The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 31 Henchmen and Treasure

Having gained his freedom, Tang Qi finally had the chance to fill his stomach.

He banged the rye bread in his hand against a panel of the truck several times.

Perhaps it's an occupational hazard, but I've gradually developed a simple rhythm pattern.

It wasn't until the black snake woke him from his dream that he managed to knock off a few small pieces of bread.

There's no other way; this kind of hard, baguette-shaped bread is the easiest travel food to store and carry here.

At least Catherine thoughtfully prepared plum wine, so it wouldn't get stuck in her throat and she wouldn't be able to swallow it.

"I'm kind of missing yesterday's fried pork cutlet."

The plum wine diluted the bitterness of the rye. He threw a piece of bread into Kulu's mouth and then fed it a sip of plum wine.

"Thanks……"

The dog-headed man's gratitude may not be very sincere.

More than anything, they were afraid that if they didn't say thank you, they wouldn't get any food.

When it was Black Snake's turn, after giving him a sip of wine, they found that he directly held the spout of the pot with his teeth and swallowed the entire bag of plum wine before letting out a burp.

"There are only three bags of wine, we should drink them sparingly." Tang Qi wasn't annoyed, he just sighed.

"Who cares? You can't expect a thug to follow the rules, can you?"

"Of course not, so you won't get a share of the next two bags of wine."

"You shouldn't have shared it with others in the first place."

The black snake leaned back against the cargo, its head tilted back.
"The worst thing you can do on an adventurous journey is to meddle in other people's business."

If doing good deeds brings good fortune, then you deserve it.

"If you run into a scoundrel like me, you're at a disadvantage."

Tang Qi shook his head:
"It's just a bag of wine, it's not a big loss. We can still buy more in Longjincheng."

Compared to how foolish you were a few days later when I saw your chapped lips begging me for a sip of wine.

This isn't a huge loss.

"I'm really curious, how did you grow that mouth of yours that always manages to hit people's sore spots?"

"I learned it from 'A Thousand and One Pages on Arguing with People'."

"Is it also a textbook for your college?"

"It will be."

"What do you mean?"

"Because I haven't written it yet."

"You're a fucking genius!"

The black snake admired his tongue, but also sneered at his ignorance.

"But don't think you can get Star Plum Wine just by looking for it."

Tang Qi then looked at the wooden crates filled with Xingmei in the camp truck not far away.

It contains not only Lord Mel's 'Radiant Star', but also surplus crops planted by the townspeople:
"I don't believe that with tons of goods imported every year, Longjincheng's Xingmei wine would be in short supply."

"We have the goods. But do you have the money?"

"Golden Oak plum wine can be bought for two copper coins. How much more expensive can it be in Dragon Gold City?"

"If it were really that cheap, would that swine really go to such lengths to hire a mercenary group to protect his caravan?"

Black Snake scoffed coldly, listing the expenses required to transport Star Plum once.

"Only the damp soil of the Dawn and Dusk Forest is suitable for growing these specialties."

To ensure the freshness of the fruit, in addition to the cost of mercenary escort, a spellcaster must be hired to protect it.

A scroll for [food preservation] can sell for as much as 50 gold coins.

The output of just one small town is far from meeting the needs of the entire Longjin City... after all, berries are loved by people.

All these factors combined can cause the price of Xingmei plums to increase dozens of times in Longjincheng.

The cost of plum wine made from these ingredients increases with quality.

Do you think you have enough money in your pocket to guarantee you can afford to drink a few sips of cheap plum wine?

Considering that a 300-kilogram Star Plum only costs 10 gold coins in Catherine's hands.

Tang Qi couldn't help but gasp with envy at the thought of how much profit Lord Mel could gain from this:

"No wonder so many people resonated with me when I sang that day..."

"Once you get to Dragon Gold City, you'll definitely miss how cheap Golden Oak was."

"It seems you've already started to miss it. It's just a pity you're destined to lose this job."

I wonder if the laws of Longjincheng will sentence you to slavery to compensate for the losses caused by your dereliction of duty?
That way you can at least go back to town and plant star plum trees.

Even so, Tang Qi was just joking.

The laws of Dragongold City do not entirely serve the nobility; compared to the Terran Empire, they are relatively fair.

Those like Black Snake, who abandon their posts without authorization, will likely pay sufficient compensation.

If they are not well-off, they will be imprisoned to serve their sentences and pay off their debts. But for Black Serpent, this would clearly be a waste of his talents.

"I'm more curious than that bullshit trial..."

Black Snake snorted coldly, stammering with an innocent air, completely losing his previous roguish demeanor.

"Hey, when did you and her become that close?"

The old man must be talking about Catherine.

Tang Qi wouldn't miss the chance to make fun of him:

"What, are you jealous?"

"Humph."

"Jealousy is useless; a slovenly old man can't win a girl's heart."

"I'm only forty-six."

"Then you just happen to be at a very awkward age, an age when nobody appreciates you—"

Among humans, you are an outdated, slovenly old man.

Among dwarves, you're just a little kid who hasn't even grown any hair yet.

Among elves… Good heavens, you're still a little baby.

"Go to hell with your rotten mouth."

The black snake kicked out.

Tang Qi felt his hair stand on end instantly and instinctively rolled to the other corner of the truck—

The black snake, on the contrary, was stunned.

I didn't even try.

Why is this kid reacting so strongly?

Tang Qi looked at the black snake with lingering fear, thinking that it truly lived up to its reputation as a high-level adventurer.

A seemingly casual kick was enough to make his 'alertness' take effect.

"Aren't you a little too timid?" the black snake teased.

"I……"

"Or perhaps he had already heard of your reputation long ago?"

Thanks to his occupational habit, Tang Qi is always very sensitive to a person's voice.

You can often discern a person's outward personality from their voice and tone.

For example, Black Snake's voice is always lazy and decadent, like a good-for-nothing who has been living in a daze for forty years and has accomplished nothing.

Bao Lang's voice was rough and impatient, with short pauses between words and almost no breaths.

Rising stars are always confident and loud, which is perhaps a common trait among young spellcasters:

"【The minions of the Sandalwood Forest】, right?"

Black Snake frowned: "This team wasn't this famous before it disbanded."

"Your fame will be established once it is discovered that you escaped alive from the Great Desert."

I heard that ten teams ventured deep into the desert, and you were the only ones to survive.

Everyone knows the "Great Desert" that Xinxing mentioned.

It was a wasteland that stretched across the middle of the continent, separating the western Tyran Empire from the eastern Lords' Alliance.

This is also why Tang Qi could not choose the inland areas and could only cross the continent from east to west by ship.

There are many theories about why this wasteland was formed.

Some say it was once a ruin of a battlefield where gods fought.

Some say that a forgotten kingdom once stood there.

Legendary tales always attract a constant stream of adventurers who venture deep into their world.

Yet very few people leave that wasteland alive.

So much so that the mere act of 'stepping out' is enough to be talked about with great interest.

The black snake kept its eyes tightly shut, showing little respect for the rising star.

"That's hardly evidence that you recognized me."

"Everyone says there's a 'venomous snake wielding a black scimitar' in that team. To be honest, I initially really thought you were the snake man."

"So you recognized me from the 'snake kiss' that was confiscated from me, and then what?"

Black Snake showed little interest.

"And then...I hope you can tell me—"

What treasures did you find in the great desert?

Xinxing moved closer and leaned against the truck's fence.

"I'm curious."

(End of this chapter)