Green Monster Epic

“You've spent a considerable amount of time on the grasslands, and I haven't really treated you to a proper meal. This time, it's my treat, so you can have a good taste of our grassland's roasted whole cow!”

Although centaurs generally resemble horses in form, their diet consists more of the countless animals and livestock on the grasslands. Fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce.

“Sounds good.”

A polite smile graced Allen's face. He wasn't sure of Ahmad's, the centaur general's, intentions in inviting him tonight. However, the other party was, after all, a Legend, backed by one of the three major royal clans of the grasslands. Allen hadn't had the opportunity to get close to him before, and now that the other party was actively courting him, Allen had no reason to refuse.

With Allen's advancement, the people and social strata he would come into contact with would inevitably change. This was an undeniable fact. Even though he was currently a lone commander on the grasslands, his status and power were different from what they had been during those years of struggling on the grasslands.

Ahmad's yurt wasn't far from Allen's. They chatted as they walked, and soon they could see the yurt's gray-brown dome.

Lifting the mosquito curtain of the yurt, they found another centaur reclining on a carpet inside. Seeing Allen and Ahmad enter, he slowly rose, greeting them with a smile.

“Let me guess, this must be Chief Allen. I didn't expect him to be so young. It makes me feel like I've wasted the last few decades of my life!”

The newcomer was not young, with a wisp of goatee beard turning white. He looked weathered, but also possessed a noble air, similar to the aura that Ahmad occasionally exuded.

Allen's gaze was open and honest. Although he didn't know who this stranger was, being so casual in Ahmad's yurt suggested a close relationship.

“Hello.”

“Allen, this is Metal, the Minister of Commerce from my Dayan Khanate court. He just arrived at our camp from the royal court with the logistics and supply team for inspection.”

Seeing his old friend being so casual, not even giving him time to introduce himself, Ahmad could only roll his eyes at him and introduce the centaur in front of Allen.

“Tsk, tsk, I came all this way to see you, and you're not even grateful. Instead, you're giving me a cold look. I'm offended!”

Metal, the middle-aged centaur minister, retorted to Ahmad's eye-roll on the spot, indicating that their relationship was indeed good.

After learning the other party's identity, a fleeting light flashed in Allen's eyes before dimming again. However, his expression became more solemn about the dinner.

Metal was a very skilled conversationalist. After they introduced themselves, he sat opposite Allen, chatting casually. While the three of them were chatting, the aroma of roasted meat wafted in from outside the yurt. Ahmad had ordered his men to prepare dinner for them.

“Chief Allen's Greenwood Tribe, I heard it's located in the far north of the wilderness, close to the Tagan Desert?”

Ever since Allen advanced and showed his face in front of many powerhouses, the location of his Greenwood Tribe had gradually emerged into the view of many interested people in the wilderness. Previously, he had finally obtained a letter of recommendation and displayed the name of the Greenwood Tribe to the world. However, apart from a few large tribes near the Greenwood Plain in the north, other tribes didn't have much interest in paying attention to an unofficial member tribe.

But when a Legend-level powerhouse appeared in the Greenwood Tribe, the situation changed. Generally speaking, an unofficial tribe in Mansa City had a population of no more than ten thousand. Any more than that, and the tribe would become a piece of fat in the eyes of other large tribes, and it would be time to divide it up. However, an unofficial tribe with a Legend-level powerhouse sitting in it at least had the ability to establish itself in the surrounding area and make other large tribes wary. A Legend was like a nuclear warhead, not a level that could be overcome by numbers alone.

“Yes, our tribe's territory is only a few hundred miles away from the Tagan Desert. Affected by it, the environment of the Greenwood Plain is not as fertile as the grasslands.”

Allen nodded slightly, not denying it. From the moment he decided to hang up the tribe's name in Mansa City, he knew that the existence of the tribe would be noticed one day.

“Then, I wonder if you have any specialties over there?”

A whole golden-roasted cow was brought into the yurt, instantly filling the spacious space with aroma, which dissipated through the skylight at the top of the yurt. Metal used a dagger to easily slice a piece of lean meat from the huge cow's leg and placed it on a plate, offering it to Allen in a friendly manner, but he didn't stop inquiring about the Greenwood Tribe.

“How could that broken place have anything good? There isn't even a valuable industry. Don't laugh at me, but our tribe's external economic income still relies on the children in the tribe going out to work and earn money!”

Allen shook his head, his expression rather embarrassed.

“Hahaha, Chief Allen is just being modest. I saw you running a small barbecue stall outside the barracks before, and the business was good!”

