Qin Jiao Town, or rather, Qin Jiao Land, is a lawless area in the central part of Sargon, located in the desert.
Although nominally, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mulla Pasha and is the territory of the Ibart Chieftain.
However, in reality, after several appointed town chiefs died mysteriously without anyone being able to discover the cause, no official dared to come to this place again.
Originally, this was an act of great treason and deception, which should have been met with military suppression.
But the residents here still paid their annual tribute on time, and even more than they did under their previous rulers.
This presented a somewhat difficult problem—no, it was more like—no problem at all! They were perfectly good citizens!
Under the Sargon Emperor's laissez-faire approach, both Mulla Pasha and the Ibart Chieftain turned a blind eye to this matter.
Thus, Qin Jiao Land became a paradise for outlaws.
Columbians, Sargonians, Minosians, illegal immigrants, fugitives, bounty hunters, and messengers, people from all walks of life mingled here—corporate drones, wanderers, street thugs; everyone regarded this place as a haven.
Of course, on the surface, it still appeared to be just an ordinary mobile market.
"A can of dried vegetables is that expensive? Why don't you just rob me!"
"Our family's hand-woven carpets are famous far and wide—quality issues? Impossible!"
Tarpaulins overhead covered the scorching desert sun, and below, a somewhat crowded street was lined with various stalls, filled with dazzling decorations.
At one of these stalls, selling local specialties, a Caudus merchant in a white sun-protective robe was enthusiastically introducing a pottery jar to a young girl in a black uniform, who was holding it in her hand.
"A tribute pottery jar, absolutely genuine! A second-hand item from the King Chief himself—Little girl, I won't ask for much, just this amount, a fixed price, eighty thousand!"
Hearing this price, Skadi, dressed in a freshly dried Abyssal Hunter uniform, immediately sighed with a hint of disappointment.
"Eh, eighty, eighty thousand? I don't have that much money… just this little bit."
Looking at the few shiny golden banknotes Goki had given her, Skadi felt a bit regretful.
After arriving in this small town, Goki had given her most of the money they earned from bounty missions along the way and what they had scavenged from bandits, telling her to browse around while he headed in another direction.
So, seizing this rare opportunity, Skadi decided to give Goki a surprise and buy him a gift.
Ever since coming ashore, Goki had been taking care of her, and Skadi was not an ungrateful person; she knew she couldn't just enjoy it with a clear conscience.
However, it seemed these beautiful colored jars were too expensive.
In Aegir society, there were no such things as "markets"; everyone's needs were quantitatively distributed, and even the knowledge of how to buy things was taught to Skadi by Goki.
Looking at the young girl in front of him, who seemed to have no experience in shopping, the stall merchant couldn't help but show a greedy smile on his face.
"Not enough money? No problem, little girl, you're so cute, I'll give you a huge discount. You have almost a thousand in your hand, I'll reluctantly accept it, just consider it charity."
Having run a shop his whole life, a gullible customer had finally appeared, and the old merchant was determined to seize this opportunity!
"Come, come, little girl, take the jar, and I'll give you two clay figurines as well. I'll just take this money—take it—hey!"
Hurriedly stuffing his homemade painted pottery jar into the hands of the naive girl opposite him, the merchant directly grabbed one side of the golden notes with his large hand and pulled outwards.
But… it didn't budge.
"No, no, for such a precious item, I must pay you the original price!"
Clutching the golden banknotes tightly, Skadi shook her small head like a rattle-drum.
Goki had told her that while murderous bandits and bullies could be dealt with freely, they must never take advantage of these hardworking common people, and Skadi had taken it all to heart.
Now, selling such a valuable item to him so cheaply would surely cause the boss a loss, so Skadi held onto the golden notes tightly, determined not to let the boss make a "losing business."
"It's fine, it's fine, just consider it making a friend. You just take the item and go—"
Using all his might, the Caudus merchant, who considered himself strong and muscular, pulled for a long time but couldn't move the banknotes in the young girl's hand an inch, and Skadi remained completely still.
And then, from behind her, a familiar voice appeared.
"Boss, sixty. I'll take the jar."
"Gao—mmph, ah-woo, mm-mm."
Just as Skadi was about to say something, Goki stuffed a thick, hot sausage into her mouth.
Reaching out from behind Skadi, he gently patted the merchant's hand, making him wince in pain and release his grip. Goki picked up the painted pottery jar in front of him and examined it carefully.
Hmm, a defective product of modern industry, touching it too much won't make you grow taller.
"Sixty? Bro, you cut it from sixty thousand to sixty?"
