In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

A month later, at Kawan Station.

As the pack animals of the Aru Village caravan slowly crested the last hill, what appeared at the edge of their view was the enormous post station standing at the junction of the rainforest and the desert.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the earthen-yellow city walls of Kawan Post Station into a golden-red hue, making it look like a burning fortress from afar, yet full of vibrant life.

As Wang Yan rode on the back of the pack animal, gazing into the distance, a sense of awe rose within him.

His impression of Kawan Post Station was still based on the small settlement in the game. Even with the example of Sumeru City, which told Wang Yan that places in reality are definitely very different.

But in his imagination, Kawan Post Station was probably just a slightly larger border post with a slightly larger flow of people.

The scene before him completely overturned his expectations.

The first thing that catches the eye is the unexpectedly large crowd.

Inside and outside the post station, people thronged together, men, women, and children dressed in various desert ethnic costumes, mingling with scholars in robes from different schools of thought within the Church Council, yet there was no sense of incongruity.

The people of the desert, wearing headscarves and carrying bags or goods, haggled loudly in a common language with a desert accent; the scholars either discussed something in groups of three or five, or held their notebooks alone, writing and drawing on the sand-blocking walls in the distance or the sand plants nearby.

On the open ground surrounding the post station, temporary tents and stalls stretched out in a continuous line, forming a bustling market.

"How is it? It's not quite what you expected, is it?" Dixia's voice rang out from the side.

Wang Yan withdrew his gaze and nodded sincerely: "It's more than just different... I thought that a border post station would have a tense and confrontational atmosphere, but here... it's like a market."

Farusan also put down her book, looked at the scene before her, and said calmly, "After the Grass God abolished the desert ban, Kawan Post Station became the most important hub."

The Academy established a permanent research station, medical point, and supply distribution center here, partly for research and assistance, and partly to demonstrate its sincerity to the desert.

The desert dwellers also needed this place to obtain resources and information from the rainforest. Sometimes, need is more effective than any government decree in promoting integration. Thus, many merchants also came here. It wasn't just like a market; it *was* a market.

Wang Yan nodded slightly at the scene before him, then suddenly looked puzzled and asked Dixia, "But there's a market here, so why does Aru Village still need to send people to Sumeru City and Omos Port to buy supplies?"

On their way here, the caravan had already joined up with the detachments from Omos Port and Zen Garden. Now the entire caravan has nearly a hundred pack animals, making it a truly large caravan.

"Because of the price," Dixia replied. "The things here were all painstakingly transported here by caravans. You don't think they're still at the original price in the rainforest, do you?"

"Even if it doesn't double, it will increase by at least 30% to 50%. And Aru Village doesn't have much money, so everyone is willing to go through the trouble of going to Sumeru City and Omos Port. With the same amount of money, they can buy more supplies."

As she spoke, Dixia pointed to the other desert people at the gathering: "Moreover, many desert people who are unable to travel far are the main guests here. If Aru Village buys a lot of supplies here, it will drive up the market price, which will hurt the small tribes in the desert."

Wang Yan frowned: "Didn't any tribes commission Aru Village to sell their goods?"

According to Dixia, the best solution would be for the desert people to unite and go to the rainforest to purchase goods.

Dixia shook her head: "Aru Village can only take care of itself. Other desert tribes... not all of them have the ability to lead caravans to the rainforest. Besides, Candice said... the desert needs rainforest merchants."

Wang Yan understood.

Candice's idea was to make money for the rainforest merchants so that more merchants would bring supplies to the edge of the desert.

As more merchants bring goods, competition intensifies, and the price of goods naturally falls to a reasonable level.

It seems that this guardian of Aru Village also has a certain understanding of economics.

As they spoke, the caravan slowly approached the gate of the post station.

The thirty guards at the gate clearly recognized the large caravan from Aru Village. They simply glanced at the leader's documents, waved for them to pass, and even smiled and nodded to the acquaintances in the group.

Upon entering the inn, a lively atmosphere immediately envelops you. Shops line both sides of the main street, and the aroma of food wafts from the restaurants, while innkeepers greet weary travelers at their doors.

Many pedestrians cast curious or friendly glances at the caravan’s enormous size and the sign for Aru village.

Especially after seeing Dixia in the caravan, shouts rang out from all directions.

"Look! It's Desia!"

