After taking a moment to figure out which bag was which, I carefully opened the bag containing food, holding it open to show Elder Nuerak.

  "These are some of the foods native to our home," I said, reaching inside, pulling them out one by one. "This is an apple, a fruit grown on a tree. It is crisp and sweet, and eaten raw or baked inside a dough with sugar."

  Despite its picturesque appearance, it was important to remember that the Horizon world was post-apocalyptic, one that had once been worse off than the Fallout world. The had torn across the globe, consuming everything, leaving the planet a barren rock. Once it went dormant, the Earth was reseeded with life, leading to the ecosystem that currently existed.

  However, rather than replanting everything that existed before, they chose to modify almost everything. Some plants, like the raspberries we had eaten weeks ago, were similar enough to identify what they had been before. Others were entirely new, generally designed by the old ones to serve some sort of specific purpose. I had to assume the food was modified to be better in many ways, but that only meant what I had was new. Potentially more problematic to grow, more difficult to plant, and maybe inferior in taste, but definitely new, which would hopefully make them an impressive gift.

  I explained that the potatoes were tubers, grown deep underground, while the carrots were taproots that grew just at the surface. I explained the dozens of ways you could cook a potato and warned that leaving them in the sun would make them poisonous. I did the same with carrots, eventually explaining that you could replant the potatoes to grow more or plant the apple seeds to grow trees. The potatoes barely caught any attention, as they had a version of the tuber that was similar, so it wasn't as impressive. The carrots, on the other hand, were recognized for what they were, though they were apparently a different color from those they had harvested. The apples, on the other hand, were a huge hit, and they were eager to try them.

  While the apples were sliced and passed around, and I promised to bring more of them eventually, I brought out the next gift, the lamps. As I pulled them out, they were off, but I quickly turned one on, catching everyone's attention.

  "These are adjustable lights that run on an internal power source," I explained, before catching their confusion. "It will produce light for hundreds of years, with no need to fuel or anything."

  "Then it runs like the machines," Elder Nuerak guessed, and I made a so-so motion.

  "Even the machines need fuel and rest eventually," I explained. "This will not stop glowing, unless it's damaged."

  I cranked up the dial on the lamp, smiling as everyone's eyes went wide, most of them raising their arms to block the light.

  "A bright light with no fuel, heat, or machine," Elder Nuerak summarized, reaching to take one of the lamps, which I dimmed down a bit before passing to him. "These will be useful during the winter, when our stores of fuel are low. Or perhaps we could use them to light the front gate. Either way, thank you for your generosity."

  "You're very welcome. We also brought you these," I said, reaching into the bag to pull out one of the few lighters. "It's called a lighter, or a Zippo. If you have any blaze available, I could show you how it works."

  The Elder nodded, and a few moments later, a small container of the flammable liquid was brought out. I demonstrated how to open and fill the lighter. Once I had closed it up and wiped it down, ensuring it wouldn't burst into flames, I clicked the lighter open and flicked the wheel.

  The sparks danced from the flint, and almost instantly, a large dark orange flame, much bigger than one produced by lighter fluid, burst out from the coiled wick. It caught all of the tribal people off guard, and if I'm honest, the size of the flame also surprised me, though I managed to hide it.

  "Refilling them is easy, as is replacing the burning rope," I explained. "They are handy for starting fires, obviously, but also make a decent light source in a pinch, just don't leave the fire going for too long."

  Elder Nuerak reached out and took the lighter as I pulled out the others we had brought. It took him a few attempts to flick it properly, but eventually he got a large orange flame to burn. I showed him how to put it out by closing the lighter's cover or just blowing it out.

  "Again, thank you, these are interesting creations," he said, turning the lighter over in his hands. "Are they relics from the old ones?"

  "Yes, though we made sure that they are in good repair," I responded. "You don't have any issues with that, do you?"