“I heard that the meat you barbecue also has the effect of helping to improve strength. That's really amazing!”

Metal's eyes were filled with envy as he took a piece of beef, took a big bite, and chewed it in his mouth.

On the other side, Ahmad, hearing this, also became interested and interjected, “That's true.”

“I had people carefully count it. About one-tenth of the wilderness warriors who ate your barbecue, Allen, have improved by one level.”

“Really?”

Metal looked incredulous upon hearing Ahmad's verification.

“Chief Allen, you have such a good thing, no wonder you can earn so many supplies!”

“I just wonder if it's possible to sell the recipe to outsiders?”

After some small talk, Allen finally heard the main point. He felt a little solemn in his heart, but his face showed no anger.

“This recipe is not a big secret. As long as someone spends some effort and time, they can eventually figure it out.”

When he took out this 'Blood and Fire' dish as a means of making money, Allen had already thought about the possibility of such a scenario appearing. He just didn't expect the people with ulterior motives to come so quickly.

Of course, Allen also had confidence that even if others roughly knew the main ingredients of his recipe, it would be impossible to truly research it without several years of effort. Moreover, without proficient cooking skills, even if the other party roughly figured out the recipe, the effect would definitely not be as good as what they had now.

When running the barbecue stall, Allen had more or less held back a few tricks. For example, among the materials used to develop the meat, various spices were only to make the food taste better. What really stimulated the energy of the abyssal flesh and produced incredible effects were a few magic potions ground into seasonings.

Moreover, when barbecuing, Allen discovered that the timing of the barbecue, as well as the addition of the medicine, etc., would have very different effects.

This was actually similar to magic potion refining and alchemy. The difference might just be that the effects and methods were slightly crude. After all, Allen was a pioneer in the Ferman world in using cooking to achieve alchemical effects.

“Is that so?”

After a flash of shrewdness in Metal's eyes, he became even more enthusiastic, lifting the wine pot beside him and pouring wine for Allen.

“Come, come, Chief Allen, try our grassland mare's milk wine. The taste is absolutely amazing!”

“…I wonder if Chief Allen can pass on this recipe to our Dayan Khanate court?”

“Of course, we will definitely not let Chief Allen suffer. If Chief Allen needs anything, just ask! Although my Dayan Khanate has been plagued by war in recent years, we still have some good things that can help Chief Allen.”

As he said this, Metal's eyes kept drifting towards Allen, with a hint of flirtatiousness in his eyes.

Allen, now a Legend, was indeed a bit shabby in his attire, at least not matching his status. The single-shoulder armor, full of battle scars, had the leather lining turned over, and the greatsword Bone Cleaver, which looked heavy but had a slightly rough and standardized style, didn't look like something that could instantly kill before.

As the Minister of Commerce, Metal's eyesight was naturally not bad. Therefore, after casually glancing at Allen a few times, he had roughly guessed the value of Allen's clothes and accessories. The only thing that could catch his eye might be the pair of dark-gold arm guards with intricate carvings on Allen's arms.

Therefore, when he made this suggestion, Metal was still somewhat confident, speculating that Allen should be tempted.

The barbecue made from the flesh of devils and demons, although not as effective as Allen's 'Blood and Fire,' was precisely superior in that it was relatively simple to make and the materials were not so difficult to collect. In this army camp of tens of thousands of people, the originally small probability of breakthrough was valued by people with ulterior motives because of the large number of soldiers in the army.

Among them, Ahmad, as the commander-in-chief of the army and a core member of the Dayan Khan tribe, with his broad vision, would naturally not miss such an important matter.

Then, the Minister of Commerce, Metal, arrived.

“This… … ”

A look of difficulty flashed in Allen's eyes. This simple barbecue, named 'Allen's Demon Barbecue' by Allen, contained more or less the direction of Allen's research on 'Allen's' cuisine over the years. If it were passed on, it might cause the leakage of magic cuisine.

'Allen's' cuisine was a name given by Allen to the cuisine that had the effect of assisting breakthroughs, distinguishing it from magic potions and alchemy. There would be many similar cuisines classified in it in the future. Allen's expectation was that when someone used his developed cuisine in the future, they would know his name. What a great thing!

“Chief Allen, in fact, in addition to precious equipment, our Dayan Khanate court can also open up strategic materials on the grasslands for trade with your tribe.”

Ahmad, who was beside Metaru, was more familiar with Allen's personality. He knew that for the goblin in front of him, improving individual strength was important, but what could move him more was a way to make his tribe stronger.

