After Maxing out all Classes

Chapter 790: Simple negotiation

Following the Eagle Warriors, everyone entered the dense jungle.

This was the first time they truly entered a jungle, and it felt like stepping into a whole new realm.
There were tangled vines, strange and unheard-of plants, and mushrooms whose toxicity was unknown…

The Queen took a couple of steps and suddenly stopped, pointing at a plant.
She turned to the nearby Robb and asked, “Can we eat this? Is it delicious?”

Robb: “…”

The Queen: “Why aren't you saying anything? Give me a definite answer if it's edible.”
 

Robb covered his face with his hand.
“I advise you to be kind.”

The Queen hummed, “I'm just asking if this can be eaten.
How does that make me unkind?”

Robb pointed to the Eagle Warrior leading the way ahead and said, “He is worried and afraid about whether the townsmen can be rescued.
He is returning with reinforcements, filled with joy.
But here you are, thinking about food.
Can you still claim to be kind?”

The Queen couldn't be bothered to respond.
She took a few steps forward and pointed at another strange plant.
“Can we eat this? Is it good?”

Robb: “…”
 

There was nothing to say to this crazy woman.

Along the way, amidst the Queen's incessant inquiries about what can be eaten and what cannot, the group eventually arrived at a strange village.
The village appeared like an elven village, nestled deep within the forest, very environmentally friendly.

The village consisted of many huts made of branches and thatch, appearing so fragile that they could collapse with a gust of wind.

Many sentries guarded the outskirts of the village.
As soon as the group arrived, numerous Eagle Warriors with feathers in their hair emerged from trees and grass, aiming their bows and bamboo tubes at them.

The leading Eagle Warrior approached and spoke to the townsmen in a chattering manner.
The translator whispered to the Queen and Robb, “He is saying that we are friends and have come to help them drive away the people of Norma and rescue their tribe members.”

This speech had its effect.
Although the sentries remained cautious, they lowered their weapons and no longer aimed their arrows at the group, at least for now.

However, the sentries didn't allow them to enter the village.
After relaying a message, an old man with a large feathered hat came forward and stood before the Queen and Robb.

He seemed to be the chief of the tribe, and he spoke in the Maya language, “Are you willing to help us rescue our people?”

“Yes!” the translator quickly stepped forward.
“We come with sincerity to be your friends.”

The chief asked, “What do you want in return?”

As the leader of a tribe, he wasn't naive like common soldiers.
He wouldn't believe that others were helping him without any ulterior motives.
No leader would believe such foolishness.
If this group said anything about helping them selflessly for friendship, the chief would immediately refuse and prepare for a protracted battle with deceivers.

However, the Queen was not so foolish.
She had engaged in negotiations since she was young, more than most girls her age had eaten meals.
She understood that in such situations, being straightforward and clear was better.

“What we want are the special products from here,” the Queen spoke frankly.
“We want rare minerals, exotic plants, and…
your manpower.”

The chief's eyes filled with caution.
“So, you want to capture our people and make them work as laborers for you, just like the people of Norma?”

“No! We will compensate you for your work,” the queen said.
“Food! Plenty of food, and enough warm clothes for each and every one of you.
The more you work, the more you get; the less you work, the less you get.
I won't take advantage of you, but you shouldn't take advantage of us either.
We are here to make friends, not to find masters or slaves.
We won't give without receiving, but we won't take anything from you for free either.”

This response greatly satisfied the chief.
It sounded more sincere than empty words.
He found that this young white woman, although young, was capable and a good leader worth communicating with.
“Then I will temporarily believe in you.
If you help us rescue our people, you will gain our friendship.”

Next, they would enter into specific negotiations.

The chief began to gather the Eagle Warriors, preparing to join forces with the queen and attack the Kingdom of Norma’s mining site to save their people.

Meanwhile, Robb was idle, looking around aimlessly.
Although this village was poor, it still had some materials.
For example, there was a top-quality mammoth elephant skin hanging at the door of an Eagle Warrior's house, and one of the Eagle Warriors held a spear with a high-quality blackwood shaft…

They may be poor, but they seemed to have quite a few rare materials worth researching.

The only pity was that Robb didn't have a detailed map of this inland area; he only had a rough, large-scale map rather than a detailed one.

According to the game rules, skills to find minerals cannot be used on large-scale maps, only on detailed local maps.
So Robb couldn't engage in the activity of finding rare resources at the moment.
He could only wait for The Queen to establish diplomatic relations with the Maya people, gradually map out the area, and then start searching for minerals.

After a while, the Maya people assembled, with over 100 Eagle Warriors and 200 members of the Queen's personal guard, forming an army of more than 300 people.

The chief personally led the team, and the large group set off towards the northeast coast.

After a long journey, they arrived at a cliff.
The cliff was covered with dense jungle, making it a perfect hiding spot.
The chief climbed to a tree at the edge of the cliff, crouched down, and pointed below.
The Queen and Robb followed suit, crouching under the tree and looking down.

Below was a large mining site!

The people of the Kingdom of Norma had an earlier start in maritime activities compared to the Kingdom of Gran.
Their operations in the New World were evidently ahead of the Kingdom of Gran’s.
The scale of this mining site was truly immense.
The entire site was enclosed by wooden palisades.
At a glance, the queen could see four mining tunnels, surrounded by numerous buildings.

Norma’s soldiers were stationed on the walls surrounding the mining site, and there were likely many in the barracks as well.

A large number of Maya natives were being held captive by these soldiers, moving in and out of the tunnels, carrying ore by hand.

There were no small mine carts or any machinery; it was purely manual labor.
From a distance, Robb saw a young Maya child, around thirteen or fourteen years old, carrying a large basket of ore on his back.
He struggled to emerge from the tunnel, and a foreman, impatient with his slow pace, lashed him harshly with a whip, causing the child to let out a pitiful groan.