"Now that we've decided on the destination, the next step is to consider how to get there." After Sajji finished cheering, Karim brought up another key question, "Have you thought about how you'll travel?"
"We've actually given that some thought." Altaïr nodded, "There are only a few options for long-distance travel: walking, Airship, or Sandship.
Airships are convenient but too expensive, and you might miss out on many experiences along the journey. Sandships are only suitable for the sand sea and can't cross the Great Desert.
Plus, Val Habar isn't too far away, so I think walking should be a suitable choice."
"That's not wrong." Karim nodded, "Walking has the lowest cost and is the most flexible. If there's ever a need for transportation in the future, you won't have to worry about what to do with your original vehicle.
However, crossing the desert on foot alone is still quite challenging. You'll need to prepare a lot of supplies and carefully plan your route and schedule to ensure you can find an oasis for resupply before running out of fresh water."
"Indeed." Altaïr nodded.
Being from a desert nomadic background, he naturally understood the hardships involved, which was why he seemed somewhat hesitant when answering this question.
"But I have a good solution!" Karim grinned, "Find a merchant caravan!
When caravans cross the desert, they're often attacked by Monsters like Genprey and Cephalos, so larger caravans usually hire hunters as guards.
Don't even think about the big merchant guild caravans, they have fixed partnerships with hunters and don't like outsiders joining.
Smaller caravans are more approachable. To save money, they sometimes hesitate to hire hunters for the entire journey, so they'd be very willing to have hunters travel with them.
Caravans have livestock like Aptonoth and camels that can carry large amounts of supplies, giving them much more freedom in route selection."
Altaïr was tempted. Compared to traveling alone on foot, group travel in the Great Desert offered much better safety and comfort.
"Do you know any suitable caravans you could introduce us to?" Altaïr asked Karim.
Karim scratched his head, "I do know some caravans, but I've been working in Loc Lac these past few months, so I don't know their schedules.
Let me make some inquiries for you. Remember not to tell people that you're also planning to go to Val Habar, have them post the commission at the guild. That way you might even get some guard payment too."
"That would really help us out." Altaïr placed his hands on his thighs and bowed slightly, expressing sincere gratitude.
He felt somewhat embarrassed by how enthusiastically the other was helping.
"No problem! Maybe I can benefit from this too."
Karim laughed happily, "I've saved up some money over these months, and it's about time I resumed my merchant travels. If you're choosing to go to Val Habar...
Hmm, there's actually some business to be done in Val Habar this season. Maybe I'll apply as a cook with the caravan you choose, we can look out for each other on the road."
At this point, Karim patted his chest with some lingering fear, "I definitely don't want to encounter Monsters again and have to abandon my goods to escape, losing everything I've invested."
A slight smile appeared on Altaïr's face. His relationship with Karim hadn't reached the point where one would unconditionally provide for the other. If Karim kept helping him one-sidedly, he'd feel awkward and even suspicious.
But since the other party could also gain convenience while assisting him, he felt much more at ease.
—--
Karim was a man of high efficiency. The very next day, he brought a middle-aged merchant who appeared to be in his forties to meet Altaïr at the guild hall tavern.
From their conversation, it seemed this caravan leader originally intended to save money by taking risks without hiring hunter escorts, but Karim persuaded him otherwise, claiming he could recommend a cost-effective and reliable hunter.
When they met Altaïr, Karim put on an act of "Oh! What a coincidence you're here! Let me introduce you!" which made Altaïr's eye twitch.
What a smooth talker.
However, being cautious by nature, Altaïr had taken precautions by mentioning this matter to the mustached guild master in advance.
The idle mustached guild master happened to wander over, and upon seeing the old man, the middle-aged merchant visibly tensed up.
Most guild masters across regions were retired hunters, but this mustached man was different; before becoming the Loc Lac Guild Master, he was a highly renowned merchant.
One could say half of Loc Lac's current prosperity was thanks to him, which meant that while he lacked authority among hunters, he commanded immense respect among merchants.
Countless merchants regarded him as an idol, and judging by Karim's fidgeting hands, he was likely one of them.
With the mustached guild master overseeing things, the escort contract was signed smoothly.
From the caravan leader's perspective, he hired a reliable 2★ hunter certified by the guild master at a reasonable price.
From Altaïr's perspective, he found a caravan to hitch a ride with while earning escort payment.
From Karim's perspective, he obtained his idol's autograph.
A triple win!
—--
After signing the escort contract with the caravan, the departure date was set for two days later.
Altaïr visited his acquaintances a day in advance to tell them not to see him off. He didn't want to be surrounded by people giving him advice before departure, making him look inexperienced; that would be quite embarrassing.
As Karim had mentioned earlier, he joined the caravan as a cook.
The caravan wasn't particularly large but it wasn't too small either, consisting of over a dozen people, six sand-sled-pulling Aptonoths, and more than ten camels. When lined up, they stretched impressively for dozens of meters.
Somehow Karim managed to negotiate with the caravan leader, who allowed him to bring one camel's worth of goods, which excited Karim greatly.
The benefit of being part of the caravan was that food and water supplies during the journey would be provided by the caravan. While this didn't amount to much money, it significantly reduced their load, allowing them to carry more goods.
This way, if they could reach Val Habar safely, Karim was confident he could double his starting capital.
The same applied to Altaïr and Sajji as caravan escorts. They didn't carry much luggage to begin with, traveling light, so their journey would be more comfortable.
—--
In the blink of an eye, the day of departure arrived.
Before dawn, Altaïr brought Sajji to the city gates to meet up with the other caravan members. Karim had arrived earlier than the others. Besides the goods loaded on a camel, he carried a bulging oversized backpack on his back.
Altaïr chuckled, "Looks like you're carrying almost as much as the camel."
"Hard work brings better profits!" Karim grinned. "Besides, most of this backpack isn't goods, it's ingredients. Since I'm the caravan's cook, we shouldn't eat poorly during this journey!"
Hearing this, Altaïr recalled the fried bacon Karim had shared with him during the night they were trapped by the Nibelsnarf, and couldn't help feeling excited.
With all personnel present and goods neatly loaded on sand sleds and livestock, all preparations for departure were complete.
"Let's move out!" the caravan leader shouted.
Just as the caravan was about to depart, several people wearing Loc Lac Rangers uniforms suddenly stopped them. "Wait! Random inspection!"
"Huh?" The caravan leader nervously rushed over.
Random inspections? Was this a new regulation? Or were they deliberately causing trouble for some reason?
Only Altaïr's cheek twitched, and Sajji's whiskers trembled slightly; they were quite familiar with these fellows.
Nuri walked through the caravan with a serious expression while Asa and Resha worked together to pry open an Aptonoth's mouth, seemingly checking for cavities or something else.
In just over a minute, this peculiar inspection concluded hastily.
The caravan leader watched in confusion. What kind of inspection was this? Their behavior seemed less like causing trouble and more like playing with them.
"No issues here." Nuri nodded to the caravan leader, then glanced back at Altaïr and Sajji in the caravan, a slight smile breaking through his serious expression.
"Let's go. We'll escort you for part of the way."