The merchant wanted to say something more, but Goki wasn't the naive Little Orca; he continued to haggle down the price.
"Fifty."
"Deal!"
And so, with a somewhat regretful expression on the boss's face, Goki, holding Skadi who was munching on a grilled sausage, walked towards the deeper part of the market.
Although Qin Jiao Town appeared to be a permanent settlement, if one looked closely, they would find that all the buildings here were detachable, and had wheels and tracks underneath.
Once a Calamity arrived and the Calamity Messenger issued a warning, the large towing devices would drive out of the warehouses, and amidst a roar, move the entire town to a distant location.
This was the lifestyle of most residents in Terra, a different kind of "nomad."
Even if it was nominally "anarchy," Qin Jiao Land still had its own order.
The market in front of them was just a facade, and what Goki was looking for was the true master of this town, hidden beneath the surface.
"What were you doing just now?"
"Pickpocketing prevention, just helped someone catch a thief, and asked for directions along the way."
Goki shrugged, not elaborating on the probing he had just done.
"Hmm, that's good… but will that boss really not lose money?"
Having finished the grilled sausage and licking the old popsicle in her hand, Skadi walked through the crowded market, each carrying a large bag of snacks he bought for her, looking back at the market with some concern.
"It's fine. Material costs plus labor, even with the discount, the boss still makes a profit."
Goki smiled at Skadi, looking at this Little Orca who had been completely fooled just now, but hadn't been cheated out of money due to her excessive innocence, and felt a bit at a loss for words.
In the original story, how many such losses did the Little Orca, who came ashore alone, have to endure before she could adapt to the twists and turns of the land?
One could only say, it was a good thing this older sister was a superwoman, otherwise she would have been sold off to who knows where long ago.
Just thinking about it, Goki felt a little heartache, and could only resolve to teach Skadi common sense about the land more quickly.
"So, Skadi, when you want to buy something, you must first understand its value, so you don't waste money. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me first—"
Skadi, on the other hand, nodded her small head repeatedly, but what she would remember was hard to say.
"So troublesome, it's better if you, Goki, buy things from now on—but, do you like the jar I bought?"
Compared to these difficult things, she wanted Goki to be happy more.
Ever since her family's death, Skadi had been constantly hunting and fighting, rarely even attending the dances that Aegir people often went to.
She couldn't even feel the emotion of "happiness" herself, let alone make others happy.
But… it was different now.
When she was with Goki, Skadi would recall this long-forgotten emotion.
In fact, she had already grown accustomed to feeling happy.
Looking at Skadi's expectant little eyes, Goki looked at the cheap colored jar in his hand and nodded.
"Of course, this is absolutely the most valuable collectible."
What mattered wasn't the item itself, but… it was a gift from his wife, so of course Goki liked it!
"Mm, that's good then!"
Nodding happily, the corners of Skadi's mouth turned slightly upwards.
Recently, she had been trying to learn how to smile.
Skadi wasn't expressionless, but years of hunting had long made her forget what a smile was.
But now… Skadi wanted to show her joy to Goki.
"Alright, alright, eat slowly. There's no need to fight next, you can rest well for a bit—enjoy this date."
Looking at Skadi, who was gnawing on a popsicle and trying hard to smile at him, Goki smiled slightly, hid the jar in his embrace, and sent it into the Hunter's Dream where passersby couldn't see it.
Now, he was becoming increasingly skilled at storing and retrieving items both inside and outside the dream.
"Date… what does that mean?"
Hearing a new word from Goki again, Skadi, completely unfazed by the cold, bit the popsicle with her teeth, and a curious light flickered in her red eyes.
"Ah, that's a very complex term to explain—if we go out together and both feel happy, then we two are on a date."
Hearing that Skadi was finally curious about such questions, Goki was naturally happy to explain.
Gradually making the ignorant Skadi understand what love was gave him a bit of the joy of the Genji Project.
"Oh… so haven't we always been on a date?"
Skadi touched her chin, thought for a moment, then nodded at Goki and said seriously.
"I'm always happy when I'm with you, Goki!"
"Ah… hey, then you're right, this journey is a—date."
Patting Skadi's small head and pressing down the triangular hat on top of her head, Goki grinned, looking at Skadi dressed as a hunter.
"Ah, we've arrived."
And then, Goki looked up and saw a somewhat narrow and dim small shop in front of them.
Inside the shop door, an old man in a long robe with pale skin was sitting on a chair, seemingly awake, yet also seeming to be dozing off.
"Hey, Old Ysian, someone's looking for me, to repay a debt from over ten years ago—wake up."
This was one of the people he was looking for.
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