Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland

"This damn place..." Shi Cha wiped the sand crust on his head, realizing that it was a mixture of dried sweat and dust, and then cursed angrily.

Behind him, more than a dozen fully armored warriors stood respectfully.

"Master, I remember there is an inn opened by local drifters ahead," one of the older warriors stepped forward to comfort him, "You can stop by before going to the depression lagoon."

Hearing this warrior call him like this, no matter how many times he heard it, Shi Cha was still secretly happy in his heart, but he said: "I hope you didn't take the wrong way."

The Shi family belongs to the sword-bearing nobles. In the past, it was a family of medium size. Although it was not the top in Kaidun City, it had quite a lot of connections and status.

However, the grace of a gentleman is cut off in three generations. As it was passed down from generation to generation, by the time of Shi Cha's father's generation, the family had already fallen into decline, and the daily expenses could only barely maintain the pomp of the corresponding title.

After his father died, Shi Cha inherited the title, and his lost brother secretly took away half of the family's wealth and formed a caravan. It is said that he sneaked into the direction of the Shak Kingdom and has not been heard from since.

This wave of passive separation.

It made the already poor situation worse.

The most powerful group in Kaidun City is the Scrap Master specializing in forging. It is controlled by the Lord Tianxin Family and several major families, and the Shi family has not been able to participate in this industry.

As the business situation became worse and worse, Shi Cha thought of his brother who ran away, and simply followed suit and formed a caravan to travel between the North and South United Cities.

As a result, he really made a way out in the past few years. Not only did his business grow bigger and bigger, but he also officially joined the Chamber of Commerce in a branch.

Although it is not as good as those chambers of commerce with high authority, at least he has joined the Merchant Guild... For ordinary merchants, this is the highest pursuit of their lives.

After returning from the Northern Union City, Shi Cha not only hired several famous local wandering warriors, but also planned to use the money he had accumulated over the years to officially return to Kaiton City to enter the military armor industry. For a declining sword noble like him, no matter how successful he was outside, he still wanted to bring honor to his family and revive his family in his hometown.

It was a knot in his heart.

Following the old warrior's address, the other armored warriors also saluted one after another, with a respectful look, which made Shi Cha feel very comfortable.

He sighed in his heart.

The north is indeed different from home.

In the Northern Union City, the traditional sword noble power collapsed, and the retainer warriors who originally belonged to the family lost their support.

They either joined the imperial army and ate the central royal salary; or they wandered in the market, willing to work as long as they were paid, and became mercenaries.

In the south, the lords still retain the tradition of raising hooded guards. Shi Cha's family was originally in decline, and it was considered good to have a few servants at home. Naturally, they did not have the ability to train martial arts and cultivate loyal hooded guards from an early age.

Even if they wanted to recruit more, no other hooded guards would come to join them. Betraying the master's family was a great shame.

It was even not tolerated by the laws of the city-state.

To a certain extent, the number of hooded guards one can have is also a reflection of the family's background, which is not something that a nouveau riche can achieve quickly.

On the contrary, Shi Cha went to the North United City and easily recruited so many good players. Not to mention the defense on the road, these people were enough to help him hold up the scene even if they returned to Kaidun City.

The young noble glanced around and suddenly frowned, and a trace of haze appeared on his face that was originally happy.

At the end of the team, there was a young warrior, half-lowering his eyes, just following silently, not like the previous hired warriors, who came forward to flatter.

It seemed out of place.

However, when he saw this person, Shi Cha only frowned slightly, and his forehead soon relaxed again.

There are also many arrogant people among the wandering warriors, not to mention that he has the qualifications.

This warrior may be the strongest among the people he hired.

The broker said that he had excellent swordsmanship, and Shi Cha didn't know whether it was true or not... But just looking at the scars on his face and the back of his hand, and the wide-backed giant blade that was different from the gorgeous swords of other warriors, he knew that this man had really been on the battlefield.

The information also proved that he did return from the front line of the Iron Valley. If he hadn't offended his superiors, he would not have fallen to the point of selling himself.

There are some risks in buying him... Shi Cha is a noble of the Southern United City, so he is not afraid of these.

