Chapter 452: Chapter 24: Conditions
Su Xiao’s primary task now is to get the compass from Old Bar’s hands.
In the Red Soil Area, one could barely survive a few days ago, but the last few days are different.
Su Xiao has already felt that by the second day, Reincarnation Paradise had gradually increased the difficulty of survival.
There is food and fresh water in Old Bar’s tribe, but this is not a place for long-term residence. Staying here for the first five days of the survival trial should be no problem. However, the difficulty in the Red Soil Area will become terrifying in the next five days.
Following Old Bar into the tribe, there were few men around, which obviously meant that all the men had gone to the front lines to deal with the Insect Tribe.
Not long after walking, a tall stone house appeared in view.
This stone house is located at the center of the tribe and stands out among the many low stone houses.
A wooden placard is tied to the stone house, with a vine carved on it.
This vine looked fierce, as if it would devour someone, seemingly coming to life.
Su Xiao’s eyes shimmered; in the small tribe he had eradicated, there was also such a vine. That small tribe regarded this vine as a totem, but Old Bar’s tribe is different; this vine seems to be just some kind of symbol here.
"Come in and sit."
Old Bar entered the stone house. Inside, there was no furniture, just some animal skulls placed around, and furs laid out in the center.
Old Bar sat cross-legged on the furs, and Su Xiao sat across from him. Bubu Wang did not approach the fur, as the black-and-white fur made him uneasy.
Sitting down, Old Bar said, "You want to leave the Red Soil Area, don’t you?"
Su Xiao nodded; it was an obvious matter.
"Alright then, let’s discuss some terms."
Old Bar placed the compass in front of him.
"This is the only way to leave the Red Soil Area; without it, you can’t leave."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao didn’t press for details; Old Bar would speak voluntarily.
"I don’t know how you entered the Red Soil Area, but I can show you a map."
Old Bar got up and retrieved a piece of animal hide from a pottery jar behind him.
The animal skin was spread out in front of Su Xiao, revealing a simple map drawn with charcoal.
Despite being somewhat crude, it was a map of Devouring Island.
The structure of Devouring Island is interesting; the entire island isn’t a single landmass. The Red Soil Area is at the center of Devouring Island, encircled by cliffs.
The cliffs are dozens of meters wide and bottomless, making it difficult to leave the Red Soil Area.
Although the Red Soil Area is surrounded by cliffs, there are ways to leave.
There are two natural stone bridges at the front and back of the Red Soil Area, connecting to the Ordinary Area. One of these stone bridges is half-destroyed, leaving only one now.
"The compass points to this stone bridge, so you will definitely use it to leave quickly. If you search the cliffs, it would take at least ten days, but with the compass, it will take at most one day to reach the stone bridge."
Old Bar’s words, while not entirely trustworthy, have a fair degree of credibility.
Su Xiao did see the cliffs; he traveled along them for a long time but had to abandon due to too many obstacles along the way.
Not to mention the terrain near the cliffs, the creatures lurking nearby are deadly enough.
"What is this?"
Su Xiao pointed to the forest on the edge of Devouring Island.
"This is the Black Forest, a forbidden zone within forbidden zones. If you don’t want to die, don’t go there."
With this, Su Xiao fully understood the geography of Devouring Island.
The outermost part of Devouring Island is a ring of forest, the Black Forest, which occupies the largest area.
The inside of the Black Forest is the Ordinary Area, the safest place with the richest resources.
Further toward the center is a ring of cliffs, and on the other side of these is the Red Soil Area.
Seen from above, Devouring Island resembles a target, with the red center being the Red Soil Area, the green surrounding area as the Ordinary Area, and the outermost black as the Black Forest.
After understanding the situation on Devouring Island, Su Xiao became more eager to leave the Red Soil Area.
"State your conditions."
Since it’s a deal, let’s get straight to the point.
Old Bar gestured for the few natives in the stone house to leave.
"Bai Ye, you must have seen the ’Blood Vine Warriors’."
"Blood Vine Warriors?"
"Yes, you have their bloody scent on you. There’s no denying it; their scent is distinctive."
Su Xiao’s hand moved toward the hilt of his knife, smiling while looking at Old Bar.
"Probably met them, killed dozens."
With a shout, Old Bar stood up, and just then, a sharp blade was placed against his throat.
"You killed them? Barry was killed by you too, great!"
Old Bar raised his hands to show no hostility, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
"Barry? Never heard of him."
"A Yasenman who uses a blowgun."
"Is it that guy?"
Su Xiao nodded, at this point there was no need to hide, at worst, he’d fight his way out.
"Thank you sincerely."
Old Bar seemed delighted that the group of natives was wiped out.
"My ’dear’ brother, you’re finally dead."
Old Bar paced inside the stone house, unable to conceal the joy on his face.
"Looks like I helped you eliminate a rival. Is there no gratitude?"
Old Bar stopped pacing and sat back down across from Su Xiao.
"No gratitude."
"As expected."
Old Bar looked Su Xiao up and down.
"You killed them at night, right?"
"Hmm?"
Su Xiao looked at Old Bar quizzically.
"No need to wonder. If it was during the day, especially with the sun out, you’d be the one dead."
Old Bar had witnessed Su Xiao killing enemies on the battlefield, yet he said so anyway.
"Daytime? Sun?"
Su Xiao muttered, not pursuing further questions.
"By the way, when you killed Barry and the others, did you find anything in their tribe? Like a transparent crystal or a black seed?"
Su Xiao guessed the transparent crystal might be a Soul Crystal, but he couldn’t think of what the black seed might be.
"Didn’t find anything."
Even if he did, Su Xiao wouldn’t admit it.
"That’s a pity. Let’s discuss the compass further."
Old Bar pondered for a few minutes before speaking again, "The compass can be yours, but you must do something for me."
This was an expected outcome.
"What is it?"
Su Xiao was ready to grab it; after all, there was only Old Bar, one native, in the stone house.
"Here’s the thing; in three days, we’ll be at war with the Insect Tribe. This kind of war is common, but it’s a large-scale one. We’re preparing to deploy 15,000 people."
The Yasenman Tribe had 50,000 combatants in total, sending out 15,000 was already significant.
"During the war, do something for me, like stealing something from the heart of the Insect Tribe."
"Impossible."
Su Xiao flatly refused; the Insect Tribe would undoubtedly be tough to handle, let alone stealing from their heart.
"No need to refuse so quickly."
Old Bar chuckled lightly, seeming to have anticipated Su Xiao’s refusal.
"I’ll go with you."
It was clear Old Bar’s intention was not for the tribe; rather, it was something clandestine, otherwise, he wouldn’t seek help from an outsider like Su Xiao.