"The Lion with the Fiery Mane is back!"

"Sister Dixia!"

The shouts came from gilded tour groups, merchants, and children.

A radiant smile bloomed on Dixia's face, as if she had returned to her most familiar and comfortable territory.

"Ha, Baal! You've gotten even stronger! Haven't been slacking off lately, have you?"

"Grandma, how are you feeling? I'll come back to buy these cookies later!"

"Hey, Ithaca, you've been transferred here to help out too? That's great!"

She responded skillfully to every greeting, calling out many people's names, offering concerned inquiries, or cracking a couple of harmless jokes.

It's clear that this is indeed her home turf.

Seeing this scene, Wang Yan was certain that the song was sung exactly as it should be.

Desia~ Our Desia~ The best Desia~

After watching for a while, Wang Yan withdrew his gaze and followed Farusan, obeying the caravan leader's arrangements, and checked into the inn.

The Order probably gave the caravan a good reward. Wang Yan and Farusan were assigned two rooms, which were nicely furnished and even had a shower.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow we'll officially enter the desert, and the sandstorms can be tough. Enjoy your last comfortable night's sleep."

Farusan gave a few instructions and then returned to her room.

Wang Yan nodded, returned to his room, and then... immediately took a shower.

Traveling with caravans naturally meant poor hygiene, and even though Wang Yan was always careful to keep clean, he inevitably became somewhat slovenly.

After washing for a full half hour, Wang Yan finally took out a clean set of clothes from his package and changed into them, feeling refreshed.

Wang Yan had intended to read a book, but the curiosity of traveling far away stirred within him, and he became restless.

"Why don't we go out and explore, and try some local specialties?"

Once the idea came to mind, I couldn't suppress it any longer.

Wang Yan took some change from the package and went out.

Leaving the quiet room, the noise of the inn immediately assaulted my ears.

Various shouts rang out continuously. In addition to merchants from the rainforest, many desert people also set up stalls to sell things from the desert.

For example, Wang Yan was quickly attracted by a strange fragrance.

Upon arriving at the stall, I saw the dark-skinned vendor grilling a type of white meat that didn't look like that of a mammal.

"Hey, friend from the rainforest, would you like to try some scorpion meat?" The stall owner greeted Wang Yan warmly as he approached.

"Scorpion meat?"

"Yes, this is something you can't find in the rainforest. It's delicious and has tender meat. In the past, only the chief of the tribe could enjoy it."

Upon hearing the stall owner's words, Wang Yan realized that this must be the scorpion that drops beast meat in the game.

In the game, animal meat drops, but in reality, this scorpion head doesn't look like animal meat at all.

"Then give me one."

"Alright, friend, would you like some date wine? It's even more delicious with scorpion meat!"

"...I'll have one too."

"Okay, please sit anywhere, it'll be right up."

The stall owner pointed to the wooden table and stools next to him; they were crudely made and probably handcrafted.

Soon after, the vendor brought out a plate full of roasted scorpion meat and a large glass of date wine. The only downside was that the wine wasn't served chilled.

They don't use chopsticks here; the stall owner gave us a fork, which was polished to a shine and looked quite hygienic.

Wang Yan picked up a piece of scorpion meat and put it in his mouth.

"Hmm!~"

The taste was quite good, just as the stall owner said, it was delicious, the meat was tender, and the grilling flavor made it very tasty.

Just as Wang Yan was about to enjoy his meal, a faint conversation reached his ears.

"Have you found out everything?"

"Don't you trust me to handle things? But are we really going to attack the caravan in Aru Village? What if Candice catches us?"

"What's there to be afraid of! After we pull off this job, we'll go have some fun in the rainforest. Candice can't possibly come to the rainforest to catch us, can she?"

"But the place where the caravan stores its goods is guarded by people from the Blazing Beast Hunters."

"Only Dishia can fight the Blazing Beast Hunter. I've already inquired. Dishia will be going to see those kids tonight; she won't be in the warehouse."

"Let's do it!"

"Okay, let's do it!"

"..."

The sound was very soft, but Wang Yan's ability to detect language was too strong. Following the sound, he saw a group of people dressed as a gilded troupe, numbering more than a dozen.

Wang Yan remained calm, withdrew his gaze, and continued to struggle with the roasting scorpion meat in front of him.

Only after they had eaten and cleaned themselves did they pay and leave normally.