I just feel that I have picked up a great bargain.

If you don't want to salute, then don't salute... The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. After all, he was a hired wandering warrior, and it was impossible to expect him to be as loyal as the hooded guards.

Although the rules of this world are strict... they are always particularly tolerant of capable people.

The warriors and the caravan approached the huge ancient beast skeleton. In the endless yellow sand, they saw a man dressed as a boss who took the initiative to greet them.

The other person had a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.

"I'm really sorry, everyone..." Tang Darui looked at the fully armed mercenaries and couldn't help but take a breath, but he could only bite the bullet and say, "The store is almost full, I'm afraid it can't accommodate so many of you."

The number of pack animals in the caravan in front of them was not large, probably only a dozen or so, but they were genuine traveling merchants. Even if the lowest servants were not counted, there were dozens of official members.

It was okay when they were free on weekdays... but someone just moved in.

"Huh?" Shi Cha frowned. He also discovered that there was a circle of herds tied to the tail vertebra of the giant beast's skeleton.

The type of livestock itself is nothing special. There are a small number of pack oxen and most of the camels... But after a brief comparison, he found that even the thinnest camels among them were much taller than the pack animals in his caravan. Strong out of the circle.

If each of his beasts of burden can be like the other, the freight volume per trip can be increased by at least 30%, and the gross profit will increase...

Unknowingly, the young nobleman's thinking had been completely assimilated by the business traveler, and he thought: "Is he a guest from Shandi?"

The trade routes between the North and South United Cities have not been peaceful recently. The plunderers from the extremely evil land invaded the border a few days ago and blocked the trade routes. Even the civilians of the empire were panicked.

Shi Cha naturally did not dare to set off.

Earlier, the imperial royal family actually issued a notice to business travelers, prohibiting them from transiting in Shandi. This greatly increased the distance and difficulty in traveling between the north and the south, and was undoubtedly a huge blow to commerce. Logically speaking, the royal family was unlikely to issue such a ban that would harm the interests of merchant guilds.

The only possibility is.

The top leaders of the guild acquiesced and even promoted it.

Shi Cha still had no access to this level of information, so he could only obey the official orders honestly, and once the plunderers retreated, he would seize the time to return south from the disgusted area to the city.

What is strange is that none of the second-level chartered chambers of commerce that originally monopolized this part of the trade route rushed to set off.

This made Shi Cha have to be cautious.

"Sir, your knowledge is really good..." Tang Darui recognized the other party's identity and immediately changed his compliment.

"It's okay," Shi Cha waved his hand, "I wonder if you can talk to the guests who have settled in first and make some space for us?"

He did not intend to use his power to dominate others. Although he did not notice whether it was the herdsmen in Shendi or the mere Drifter Station, going forward was still the sphere of influence of the technology hunters.

Especially the depression lagoon.

"It's easy to talk about." The boss nodded quickly.

In his opinion, the other party was indeed easy to talk to.

Just looking at those warriors, where to stop.

That's scary.

The samurai stopped and wiped their favorite swords. Most of them had sharp edges and graceful arcs, and were worth a lot of money at a glance.

Some of them are still in the collection before the owner's family fell apart... but I'm afraid only they themselves know whether they have killed anyone or whether they have seen blood.

The wandering warriors didn't care either.

It's valuable after all.

However, the scarred warrior at the end of the team did not make any special movements, but was still on guard.

Only a sergeant like him knows how fragile those knives in the owner's collection were in a real battlefield.

Excluding the real top masters, the rest can be used for rituals and assassinations, but they will curl up before cutting a few people in the front.

Many conscripted warriors died as a result.

Only a broad and generous machete can split the holy breastplates of the Paladins. It looks rough, but it is a practical murder weapon.

The truly effective parts of his martial arts are all honed in actual combat.

However, when the warrior was on alert, his eyes suddenly fell on the skeleton of the giant beast in front of him.

His heartstrings trembled.

It was a long-lost throbbing since he left the Iron Valley, and for a moment he almost thought he had returned to that battlefield.

The two countries are fighting, and the situation is precarious.

The samurai almost drew his sword from his back.

