Chapter 49

In the barbecue restaurant where they first met Boss Qiaoda, Aolang and Shaji were discussing a very serious and important question—where to go for the first stop of their journey.

A large platter of barbecue and an old continent map lay before them.

"How about Dondorma? The largest city in the Old Continent, the center of economy and politics, and the Guild Headquarters is located there."

"Tangia Port feels pretty good too, meow. It's the most prosperous seaport in the southern part of the continent, meow, and not far in a straight line from Luokelake, meow."

"The Western Continent seems fine too, with natural landscapes completely different from the Great Desert."

"Isn't Guluombaomu pretty good too, meow? Mr. Sai'er operates in that city, meow."

"It doesn't have to be a big city; a smaller place works too? Like Pokke Village (Pocket Village) in the Frasia Great Snow Mountain. I've grown up this big and still haven't seen snow."

"I haven't either, meow. But if we suddenly jump from the southwest to the northeast of the continent, won't we be a bit unaccustomed to the climate, meow?"

"That's true..." Aolang nodded and crossed off the option of Pokke Village from his memo.

However, the remaining choices were still so numerous that the two of them felt dizzy.

"Hey you guys, have you never traveled far before?" Someone sat down at their table without invitation.

Aolang and Shaji both turned to look at the person; he was wearing a white chef's uniform, and his apron was covered in grease stains.

"Who are you, meow?" Shaji couldn't help but ask.

Aolang, however, had some impression of that face. He asked somewhat uncertainly, "Are you... Karim?"

"It's me, long time no see, little Hunter brother!" The youth in the chef's uniform bared his white teeth and smiled happily.

"You know each other, meow?" Shaji asked curiously.

"You could say so." Aolang nodded his chin. "During the assessment for becoming an Official Hunter, I met this Mr. Karim."

After briefly introducing both sides, Aolang looked at Karim. "By the way, Mr. Karim, aren't you a Traveling Merchant? How did you end up working as a Chef?"

The youth named Karim shrugged. "That time, to escape with my life, I threw away all my goods and lost everything, so I could only find a place to work and save up some money for now."

"Hey! Karim, where did you run off to slack off!" The boss's roar came from inside the kitchen.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I still have a while before I get off work. Don't rush to leave after eating; we'll chat in a bit!" After clasping his hands to apologize, Karim rushed to the kitchen. "Coming, boss! Communicating with customers is also part of doing business!"

"That's not your job as a Chef! Hurry up and add more wood; the fire in the stove is too small!"

"Got it!"

Aolang and Shaji looked at each other. After finishing the barbecue before them, they didn't dare to leave directly, since they hadn't refused Karim's suggestion to "chat in a bit" just now.

Plus, given the latter's identity as a Traveling Merchant, perhaps he really had some good suggestions regarding travel matters?

Fortunately, Karim didn't make them wait too long. About half an hour after the meal, Karim, covered in the smell of cooking fumes, ran out of the kitchen carrying a plate of pastries.

"Sorry, sorry, kept you waiting. Consider this on me!"

Karim plopped down, pushed the pastries in front of Aolang and the others, poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down, then wiped his mouth and asked, "Where were we just talking about?"

"Talking about how you lost everything and are working to save money, meow." Shaji looked at him and said.

"Uh, right... I've saved up enough over these past few months, so let's skip that topic." Karim gave a dry laugh. "I just happened to pass by and heard you guys talking about the destination problem. You're planning to go on a trip, right?"

"Mm." Aolang nodded in agreement.

"Choosing a destination is very important. First, you need to figure out what your purpose for traveling is.

For example, my purpose for traveling is to sell goods and make money, so I have to consider where my goods sell best, and also comprehensively consider costs along the way and such.

Once you choose the wrong destination, even if the journey goes smoothly, you might still lose everything.

So, why are you traveling?"

Aolang and Shaji exchanged a glance and tentatively said, "To gain experience and see the outside world?"

"Too broad! You need a clearer idea. For instance, if you want to improve your strength, you should go to places where Monsters gather. This example is just something I made up on the spot, after all, I don't understand Hunter matters.

In short! You must figure out your goal before selecting a destination!"

Feeling that what Karim said seemed quite reasonable, Aolang and Shaji began discussing in low voices.

For Aolang, improving his strength was indeed his primary goal.

However, Karim really didn't understand Hunter matters very well, because Hunters simply don't need to specifically look for places where Monsters gather. As long as you are willing to accept quests, there are endless Monsters to hunt all over the world; it's the same no matter where you go.

Therefore, he decided to leave the choice to Shaji.

After hesitating for a moment, Shaji tentatively said, "Could we find a place with relatively advanced industrial technology, meow? I want to learn more about Mechanisms and machinery, meow.

The industrial level in Luokelake is very ordinary, meow; I can only fiddle around blindly myself, meow. If I could find someone to ask for advice, that would be truly the best, meow."

"Is there a suitable place?" Aolang asked Karim.

Karim stroked his chin. "There are quite a few places with advanced industrial technology. To put it plainly, which large city has weak industrial strength?

Luokelake is a special case; the environment is unique and resources are scarce, so it can only develop tourism."

"So, it's better to choose among large cities, right?" Aolang looked at the map, pondering.

"Wait, not necessarily. Even if the industrial technology in large cities is advanced, you won't be able to access it. You can't just throw your Elu into a factory and let it tighten screws for half a year, can you?"

"Indeed..."

"Wait!" Karim snapped his fingers and said excitedly, "I know a place suitable for you, and the distance isn't too far. As a goal for your first long-distance trip, it couldn't be more perfect."

"Where, meow?" Shaji asked somewhat impatiently.

Karim pointed his finger at a location further north in the Desert region on the map and drew a circle. "Mobile City, Barubare!"

"Barubare, huh." Aolang pondered.

He naturally knew about this special city. After all, there were only a few human settlements of any scale in the Great Desert region, and Barubare was one of them.

The reason it was called special was that this so-called "city" had no fixed location.

It was a massive conglomerate composed of countless covered wagons and Sand Ships, migrating every so often; it was a "Mobile City" in the truest sense.

"Barubare is indeed a good choice. The straight-line distance isn't too far, the environment is easy to adapt to, and you can experience a cultural landscape completely different from here in Luokelake.

But why is this place suitable for Shaji? Barubare isn't an industrial city, is it? Isn't it a commercial city?"

"Little brother, your train of thought is off track." Karim pretended to be dissatisfied and criticized Aolang. "The little kitty wants to learn about machinery and Mechanisms, not to pursue the industrial city itself.

Barubare's industry may not be considered all that developed, but their mechanical technology is truly one-of-a-kind on the Old Continent. I've been there twice, and there are so many things that would absolutely blow your eyes out.

Houses that transform into covered wagons with the pull of a lever — you can see those everywhere in Barubare, and no two look the same.

Ultra-high-speed Airships with flames blasting from the stern, moving at more than triple the speed of an ordinary Airship — whoosh, and they're gone in a flash.

And the Hunter Gathering Hall over there can transform too — it can change into an enormous Sand Ship!"

Sha Ji listened, her eyes practically shining.

Aolang, reminded by Karim, also recalled something. "Come to think of it, the Transforming Weapons that only became popular in the last twenty or thirty years — the Slash Axe and the Shield Axe — if I remember right, they were originally developed by craftsmen over in Barubare.

How about it, Sha Ji? For the first stop of our journey, shall we choose Barubare?"

"Okay, meow!"