Durin's Diary

Chapter 924 Year After Year

"Has anyone done business with this before?" Dulin asked, surprised.

Aren't all mutants supposed to be like madmen? How come there are people who don't even care about their lives?

"It's like trying to get something from a tiger. Those aliens are followers of the Lord of Secrets. They infiltrate the pass and use profits to lure merchants out through mountain paths to trade with them. The aliens don't know metallurgy, nor do they have good enough medicine. Metal ingots and medicines can be exchanged for very high-quality gold and silver ore from them, which is extremely profitable," the rat demon said. "These things are not a secret in Yumen Pass. That's why this kind of trade is a death sentence. If someone really does it, it must be kept secret."

Dulin nodded—that was true. As long as the profit was enough, he would sell out his own family, or even his ancestors. What was wrong with a business that could cost him his life? Could it really compare to three times or even more profit?

As for ore smelting, that's simple. Metal smelting in Changtang is incredibly easy. The refined gold and silver can be laundered simply by stuffing them into bulk commodities. This one-stop service is bound to attract people.

Perhaps larger chambers of commerce can handle the entire process themselves.

Dulin nodded and took out a box of pastries: "Please pass this small token of my appreciation on to your mother, wishing her a long and healthy life."

"Thank you, Your Highness Dulin." This rat demon was clearly a mortal. Although he couldn't tell what Dulin's box of pastries was made of, he still expressed his gratitude very sincerely.

Dulin got up to say goodbye first, and then walked to Xiangshu's side.

“This rat demon is very skilled. He is the owner of the largest mine in Yumen Pass. Before I came, the guards specifically mentioned him to me, saying that he had a past relationship with the Qian family.”

Upon seeing Dulin approach, Xiangshu immediately began to tell him everything she knew.

"I heard him say that Old Master Qian saved them, mother and son, back then. That's something to be acknowledged, right?" Du Lin asked with a smile.

Xiang Shu nodded: "The people of Changtang value loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. This rat demon is full of lies, but he has the virtue of righteousness. That's why I separated the child from the young woman. Otherwise, if the whole family ran away, the Imperial Guard would hold them accountable, and no one would be spared, not even me." Xiang Shu said.

Dulin nodded: "I understand, but as a mine owner, aren't you afraid that he'll do business with aliens?"

"He was on the Xenomorphs' kill list. In his early years, he worked as a spy, selling a large quantity of expired medicine to the Xenomorphs, which killed many of them."

After Xiang Shu's explanation, Du Lin understood—no wonder this guy was so insightful and had the audacity to say it out loud. He's a real expert who's actually been involved in the game; it's hard to believe.

No wonder the old man saw the problem but didn't point it out—it's not a big deal to give a favor to someone so loyal to Chang Tang and ask him to save someone who has been kind to him.

Since the accounts didn't match up, Dulin didn't bother with anything. The two Candle Dragons wandered around the camp for a while and eventually found a small canteen. Considering that this was the new recruits' assembly camp, Dulin was curious about the food in the west and decided to stay and see what it was like and try it out.

He said he wanted to stay, and Xiang Shu wanted to stay too.

So, not long after, the old man arrived.

"The cook here sent his young apprentice to the young general to complain, saying that two Zhulong wanted to eat simple food here. Young people are really ignorant. Now there are three." The old man sat down next to Du Lin as soon as he arrived. While taking the tea, he asked Du Lin, "I heard that you talked with the Su family's boy."

"Yes, he talked about a lot of things, including how Old Master Qian saved them, mother and son, back then." Du Lin said while cracking sunflower seeds, waiting for the cook, who was bustling around by the stove, to bring out the dishes.

"Things from years ago."

"I've heard Xiangshu mention it." "That's right. It's because this kid did a good job that I felt bad not giving him face. Young people who act as spies in their early years really risk their lives. If the patrol team found out and killed them, we could only cover them up with a national flag and let it go."

“I understand, and I get it.” Dulin certainly knew how terrifying this kind of work was.

"So we'll give him face. But if he really dares to release them, the people from the Imperial Guard will definitely not let him off the hook. I believe he's not that stupid. Paying them more wages so they can redeem themselves sooner is the right thing to do."

"He said that." Dulin repeated the rat demon's words to the old man.

The old man nodded repeatedly after listening: "That's right. Cases like withholding ingredients can be big or small. If it's big, the whole family will commit suicide; if it's small, it'll just be like this."

Damn, this is what you call a small-time swindler. The whole family was sent to a labor camp for criminals. In our time, embezzling some money for vegetables was not even worth mentioning.

Daju complained.

No, is there something strange or eerie where you live?

The two AIs started whispering and discussing something.

As Dulin listened, he looked towards the kitchen, where the chubby cat demon chef finally started taking things out of his stove.

Despite the simple meal, Du Lin was unsure of himself, especially since a girl who had never experienced hardship was sitting next to him.

Several kittens meowed as they brought out the food.

First, Dulin ordered noodles. The noodles here are quite different from those he had in his previous life in the south and northwest of Thailand. The noodles here are thick, but they have eggs, scallions, and even some dark reddish-brown shredded meat. They look pretty good.

However, considering that this old cat could cry to the general, this dish must have been given special treatment.

Well, this is probably the first time in his life that a cook in a recruit camp has seen three Candle Dragons sitting in front of him showing off their food.

Xiang Shu also ordered noodles, but she was stunned when she saw the huge bowl in front of her—look, she really is dumbfounded. This girl probably has never eaten rice in a bowl like this in the capital.

Thinking of this, Dulin looked at the main dish that had been served.

"It's mutton, and it's well-prepared." The old man grabbed a piece first: "This is the most hearty dish in the Yumen Pass area. It uses the fattest lambs from the pastures here, stewed in water until the meat is tender and the bones are soft. It's seasoned with salt and Sichuan peppercorns. The mutton is fatty but not greasy, and the meat is tender and smooth. You can dip it in salt and pepper or garlic vinegar. If you can handle it, you can also add raw onions to cut through the greasiness."

After saying that, the old man directly showed off a large piece of raw onion.

"It's been a long time since I've had such a hearty meal." After saying this, the old man looked at the cook and said, "Bring me a bowl of meat soup and two naan breads!"

Du Lin smiled and picked up his chopsticks: "You've already gotten used to this place. When you go back to the capital, you'll definitely find it very difficult to get used to."

"That's right. In the first two years after I went back, I became so thin that I looked like a ghost. Men from Beijing are all talk and no action. I'm so tired of the food there." The old man grumbled about it.

(End of this chapter)