Chapter 8

In terms of actual price, all the guns Zhao Jian had wouldn't match the value of a single diamond.

However, to the local natives in East Africa, diamonds were just pretty stones that could neither be eaten to stave off hunger nor drunk to quench thirst. Although the Arabs and Persians who traded with them as early as the pre-Christian era had made the locals understand that these beautiful stones were very valuable, this value was relative.

After receiving the diamond, Zhao Jian handed over 50 rifles and 3,000 bullets to the head of the guards. It was only then that he learned that the guy who had been acting so arrogantly was actually the son of the chief. So Zhao Jian "freely" gave him a revolver and 150 bullets.

The other party played with the gun for a while, then suddenly pointed the muzzle at Zhao Jian's head, making the atmosphere on the scene tense. Zhao Jian was only slightly stunned, then said very calmly,

"Kill me, and there will be no more transactions."

The awkward silence lasted only a moment, and the young chief put away the gun. He hadn't expected Zhao Jian to respond like that and to be so calm in the face of a gun. This made him feel somewhat surprised. This muscular young black man, who didn't look like his father at all, smiled for the first time, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Kid, you've got guts. I like people with guts."

"My father was a soldier, so I might have inherited that. Anyway, thanks for the compliment."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Thus, Zhao Jian completed his first deal without any major issues. They left the valley amid the cheers and gunshots of the tribal people, which made Zhao Jian wonder if the bullets would last until they needed them.

"How was it? I did pretty well, right?"

Leaving the village gate, Zhao Jian loosened his collar and asked the others with a smug look. The bodyguards sent by Liang Guoxiong all gave him a thumbs up. In such a situation, most people wouldn't have been able to handle it, but the 12-year-old Zhao Jian dealt with it with ease, making them marvel at the difference in children from wealthy families.

Back with the mule team, Qin Heng saw Zhao Jian return laughing and chatting, and his heart, which had been in suspense, finally settled. Zhao Jian was now the only heir of the Zhao family's main line. Qin Heng was afraid something might happen to him, but now it seemed that Zhao Jian was not only fine but also had the potential to do great things in the future.

With the success of his first deal, subsequent sales went much smoother. In choosing his customers, Zhao Jian believed it was best to target small tribes that were under significant threat, as these customers were willing to pay a high price for weapons, and the British paid little attention to them. By the time the British discovered the guns, Zhao Jian would be back in China.

In the following two weeks, they sold 300 rifles to six tribes, exchanging for over 40 diamonds, the largest of which was the size of a pigeon's egg. Zhao Jian felt that just this one diamond, if properly polished and carved, could earn him the 5 million francs he owed at an auction.

"We're rich! I didn't expect the arms business to be so profitable!"

Calculating the days, there were still 25 days left until the deadline. Zhao Jian thought he should work harder to sell the remaining 150 rifles and earn enough to return home. Then he could take some to thank his godfather for helping him through this crisis.

"Sing, which tribe should we go to next?"

"If we look further, we'll have to head towards the Holy Mountain, where there are more small tribes."

The "Holy Mountain" Sing referred to was Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. In the eyes of the Tanzanians, it was once a mother mountain that brought them infinite vitality, but now it was turning into a "stepmother."

Once a dormant volcano covered in snow all year round, Mount Kilimanjaro was "activated" during the Jutland Space Battle when several large warships crashed nearby. Out of fear, the large tribes that lived there mostly moved away, leaving only some small, weak tribes.

"There's a volcano... Is it dangerous?"

"The one that suddenly spewed lava is 'Kibo.' We should be fine if we don't go near it."

"Why does the name of this volcano sound so weird..."

Following Sing's advice, Zhao Jian led the team with the last 150 rifles and 9 boxes of bullets to the northeast of Tanzania. To his surprise, the local intelligence network was much better than he had imagined. As soon as his mule team reached the foot of the mountain, people from five tribes came forward, expressing their willingness to buy guns.

"Master, how about we sell 30 rifles to each tribe and distribute them evenly?"

Qin Heng thought they should seize the opportunity to sell the remaining guns quickly and return home. Africa was too hot, and Tanzania was known for its "humid heat." Every day, they were drenched in sweat, making their armpits and crotches extremely uncomfortable. Qin Heng was afraid that if they stayed too long, Zhao Jian would be sunburned into a "black person."

"Um... That's a good idea. Sing, ask them if they agree."

After repeating Zhao Jian's words to the tribal representatives, they discussed it among themselves and all nodded in agreement. Unlike the small tribes in the central region, which were often pawns of the large tribes, the tribes in this area often helped each other, which is why they could come together for a "group buy."

However, these tribes were indeed very poor. Only four tribes could offer diamonds, and the quality and quantity were not good, with some even mixed with glass shards. The most bizarre was that one representative came empty-handed, hoping to exchange 30 rifles for a "secret."

"Brother, are you kidding me? Tell me your secret first, and I'll see if it's worth it."

Zhao Jian frowned at the tribal representative who only had a "secret." The other party looked around mysteriously, then leaned close to Zhao Jian's ear and whispered,

"Our chief said we can't say the secret until we get the guns."

"Alright! Let's call it a day, everyone. Let's go!"

"Oh!"

Seeing Zhao Jian turn to leave without hesitation, the bodyguards also lifted the boxes and followed. The tribal representative, named Lato, panicked, fell to his knees, and clung to Zhao Jian's waist, pleading for him to reconsider.

"Boss! Can we be friends?"

"Let go."

"Can I tell you the secret first?"

Seeing that the other party was finally willing to speak, Zhao Jian had the weapon boxes brought back and patted the two black arms around his waist, signaling the other party to let go and tell his secret.

"Go ahead. If the secret satisfies me, you can take all 30 rifles. If not, I'll give you 5 rifles to take back to your stingy chief. What do you think?"

"No problem, no problem, I'll tell you..."

It turned out that the secret was a hidden "treasure site"! The small tribe called "Kabara" lived at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, very close to the Kibo peak that spewed lava. At night, they could even see the red glow of the lava in the crater.

The chief originally planned to move the tribe, but the shaman said that their holy mountain was injured by "heavenly fire." To avoid being cursed for abandoning the mountain god, they had to stay and accompany the injured mountain god. Reluctantly, the tribe remained, living in fear near the volcano.

During this time, the tribe organized an expedition to send the shaman up the mountain to communicate with the mountain god. On their way, they discovered a new cave.

A metal ship had fallen from the sky, crashing through the mountain, and the wreckage was inside the cave. Out of respect for the holy mountain, the tribe members didn't dare to enter the cave, but the newly crowned chief, a rebellious young man, saw the cave's location as a valuable secret and wanted to use it to get guns from Zhao Jian.

After telling his secret, the tribal representative looked anxiously at Zhao Jian, who was deep in thought, unsure if he would agree. Zhao Jian, however, was thinking about another issue: whether selling "divine cores" would be risky.

If the other party wasn't lying and there really was a fallen warship in the cave, it was likely one of the 20 or so warships that sank during the Jutland Space Battle, and it would definitely have a divine core.

In that battle, both sides sank over 20 warships of various sizes, including 4 battlecruisers and 1 old German battleship. After the battle, the British only recovered 7 divine cores, and the rest were unaccounted for.

If Zhao Jian could get one and successfully bring it back to China, he wouldn't just be able to pay off his debt; he could even buy a tea plantation!

PS: Today, "Anti-China Hero, Japanese War Soul"... I, "Great Demon Evil," am broadcasting. I recommend a起点 (Qi Dian) fanfiction, "Qian Xuesen at the Magic High School." Not making fun of it would be a waste of my lost sense of propriety! 233!!!

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