god in this world, then there is no doubt that it is me." It's very simple, you can only live with me, and only I can feed you. Give up those useless fantasies! More practically, 80 kilograms of Sock tubers will keep you and your family well fed for a while. Then, I will find you a few good hosts with good reputations. Don't you want to leave the edge of the mountains, leave here forever? The world outside is very large, far beyond your imagination. ”

Salam Sa'aka had risen from the ground, his eyes full of sorrow. It kept looking at the dilapidated pyramid in the distance: "The Lord God has said that this is a rich place given to us by the gods. Warriors will appear in the passages. They will become new protectors, new guardians. ”

"You're fucking dreaming!"

Meng Qi sneered and sneered: "Warrior? ! What the hell is the passage, it's a black wall. It's not that I haven't been in it, that kind of place can't even get a mouse into, let alone someone will come out of it. That's right, there will be warriors in the passages, and this story has been passed down in Rabangka for hundreds of years, maybe longer. From the time of my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather, there were constantly people telling myths about warriors, but no one had ever seen them. I've been around the mountains for a long time, old fellow, and I've been to other villages farther afield, except for Suan Kakama. I've seen more stubborn believers than you, and I've seen old ghosts who would rather die than leave. I'm a kind businessman, and I won't force you to do what you don't want to. Since you're willing to stay here and hold on to the so-called faith, whatever. But ......"

Meng Qi turned around and swept over each villager with an eager gaze, full of the momentum of a righteous person: "You can't make a choice for them. To leave or to stay, this is their freedom. Again, I don't force it. ”

At this moment, two caravan guards in linen coats, each carrying a bag, walked into the center of the wooden house. Untie the twine at the mouth of the tethered bag, revealing fist-sized sock tubers. The tubers are all roasted and have a black soot on the surface. It looks like a poor quality coal, mixed with a lot of white and gray stone soil, but it emits a strong fragrance that is irresistible to the hungry.

As a slave trader, Meng Qi knew exactly what really worked to seduce her. It picked up a piece of sock from the sack, broke it in half, stretched out its hands so that the food in its hands was closer to the villagers, and its words and voice were full of pity and comfort: "I used to be a worshipper of the gods, just like you. But I didn't get anything. Those who stand up for what they believe in deserve respect. You have been here for generations, waiting for the so-called warriors to appear. You've done enough. Now, you should think more about the future of yourself and your family, instead of continuing to believe in the ethereal God. Keep your eyes open and take a good look at these fragrant sock tubers in my hand. It's more realistic than any fucking belief. The Lord God has sent you to die, but I can give you food. Don't be bothered by messy obsessions anymore, and come and get it yourself if you want to eat. Just reach out, it's all yours! ”

No one answered. But it can be seen that the villagers are engaged in the most intense psychological struggle. This is different from the previous transaction, it is not as simple as exchanging a few people for food and letting the others live, what Meng Qi needs is all the remaining villagers in the village. Once you accept the conditions and leave, this place will be completely deserted.

Salam Saaka fell into complete silence. It took a few steps back, slowly slumping against the wall. Enough dissuasion and pleading. Meng Qi was right, now is the time for individuals to choose their future destiny. Even if you speak out to stop it, I'm afraid no one will want to listen.

A muscular man parted the crowd and walked over. He picked up half of the piece of Sok in Meng Qi's left hand and held it in his hand playfully, with a faint smile on his face.

This is a very charismatic man. His upper body was naked, and underneath was a pair of poorly handmade leather shorts. Stand on your legs in a rather casual position, but your body is slightly tilted at an aesthetic angle. The muscles in the chest and arms are unusually strong, releasing a metallic, cold, hard sheen when illuminated by the light. His appearance is handsome, his hard lines are like sculptures carved out of stone, but his eyes are as clear as flowing water, and his black eyes are shining with an extremely mysterious and somewhat ridiculous gaze. , leaning against the wall, slowly slumping to the ground. Enough dissuasion and pleading. Meng Qi was right, now is the time for individuals to choose their future destiny. Even if you speak out to stop it, I'm afraid no one will want to listen.

A muscular man parted the crowd and walked over. He picked up half of the piece of Sok in Meng Qi's left hand and held it in his hand playfully, with a faint smile on his face.

This is a very charismatic man. His upper body was naked, and underneath was a pair of poorly handmade leather shorts. Stand on your legs in a rather casual position, but your body is slightly tilted at an aesthetic angle. The muscles in the chest and arms are unusually strong, releasing a metallic, cold, hard sheen when illuminated by the light. His appearance is handsome, his hard lines are like sculptures carved out of stone, but his eyes are as clear as flowing water, and his black eyes are shining with an extremely mysterious and somewhat ridiculous gaze.