I Became The Chief Of A Primitive Village

Chapter 261, Playing Hard to Get

Translator: Silavin

More and more people gathered around, reaching twenty to thirty people now. It was quite different from when there were only two or three people initially passing by.

Da Gua watched the crowd intently from the side, ready to intervene immediately if anyone had ill intentions.

People in the crowd were pushing forward eagerly, afraid they might miss seeing the ceramic.

“Hey! Don’t push me! I haven’t seen them yet!”

“You’ve been looking for so long, why do you still need more time!?”

“Those who’ve already seen them should step aside. Let us look too! If you don’t want to trade, I do.”

“That’s right, I have many good things to trade for these ceramics. If you’re not interested, move aside.”

The crowd was chattering away. Everyone wanted to see what these ceramics looked like, as those who saw them first had highly praised them.

“Everyone, don’t push. Take your time. Those who genuinely want to trade for these ceramics can come forward. Those who just want to look can wait.” Mai Mang shouted.

He was exhausted from maintaining the order, as people kept jostling around. He was worried they might break the ceramics.

“How can we trade for these ceramics? I want one!” An adult from the crowd asked.

“Yes, I want to trade too.” Another person pushed forward, saying irritably, “Make way, I want to trade!”

“You’re not the only one who wants to trade! I want to as well! So, just wait your turn!” The person being pushed angrily responded.

“One ceramic piece for one bag of dried meat. If you want them, bring dried meat to trade for them. Dried meat will be used as the primary commodity to be traded.” Mai Mang said while using both hands to protect the ceramics.

The crowd was stunned at first, thinking one bag of dried meat for a piece was a bit expensive.

Those who had been pushing forward stopped and stood straight, staring at the ceramics in a daze.

Some who had seen the ceramics up close and touched them were already deeply impressed by them. They were not scared off by the price of one bag of dried meat. In fact, they thought it to be acceptable after some consideration.

Mai Mang noticed everyone’s different reactions and asked, “Who still wants them? Those who want them, bring us dried meat. Those who don’t can leave. Don’t crowd around too much, a ton of other people would like to see.”

He said this deliberately, implementing the strategy Su Bai had taught them before leaving.

Now, Mai Mang and his group understood the principle of playing hard to get. Only by appearing unconcerned about whether others wanted to trade and maintaining a calm demeanour would the other party become anxious.

“Let me look again. I didn’t bring that much dried meat with me today, what a shame…” Someone in the crowd backed off.

“Same here, my dried meat is for trading other things. I don’t have any extra to trade right now…” another person helplessly said.

Gradually, some onlookers moved to the side. It was not that they did not want the ceramics. The main reason was that they came from Small Tribes, and did not bring much dried meat. If they traded for these ceramic pieces, they would not be able to trade for other things.

Though some could not afford them, there were still many who could.

Most of them came from Mid or Large Tribes. Due to their size and resources, they naturally brought plenty of dried meat to the Spotted Deer Tribe to trade.

“I want to trade, give me one. I’ll take it back for our Shaman and Chieftain to see. They might like it.” Someone in the crowd said.

“I’ll trade for one too. One bag of dried meat, right? I can afford it.” Another person stated.

“I want two. I happened to bring lots of dried meat this time so I have plenty.” Some generous individuals in the crowd declared.

The special ceramics, along with their unique patterns, captivated them all. Their unique shapes, cool touch, and colours were things they had never seen before.

Currently, most Tribes primarily used stone bowls, with wooden bowls being rare because they were not simple to make, so only Large Tribes had wooden bowls.

Stone bowls were very heavy, and to match the capacity of ceramic bowls, they would be even heavier.

While Totem Warriors and Warrior Trainees could manage them, ordinary people would not be able to hold them with one hand. Using both hands would make it inconvenient to eat.

Thus, hardly anyone used stone bowls; most people put meat on leaves, which was a simpler method.

Wooden bowls were not accessible to ordinary people either, mostly used only by the Tribe’s Shamans, Chieftains, and other leaders. The rest all ate meat wrapped in leaves, not having the luxury of a bowl.

“Those who want to trade, bring me your dried meat. Hurry up. It will be first come first served.” Mai Mang called out. He deliberately shouted aloud. Although many thought one bag of dried meat for a piece of ceramic was a bit much, the crowd grew larger instead of smaller.

Even at that cost, many still wanted a piece. After all, they were light, convenient, and beautiful.

In this primitive age, having such nice items naturally made people eager, especially since the quantity was limited. This made them want to trade even more.

“Wait for me, I’m going to get it right away. I definitely want one.”  Someone in the crowd shouted.

“Me too, please save one for me.” Another person called out.

The original onlookers gradually left, hurrying away to get dried meat.

Mai Mang noticed more than half the crowd leaving and felt relieved. He roughly counted and realised the departing people would later purchase most of the ceramics they had.

Among those remaining, many were still hesitating, some debating whether to trade, while others were unable to afford it.

Mai Mang began wrapping the ceramic patterns in leaves one by one, calling out while wrapping, “You need to hurry. There are not many left.”

He wrapped all the chosen ceramic patterns in leaves to ensure they could be safely carried back. This was to prevent any breakage that would lead to complaints.

“I… I want one too!” Someone in the crowd finally decided.

“No problem, another one had an owner now. Only ten left. Hurry up if you want them, if those of the Spotted Deer Tribe sees them, they might take them all away.” Mai Mang said, patting his belly with a smile.

Originally their location had few people, but now, over a hundred had gathered.

These included people shopping at the Spotted Deer Market, vendors, and members of the Spotted Deer Tribe.

The growing crowd was due to the first batch of viewers spreading the word as they left, causing many more to come see what was happening.

Such situations were rare at the stalls, which usually attracted at most a dozen people. This was the first time a hundred people had gathered.

The first group who left to get dried meat all returned, and handed their dried meat to Mai Mang. After receiving advice on how to handle ceramics, they happily took theirs back with them.