"Brother Carlo! This is mine!"
The Giant’s voice bood as he threw the Demon Tiger’s corpse on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then, he pulled out three Tier Five Magic Cores and two stalks of Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Grass from the wicker basket on his back.
Raylo stood up from the rock, walked closer, and checked the na and goods against a wooden board.
"Hm, that’s right. Hag."
Shouldering his War Axe, Hag left contentedly, humming a tuneless song.
Raylo noticed that these Giants all carried the Weapons they had just traded for. They were clearly so fond of them they couldn’t bear to put them down for even a mont.
After that, the Giants ca to trade one after another.
The materials they brought were varied and piled up like a mountain.
There was the hide of a Giant Horned Demon-Cow large enough to cover an entire room, giant bird feathers that flickered with lightning, and piles of precious materials like crystal-clear ores and Magic Stones that glittered like Gemstones.
Kado watched from the side, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a fist.
Although he knew his kinsn had quite the stockpile, he was still deeply shocked to see the mountain of supplies continue to accumulate before his eyes.
It was so much.
And now, it all belonged to his master.
Ti passed, and the sun gradually rose to its zenith.
The vast majority of the Giants had completed their trades and left contentedly, shouldering their precious new Weapons.
"Master, is that everyone?"
Kado asked.
Raylo glanced at the last wooden board in his hand. Only one na remained.
"We’re still missing one. Gordo."
The words had barely left his lips when a figure appeared around a distant corner.
Unlike the other Giants, who were tall, burly, and strode with heroic gaits, this Giant seed a bit... slender.
Of course, this was only by comparison. He was still twelve ters tall, but his fra seed a size smaller than Kado’s, making him look younger.
Despite his youth, the Domain Level aura he exuded was genuine. Among the Hill Giants, he was a prodigy of the younger generation.
He carried a pile of materials, his steps sowhat heavy, and his face wore a clear expression of awkwardness and unease.
He walked up to Raylo and gently set down the things from his shoulder with a dull THUD.
It was a complete set of materials from a Wind Wolf Demon Spider—its carapace, chelicerae, and more—along with two fist-sized Magic Cores that emanated an earthy-yellow halo. They were all Tier Five materials.
"Brother Carlo..."
The young Giant’s voice was faint, and he didn’t dare to look Raylo in the eye.
Raylo picked up the wooden board and checked the record on it.
"Gordo?"
"Y-Yes... that’s ."
Raylo took stock of the materials on the ground, then looked up at him calmly.
"According to yesterday’s offer, you’re still short one set of Tier Five Magical Beast materials."
Gordo’s head sank even lower. He nervously wrung his enormous fingers together, his face flushing bright red.
"Brother Carlo... I’m sorry. I... this is all I have in my stockpile."
Gordo said, sowhat dejectedly.
"I love this Weapon so much."
The Weapon Gordo had chosen was a teor Chain Hamr, which he was currently holding in his hands like a precious treasure.
He abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with earnestness and anxiety.
"Brother Carlo, please... please give half a month! I promise, within half a month, I’ll definitely make up for the remaining materials!"
"I’ve already found the lair of a Tier Five Iron-Backed Demon Bear. With this new Weapon, I can definitely kill it and bring its corpse back to you."
Raylo watched him quietly.
This was a Giant even younger than Kado, with a trace of childishness still on his face.
From his ashad expression and firm promise, Raylo could feel the almost stubborn simplicity and pride of this race.
Clearly, Gordo’s plan was to get the Weapon first, then use the new Weapon to hunt the Demon Bear and complete his trade with Raylo.
An idea sparked in Raylo’s mind.
He revealed a slight smile, his tone softening considerably.
"Brother Gordo, no need to go through all that trouble."
Gordo froze.
"Forget about the remaining set of materials."
Raylo waved his hand dismissively.
"Consider it a gift to a new friend."
In the Human World, this suggestion was a perfectly normal way to win soone over.
But when Gordo heard this, he reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping back a step and waving his hands frantically.
"No! Brother Carlo, absolutely not!"
He retorted loudly, his face flushed.
