Chapter 44: The Varin Tribe

Before Jin Lingling could react, Lin Qi pushed her forward.

On that path, there were many traces left from the last battle. There was the armor of the Holy Knights littered in one area. It seemed that the battle was very fierce.

Then, the little Varin girl ran to one side. Lin Qi and Jin Lingling were curious. After looking at each other, they followed her.

The little girl ran into a hidden area in the forest. There were many tents there and they looked very old. It seemed that they had found the Varin tribe encampment.

When the war ended, there were still many Varin tribe members who survived. The empire had issued an order to exterminate their tribe so they could only settle by hiding in the Terrifying Mountains.

They were stunned. The little girl ran into one of the tents. Then, two Varin tribe elders walked out. When they saw Lin Qi, they were shocked.

“Looks like we’re in trouble!” Lin Qi spoke quickly.

Jin Lingling could tell that the Varin tribe members were not happy with their arrival.

“Master, what should we do? Should we run?”

“Wait a moment, I don’t think they have any ill intentions…”

The two Varin tribe elders shouted. Then, the Varin tribe members came from all directions. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Lin Qi and Jin Lingling.

“It seems that we have lost the chance to escape now.”

Lin Qi recalled what Yu Meng had said. Varin tribe members were all bloodthirsty and would kill instinctively.

“Who are you? Why have you trespassed into our territory?”

The Varin tribe leader questioned.

Lin Qi exhaled and was slightly relieved.

‘It seems that we can still communicate.’

Then, Lin Qi began explaining to the Varin tribe leader. The little girl also helped Lin Qi by saying something which made the leader lower his weapon.

“I see. You are here looking to obtain five-star magic essence, correct?”

Lin Qi nodded. “That’s right. We don’t mean any harm. Moreover, I’m not really from the empire, so I don’t know much about your situation. I’m very sorry!”

After hearing Lin Qi’s words, the tribe leader waved his hand and said, “The people of the empire are the enemies of our tribe!”

Seeing the tribe leader’s expression becoming more serious, Lin Qi could not help but feel worried.

He was currently participating in the trial, but the trial was a mission from the empire. He could not afford to make any mistakes. However, if they were aware of that, his life would be in danger.

One had to know that the Varin tribe’s combat strength was a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, they would not be able to protect their territory and defend themselves against enemies.

Following that, Lin Qi’s expression changed slightly. He took a deep breath and said, “Actually, we are also from a nearby village. It’s just that we are looking for a five-star magic essence to help a patient.”

“A patient? But as far as I know, a five-star demonic beast’s magic essence could not be eaten. How can it be used to treat illnesses?”

Jin Lingling leaned close to Lin Qi’s ear and whispered, “Master, you need to make up a better excuse!”

Lin Qi did not back down. He raised his head and said confidently, “You’re mistaken, five-star magic essence can be edible using a certain cooking method, but only I know it.”

The tribe leader’s expression grew to be more and more confused. Looking at Lin Qi and Jin Lingling’s clothes, he could tell that they came from the city.

“Why should we believe you?”

That sentence caused Lin Qi to tense up. He took a deep breath and realized that it was difficult for him to continue making things up.

At that moment, he looked through the system for recipes from the Varin tribe. Indeed, the system displayed a few dishes favored by the Varins.

Lin Qi instantly beamed and patiently said to the tribe leader, “I’m from a village near the foot of the mountain. My father used to come up to communicate with your people.”

“Is this true?”

“Of course. My father could also cook the delicacies of your tribe. Coincidentally, I can do it too. If you don’t believe me, I can cook it for you right here. That way, you will know whether I’m telling the truth or not!”

The tribe leader nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll give you a chance!”

Then, the tribe leader ordered a few strong young tribesmen to search for ingredients while Lin Qi and Jin Lingling waited at the cooking area.

During that process, Jin Lingling became nervous. She rubbed Lin Qi’s shoulder and asked, “Master, do you really know how to cook the Varin tribe’s dishes? If your plan fails, these people won’t let us go!”

“What are you panicking for? I’m here, I guarantee you’ll be fine!”

About 15 minutes later, the Varin tribe had prepared all the ingredients they needed. The tribe leader ordered all the tribe members to be on guard. Obviously, he did not want them to use that opportunity to slip away.

Lin Qi stood up and looked at the ingredients. At that moment, he did not dare to use the system because it could easily give him away so he had to cook manually.

Fortunately, the system provided the recipes. As long as he cooked according to the recipe, there would be no issues!

Lin Qi asked for a big pot and proceeded to put the corresponding ingredients into it according to the recipe. Then, he went to find some dry wood. Just as he was about to build a fire, Jin Lingling lifted her finger to light it using fire magic.

Seeing that, Lin Qi immediately stopped her and said in a low voice, “Don’t use magic. They are watching us intently. If you do, you might be regarded as a member of the empire.”

Jin Lingling held her breath. Her eyes flickered, and she looked extremely uneasy. Fortunately, Lin Qi stopped her, or else she would have been exposed.

While he was worried about the fire, Lin Qi found that the tribe leader and the others had already prepared tools for it. They had put two stones next to the ingredients, which should be flintstones.

Lin Qi picked up the two flintstones and placed them in the dry firewood that he had prepared. He rubbed them with force.

Bang!

Instantly, the spark of fire started to expand and spread.

In just a short while, they had lit the fire. That way, the tribe members would not doubt whether they knew magic, and would not assume them to be from the empire.

After half an hour of cooking with Lin Qi as the head chef and Jin Lingling as his assistant, the two of them finally created a pot of soup.

The dishes of the Varin tribe were actually no different from ordinary dishes. However, because the Varin tribe lived in the mountains, the ingredients used were all gathered from there, therefore, they liked to put all the ingredients into the cooking pot and cook them in one go.

“Done!”