"Like warhorses, weapons…"

Ahmad's interjection immediately made Allen raise his head and scan back and forth across the two centaur faces.

"Of course, this also has conditions. I hope that if Chieftain Allen agrees to give us the recipe, it will not be leaked out again."

Seeing Allen's interest, Ahmad calmly and solemnly put forward their conditions in advance.

The three golden bloodlines of the grasslands suffered heavy losses in this series of battles, but when it comes to who suffered greater losses, it would be the Dayan Khan tribe.

Who told Dayan Khan's royal court to be closer to the human kingdom!

Whether it was the demons that swept in during the Spring Country Demon Rebellion, or the human coalition forces that suddenly launched a surprise attack on the wilderness, it was always the warriors of the Dayan Khan tribe who were the first to encounter the enemy. In these years, although the Dayan Khan royal court had also made countless profits from trade with humans during peacetime, they were ultimately lost in battles with humans and demons.

Compared to the Dayan Khan royal court, the other two brother bloodlines were having a much better time. The Borji royal court in the far north was initially the weakest of the three royal bloodlines, but now it has become the strongest of the three royal families. Although the territory of the Chahar royal court also borders the Rose Principality in part, that place is too remote and not a key target for demon and human coalition raids, and it is still considered stable and peaceful to this day.

The heavily damaged Dayan Khan royal court must find a way to accumulate strength, otherwise, after the war ends, disputes will inevitably arise again between the three major royal courts on the grasslands, and the current strength and territory of the Dayan Khan royal court will also face challenges and erosion from the other two major royal courts.

Although the Centaur Kingdom has always maintained a united front to the outside world, in reality, their internal entanglements and contradictions have never subsided. It's just that there is a Centaur God, Chiron, watching over them, so even if they take action, they won't make too much noise, otherwise, if they provoke the intervention of the gods, then everyone will be finished.

Now, after discovering that Allen's seemingly simple barbecue actually has the effect of assisting in improving the strength of warriors, anyone who isn't a fool will understand the great significance contained within.

Too many tribesmen died in battle, and the new generation of children also need time to grow up. How easy is it to re-accumulate strength!

However, the appearance of Allen's 'Devil's Barbecue' gave the Dayan Khan's high-level officials another hint. Since the population and warriors in the tribe cannot be increased for the time being, why not improve the strength of the existing warriors to indirectly enhance the overall strength of the tribe?

Seeing that this goblin sets up a stall to sell meat every day, and the value of the materials collected is not too expensive, that is to say, the materials for this recipe that he developed must not be too expensive, which just meets the needs of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people to use as a whole. If it were expensive materials, even the wealth of the Dayan Khan royal court for dozens of generations would probably not be able to meet such a demand.

"Hehe…"

Allen immediately made a decision, with a faint, cold smile on the corner of his mouth.

"That's definitely impossible!"

Everyone thought that Allen's research on barbecue in the army was just using the countless warriors in the camp as experimental subjects, but no one would have thought that this was actually a decision Allen made after careful consideration.

With Allen's cautious personality, how could he not know that dishes like 'Devil's' Barbecue, even if the effect is not so outstanding, will inevitably cause no small sensation and impact in the wilderness.

As long as they are rulers full of ambition, they will definitely be interested in the barbecue recipe Allen is currently making, and then turn their interest into action.

The people in the wilderness, when they fancy something, the first method they think of is definitely to use force to seize it, but this method has less room for operation now that Allen has advanced to the legendary level. Of course, if the effect of this recipe is a few percent stronger, then that's another matter.

It is precisely because Allen advanced to the legendary level that he would make the current choice, using the recipe he developed at this time as a bargaining chip to draw closer the relationship with other tribes in the wilderness, while seeking more benefits for the tribe and accelerating the tribe's development and growth.

The Green Field Plain is too barren. The efforts required to develop a tribe in that place are many times greater than in other suitable places. And those places with fertile land, more suitable for settlement and development, already have countless tribes living in them, and the surrounding powerful tribes are even more eyeing them, guarding against the rise of every surrounding tribe.

Of course, Allen himself is also reluctant to leave the Green Field Plain. After all, for the place where they are now living, Stone, A'Xiao and a group of young partners are sleeping here forever. If they give up now, doesn't that mean that the sacrifices of these partners have become useless?

Now that the tribe is only cooperating with Yarigon for a long time, it makes Allen feel a lot of pressure. The expenditure of about 3,000 gold coins per year has become a heavy burden simply because the Bramble Fort Noodle Restaurant has closed down, not to mention the future purchases of inheritance, various knowledge and magic equipment for the tribe.