"Friends don’t take advantage of each other! For such a good Weapon, I must give sothing of equal value in exchange!"
"An equal exchange is what makes good friends! Otherwise... otherwise, I’d just be a thief taking advantage of you!"
Kado, who was listening from the side, nodded in agreent.
"That’s right, Gordo’s right! We Giants don’t do things like that!"
Raylo was a little surprised, then he couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had forgotten how straightforward the Giants’ way of thinking was.
This principle, so honest it was almost cute, stirred a sense of admiration in him.
"Alright, well said."
Raylo nodded, dropping his casual attitude and speaking seriously.
"In that case, let’s try another way."
He looked at Gordo, his gaze appraising.
"I’ve been planning a hunt recently. But I’m not familiar with the surrounding area, so I need a guide and a helper who knows the terrain and can fight."
Gordo’s eyes lit up, as if he understood sothing.
"How about this."
Raylo held up a finger.
"You can use that set of Tier Five Magical Beast materials you owe as paynt to hire you to work for for three months. The work will be hunting and fighting. After three months, we’ll be even. Is that a fair enough trade?"
His words were like a ray of light, instantly dispelling all the gloom from Gordo’s face.
He wouldn’t have to bear the psychological burden of ’taking advantage of a friend’, he could get his coveted Weapon imdiately, and he could pay his debt in the way he was best at.
It was a perfect solution, practically tailor-made for him!
"It is! It’s more than enough!"
Gordo was so excited his face shone. He puffed out his chest and slapped it forcefully, making a THUMP-THUMP sound.
"Brother Carlo, don’t worry! Hunting and fighting are what I do best! Forget three months, I’d do it for half a year!"
Raylo smiled, satisfied.
What he wanted was never as simple as just one set of Tier Five materials.
He wanted to open a door to deeper cooperation with these Hill Giants.
"Starting today, you are my first Giant rcenary."
Raylo clapped him on the arm and said with a smile.
"rcenary?"
Gordo scratched his head. The word was clearly beyond his comprehension.
Kado, standing beside him, nudged him with an elbow and explained in the Giant way.
"It ans you follow Brother Carlo and fight. You fight whoever he tells you to fight for three months, and the Weapon is yours."
"Oh! I get that!"
Gordo’s face lit up with understanding, and he pounded his chest until it bood.
"No problem! I’m the best at fighting!"
Lunch was served in Kado’s stone house.
Heaps of roasted at were laid out on a massive stone table.
Gordo and Kado wolfed down the food, their appetites astonishing.
Compared to the food in the Giant City-State, the food from the Human World was far more delicious.
After the al, Raylo and his group prepared to set out.
"Brother Carlo, where are we going?"
Gordo took a large stride, in high spirits after the delicious al.
"North of the Canglan River."
"The Endless Forest Sea."
Raylo’s gaze turned northward.
Gordo looked up at the sky, an excited expression on his face.
"A great place! There are a lot of Magical Beasts there. If it weren’t for the Canglan River in the way, it would be the best hunting ground!"
...
As Raylo’s group departed, the atmosphere inside the most magnificent stone hall in the center of the Giant City-State was solemn.
The Great Elder of the Hill Giants, "Gu," was seated on a throne carved from a single block of Obsidian.
His skin was like weathered rock, covered in deep wrinkles. His white beard was braided into several thick plaits that hung down to his chest.
In his hand, he held a Weapon.
It was a massive Double-Headed Warhamr. One end was a smooth, rounded hamrhead, while the other bore a nacing Armor-Piercing Spike.
The surface of the warhamr’s body flowed with a dark luster, and a few simple Magic Patterns were inlaid upon it, creating a strange sort of beauty.
Its balance, materials, and the craftsmanship of its Forging had all reached an astonishing level.
It was one of the Weapons Raylo had traded away last night.
"Twenty-three."
A young Giant stood respectfully below the throne, reporting in a resonant voice.
"Great Elder, last night, the two brothers Kado and Carlo traded a total of twenty-three such Weapons with the Giants of the city-state."
Gu’s knuckles slowly traced the cold patterns on the warhamr’s handle, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
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