In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

The two appeared to be haggling over the purchase of imported pork.

However, Rhodes could roughly guess it.

The meat from Mondstadt refers to the bountiful bounty from the Order of the Fathers.

I don't know how much a palm-sized piece is, but it must be some kind of unit of measurement.

Five thousand moras is exactly what it sounds like.

As for the subsequent haggling, it was basically Ashel complaining about how troublesome it was to produce these goods, trying to give a reasonable explanation for raising the price.

This is not something Rod can interfere with.

All he could do was hand the purchase permit in his hand to Dixia in front of Ashel.

Aru Village has the privilege of purchasing the Fertile Delight.

There's no reason for smugglers to raise the price to be higher than what the Religious Council sells.

really.

Ashel's expression changed repeatedly when he saw the purchase permit.

"Since we have distinguished guests from Aru Village, why didn't Miss Dixia introduce us beforehand?"

Ashel's voice sounded much harsher than before.

"It was just a small matter, so I didn't mention it."

Dixia waved the purchase permit in her hand, without revealing Rhode's name.

"Humph--"

Ashel snorted coldly, not pressing for details, and simply announced a new price with a stern face: "Three thousand Mora."

Smugglers also have their own rules.

Anyway.

Rhodes was also a guest.

Even though I couldn't make a lot of money off him, a customer is a customer, and at most I just made a little less money.

As a businessman, any business that makes money is a good business, and there's no reason to have any unpleasantness with your customers.

Compare with previous quotes.

The price of 3,000 Mora has already dropped by 40%.

However, this amount is not something that Rod can afford at present.

Just as Dixia was about to take out her money to cover the cost.

Rhodes, standing beside her, said, "Mr. Ashel, I remember you just said that besides Mora, we can use other things to trade? I happen to have some good stuff on hand. Come and see if it's enough to exchange, how about it?"

talking.

Rhodes opened his pocket a crack and showed Ashel what was inside.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 14 Goodbye Tanette

What Rhodes showed Ashleigh.

It is a material called sand pupae resin.

This thing comes from a desert creature called the quicksand eel.

Previously, when Rhodes was wandering in the desert, he once hid in a breeding ground of quicksand eels to avoid a sandstorm. These sand pupae were dug out from that breeding ground at that time.

Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you.

A spicy and pungent spice can be extracted from it.

Although not as sought-after as the more intensely scented body fat obtained from giant sandworms, this spice remains a valuable and expensive commodity in the rainforest.

Rhodes knew that this thing was valuable.

He also owes a great deal to the Tanit tribe bandits who kidnapped him.

If they hadn't been showing off to each other while fiddling with sand pupae in their spare time, Rod would never have known that such an inconspicuous gray hard shell was so valuable.

This is what Rhodes jokingly refers to as his secret stash of money as a backup, hidden energy source.

Of course.

Despite their high value, sand pupa is also a prohibited item.

Apart from those designated by the Council of Religious Affairs, no one else is allowed to get involved in this business.

Those who violate this rule will be hunted down by a group of thirty.

In normal times.

Even in the tranquil village of Aru, Rhodes would never show these things to anyone.

However, there is no such concern when dealing with a smuggler who completely disregards the law.

Or.

It was precisely in order to sell these sand pupae that Rhodes specifically sent Desia to find Ashel.

And just as he had expected.

Upon seeing these rare sand pupae, Ashel's enthusiasm was immediately rekindled, and he instantly put on a radiant smile, even changing his way of addressing Rhodes: "Honorable guest, why didn't you say you had such a fine thing sooner? How many do you have? We can discuss the price."

"Not much, just this much. You can calculate the price and see how much pork we can buy," Rod said with a smile.

Ashel didn't rush to count the sand pupae in Rhodes's hand, but tilted his head and gestured, "This way, please, esteemed guest. Let's go somewhere else to settle our accounts. Miss Dixia, please come along too."

Contraband cannot be traded on the street.

It goes without saying that Rhodes already understood.

Dixia, who was standing to the side, did not show any objection. After hearing what Ashel said, she followed them.

She had just seen the sand pupae in Rod's pocket.

As a mercenary who made a living in the desert year-round, she naturally recognized this thing.

Therefore, she understood perfectly why Ashleigh wanted to change the location of the transaction.

As for the fact that Rhodes had sand silkworms, Dixia was not very surprised.

It's just a sandy fat pupa.

It's not a big deal.

Rod had spent some time in the desert, so it's normal for him to have this kind of stock.

The only thing that made Dixia somewhat resentful was that if Rhodes had said earlier that he had such a thing, her communication with Ashel would have been much easier.

But then she thought it was normal that Rod didn't tell her.

It's a secret.

Who doesn't?

Moreover, sand silkworm pupae are something that is explicitly stated in the Sumeru Law that prohibits private sale.

It would be inappropriate for Rhodes to casually reveal this matter.

After several rounds of bargaining...

With Dixia's help, the deal to exchange sand silkworms for abundant benefits was struck.

The sand pupae that Rod brought were exchanged for a small bag of bountiful benefits, plus more than four thousand moras in cash.

"Honorable guest, if you have this kind of goods again next time, please remember to come to me, Ashel, to trade."

Ashel was clearly overjoyed to have acquired the sand silkworm pupa. Even after Rhodes and Desia had walked away, he could still be seen waving goodbye from afar.

Having successfully purchased the Flourishing Harvest and also managed to save some money for himself, Rhodes was in high spirits, temporarily alleviating his financial crisis.

"I'll treat you to lunch today."

With money in his pocket, Rod became unusually generous.

Save your breath.

"You've made a little money, look how smug you are."

Dixia smiled and said, "Let me treat you today. This time it's a job from the Order of the Church, so the pay is quite good."

The task assigned to the Blazing Beast Hunter this time was simply to receive the goods.

These kinds of requests are called non-combat requests by mercenaries.

Typically, the rewards for these non-combat missions are much lower than those that require combat, such as crossing deserts or escorting caravans.

However, non-combat missions do not incur additional losses such as medical expenses, weapon expenditures, etc.

So even though the fee is much lower, the actual income is higher.

This is a type of commission that mercenary groups always compete for.

Rod stopped being polite with Desia and accepted her invitation with a smile.

He is indeed short of money right now.

It's better to use Mora where it's needed.

We chose a barbecue restaurant in the city for lunch.

The desert's dietary habits are very different from those of Rhodes' previous life.

Whether in rainforests or deserts, barbecue is always the first choice for a main meal.

Of course.

This does not mean that the daily diet of the Sumeru people consisted only of roasted meat.

Normally, the people of Sumeru eat like Dixia is now.

A kebab roll, a sabuz stew, a vegetable salad made with tau tuan peaches, mint and Sumi roses, plus white rice and yogurt porridge.