This doesn't even include the replacement of Allen's own equipment. The contempt that flashed in the eyes of the centaur Metaru just now was seen by Allen.

Although the tribe has now reopened in Mansha City, it will probably take a long time to restore the thorny state of Bramble Fort. Then, Allen must find other sources of income in addition to this. This is something he has been planning for a long time, but unfortunately there has been no progress.

Until now, he pretended to experiment with his Devil's Barbecue, but in fact, he was showing the outside world the unique effect of the barbecue, in order to attract those powerful forces to come and talk to him about cooperation.

Allen is very clear that the Green Field Tribe has never had many bargaining chips to offer. The output in the plains, apart from the so-called delicacies, has nothing else. Iron ore, copper ore, and coal have always been worthless materials in the wilderness and cannot be exchanged for much money at all.

So, in the end, Allen still focused his attention on the Allen dishes he had researched.

"It's not that I'm trying to stir things up, but if my recipe is only given to Mr. Metaru and you, then may I ask, when the envoys of the Borji royal court and the Chahar royal court come to the door, how should I refuse them?"

"And there are other large tribes in the wilderness, all of whom I can't afford to offend. If they open their mouths, what should I say?"

"Well… you can completely push everything onto us!"

Metaru and Ahmad looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Even they themselves lacked confidence in the solution they finally gave.

That's right. If Allen refused Metaru and them, it would be fine. At least everyone would be on the same starting line, and no one would suffer. But if Allen made a deal with the Dayan Khan royal court, and then turned around and didn't make a deal with other forces, such a discriminatory attitude would be fine if the Dayan Khan tribe was strong, but Allen would have to endure the hostility of other forces. Even if the Dayan Khan tribe gave a good reward, it would not be worth it.

"Then I think, let's forget about it!"

Allen shook his head, politely refusing with a laugh.

"Thank you both for the hospitality tonight. Next time, I'll let you both try the delicacies I make myself."

Since he had made a refusal, Allen felt that there was no need to continue. He got up and was about to leave.

"Hey, Chieftain Allen, it's still early. Let's talk more!"

"Yes, let's talk more. Everything can be discussed."

Ahmad and Metaru were reluctant to let him go. Judging from Allen's meaning, he was actually willing to sell his recipe, so their hospitality tonight would not be in vain. Although there were some surprises, as long as they could get the recipe, everything else was acceptable.

With the two men's best efforts to persuade him, Allen was ultimately unable to bid farewell and leave. He was once again invited back to his seat by Ahmad and continued the previous conversation.

In fact, Allen had no intention of leaving in the first place. After setting up a barbecue stall in the army camp for more than a month, wasn't what Allen really wanted the scene in front of him!

The efficacy of 'Devil's' Barbecue is even worse than the 'Blood and Fire' dishes that Allen used to feed the tribe members in the village. After all, barbecue doesn't require too complicated production methods. This is also why Allen is willing to take it out as a bargaining chip to trade with other forces.

The truly more powerful 'Blood and Fire', and the new dishes that are further improved on this basis, are all still hidden in Allen's mind and will not be easily taken out to trade with outsiders. Of course, when the time is right, a dish like 'Blood and Fire' can also be taken out for trading.

It's just that, at that time, if you want to learn this recipe, you have to go to Green Lake Village and be taught slowly by Camellia and the others hand-by-hand.

Allen was kept in the yurt by Ahmad and the others. This discussion lasted for most of the night before the negotiation was finally completed.

The final result was that Allen could obtain one hundred pairs of fine breeding horses from Ahmad's tribe. At the same time, he could freely purchase a certain number of warhorses at the Dayan Khan royal court's exchange, but the price of the warhorses would not be discounted. Incidentally, the tribesmen of the Green Field Tribe could open noodle restaurants in the towns of the Dayan Khan royal court and receive the necessary protection from the royal court.

There was no way. If the recipe could not be exclusively enjoyed, Metaru and the others would not be able to give too much in return. After all, before long, other forces would be able to obtain this recipe from Allen.

In order to prevent the Dayan Khan tribe from playing tricks, the ingredients in the recipe that modulate and enhance the effect of the food must be temporarily provided by Allen. The secret will not be told to the Dayan Khan tribe in a short time. Otherwise, if the Dayan Khan tribe obtained the recipe and ran to trade with other tribes ahead of time, Allen's loss would be great.

Hurry up and update a chapter, lest someone overthink things…