Chapter 591 - 309: What Will Hope Village Be Like?
"Hello, I’m Raychi from the Sandra Mercenary Team."
"Hello, I’m Tich from the Delphi Mercenary Team."
"Hello, I’m Calio from the Basel Mercenary Corps."
"..."
Several mercenary team captains enthusiastically introduced themselves to Zhou Zhengping.
Zhou Zhengping courteously responded to each of them with a greeting.
A few short exchanges, it seemed, had significantly bridged the gap between the two parties.
It was then that Raychi’s gaze shifted to the goblins following behind Zhou Zhengping’s team. Observing their firmly gripped weapons, his eyes flitted with interest before he commented, "Lieutenant Zhou, you are truly impressive! Such a great haul!"
As he spoke, Raychi’s eyes filled with a hint of envy.
What a large number of goblins; they could sell for a good sum of money!
Upon hearing this, Calio, who stood nearby, coughed softly.
Calio had only recently come to Hope Village. He knew about the goblins in Hope Village but had not encountered many during his visit. However, he was somewhat acquainted with the slave trader Wilson. Before coming, Wilson had mentioned that he planned to visit several territories to acquire more goblins for Hope Village, stating that Hope Village would take them in any number, as they did not treat goblins as slaves, but rather as residents.
And the goblins of Hope Village even had some savings of their own.
Originally, he had just made a mental note of this and hadn’t dwelled on it much.
But now, seeing Zhou Zhengping bringing so many goblins, armed with high-quality weapons no less, he knew that what Wilson had said was true.
In such a case, Raychi’s comment was somewhat inappropriate.
Raychi wasn’t foolish; he realized from Calio’s cough that he might have misspoken.
But he didn’t understand exactly what he had said wrong.
Zhou Zhengping picked up on this and explained with a smile, "Yes! I’ve brought the residents of our territory out to find some minerals. They are quite skilled at locating mining resources. This time we’ve returned with a full load, so our territory won’t be short on minerals."
Zhou Zhengping’s words both responded to Raychi’s comment and clarified the identity of the goblins.
Raychi listened and immediately grasped the situation.
So, this group of goblins was not the slaves of Hope Village, but its residents.
He had heard about it, but now he saw it was true.
Fortunately, he hadn’t spoken outright, which saved him the embarrassment.
Of course, it was Zhou Zhengping who knew how to handle people.
"That’s good news indeed!" Raychi laughed and said, "I’m just curious about what kind of minerals you’ve obtained. Will there be any fine items coming from this?"
"There are many new things in Hope Village; everyone visiting will certainly get a glimpse," Zhou Zhengping responded tactfully.
Everyone else seemed to understand as well.
"Since we’re headed in the same direction, why don’t we journey together?" Raychi suggested.
Meeting for the first time, he felt too embarrassed to ask Zhou to pull strings for him.
But with one or two days of travel ahead, wouldn’t a closer relationship form through more contact?
Moreover, they had been traveling on this road for a while without encountering Zhou Zhengping’s team, who had been avoiding other teams as evidenced by the scouts they sent to gather information. What for?
Without saying, it was to avoid others coveting the goblins!
After all, this group of goblins was indeed valuable.
Had Zhou not clarified their identity, which coincidentally was also their intended destination, they might indeed have been tempted to undertake a grand covert operation!
So, traveling together with them now also undoubtedly counted as "protection" for them.
Zhou Zhengping understood their intention and had this in mind as well, so he readily agreed, "Of course! It’s good to have company on the road, and once we get to Hope Village, I will make sure to treat you all well."
"No need to be so formal."
With that, several teams reached a consensus to travel together.
Before long, they set off as a collective group.
As their teams moved along, Si Smell from Zhou Zhengping’s group felt almost delirious with relief. He had imagined that encountering so many teams might lead to a fierce battle, but was it really diffused just like that, with a few words?
What mattered most was that Zhou Zhengping had boldly affirmed their resident status, and these people had accepted it so naturally, without a hint of doubt???
"Mills, Hope Village..."
"Hope Village is a rising territory. These mercenary teams have their agendas regarding Hope Village, so they’re willing to give face to Lieutenant Zhou. Recognizing us, too, is because Hope Village has already acknowledged our existence," Mills spoke with a touch of pride. "You were worried before, but now you can probably rest a bit easier, right?"
Si Smell listened and nodded subconsciously.
Before even entering Hope Village, he had already witnessed the "sincerity" of Hope Village.
In an instant, a deep sense of anticipation welled up in his heart.
What would Hope Village be like?