Chapter 6

After selecting the house and confirming with Uncle An Pu, Luo De signed the contract with the landlord and obtained the keys.

Holding the contract, Luo De felt rather emotional.

In other parts of the desert, this is just a worthless scrap of paper, but in A Ru Cun the contract's validity is in no way inferior to that of the Contract Nation Liyue; as long as a contract is successfully signed, no one will dare to break it, otherwise they will provoke Kantisi's personal pursuit.

This also made Luo De realize once again what status the name Kantisi holds in A Ru Cun.

With the house chosen, the next step is to stock basic living supplies.

The furniture in this house is complete, and there is a ready-made well for drinking water; aside from needing a good cleaning due to long-term vacancy, it basically meets the conditions for moving in with just a bag.

And Luo De still needs to prepare the following.

Namely, firewood, rice, oil, salt, bedding, candles, and other daily necessities.

Under Dixiya's guidance, Luo De followed her to a grocery store.

"In A Ru Cun, the market runs for two days straight on the first and last day of each month, when merchants from the rainforest area and the desert area gather in the village central square to set up stalls, and there will be many good things for sale."

"It's not yet the date, so just make do for now."

After finishing talking about the market, Dixiya began to introduce the store in front of them: "This is Uncle Ba De's shop; you can buy whatever you lack from him in the future."

Compared to A Ru Cun, the goods in this shop can be described as dazzlingly varied.

Just

"Second-hand goods?"

Luo De casually picked up a basin and stared at the scratches on it.

There was more than one scratch.

It was obvious that this was an iron basin someone else had used.

"Well, these outside are all cheap used goods; the brand-new ones are inside, after all not everyone in the village can afford brand-new stuff."

Dixiya explained with a smile.

But this smile carried a hint of bitterness.

Even though A Ru Cun has abundant job opportunities and many merchants come to trade, most people's livelihoods, by Sumeru's standards, still fall below the poverty line.

Therefore, used goods from the rainforest area, as long as they are not severely damaged, remain many people's top choice in A Ru Cun.

There's no other reason.

Being cheap is enough.

For example, the basin Luo De is holding would sell for around five hundred Mora if new in A Ru Cun, but the used one costs only fifty Mora.

This price difference alone is enough for an ordinary household to acquire more goods.

Luo De also understood the situation after Dixiya finished speaking.

To be honest.

He actually doesn't really want second-hand items; it's a matter of personality, unrelated to anything else.

But after hesitating repeatedly, he still chose to pick from these items before him.

His purse is embarrassingly empty.

He has only that little money on hand.

If he bought everything new, he'd starve before his next month's salary.

"These rainforest people really are, uh, a bunch of profiteers."

After asking around about prices, Luo De muttered dissatisfiedly.

Brand-new goods are basically at least ten times the price of used ones.

It's obvious.

This is because the rainforest merchants know the desert doesn't produce these goods, so they sell them at high prices.

Daily necessities are no different; even the poorest households need to buy them.

The rainforest merchants have precisely grasped this point, exploiting it to reap huge profits from the desert area.

"There's nothing we can do."

"For such matters, Dixiya also feels helpless: "A Ru Cun's conditions are not bad; relying on hunting and business one can still earn money, at least basic food and warmth are guaranteed, but if one goes deeper into the desert,"

Saying that,

Dixiya stopped speaking, her complexion also grew much darker.

She comes from the desert.

Unlike those who leave the desert and never return, Dixiya has never felt any shame about being a desert person, and she has always been proud of her desert origins.

Thus, in Dixiya's heart, she has actually always hidden a wish—to send hope into this yellow-sand land, to do something for those desert people who struggle to survive.

Just a pity.

"Ah—"

Dixiya sighed heavily.

Luo De glanced at her, then immediately shook his head, neither asking nor saying anything else.

What is Dixiya worrying about?

Combining what they just said, it's actually already clear.

It's still that problem.

Academy.

This organization that holds real power over Sumeru.

Although the whole of Sumeru is under the Dendro Archon's rule, the Academy has never recognized that desert people have equal rights with it.

Or perhaps.

They simply don't regard desert people as human.

Take A Ru Cun as an example.

As the gateway linking the desert and rainforest regions, A Ru Cun, which occupies such an important geographical position, enjoys only one privilege: the pass document issued by the Academy in their hands, so they need not, like other desert folk, go to the Academy Official for approval before entering the rainforest region when going to the city.

And this special treatment.

It is also because A Ru Cun produced a Grand Discipline Officer.

The Academy, maintaining the attitude of not looking at the monk's face but at the Buddha's, therefore granted this privilege to A Ru Cun as if giving alms.

Moreover, A Ru Cun is also a place where the Academy specifically exiles prisoners, just like the bitter cold land called Ningguta in Luo De's previous life.

However, Luo De could not interject in the affairs of the Sumeru people, nor could he voice any opinion; he could only comfort Dixiya, saying, 'Things will always get better.'

"Sigh——"

Upon hearing Luo De's words, Dixiya's mood not only did not improve, but she sighed heavily again.

The atmosphere became a little gloomy.

Fortunately.

Such an atmosphere did not last long; Dixiya soon perked up and continued helping Luo De pick out essential daily supplies.

In a short while.

Luo De's needed items were all bought; at checkout, he spent a total of over seven hundred Mora in small amounts, using up one-third of his savings at once.

Luo De bought quite a lot of goods, and Uncle Bade, who had made a business out of it, enthusiastically offered a handcart, letting Luo De load his items onto it and push them back, to return it later.

On the way back, Luo De also picked up some seasonings and ingredients.

Just like that.

When Luo De returned to his rented lodgings again, his money was already half gone.

"Stay for lunch."

"I'll cook."

Luo De glanced at Dixiya, who was wiping sweat, and invited her with a smile.

"You can cook too? I couldn't tell."

Dixiya was somewhat surprised, as if seeing something novel, she carefully looked Luo De over and chuckled, 'Sure, hey, free food—why not eat it?'

(End of chapter)