Chapter 14: Goodbye Tanit

Luo De showed Ashar the things he had.

It is a material called sand pupa fat.

This thing comes from a desert creature called the quicksand eel.

Earlier, when Luo De was wandering in the desert, to avoid a sandstorm he had burrowed into a breeding ground of quicksand eels; these sand fat pupae were what he dug up there at that time.

Don't look down on this thing just because it looks unimpressive.

From it, one can refine a spice with a pungent, stimulating flavor.

Although it is not as popular as the strongly scented body fat obtained from giant sand worms, this spice is still a high-priced hard currency in the rainforest region.

Luo De could tell this thing was valuable.

He also owed it to the Tanit tribe bandits who had kidnapped him earlier.

If it weren't for them idly playing with and showing off these sand fat pupae, Luo De truly wouldn't have known that this unassuming gray hard shell was worth so much.

This was also Luo De's jokingly called private stash of backup hidden energy.

Of course.

Sand fat pupae of such high value are also contraband.

Besides the Academy's designated collaborators, no one else may touch this business.

Violators will be hunted by the Thirty-Person Group.

Normally.

Even in the peaceful A Ru Cun, Luo De would absolutely not show these things to anyone else.

However, in front of a smuggler who completely disregards the law, there is no such hesitation.

Or rather.

It was precisely to sell these sand fat pupae that Luo De deliberately had Dixiya seek out Ashar.

And it was exactly as he had expected.

Upon first seeing these rare sand fat pupae, Ashar's enthusiasm was instantly rekindled, and he immediately broke into a brilliant smile, even changing his way of addressing Luo De: "Honored guest, you have such good stuff in your hand—why didn't you say so earlier? How much more do you have? We can talk about the price."

"Not much, just these. You calculate the price and see how much forest pork meat you can buy." Luo De said with a smile.

Ashar did not rush to count the sand fat pupae in Luo De's hand, but instead tilted his head and gestured: "Honored guest, please come this way; let's change locations to settle the account, and Miss Dixiya, please come along as well."

Contraband cannot be traded openly on the street.

This needs no saying; Luo De is also aware of it.

Dixiya beside them showed no sign of objection; after hearing Ashar's words, she followed them along.

She had also just seen the sand fat pupae in Luo De's pocket.

As a mercenary who makes a living year-round in the desert, she naturally recognizes this thing.

Therefore she clearly understood why Ashar wanted to change locations for the trade.

As for Luo De having sand fat pupae in his hand, Dixiya did not find it particularly surprising.

Just sand fat pupae.

It's not a big deal.

Luo De has spent some time scraping by in the desert, so having such a stockpile is quite normal.

The only thing that gave Dixiya some resentment was that Luo De had earlier said he had this stuff; her communication with Ashar just now would have been much easier.

But after thinking it over, she again felt it was quite normal for Luo De not to tell her.

It's a secret, after all.

Who doesn't have one?

Moreover, sand fat pupae are explicitly written in the Sumeru Law as items not allowed for private sale.

If Luo De were to casually blurt this out, it would actually be suspicious.

After several rounds of bargaining.

With Dixiya's help, the trade of sand fat pupae for Fertility Blessing was completed.

The sand fat pupae Luo De brought were exchanged in total for a small bag of Fertility Blessing, plus over four thousand Mora in cash.

"Honored guest, if you have this kind of goods again next time, please remember to come find me, Ashar, for the trade."

Ashar, who had traded for the sand fat pupae, was obviously very happy; even after Luo De and Dixiya walked far away, one could still see him waving from afar in the background.

Having successfully obtained Fertility Blessing and incidentally scraped together some savings, Luo De, whose economic crisis was temporarily eased, was in high spirits.

"I'll treat today's lunch."

Having money in his pocket, Luo De also uncharacteristically became generous.

"Cut it out."

"You've scraped together a bit of money, look at you getting all pleased with yourself."

Dixiya smiled and said: "Today I'll still treat; this time I took an order from the Academy, and the pay is still quite good."

This time the Blazing Light Hunting Beasts' commission was simply to receive the goods.

Such a commission is called a non-combat mission by mercenaries.

Normally, the pay for such a non-combat mission is much lower than that of tasks requiring crossing the desert or guarding caravans that involve combat.

But since a non-combat mission incurs no additional losses such as injury compensation, medicine, weapon expenses, etc.

So even though the pay is considerably lower, the actual profit obtained is somewhat higher.

This is also a mission that mercenary groups always compete to snatch up.

Luo De stopped exchanging pleasantries with Dixiya and simply laughed as he accepted her offer to treat.

Now he really is short on funds.

Mora is still better used where it is needed.

The lunch venue was chosen at a barbecue restaurant in the city.

The desert's eating habits are very different from Luo De's past life.

Whether in the rainforest area or the desert area, grilled meat is always the first choice for a main meal.

Of course.

This doesn't mean that the Sumeru people's daily diet consists only of grilled meat.

Normally, the Sumeru people eat meals like Dixiya is doing now.

A grilled meat roll, a serving of Sabtz stew, a vegetable salad made with chubby peaches, mint, and Sumeru roses, plus white rice and yogurt paste.

This is the standard Sumeru people's dining table.

Due to the climate, the rice yield in the Sumeru Rainforest Area is high, allowing two or even three harvests a year; this multi-season rice has long grains that feel hard when eaten and lacks a strong rice aroma.

Therefore, in Sumeru cuisine, many dishes require pouring the sauce over rice to compensate for this shortcoming.

For example, the Sabtz stew that Luo De is eating now.

This is a stew made by mixing various green vegetables and meat chunks; the broth is rich, the flavor is spicy and varied, with a hint of lemon juice acidity, making it very suitable for eating with rice.

Luo De and Dixiya are both martial artists with large appetites.

These two servings of meat and one vegetable are not enough for the two of them; Dixiya ordered two more stews, and only then did they barely manage to fill themselves.

And just as the two had eaten and drunk their fill, preparing to leave,

Luo De's gaze was drawn to a group of newcomers in the shop.

Judging by their clothing, which differs from that of the rainforest area, and their skin tone, which is darker than that of rainforest people,

they are a group of desert people.

There are six of them in total.

Leading them is a middle-aged man with an eight-character moustache and a straw hat.

Seeing the big and small bags behind them, it's clear they are itinerant merchants from the desert.

However, what caught Luo De's attention was not their identity as desert merchants, but because each of these people wore something Luo De knew all too well.

The emblem of the Tanit Tribe.

Just moments ago, Luo De had been chatting and laughing with Dixiya, but he suddenly clenched his fists and stared fixedly at those Tanit people who were ordering dishes.

(End of chapter)