Li Ban was actually familiar with the White Strait.
He had previously asked Zhu Yao for a map of the area.
Although Zhu Yao had only given him a topographical map of the vicinity, the White Strait was marked right on its edge.
Despite the name, however, it held no water. It was filled with clouds.
An unknown force had torn a rift through the continent, forming a massive canyon that stretched across the land.
Clouds and mist surged from the canyon, churning endlessly beneath the sheer cliffs like a vast white ocean. Because of this, the locals called it the White Strait.
Zhu Yao had told Li Ban that the red fruit forest lay across the White Strait, and it was a necessary stop on the way to the Northern Continent Rift.
For a camp to name itself Red Fruit Camp, it had to be one of the Recycling Station's more powerful factions.
In contrast, Cliffside Camp, Underwoods Camp, and Blue Sea Camp were situated on the edge of the Northern Continent, making them rather ordinary, minor factions.
"How... how could you—" After his initial shock passed, Lu Dong's expression shifted into indescribable rage. "The mutual trade between our three camps is a long-established rule! If Red Fruit Camp joins in—"
Weiqi stepped forward and grabbed Lu Dong's arm. "Brother Lu, don't get mad just yet. Hear me out."
"Actually, Red Fruit Camp crossed the White Strait and found Underwoods Camp first," Guo Kao added gently from the side.
"Even so, you still shouldn't have—"
Weiqi frowned, offering a helpless smile. "Brother Lu, Cliffside Camp and Underwoods Camp are about the same distance from the White Strait. Tell me, if Red Fruit Camp had approached Cliffside Camp first, would you have dared to refuse their trade request?"
"They were the ones who proposed the trade?" Lu Dong asked suspiciously.
"Of course. In fact, the representatives from Red Fruit Camp are still here. You'll see them once we head inside."
"If they're here, why didn't you tell us beforehand?"
Lu Dong looked at Li Ban.
Something completely unexpected had happened.
Although the Recycling Station had many camps, the general rule was that the closer a camp was to the edge of the continent, the weaker it would be.
The White Strait acted as the dividing line in that hierarchy.
That was why Zhu Yao's map ended abruptly at the White Strait.
Li Ban only knew a little about what lay across the strait because Zhu Yao had visited a few places there upon returning from her wanderings in the rift.
Li Ban took a step forward. "Did the people from Red Fruit Camp come just to trade? Did they instruct you to keep this a secret?"
The sudden appearance of Red Fruit Camp seemed to have flustered Lu Dong, who was used to a highly routine life.
Seeing this, Li Ban simply stepped up and took over the conversation.
"If they were only here to trade, there'd be no need to hide the news. Do they have another purpose for coming?"
"Of course there is no other purpose." A voice suddenly cut into the conversation between Li Ban and Weiqi.
A slender woman with a massive lizard tail walked out from the doors opposite them.
Another beastblood?
"The only reason we asked Underwoods Camp to keep this a temporary secret is because you camps on the continental border are far too conservative."
Her gaze swept over everyone from Cliffside Camp.
"If everyone's life remains completely unchanging, what's the point of continuing to live?"
Li Ban crossed his arms. "So you want to come here and call the shots?"
The lizard-tailed woman paused and narrowed her eyes, seemingly displeased by Li Ban's bluntness.
Lu Dong carefully tugged at Li Ban's sleeve, evidently afraid of offending the people from Red Fruit Camp so easily.
Weiqi hurried over to smooth things out. "Not at all, not at all! This is just a mutual exchange. Surviving in the Recycling Station is incredibly difficult; it's best if everyone helps each other out and shows some mutual understanding."
The lizard-tailed woman let out a soft chuckle. "Say that again once you have the resolve to move across the White Strait."
With that, she turned around and vanished behind the doors.
Seeing that the two sides weren't going to keep arguing, Weiqi finally breathed a sigh of relief, dramatically wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"Vice Captain Li, don't worry, this really is just a trade. Red Fruit Camp just didn't want the news of their arrival spreading, so we could only reveal their presence once everyone was inside. The specific trade details absolutely won't be forced on anyone, though, and you'll be allowed to go back and discuss them with your camp leader."
Lu Dong hurriedly asked, "Weiqi, what exactly is this trade?"
After so many years of peace, this sudden disruption left Lu Dong feeling incredibly uneasy.
"We'll have to wait until everyone goes inside and the people from Blue Sea Camp arrive before we explain it all at once."
Li Ban turned to the indecisive Lu Dong. "If you don't feel safe, we can leave right now."
Li Ban had already scanned their surroundings and hadn't noticed any obvious malice.
If Lu Dong had other concerns, Li Ban could just escort them out.
After all, this was Cliffside Camp's trade deal.
All he had to do was ensure the safety of the people and the goods.
Guo Kao stepped forward and nodded earnestly. "Please trust in the bonds our three camps have forged through years of watching out for one another. We absolutely won't harm everyone's interests. Our camp leader only agreed to gather the three of us to discuss this trade because he believed it was necessary. Even if Cliffside Camp has its concerns, please at least listen to the details of the trade before making a decision."
