Chapter 657

Chapter 42: Wester Town

In the vast desert, yellow sand flew in the air, and the scorching sun rose from one end of the sky and gradually set at the other.

As dusk fell, lamps in the earthen houses of the town lit up one by one, clustering together under the dim sky to form a continuous stream of fire, crisscrossing the desert evening and gradually outlining the bustling scene of the earthen town.

This small town was called Wester Town, located to the east of Messe Town, in the wind-eroded valley of the Bahamas Plateau Desert. Although it was also an extremely remote town, it was not comparable to Messe Town in terms of scale or population.

It was probably due to its proximity to the upper reaches of the Red River. The winding river passed through the maze-like wind-eroded hills, connecting the town with a wide path. Sparse shrubs and purple trees could be seen along the way. Merchants would specially cross the river to travel here, purchasing the unique tree sap and serpentine stone from the desert at low costs, then reselling them at high prices to Norway for use in sunscreen coatings and asbestos processing.

As night approached, the small earthen town remained quite bustling. The northern market was bustling with activity, mostly filled with travelers from other places, hoping to find some rare agate stones at low prices before nightfall.

The earthen town also had shrubs and purple trees, seemingly well-maintained. The trees on both sides of the north-south streets were lush and neatly arranged, adding a touch of exotic charm to the town. Outsiders often marveled at this, never expecting such a vibrant sight in such a desolate and remote place.

At this moment, two girls who didn’t look much older stood at the entrance of the northern market, their heads wrapped in cloth and faces covered by veils. Their long robes were somewhat dirty, looking weary from travel. They looked up at the tall trees beside them in silence, lost in thought.

After a while, the shorter girl pointed toward the direction where many people were walking and suddenly spoke, “Sister, the market is still open. Shall we go take a look? If we’re lucky, we might even find something to eat…”

“How do you plan to get food?”

The girl next to her scratched her face and replied, “Do you have any money?”

“No…”

“Me neither.”

The girl spread her hands helplessly and said, “My money bag was lost a long time ago. It was handmade by my mother… There’s no Saint George Bank here. Even if I had money, I wouldn’t be able to withdraw it.”

“Sister, are you afraid that someone from the church will find out?”

“Yes.”

As they spoke, they began to walk toward the market.

“If I withdraw money from the bank, the people from the church will definitely know that I’m here…”

“Don’t worry, Sister. You can hardly see any Saint George Banks in this desert. Only the farthest eastern part near the harbor in Norway has them… So, there’s no point in worrying about withdrawing money, hehe.”

“…Is that something worth being happy about?”

“Not really.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“I don’t know either, Betty…”

“We don’t have any money. Without money, we can’t buy food, and we might have to sleep on the streets tonight… Betty, why don’t you try begging over there? Maybe someone kind-hearted will give you some money, and you can use it to buy food.”

“What about you, Sister?”

“Of course, I’ll just hide and watch from afar.”

“Huh? Why?”

“There’s no reason. To prevent you from being taken by bad people. If you don’t want to, it’s fine… Anyway, I can do without eating.”

“But Sister, you must be very hungry too, right?”

“Mmm…”

The two girls pushed through the slightly crowded crowd and arrived at the busiest part of the market. Many stalls selling raw stones were gathered here, mostly leftovers from the day. However, many people were still squatting in front of the stalls, carefully selecting.

It was said that some genuine items would only appear at this time, so many people came to try their luck. This situation would last until the sun set and night fell, when people would gradually return to nearby taverns to celebrate and drink for their day’s gains.

In addition to the stalls selling raw stones, there were also several simple food stands nearby. They mostly sold roasted meat, small lizards, and strange insects, all cooked in a crude manner, appearing dark and unappetizing.

However, the little girl named Betty was genuinely hungry. Sniffing the scent of the grilled food, she pulled the teenage girl behind her and squeezed towards one of the stands, regardless of what was being roasted. Looking up, she asked, “Uncle, do you have anything good to eat…”

“Move along! Move along!”

The burly man roasting meat glanced at them briefly. Seeing two dirty little girls, their faces hidden, dressed in rags that suggested they couldn’t afford to pay, he impatiently waved them away. “Where did you two brats come from? Get lost! Don’t bother me with your business…”

“Uncle, kind uncle, we’ve been starving for a long time… Do you have any leftovers that others don’t want? We can trade something for it… We really can trade something!”

The girl named Betty spoke softly, turning back to rummage through the backpack of the girl behind her. However, after searching for a while, she found nothing valuable.

The only valuable thing they had might be the powerful short sword on the belt of the teenage girl, but it was absolutely not something to be traded for food. Even if it was offered, no one here would truly understand its value.

Thus, they heard the man’s rebuke again, “What do you have to trade? Get lost, beggars! It’s fortunate for you; I’m not like those filthy Neldlings. I don’t need your emaciated bodies.”

As he spoke, he kicked out at Betty, but missed as she was swiftly pulled away by the teenage girl behind her. The veil on her face fluttered, and then, a sharp, somewhat intimidating gaze shot toward the man.

“Eh…”

He froze momentarily, instinctively taking a step back. Realizing he had been frightened by a young girl’s gaze, he felt embarrassed when some passersby glanced over. He shook his head, trying to kick again, but somehow, he didn’t.

“I have no food here. Go cause trouble somewhere else! Hurry up, hurry up, what bad luck…”

He waved his hand again, ignoring the two girls.

The teenage girl glared at the man, then pulled Betty away from the stall. After squeezing out of the crowd, the two whispered to each other. Then, they went elsewhere to beg for food.

At the stalls, it was usually the younger girl who spoke, while the older one followed silently, looking embarrassed. She occasionally stared at the food, swallowing saliva.

Is there anything that could be traded for a taste?

Although these things looked unappealing…

One had to try them first to know if they were good or not…

With such thoughts, the teenage girl and the girl asked several stalls, but none were willing to give them food.

People living in the desert often lived hard lives, many barely making it day to day. Their personalities became rough and materialistic. The region was poor and chaotic, with many homeless children. Such beggars were common, and no one would give food away out of pity. If someone persisted, they might be beaten to death on the street with no one caring.

Fortunately, today, no one caught these two girls to beat them up. Instead, they were just scolded and chased away—some people shook their heads, relieved for the two unknown girls.

But such good fortune wouldn’t last until night…

No, perhaps not even until dark…

“Wait, Betty.”

Suddenly, as the two girls ran to the other end of the market to ask again, the teenage girl frowned, pulling the little girl’s collar.

“Don’t go yet. Someone is watching us…”