Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Generally speaking, those treasure-hunting gangs that like to rob people will choose to avoid him if they see that he has the Eye of God on him.

After all, those who possess the Eye of God can use elemental power, and their strength is unknown. Rashly robbing them could very well lead to being trapped.

It turns out that these mercenaries from Sumeru don't seem to have any sense of right from wrong.

He's so obviously displayed the Eye of God, yet you still can't control your greed and come looking for trouble?

"Tell me, who are you people? What do you want?"

"Big, big brother..." The third brother, who was blocked by Jiang Bai with rocks, looked back with difficulty, his expression even more painful than crying.

Today we've run into a tough opponent.

The burly man, addressed as the boss, stood up, leaning against a tree.

He had his hair tied in desert-style pigtails, and he was shirtless, revealing his muscular physique.

"We are the Gilded Brigade!"

"If I remember correctly, people who come out of the desert are all called members of the Gilded Brigade."

“You’re not wrong to say that. Most people refer to us Sand People as the Gilded Brigade. Over time, we’ve come to call ourselves that as well.”

The Gilded Brigade is a very loose organization. It brings all the Sand People together without imposing any restrictions or demands on them. It is a symbolic organization that helps each other stick together for mutual support.

The Thirty-Man Group, serving as the guardian force of Sumeru City, is the largest and best-paid mercenary organization in the guild.

There are also many other small groups. These people spontaneously form small mercenary groups, either taking on missions to earn commissions, robbing merchants, or searching for treasures.

In Sumeru, where military strength is not strong, there are quite a few people like this in the wild forests.

"So you've got your eyes on this box I fished out."

"Yes."

This mercenary leader is quite honest.

"We can't beat you anyway, so kill us or do whatever you want... it's up to you."

"Kill me or torture me, it's up to you." Hu Tao couldn't help but correct him.

"Oh, kill or torture, I'll write it down." The mercenary leader immediately pulled out a small notebook, ready to write down the word.

He even humbly stepped forward to ask Jiang Bai, "How do you write that 'gua'?"

Jiang Bai was a little confused.

"Don't you have any sense of defeat? Why are you even practicing vocabulary?"

Also, although he controlled his strength after firing the gun, isn't your recovery speed a bit too fast?

Look at your little brother next to you, still groaning and moaning in pain.

“You don’t understand. For us, who have been abandoned by God, knowledge is of utmost value.”

For the Council of the Church, knowledge is precious, and they restrict its circulation, keeping the desert out of the temple of knowledge.

Books, in particular, are very expensive.

And these people from small desert tribes who have fled here have even less access to education.

He thirsted for knowledge.

Although to many people this is just a very simple matter of recognizing characters and words.

"Since I can't beat you anyway, I might as well learn a few more words. That way, I'll gain some knowledge before I die."

Jiang Bai was speechless at the mercenary's thirst for knowledge.

Humans are so complicated.

On the one hand, they could rob him without hesitation, and on the other hand, they could pursue knowledge so devoutly.

Jiang Bai reached out and helped him write down the few words he didn't know on a piece of paper.

"Oh, so that's how it's written."

Chapter 771 You make it sound so easy

Even though he's almost forty, when he gets serious about studying, you always subconsciously forget his age.

"Are you only now learning to read?" Jiang Bai couldn't help but ask.

Perhaps Jiang Bai didn't show any hostility, or perhaps the mercenary leader knew he couldn't win and was giving up, but anyway, he just started chatting with Jiang Bai directly.

"It wasn't really schooling, just rote memorization. I'm getting old, and my memory is getting worse."

"Unfortunately, I didn't understand the importance of knowledge when I was young, and no one was willing to teach me. I also didn't know many characters. By the time I realized I needed to learn, I was already about this age now..."

"It's never too late to pursue knowledge."

"You're right," the mercenary leader nodded in agreement, seemingly acknowledging the young man before him.

"My name is Aite, the leader of the Sand Wolf Mercenary Group."

Jiang Bai really didn't expect things to develop this way. He dispersed the elemental power he was controlling over Aite's underlings and introduced himself.

“My name is Jiang Bai, and over there is my hall master, Hu Tao.”

“Brother Jiang Bai, it was wrong of me to rob you. We’ll accept whatever punishment you want. Kill us or torture us, it’s all up to you.”

The atmosphere lessened, and Jiang Bai was more willing to communicate with them.

"It's not that dramatic. How did you know I retrieved a box?"

“I saw it. To be precise, this box is indeed ours. Last year, we robbed a caravan and got several boxes of antiques from it, but we were attacked by mushroom beasts, and one of the boxes fell into the lake and we haven’t found it since.”

Aite didn't mean to hide anything; people in their line of work can't possibly have clean hands.

It was stolen anyway, there's no point in hiding it.

"...They really are honest." Jiang Bai's feelings were complicated.

The other party's honesty left him somewhat at a loss.