But the next moment.

This feeling disappeared again.

He mobilized his keen senses, but he couldn't find it.

"Am I too sensitive?" The scarred warrior secretly asked, "It seems that it will still take a long time to recover..."

Under the back of the skeleton.

Lu Meng withdrew his gaze. With his stealth ability, these people were still unable to detect him as long as he thought about it.

There are people with good abilities.

he thought.

However, this kind of evaluation is a bit of a top-down view, just like a leisurely tourist appreciating the beautiful scenery.

On the other side, the boss of the inn had already approached them to explain the negotiations. His tone was not as respectful as he was to Shi Cha, but was more persuasive.

"...I think that customer is a good talker and his business is big. How about...if you agree, I will definitely ask for some compensation from you." Tang Darui said.

In front of him was Cone of the Farstrider clan. It seemed that the boss had completely regarded this "magical" beast tamer from a large tribe as the leader of the group.

Prior to this, he had seemingly inadvertently brought out the force configuration of the opposing caravan, hoping that this herdsman in this area could retreat in spite of the difficulties.

In order to be a good person, the boss also made up his mind that in addition to free travel expenses, he would also use part of his previous income as compensation... Anyway, it looked like the other serious caravan was obviously richer, and the goods were full. Even if he ate like this You won’t lose a single order.

However, what was somewhat beyond his expectation was that he had clearly exaggerated the strength of the noble and wealthy businessman outside, but the reaction of everyone in front of him was not as frightening and horrifying as he expected.

Maybe a little.

But they were all half a beat too slow.

Seems a little perfunctory?

Could it be that the people of the Wandering Tribe are all so slow... Tang Darui was anxious.

For him, making more money is the next best thing, but in the Wasteland of Bones, who doesn't know that noble gentlemen are the most difficult to serve.

If a conflict breaks out, even if the technology hunters in the Depression Lagoon can judge impartially, what do you have if the opponent has the backing of South United City?

The Baimei clan?

Who doesn’t know that they are the most Buddhist and reserved.

Don't talk about first come, first served, the rules of this world are inherently unfair.

This is for your own good.

Just when Tang Darui wasted a lot of time and was about to speak frankly, a voice interrupted him.

"Boss, please go back and tell them: We will rest here for half a day, and we will set off overnight. We will naturally be free by then."

The speaker was a woman wearing a trench coat and overalls. Her lips were blocked by a high collar, and her expression could not be clearly seen for a moment.

"Then...I'll go back and discuss it first."

For some reason, Tang Darui heard a hint of determination from this woman's mouth, as if this was their bottom line.

By some strange coincidence, the boss relayed these words to the noble caravan on the wasteland.

It caused a commotion among the warriors.

They also didn't expect that a mere herdsman selling livestock would actually come out to bargain when their boss had clearly given in.

You know, Shi Cha's caravan was instantly registered as a third-level licensed trader in the merchant guild, and the annual premium alone was a large sum.

Even if it is not as good as the direct subordinates of the president, it is already the highest level among ordinary chambers of commerce.

After all, if you really do things for Long En, you may not have the thought to start serious business, and the scale will not be large.

Are you a little ignorant?

Even Shi Cha frowned a little.

I almost started to scold him.

However, he quickly put away his temper and thought that this was not South United City after all; even if it was South United City, the Shi family was no longer the aristocratic family of his ancestors; even if he still had the title of aristocratic family, his current identity was only the commander of the caravan, In business, you cannot behave like a nobleman...

After a series of self-consolations, a smile appeared on Shi Cha's face again: "Okay, then we will wait outside for half a day... But boss, can you still send some extra tea and food?"

"That's natural." Tang Darui responded repeatedly.

The wandering warriors looked at each other and shrugged - well, they have to be blown by the wind and sand for another half a day.

On the other hand, the scarred samurai with the sword breathed a sigh of relief.

He was not originally a person who liked to negotiate too much with others. During this trip, he just wanted to go to Kaidun City to settle down and make a living together. He did not intend to participate in the decision-making of the caravan... But just when he saw his master frowning, he actually had a desire to have sex with him. The impulse to persuade beforehand.