Gorgin extended his hand to halt Nu, who was poised to charge ahead, and then advanced two steps.

  Danger was a non - issue for him.

  He was the second - most powerful combatant after his mother and regarded these jackals with utter disdain.

  "Goblin, what's your intent in leading this pack of desert hyenas to our tribe's oasis?"

  "Huh???"

  The goblin was taken aback. He'd already readied himself to smash the potion bottles and engage in battle, never expecting the ogres, notorious for their brashness, to initiate a conversation.

  "Just passing through. We need to refill our water supplies. Is that an issue?"

  Despite the willingness to communicate, the goblin remained on high alert.

  "Haha, of course not!"

  Gorgin opened his massive maw and let out a menacing laugh. Then, he handed his weapon to Nu standing behind him.

  "So, care to be our guest at the tribe? It's getting late, and I'm sure you'd rather not camp outdoors."

  The goblin grew even more wary.

  An ogre with such intelligence was likely an ogre mage.

  And how could an ogre come up with such an idea?

  "Can I decline? Or are you planning to force my hand?"

  The goblin instinctively wanted to refuse.

  Gorgin shook his head.

  "You're free to refuse, but..."

  Upon hearing this, the goblin instinctively readied to throw the bottle.

  Then, Gorgin continued, "But you must replenish your water and leave our tribe's oasis promptly. Those who aren't our guests have no right to linger here!"

  "You and your pitiful hyenas will have to endure the cold night in the outer desert."

  "Oh, and the stars overhead will be your companions!"

  "Alternatively... become our guest, and you can enjoy the warmth of the bonfire, be safeguarded by ogres, savor delicacies you've never tasted before, have a restful sleep, and set off refreshed."

  "So, what's your decision?"

  The goblin was left dumbfounded by this barrage of words.

  This...

  Why did this sales pitch sound so familiar?

  It was reminiscent of how my old cousin used to deceive...

  conduct business...

  Nonetheless, the goblin was somewhat tempted.

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  If he insisted on staying, a conflict with these ogres was inevitable.

  And with an ogre mage in their ranks, the best he could hope for was to make an escape...

  But could he trust the ogre's words?

  Surely he wouldn't wake up in a cooking pot in the middle of the night...

  "What you say is reasonable, but how can I trust you?"

  Gorgin scratched his head.

  "I'm the chieftain of the tribe. My goal is to transform our tribe and the oasis into a rest stop for passing merchant caravans and creatures. You're my second guest. Prior to you, an orc was a returning customer of our rest area."

  "You're a goblin, so you understand the crucial role of reputation when starting a business. You goblins travel far and wide for trade, and I intend to use you to spread the word about our place. Thus, I won't deceive you."

  "Moreover, when have we ogres ever broken our word?"

  "If we say we'll devour you, we will, even if it means pounding you into a pulp. If we say we won't, we won't, no matter how clean you are!"

  "Please don't doubt the words of us ogres!"

  "We can fight and brawl, but we don't joke about food!"

  The goblin pondered and realized the truth in these words.

  Ogres were not a cunning race. They placed their faith solely in their fists and hammers.

  Most importantly, even if the ogres were lying, he had the means to make an exit.

  Driven by curiosity, the goblin acquiesced to the ogre before him.

  "I can visit your tribe, but what's the cost?"

  Gorgin was naturally thrilled that his ogre tribe had welcomed its second guest.

  "For accommodation only, it's half a gold coin's worth of supplies. To hire an ogre for night - watch, it's a gold coin's worth of supplies. As for other services, they come at different prices. It all depends on your choice."

  The goblin's face turned green.

  Extracting money from a goblin was like taking his life.

  However, while the price was steep, it wasn't beyond his means.

  The goblin nodded. "Alright, I agree."

  Gorgin clapped his hands. "Welcome to be my second guest. I'm Gorgin, the chieftain of the tribe."

  The goblin relaxed his guard slightly. "Gerry, an alchemist from the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce. These jackals are my pets."

  After reaching an agreement, they made their way to the tribe.

  Everyone was in good spirits, except for the ogres who were disappointed about not getting to fight.

  Gorgin had gained a customer, the goblin had avoided a fight, and the jackals were spared from being crushed.

  To Gorgin's surprise, Gerry dragged out two bound men from the bushes.

  Just by their attire, he could tell they were unfortunate souls from the Blue Planet.

  He wondered what they'd endured to be captured by this goblin alchemist.

  Even native humans were not a powerful race in this world, let alone these Blue Planet arrivals.

  The two hapless individuals were tied above the waist, drooling incessantly and unable to speak.

  They'd likely been drugged by the alchemist.

  Tsk tsk tsk~

  Gorgin clicked his tongue in sympathy. What terrible luck.

  Then he dismissed them from his mind. Since he was a native, why concern himself?

  Upon returning to the tribe, night had fallen. The ogres dispersed, and Gerry and his pets were settled in the area where the orcs had previously camped.

  The bonfire was lit, and Gerry felt more at ease.

  "Hey! Gerry, I've got some clean, premium - quality water here. Interested?"

  Accompanied by a succubus from the House of Amorous Feelings, Gorgin approached with a bowl of water from the clear - water tank.

  Gerry looked over, initially puzzled, then his eyes widened in astonishment.

  "This, this, this..."

  "Is there really water this clean in the world???"

  If he used such pure water to concoct potions, their quality and potency would surely skyrocket!

  Gerry eyed the water greedily.

  As for drinking it...

  The thought of such wastefulness never crossed his mind.

  Moreover...

  Why was there a succubus in the ogre tribe?

  And she didn't seem the least bit afraid?

  This ogre tribe was full of enigmas.

  "Haha, this is premium - quality water I painstakingly refined. So, are you interested in buying?"

  Gerry's eyes lit up. "You're selling it?"

  Gorgin nodded.

  "Sure. For supplies worth five gold coins, you can get two cups of this water. What do you think?"

  Gerry's eyes widened in surprise.

  "Supplies worth five gold coins?!"

  He'd been prepared to haggle. If he'd had water of such high quality, he could have auctioned a single cup for over a hundred gold coins.

  But he hadn't expected the other party to be so reasonable.

  What did supplies worth five gold coins mean?

  In fact, it was a substantial amount.

  It could sustain a hundred poor people for half a year.

  But for an alchemist like him, it was negligible.

  The monthly cost for Gerry to hire a cyclops was ten gold coins.

  "Deal!"

  Gerry, who'd been wincing at the thought of paying half a gold coin for accommodation earlier, now agreed without hesitation.

  Value was the determining factor!