Chapter 50: Departure!

"Since the destination is decided, the next step is to consider the mode of travel." After Shaji finished cheering, Karim raised another key question, "Have you thought about how to travel?"

"This has indeed been considered." Aolang nodded, "There are only a few ways for long-distance travel: walking, airship, or sand ship."

"Airships are convenient but far too expensive, and they might cause one to lose much of the joy of the journey. Sand ships are only suitable for the Sand Sea and cannot leave the Great Desert."

"Plus, Barubare is not too far away. I think walking should be the more suitable choice."

"That statement is not wrong." Karim nodded and said, "Walking has the lowest cost and is the most flexible. If there is a real need to use transportation in the future, there is no need to worry about how to deal with the original mode of transport."

"However, crossing the desert on foot alone is still somewhat difficult. Many supplies need to be prepared, and the route and itinerary must be carefully planned to ensure an Oasis can be found for supplies before the fresh water runs out."

"Indeed." Aolang nodded.

As someone of Sand Nomad origin, he naturally understood the hardships involved, which is why he appeared somewhat hesitant when answering this question.

"But I have a good idea!" Karim grinned, showing his teeth, "Go find a Caravan!"

"When Caravans cross the desert, they are often attacked by monsters like Yellow Velocidrome and Sand Dragons. Therefore, slightly larger Caravans will hire Hunters as guards."

"Forget about the Caravans of those big Merchant Guilds; they all have fixed cooperating Hunters and do not like outsiders joining."

"Smaller Caravans are easier to talk to. To save money, they sometimes cannot afford to hire Hunters for full escort. If a Hunter wants to travel with them, they will be very willing."

"Caravans have herbivorous dragons, camels, and other livestock that can carry large amounts of supplies, so the choice of route will be much more flexible."

Aolang felt tempted. Compared to walking alone, the safety and comfort of moving as a group in the Great Desert were much higher.

"Do you know a suitable Caravan that can help introduce us?" Aolang asked Karim.

Karim scratched his head, "I do know a Caravan, but I've been working in Luokelake for these few months, so I don't know the schedules of those Caravans."

"I'll go ask around for you. Remember not to tell them yet that you also plan to go to Barubare along the way. Let them post a commission at the Guild; that way, there should be an extra guard reward."

"That really troubles you." Aolang placed both hands on his thighs, lowered his body slightly, and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

With the other party helping so enthusiastically, he felt a bit embarrassed.

"No problem! Maybe I can even benefit from you guys."

Karim smiled happily, "I've saved up some money these few months. I should probably restart my journey as a Traveling Merchant. If you choose to go to Barubare..."

"Hmm, there really is some business to be done in Barubare this season. Maybe I can apply for a Chef position with the Caravan you choose, and we can look out for each other along the way."

Speaking of this, Karim patted his chest with some fear, "I really don't want to encounter monsters again and have to abandon my goods to escape, losing everything."

Aolang also showed a smile on his face.

His relationship with Karim was not yet close enough for one party to give unconditionally to the other. If Karim were helping him unilaterally, he would feel awkward and even suspicious.

But since the other party could also gain convenience in the process of helping him, he felt much more at ease.

Karim was a person with high action efficiency. The next day, he dragged a middle-aged Merchant who looked over forty to the Assembly Hall Tavern to meet Aolang.

From what they said, this Caravan leader originally wanted to save some money and take a risk, not planning to hire Hunters for guard duty. But Karim persuaded him to find one, saying he could introduce a cost-effective and reliable Hunter and so on.

When meeting Aolang, he put on an act of "Ah! What a coincidence you're here too! Let me introduce you!" which made Aolang's eye twitch.

The mouth of a Merchant...

However, the cautious him also kept a bit of thought, mentioning this matter to Guild Master Little Beard in advance.

Just as Guild Master Little Beard, who happened to be idle, strolled over, the middle-aged Merchant became visibly nervous upon seeing the little old man.

Guild Masters of Guilds in various places are mostly retired Hunters, but this Guild Master Little Beard was different. Before becoming the Guild Master of Luokelake Guild, he was a very famous big Merchant.

Luokelake's current prosperity can be said to be half his credit. This made him, who had little authority in front of Hunters, possess extremely high prestige among the Merchant group.

There were countless Merchants who viewed him as an idol. Judging by Karim's posture with his hands not knowing where to put them, he was probably one of them.

With Guild Master Little Beard helping to keep an eye on things, the signing of the guard commission went very smoothly.

From the Caravan leader's perspective, he hired a reliable Two-Star Hunter certified by the Guild Master at a reasonably affordable price.

From Aolang's perspective, he found a Caravan to hitch a ride with and could also earn a guard reward.

From Karim's perspective, he obtained the idol's signature.

A win-win-win!

After signing the guard commission with the Caravan, the travel date was set: in two days.

Aolang went a day in advance to say goodbye to acquaintances and friends, asking everyone not to see them off. Otherwise, being surrounded by a group of people giving him instructions before departure would make him look inexperienced, which was quite awkward.

Karim also joined the Caravan as a Chef, just as he had said before.

This Caravan was not too large in scale, but not small either. There were over ten people, six herbivorous dragons pulling sand sleds, and over ten camels. Lined up, they stretched for dozens of meters.

Who knew how he negotiated with the Caravan leader, but the latter allowed him to bring goods equivalent to one camel, which made Karim very excited.

The benefit of becoming a member of a Caravan is that food, water, and other supplies along the way are provided by the Caravan. This part costs little money but can reduce a lot of load, allowing one to bring much more goods.

In this way, if he could arrive in Barubare smoothly, he was confident he could double his startup capital.

The same applied to Aolang and Shaji as Caravan guards. Their personal luggage was not much to begin with, considered traveling light, so they could be more relaxed along the way.

In the blink of an eye, the day of departure had arrived.

Before dawn, Aolang brought Shaji to the city exit to assemble with the other members of the Caravan.

Karim arrived even earlier than them. Besides the goods of one camel, he carried a huge, bulging backpack on his back.

Aolang said with some amusement, "You don't seem to be carrying less than a camel."

"Hard work brings more profit!" Karim grinned, "And most of what's in this backpack isn't goods, but ingredients."

"Since I am the Caravan's Chef, we can't eat too poorly along the way!"

Hearing the other party say this, Aolang couldn't help but recall that night when they were trapped by the Subterranean Mouth Dragon. Karim had treated him to fried bacon, and his heart couldn't help but look forward to it.

All personnel were present, and the goods were neatly stacked on the sand sleds and the backs of the livestock. All preparations for departure were complete.

"Let's go!" the Caravan leader shouted loudly.

Just as the convoy was about to set off, several people wearing Citadel Guerrilla Team Uniforms suddenly stopped the convoy. "Wait a moment! Random inspection!"

"Ah?" the Caravan leader ran over nervously.

Is there such a thing as a random inspection? Is it a new regulation? Or are they deliberately causing trouble for some reason?

Only Aolang's cheek twitched, and Shaji's whiskers trembled twice; they knew those guys well.

Nuri walked through the caravan with a serious face, while Asa and Resha worked together to pry open the mouth of a herbivorous dragon, unsure whether they were checking for cavities or doing something else.

In just over a minute, this inexplicable inspection came to a hasty end.

The caravan leader was utterly baffled; how could one inspect like this? Judging by their demeanor, they seemed less like troublemakers and more like they were just teasing them...

"No problems," Nuri nodded to the caravan leader, then glanced back at Aolang and Shaji in the caravan, a slight smile appearing on his serious face.

"Let's go; we'll escort you for a while."