We've already taught them a lesson, so there's no point in teaching them another one.

Letting it go seems a bit hasty.

As for handing it over to the forest ranger, heaven knows where the forest ranger is.

"Do you make a living by robbing?"

"More or less, I occasionally take on some cases. But I'm not very literate, so taking on cases often requires signing a contract, and I've been ripped off a few times... So, do you have a case you'd like to commission from us?"

Jiang Bai glanced at the few people standing obediently behind Aite, who seemed at a loss for what to do.

These eight people included both men and women, the youngest being just over ten years old and the oldest being in their thirties.

"Is this all the members of your Sand Wolf Mercenary Group?"

"Yes. They're all here."

Including him, there are nine people in total, making it a very small mercenary group.

"How do you usually carry out a robbery?"

Jiang Bai needs to carefully consider how to deal with these people.

"Just rob them like that. According to the rules, when we encounter a caravan, we only rob one-tenth of the goods. If it's an individual, we'll leave them some money for their journey home."

"Are you planning to keep robbing people like this?"

"Otherwise what? What other work can we do?" Aite retorted.

They were just a small mercenary group, and the strongest among them was their leader. They were few in number, and most of the members lacked knowledge. As for accepting commissions, the good ones never came their way.

It's dangerous, isn't it? They don't have the strength to handle it.

They remained stuck in this limbo, making a living by robbing others.

Moreover, it is very difficult to rob a caravan.

Large caravans typically have a lot of security personnel, and these few people really couldn't handle it.

Small caravans often carry goods of little value and sometimes have to contend with dangers from their fellow caravan members.

This is why they value the box that Jiang Bai retrieved so much.

These were some of the most valuable items they had ever managed to rob, and now they've lost an entire box of them, searching the lake many times without success.

"The Order Academy is now in the hands of Little Lucky Grass Queen. She treats all desert people equally, and you can also go to the Order Academy to study."

"You make it sound so easy. The Order of the Fathers wouldn't want people like us who can barely read."

There is a serious hierarchy of contempt throughout Sumeru.

The scholars of the Order of the Church look down on ordinary people, and even more so on desert people.

Those students from the desert would inevitably be ostracized and isolated in the academy, and it would be difficult for them to climb the ranks.

It is truly rare for someone like Seno, who was born in the desert, to become the Grand Disciplinary Officer of the Order of the Church.

Even if the Little Lucky Grass King treats all those named Sand equally, so what? These people can't even get through the gates of the Order House.

"The development of education in Xumi has a long way to go..." Jiang Bai sighed.

“This word is very interesting, could you translate it for me?” Aite once again demonstrated his thirst for knowledge.

"It means that the responsibility is heavy and the road ahead is long."

If given the chance, Jiang Bai plans to bring up the issue of education for the desert people with Naxi Da.

Regardless of how profound the knowledge is, everyone should have the basic ability to read.

"Alright then, I won't say whether I want to kill or torture you. You'll just act as our bodyguards for the time being."

Jiang Bai ultimately decided to punish them. Otherwise, anyone could rob him at will in the future.

"Are you sure you need our protection?" Aite raised an eyebrow, surprised that he would make this choice.

These two people don't need their protection at all!

"We plan to travel all the way to the desert and need some guides who are familiar with the desert. We can also teach you to read during this time..."

"Alright, I agree. The Sand Wolf Mercenary Group will protect your safety."

The sudden appearance of a pair of bodyguards suited Hu Tao well; since she was unfamiliar with the area, they acted as her tour guides.

Walnut gave Aite a Teyvat general language dictionary.

Although it is a very general dictionary, this dictionary is quite valuable in Xumi, where books are very precious.

Every day, Aite had to wash his hands thoroughly before reading the books and carefully place them on his lap, for fear of defiling the sacred knowledge.

Hu Tao and Jiang Bai stayed in the Water and Sky Jungle for two days, allowing Hu Tao to experience the treehouse.

The tall, giant trees act as a natural platform, allowing you to overlook the entire forest from above.

Jiang Bai, at Lanalo's request, also helped the bodyguards clear out a number of fungus beasts from the Water and Sky Jungle.

As for the repair of that divine mechanism, let's leave it to some blond traveler.

Jiang Bai continued his journey, following the direction indicated by the Four Directions Ritual, and arrived at the former Huan Nalan.

Where am I?

Jiang Bai frowned as he looked at the area ahead, which exuded an aura of decay and misfortune.

Aite flipped through the self-made Sumeru map to confirm the location.

“That place is called Huan Nalan, or more accurately, the former Huan Nalan.”

What happened here? Why does it feel so dangerous inside?

"Although this place connects to the desert, most of the Sand People don't choose to come from here, as many dangerous monsters gather here..."

Chapter 772 This place is too dangerous!

"A monster? What kind of monster?"

"I don't know, I've never been inside."

Just as Jiang Bai was communicating with Aite, he noticed that the name on the pointer was turning gray.