  "No, we have no issues with using the relics of the old ones, though some prefer not to rely on them," He responded, still looking at the lighter. "Some tribes are very interested in what came before, and the many things the old ones left behind. We do not use much of their relics, as we find them unpredictable."

  "Understandable," I admitted with a nod. "These particular relics are hardy, but must be treated right to last for generations."

  "I will ensure they are treated well," he responded, nodding and looking back up at me. "Now you mentioned a drink, something fermented?"

  "Yes, a pair of alcoholic beverages," I responded with a smile, opening the last bag. "One is called vodka, overwhelming when drunk straight, but delicious if mixed with the right muddled berry or fruit. The second is called whiskey, which is also strong, but usually intended to be sipped on its own, to appreciate its complexity."

  I pulled out one glass bottle of each and placed them in front of the Elder. He seemed surprised and interested in the containers alone, and he managed to open them after a moment. He smelled each, nodding in apparent appreciation before pouring out a small portion of whiskey into two bowl-like cups. He passed me one, picking up the other.

  "To new friends," he said, standing as he raised the bow, giving me a nod.

  "To new friends," I agreed, raising my bowl as well, before sipping from it slowly, letting the whiskey flow over my tongue.

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  It burned, of course, but it was also actually pretty good as far as whiskeys went. I was far from a connoisseur, but I could detect several subtle flavors, including a hint of butter and vanilla.

  Surprisingly, the pre-war Fallout world made halfway decent whiskey.

  As I took the sip first, Elder followed suit, sipping the spirit without breaking a sweat. He nodded in appreciation before gesturing for more cups to be brought out. With the toast done, we both sat back down, while the drinks were spread out, poured for anyone who looked vaguely old enough to be a young adult. Various members of the group tried vodka, but had no issues with the usually harsh drink. After a few minutes, we got to try their version of alcohol, and I learned why they were so blase about the flavor. Their alcohol was incredibly harsh, seeming more like something you would use to remove a particularly harsh stain, not something you would drink.

  We all shared a laugh as a few of my soldiers had coughing fits after trying it. Thankfully, with the drinks spread out among a good chunk of the villagers, I didn't have to worry about my soldiers getting drunk.

  Once the drinks were finished, and the surrounding villagers had begun to disperse after the spectacle of shiny new things, we continued to talk, the conversation turning to what exactly we were doing here.

  "The gifts are appreciated, but do not think I do not see them for what they are. You seek a good impression on us, which implies a reason for seeking us out," Elder Nuerak stated, watching for my reaction. "Why have you traveled here? What are you looking to gain from approaching us?"

  "Well, there are many reasons. Trade is a big one, we thrive on the exchange of goods and currency," I responded, leaning back in my chair to hopefully foster a casual tone. "We are also simply explorers, curious travelers looking to find new and interesting things."

  "You search for the dwellings of the old ones," he said, cutting me off. "While we do not necessarily fear them, they are dangerous. Why do you seek them out?"

  I frowned, wondering how I should respond. I was attempting to be as truthful as possible, mostly because it would make explaining some things easier if we ever ended up having to reveal the whole truth. Unfortunately, we were starting to cross into a territory that would require me to lie. We weren't really over-interested in the old ones, though I wouldn't necessarily say no to poking around a few more intact ruins. That said, being explorers was the best cover we could have, combined with seeking traders.

  "Mostly curiosity, though some of them do contain bits of our ancestor's history, which is something we do like to learn," I said with a smile. "For example, did you know that our ancestors once walked on the moon?"

  "Walked on the- Surely that is a joke?" Elder Nuerak said, baffled by my words. "How would they reach it? It moves among the stars!"

  "It is considerably closer than you think," I explained with a smile. "They flew large crafts, sort of like dumb Machines, all the way to it, so that just a few individuals could walk on its surface."

  "By the spirits, why?" He asked, sounding unbelieving, with just a hint of wonder hiding behind his incredulity.

  "To say they did, and to learn more about it," I answered. "The old ones, as you call them, were often driven by curiosity."

