**Chapter 195: Caravan**
The glimmer of dawn shone in through the window. Opening my eyes, a pretty face with slightly trembling eyelashes came into view. Her dark hair was scattered messily, and a warm, tender presence lay in my arms. I gazed entranced at the rosy face so close to mine and gently pressed my lips against her moist, red ones.
"Mmmph~~..."
With a light moan, the beauty in my arms opened her black gem-like eyes, embarrassed. A charming flush spread from her face down to her snow-white neck. Her cherry lips parted slightly, awkwardly responding to my invasion.
"You're not being honest, you were secretly sleeping."
After a good while, I finally released the little fragrant tongue I had captured in my mouth and looked at Velas, who was blushing profusely, with a half-smile.
"It's just that Lord Wu Fan held me too tightly..."
"Alright, go back to sleep for a bit." I made a move to get up.
"How can I do that? I need to prepare breakfast immediately."
Velas stretched languidly, a myriad of charms unintentionally revealed, almost making me lie back down. But I pressed her back onto the bed, gently pinching and shaking her little nose.
"If I tell you to sleep, you sleep. Are you trying to defy your Husband's order?"
"......, Mmm..."
The beauty froze for a long while, her face so red it looked like it was steaming, before finally giving a soft response like a mosquito's buzz. She shyly pulled the quilt over her face to cover herself.
This gentle and lovable Little lass is easily satisfied in every way. She's simply a perfect woman who can instantly make her man feel incredibly accomplished...
I smiled and quickly got out of bed. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to resist wanting to 'eat' her again.
Velas was clearly very tired. I had just finished getting dressed when I could already hear her even breathing. Her little nostrils twitched slightly, utterly adorable.
"Mmm~~~"
The air today was so fresh, the sunlight so brilliant. Stepping outside, I took a deep breath and stretched my limbs, feeling as though Sanctuary was a wonderful place.
But before I could even steal a few lines of poetry or act a little flamboyant, I suddenly froze.
Little Ghost, wearing a thin robe, was huddled trembling in a corner of the Tent. Her lonely figure looked like a homeless child who had been abandoned.
"Little thing, why are you staying here? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
My heart ached as I went over, gently half-hugging her cold, tender body. I felt incredibly guilty. I had completely forgotten about this Little One last night. What a failure, sigh...
She suddenly lifted her head, her fair pretty face giving me a faint glare. Just as I braced myself for the ensuing storm, she suddenly smiled brightly, looking at the flattered me with tenderness.
"Congratulations to our Lord Wu Fan, you've finally taken the first step towards being a lecherous beast..."
"..."
I really wanted to see what kind of face the person who taught her to use a smile to mock others had.
"Uh, Ailisi..."
"Hand it over..."
"Huh...?"
"The snacks you bought on Divine Birth Day. You wouldn't have given them to your 'newlywed wife', would you?"
Ailisi still wore a smiling face, but having experienced life and death several times, I sensed an extremely sinister aura. I quickly took out the snacks I bought for Ailisi on Divine Birth Day to prove my innocence.
With a "whoosh", as soon as I took them out, Ailisi snatched one in each hand and ran far away before I could react. She turned her back to me, squatted in a Corner, and began eating greedily with loud huffing sounds.
There's no need to be so exaggerated. It's like a helpless child being abused under domestic violence. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I rubbed my nose and went over. What I saw made me greatly surprised.
Huddled tightly in the Corner, Little Ghost had large teardrops streaming from her dreamlike silver eyes. They dripped onto the snacks one by one, but she still stuffed the food into her puffed-up little mouth without a care, looking as if she wouldn't stop until she choked herself to death.
"Idiot. What are you doing?" I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her tightly into my arms.
"Woo~~"
She raised her tear-stained face, protesting, and glared fiercely at me. Her body twisted forcefully in my arms, but she couldn't speak with her mouth full, only letting out sobbing sounds. After a while, she gradually softened.
"See, why treat yourself like this? It makes me look like I'm abusing a small animal, it's really heartbreaking."
I gently wiped the corner of her mouth, which was stained with red jam, but the jam was sticky and wouldn't come off. I simply leaned in, stuck out my tongue, and carefully licked her mouth corner and lips until all the jam was cleaned off.
Little Ghost stared at me blankly.
"Is this stuff really that delicious?"
I frowned tightly. These jams, which were either too sour or too sweet, were almost comparable in power to Aunt Qiuzi's Special Jam for me.
Coming back to her senses, Little Ghost swallowed hard several times, finally managing to swallow all the snacks in her mouth.
"How would I know? I couldn't taste anything, woo~~"
She lowered her head and whimpered, her gaze darting away, unwilling to meet mine.
"I'm sorry, I made you feel aggrieved."
I gently pinched her fragrant, tender chin with one hand, lifting her face, and with the other hand, I gently wiped away the tear stains on her face.
"Xiao Fan, you... you won't abandon me in the future, right?"
She stared at me with those big eyes for a long time, until I felt a little uneasy, before she suddenly spoke up.
"How could I? Little fool, even if I married all the women in Sanctuary, I wouldn't abandon you, my cute Little Ghost." I gently flicked her forehead.
"Wow!! Is that an answer?"
Seeing Little Ghost's characteristic short gasp and her troubled expression, I knew she was no longer sulking. I couldn't help but smile and hug her tightly.