He first glanced at Li Ban, but finding him unmoved and seemingly uninterested in interfering, Guo Kao turned his attention to Lu Dong.
To his surprise, Lu Dong was also looking at Li Ban.
Noticing Lu Dong's gaze, Li Ban thought helplessly, I'm still half an outsider to your camp, so why are you looking at me? You want to finish this trade but you don't want to take any responsibility, is that it?
Not wanting to waste any more time here, he said, "Then let's go inside and take a look."
Weiqi instantly smiled. "Right this way, everyone. We've already prepared lunch."
Passing through the doors, they arrived in another hall. Tables and chairs were arranged in a circle inside, with a raised platform in the center that looked like a display stage.
The seating was clearly divided into four sections. Li Ban picked an area at random and sat down.
The others took their seats beside him one by one.
The driver and assistant parked the two tricycles behind them.
"Listen carefully to the trade details later," Li Ban said. "I don't know much about these things, nor do I understand the camp's situation as well as you do. After you hear them out, you can go back and relay it all to the camp leader. I won't handle anything else."
With that, Li Ban leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He had only decided to come inside and continue the trade because he didn't want to watch Lu Dong hesitate and waste time.
But Lu Dong was still the one responsible for the transaction.
After all, he had said it himself: never lightly interfere with other people's work, as it would only make them lazy.
"But this isn't a normal situation," Lu Dong muttered. Seeing that Li Ban's eyes were still shut, he had no choice but to sit there, wringing his hands.
Li Ban heard Zhu Yao, who was sitting directly behind him, let out a soft chuckle.
Meanwhile, Ed, sitting on his other side, just gripped his axe tightly, gazing curiously around this hall he had never been to before.
Aside from the three of them, everyone else in the squad was more or less nervous.
A powerful faction from afar had suddenly descended upon them, and nobody knew whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Yet, unfortunately, it wasn't up to them to decide.
Feeling a gaze on him, Li Ban opened his eyes again.
The lizard-tailed woman from earlier had returned, and two men were following behind her.
Both of these men had right arms that were much larger than their left, resembling the limbs of wild beasts.
Beastbloods? Li Ban thought. No, the partial beastification shown by beastbloods should be very balanced, like that Cat Girl. The beastly body parts on these guys look more like they were... grafted on.
Looking at it that way, the lizard tail might also be grafted on, rather than a manifestation of beastblood.
The three people from Red Fruit Camp took their seats in the section opposite Li Ban.
When the lizard-tailed woman sat down, she chose a stool without a backrest.
Otherwise, she would have had nowhere to put her massive tail.
She looked at Li Ban but quickly averted her gaze, seemingly unwilling to start a conflict before the trade.
Not long after, Weiqi and Guo Kao, who had been in charge of reception outside, came back in.
They brought in the final party involved in this trade.
The people from Blue Sea Camp.
"That guy who's over two meters tall is Blue Sea Camp's vice captain," Lu Dong leaned over to introduce them to Li Ban. "The other one with yellow hair is their trade officer."
The two-meter-tall man carried a giant sword on his back, while the yellow-haired trade officer wore a constant grin.
The two sides met each other's eyes but said nothing.
Cliffside Camp and Blue Sea Camp usually had some friction between them, but with an uninvited guest suddenly in the mix, neither side had the time to care about old grudges.
"Alright, all of our friends and guests have arrived." Weiqi trotted up to the high platform, turning his back to his own camp and bowing to the other three factions.
"I apologize for the sudden developments disrupting everyone's plans. To ease the mood, let's fill our stomachs first."
He clapped his hands, and several people entered through a small side door.
Carrying trays and cups, they served everyone wheat flatbread and clean water.
Li Ban picked up a piece of wheat flatbread, gave it a sniff, and finding no scent of rot, ate it straight away.
Seeing this, Ed stuffed his into his mouth without even bothering to smell it.
Across from them, the people of Red Fruit Camp didn't touch the food or water on their table, quietly waiting for the trade to begin.
Aside from them, everyone else—including the people from Underwoods Camp—ate and drank.
No one would ever waste food. This was a consensus among the three camps, an unspoken understanding they shared.
This only made the people from Red Fruit Camp look even more out of place.
The lizard-tailed woman frowned, seeming to realize something, and reluctantly picked up the wheat flatbread on the table to eat it.
As soon as she moved, the other two followed suit and ate their wheat flatbread as well.
Once everyone had finished eating, Weiqi happily stepped back onto the stage. "Originally, the next step would be the mutual trade between our three camps. But since our guests from Red Fruit Camp have traveled so far, as the hosts, our three camps should let them go first."
Before anyone else could speak, the lizard-tailed woman unceremoniously stood up and vaulted over the table onto the high platform.
Startled, Weiqi leaped a full meter to the side.
Standing below the stage, Guo Kao quickly pulled him down.
"My name is Shu Yu, and I come from Red Fruit Camp. We are here to make only one trade."
"Monster nests. We want all the monster nests in the Building Graveyard."
Li Ban abruptly looked up.