  "...If what you say is the truth… it is fascinating, I will admit."

  "Our goals aren't as lofty," I assured him, shifting around on the wooden chair. "Our focus is meeting the locals, like your people, and working with you to trade and grow."

  "And you just happened to find yourself at our doors?" He asked.

  "In truth, we were encouraged to approach you by your son, Toando. When he approached us peacefully, offering words of wisdom about the nearby area, we took that as a sign that you wouldn't immediately treat us as hostile and shun us away," I explained, glancing at the still silent man, who was sitting next to his father. "If we hadn't met him, we might have approached one of the other nearby tribes, depending on who we found first."

  He frowned and nodded, his hand resting on a plate of metal woven into his clothes, tapping it as if it were a habit as he studied me and considered my words. After a long moment, he let out a long breath and nodded.

  "Very well, we will give you a chance to prove yourselves," He agreed with a nod. "Turning away possible friends and trade partners would be foolish, especially a group so… unique as yours."

  "I'm glad to hear it," I said with a nod and a smile. "I look forward to helping each other grow."

  Having passed some sort of test, perhaps seeing how much of my story he believed, Elder Nuerak was slightly more open to explaining the details of their village. We learned that they mostly gathered their food, though one of their neighbors was beginning to dabble in proper farming, rather than living off the specifically designed land of abundance around them. We also learn that the emissary had been correct. The local tribes did have a currency, and, in a funny twist of fate, it was caps.

  Not bottle caps, I didn't think any of them would have survived this long, unless the old ones made them out of tungsten. Instead, it was a specific part inside the zoomorphs, a metal cap meant to protect a flexible joint. It looked remarkably like a coin and came in two sizes. One was found in most small zoomorphs, usually one per pair of legs, and was the size of a quarter, while the larger one was about twice the size and were generally found on much larger zoomorphs, again, usually one per pair of legs.

  The conversion rate was one large cap to twenty small ones, which seemed steep until you considered that the large coins came from larger zoomorphs, which were considerably more dangerous to hunt.

  Thankfully, despite being literal caps, that's not what they were called, as that would have been a pain to differentiate. Instead, they were simply called coins, and they were used as currency by the majority of tribes and groups in the area, and beyond. I got the sense that this was not just a few tribes dotted around the Oakenrest, but rather a significant region around them.

  They were also not frequently used for trades inside individual tribes, as one small coin was worth a bit too much to trade for, say, a loaf of bread. Instead, they were used for inter tribal trades, as a way to allow tribes to purchase and make trades without having anything currently worth what they needed. This allowed a farming community to trade for tools without having to worry about timing it to the harvest. It was a handy little system, combining the best of both trade and barter with the convenience of currency.

  It also meant we would be able to barter with the tribes around us, using a currency that was compatible with our system. Now we just needed to see how much the coins were worth.

  I was wracking my brain, trying to think of how I could convince the Elder to give me a coin, so that I could test it on the HQ system and see how much it was worth, when Toando caught my attention.

  "Perhaps this might be the right time to correct a misjudgment of mine," Toando said, sounding apologetic. "When harvesting the machines that you killed, we noticed you had not taken their coins. We took them, assuming you wouldn't need them as distant travelers. As you have stuck around and voiced interest in trading, it is clear that that belief was mistaken."

  He pulled out a small leather sack and passed it over to me. Opening it up revealed a small pile of coins. Since it would be rude to try to count them all while sitting at the table, I simply closed the bag and nodded, looking up at Toando.

  "Thank you, in truth, I hadn't even considered the zoomorphs we had killed previously," I admitted. "But it certainly makes me feel much more optimistic about our future business."

  Toando nodded, and I slipped the bag into one of my side pouches, making sure it was well secured. When I was sure they wouldn't fall out, I focused back on the conversation and our hosts, determined to learn all that I could about them, eager to see what we could offer each other.