"Actually... I just wanted to cuddle up a bit..."
Much later, Little Ghost in my arms murmured dreamlike. She shifted her little head and soon fell asleep like a little pig. It seemed she hadn't slept much last night either.
"Sigh, God, don't the Protagonists in YY novels just hook a finger and countless Beauties flock to them? Why is it that I just want to take a couple more Wives, which is very normal in the Dark Continent, but it feels so heartbreaking?"
Holding Little Ghost in my arms, I sat lost in thought on the Grassland, gazing up at the azure Sky for a long time.
After Divine Birth Day, Rogue Encampment returned to its former tranquility. Those who farmed went farming, those who herded went herding, and Adventurers also began preparing for a new round of Training in twos and threes.
Velas, who had just transformed from a young girl into a young married woman, and I were naturally very close. That cute hair tie on her chest, I only found out after much inquiry, was a custom in her village. It represented having a Beloved or being married, and meant being devoted to the other person until death. Besides herself and her Husband, no one else was permitted to touch it. No wonder she looked so embarrassed when I was curious and wanted to play with that little hair tie on her chest back then. Really. Wearing a hair tie like that, didn't the meaning become very obvious? What was there to be embarrassed about?
Of course, I also learned my lesson and didn't neglect Little Ghost anymore. Seeing her regain her former smile, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The only thing that still made me uneasy was Sarah. I didn't expect our clumsy acting to fool this little smartypants. The sweet gaze when we looked at each other, and Velas's charming style as a new wife, were all hard to conceal.
However, what confused me was that Sarah didn't seem to show any emotion. The only change was that she became even more clingy towards me. Every time I went to Larr's House at night, she wouldn't let me go back until late at night. When I left, her face was full of reluctance that made it hard to leave. Seeing her passionate clinginess, I estimated that if Ral and his wife weren't Home, she might even have the intention of dragging me into the Room...
On the seventh day after Divine Birth Day, a long Caravan stretched from the east. This instantly made the entire Rogue Encampment much more lively. Leading the way was a short, sturdy Man. He wore a blue coarse cloth top paired with gray hemp pants, which was common attire for Civilians in the Dark Continent. On his head was an exaggerated felt iron hat, and his face held a genial smile of prosperity.
It was only after Akara's introduction that I suddenly realized this unremarkable-looking Man was the legendary and famous Merchant Warriv. This was the person who had always played the role of the merchant who handled the flow of goods between Rogue Encampment and Lut Gholein. Almost all the foreign goods in Rogue Encampment were supplied by him. At the same time, he was also an important character responsible for safely transporting Adventurers who defeated Andariel to Lut Gholein. After all, to cross the vast Grassland and Dark Wood, it would be absolutely impossible to pass safely without someone who knew the way.
Playing such an important role, Warriv was naturally also a member of the Rogue Elder. However, he was only responsible for the camp's trade and safely transporting Adventurers to Lut Gholein, and didn't need to concern himself with other matters. Therefore, not many people knew about his special identity, only treating him as a Merchant. This was probably the scene Warriv hoped to see.
In the two years I had been here, Warriv had traveled back and forth between the two places countless times, but I hadn't had the chance to meet him, only now getting to see the true appearance of this NPC character, who was very important even in the game.
Although it was our first meeting, Warriv already knew of my existence, so his words lacked any of the hypocritical politeness of a Merchant. He enthusiastically patted my shoulder like an old friend we hadn't seen in years, chatting about everything under the sun. As a Merchant, his experience was naturally extraordinary. When he spoke about things not recorded in Deckard Cain's Journal, I listened, completely enthralled. Then, very naturally, he shifted the topic to the goods he brought back this time. With a glib tongue, he tricked me until I was dizzy and confused, and the things in my hands unknowingly increased.
Just as I was about to realize what was happening, Warriv cleverly patted my shoulder, saying that we Brothers got along well, but he had something to do now and would chat later. Then, leaving me holding a large pile of strange items whose use I didn't know, he slipped away.
Shady merchant, shady merchant. A cool breeze blew past. I fiercely gave Warriv's figure the middle finger. If it were before, I wouldn't have cared about this little bit of money, but after the Tavern Incident last time, I had almost lost all the Gold in my Inventory. Now, besides equipment, gems, and other things that couldn't be sold, I only had less than a hundred Gold left. The former Nouveau Riche was instantly beaten back to his original form. This money was disappearing faster than stock trading.
Fortunately, there were still one or two exquisite small accessories among them. After giving these small accessories to Velas and the other girls, seeing their happy smiles brought me a little comfort. As for the remaining wooden Fallen One carvings, stone Crippled Monster sculptures, and other items, I'll give them to Ral and Druff. Anyway, I wouldn't put them in my Home...
However, Warriv's return also signaled Older Sister's departure.
On the twelfth day after Divine Birth Day, the fifth morning after Warriv returned, I don't know what method this shady merchant used, but he managed to deal with over ten carts of items in just a few days.
Sister Sharna, and over ten Mercenaries - if they haven't been hired by a Classed Adventurer, these Mercenaries don't need to defeat Andariel, as the difficulty is too high for them. They only need to reach a high enough level to choose whether to go to Lut Gholein. They are much freer than us Classed Adventurers.
(end of chapter)