Chapter 139: Hidden Forces
Bang!
Xiao Yan abruptly stood up and walked towards the door. Xiao Ding quickly got up and anxiously tried to stop him.
"Xiao Yan! Stay calm!"
"Calm? How can I stay calm?" Xiao Yan's face darkened, and he muttered angrily, "Right now, my sister is alone in the territory of the snake-people, and her life is uncertain. What if something really happens..."
As Xiao Yan spoke, his inner turmoil gradually subsided, just as Xiao Ding had suggested. He hesitated for a moment with his hand on the door handle, then finally withdrew it, covering half his face and suppressing his restless heart.
Calm... calm...
Second sister was right. They couldn't afford to be impulsive in this situation. They had no clear information about what was happening with the snake-people. Rushing over there might make things worse and irreparable.
But my sister...
Xiao Yan clenched his body, his fists tightened, and his eyes revealed a conflicted expression.
At a moment like this, Yao Chen, the voice inside the ring, spoke to comfort him.
(Xiao Yan, calm your thoughts. If this situation were so grave that it couldn't be resolved, the snake-people wouldn't have called your elder sister over specifically. If they're summoning her, it means there's a chance to negotiate and resolve some issues.)
"Hmm..."
Upon hearing Yao Chen's words, Xiao Yan forcibly restrained his impulsive desires. He returned to the sofa, his gaze fixed on Xiao Ding, and asked, "Second sister, do you think... is this situation serious?"
"It's hard to say," Xiao Ding furrowed her brows and answered softly, "Logically, the snake-people shouldn't connect the human attackers who assaulted their tribe with us. However, the crucial point now is that the snake-people indeed suffered heavy casualties due to the attack, and we still don't know where those human attackers came from."
"Why did they do this? What is their purpose?"
"We won't overcome these difficulties unless we solve this matter."
Xiao Yan pinched his chin, deep in thought. After a while, he raised his head and asked, "Second sister, is it possible that some members of the mercenary group acted on their own to attack the snake-people's tribe?"
"Absolutely not!"
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Xiao Ding immediately shook her head.
"Those who remain in the mercenary group now are absolutely loyal to me and our elder sister. They follow our orders without question, and it's impossible for them to do something like this on their own." Xiao Ding continued, "Of course, we didn't blindly trust our members. Right after the incident, we investigated what each member was doing when it happened. The investigation showed that none of them had any issues. During that time, let alone leaving the oasis city, they didn't even leave their posts."
"We also looked into the slave traders, and there's plenty of evidence proving it wasn't them."
Hearing Xiao Ding's confident words, Xiao Yan furrowed his brow tightly, while the young boy who was munching on an apple raised an eyebrow.
"It's neither you nor the slave traders, so there's only one possibility left," the young boy took another bite of his apple and said calmly, "Perhaps it's certain outside forces that did these things for some reasons."
"But... why? I can understand local forces being motivated by interests or grudges, but these outside forces shouldn't have a reason to do this, right?"
"Huh? How can there be no reason?" The young boy raised an eyebrow and continued, "I previously mentioned that the snake-people can fetch prices ranging from ten to fifty million, but you need to understand that those are the prices under standard pricing."
"And if these snake-people were sold through auctions, the profits could easily double or more."
The young boy threw the apple core into the trash bin and smirked, saying, "The slave traders are constrained by the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. Those who engage in the business of acquiring the snake-people through auctions will undoubtedly suffer. In the short term, they might accept it, but if these people find out that no snake-people are being sold to them by the slave traders for an extended period, they'll undoubtedly send someone to investigate the reason."
"And when they discover that the trading of snake-people has been strictly prohibited by the Desert Metal Mercenary Company, in order not to alarm the Jia Ma Royal Family and to avoid exposing themselves, they can't take direct action. In such a situation, exacerbating the conflict between the snake-people and humans is their only means."
"After all, when it comes down to it, whether humans can coexist peacefully with the snake-people depends on the mutual trust. As long as one side develops extreme distrust toward the other, the prospect of peaceful coexistence becomes nothing but a dream."
Listening to the young boy's words, Xiao Ding also began to contemplate.
"Yeah... we focused on the slave traders but didn't think that those behind the scenes of the snake-people's trade might be doing these things."
Xiao Ding murmured, and the young boy gently shook his hand.
"Why do you think you're the Second Commander? Xiao Li should have noticed these things long ago. It's just that with your small mercenary group stationed in the desert, do you think you can investigate the big buyers manipulating the snake-people trade? You must be dreaming."
Seeing Xiao Ding at a loss for words, the young boy continued.
Because Xiao Li knew that with the current strength of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company, they couldn't uncover the big buyers behind the scenes. That's why she went alone to the snake-people's territory.
She knew that the trust built over the past six months with the snake-people was based on the efforts of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. If even the Desert Metal Mercenary Company turned out to be insincere, the snake-people would never trust any humans again.
So, without finding the mastermind behind the scenes, Xiao Li's top priority was to personally go to the snake-people's territory to maintain the trust between the two sides. Once that trust collapsed, it would be virtually impossible to rebuild, no matter when the mastermind behind the scenes was revealed. This trust had to be preserved at all costs.
The young boy's words left Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding in silence. His words circled around but ultimately centered on one key idea: without unmasking the culprits behind the attacks on the snake-people's tribe, these issues couldn't be resolved.
"Commander Xiao Ding," Qing Lin entered with a tea tray and looked at Xiao Ding, saying, "There's someone from outside the mercenary group who wants to meet the person in charge here."
"Hmm?"
Xiao Ding raised an eyebrow slightly, showing a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
At this time, who would come looking for her?
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