“Forget it, forget it.
Look at how scared you are.
However, you have to be responsible for my basic needs for a few days until I find some work.”
“Fine, fine, fine!
Don’t you dare go back on your word.” Uncle Lettuce breathed a sigh of relief.
A few days of basic needs wouldn’t cost much.
He was still the one making the real profit.
Koda didn’t actually know the price of gold, but Uncle Lettuce did.
As a merchant of many years, he was very savvy when it came to money.
As the wealthiest family in the Earth Kingdom, the Northern Family’s control over gold was strict to an unparalleled degree.
Almost all the gold jewelry or pure gold currently circulating on the market basically came from the hands of the Northern Family.
That was why he had reacted that way the moment he saw it was gold.
“We’re in the city now.
Push the cart yourself.
I’m too lazy to do it.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Uncle Lettuce quickly took the handles from Koda and pushed toward the General Store.
With his mood improved, the cart felt much lighter.
The two of them walked slowly to the General Store.
It seemed it was still the same as before.
Uncle Lettuce couldn’t help but feel sentimental.
Uncle Lettuce used to be very familiar with this area.
If Koda had been walking alone, there was a high chance he would have gotten lost.
The construction of Omashu City was very strange.
It was built in tiers.
There was a long slide running from top to bottom.
When transporting goods, earthbenders at the junctions would distribute and redirect them, just like a conveyor belt.
He had gained quite a bit of knowledge along the way.
Everything he experienced was something he could never see in the Swamp Forest.
As far as the eye could see, every tier had a marketplace.
The wealthier the people, the higher up they lived.
Uncle Lettuce always sold his vegetables on the lower tiers.
The people at the top didn’t eat these.
He sold them to the poor, so he never made much money, barely enough to support himself.
Koda had long since remembered who Uncle Lettuce was.
In the original story, no matter where he sold his lettuce, his vegetable cart would be directly or indirectly destroyed by the protagonist’s group.
It could only be described as truly miserable.
Thinking about how pitiful he would be in the future, Koda decided to be a bit nicer to him now.
With that in mind, regardless of whether he was losing out, he didn’t plan on taking the necklace back.
Following Uncle Lettuce’s lead, they entered the General Store together.
The owner of the General Store was a puffy-looking man in his thirties.
Seeing customers arrive, he welcomed them with a face full of smiles, his eyes almost disappearing into slits.
He wore a small, tall hat on his head and a monocle, looking every bit like a dishonest merchant.
“Hello, I’d like to ask if you buy gold jewelry here,” the uncle spoke first.
“We do!
Of course we do!
But before we discuss the price, could you ask this young man to step outside?
He’s affecting the store’s image a bit.”
Koda looked at himself.
He was covered in yellow dust, and even his loincloth was no longer its original color.
“Fine, my appearance is indeed a bit poor, but I’ll be a handsome lad once I’m cleaned up,” he consoled himself, feeling a bit better.
Seeing both of them looking at him with the expectation that he leave, he couldn’t resist and said awkwardly, “Then…
then…
I’ll head out first.
You two take your time talking.
I’ll wait for you outside.”
After he left, the sound of conversation came from inside, but it was very quiet and hard to hear.
Sigh…
Koda let out a weak sigh.
This was the first time he’d been looked down upon for being dirty.
If you got dirty, you just went to the river to bathe, and no one ever said a word.
After a while, he got really bored.
He saw the cart full of lettuce.
He had never eaten lettuce before, not even in his past life.
Although he couldn’t eat it raw now, drinking the juice should be fine.
Striking a Tai Chi pose and seeing no one nearby, he used waterbending to extract the water from the lettuce.
This time, he didn’t filter out the impurities but tasted them along with the juice.
If he wanted to, he could filter them.
He could filter these simple water sources, but if the water was mixed with too many different liquids, even he wouldn’t be able to separate them perfectly.
After tasting it, if he had to describe it in one word, it would be “delicious.” If he could use two words, it would be “exceptionally delicious.”
Visibly, the lettuce quickly shriveled up.
This ability to extract moisture from plants wasn’t something just anyone could do.
In the entire Swamp Tribe, only he and Father had learned it.
After tasting one, he really wanted another, but doing so would be a bit unfair.
It would be more straightforward to just ask the uncle for one when he returned.
His habit of taking things only applied to friends and family (like stealing A Shou’s jerky).
It was better not to do it in front of strangers to avoid making it a habit.
Finally, after waiting a bit longer, Uncle Lettuce stepped out of the store, his face gloomy, muttering curses under his breath.
Leaning against the cart, Koda felt a bit like laughing when he saw this.
“Let’s…
go…
find…
an…
inn…
to…
eat…
and…
sleep.” Every word was forced through his teeth, showing just how much he was seething.
At that moment, the shopkeeper came out of the General Store, smiling broadly as he saw them off.
Just as they were walking away, he suddenly called out, “Please come again!
Take care.”
The uncle pushing the cart suddenly stumbled.
“Don’t…
mind…
him…
let’s…
go!” His mouth twitched, and his eyes seemed to spit fire.
Koda could probably guess what had happened, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He didn’t know how to haggle anyway.
As long as the money covered his food and drink for the next few days, it was fine.
“How much did it sell for?” he asked curiously.
Since he was the one who gave him the necklace, it was only natural to ask.
At the mention of this, Uncle Lettuce’s anger flared up, and he began to rant incessantly.
“Do you know how crooked that guy is?
At a conservative estimate, this necklace is worth at least 100 silver coins.
That guy said he was only willing to pay 30.
Of course, I wasn’t willing, but…”
Sigh…
At this point, he let out a long sigh, his tone filled with helplessness and resignation.
“But what?” Koda became interested instead.
“He said this necklace is a specialty of the Northern Family and has never been sold to the public.
He was buying it personally, and it wouldn’t be recorded in the ledgers.
He said if I didn’t want to sell it, I could go ask at other General Stores, but all the General Stores in Omashu City are part of the Northern Family’s chain, and the price would only be lower than 30 silver coins.”
“So you sold it?”
“Of course I sold it.
I knew it was impossible to get a higher price. New chapters come out on g.com first.
If I didn’t sell it, where would we stay tonight?
Also, where did you steal this necklace from?
This kind of necklace is only awarded to internal members of the Northern Family.
You’re really bold.
You’d be beaten to death if you were caught.”
“Ha…
ha…
ha.” Koda laughed it off, not wanting to discuss it further.
How was he supposed to know how A Shou stole it?
He could only say, “A Shou is amazing.”
Uncle Lettuce was sensible enough not to press the matter.
“By the way, kid, what’s your name?
When I go to the market to sell goods tomorrow, I’ll ask around for a suitable job for you.
Since you’ve got some strength, you should be able to find something.”
“Ah, my name is Koda.
There’s no need to arrange a job.
I’ll probably leave in a couple of days.
I came to Omashu City to find a map.
My mother was once brutally murdered by the Fire Nation Army, and I was forced to leave my hometown.
I heard that the Fire Nation Army has left, so I want to find my way home to bury my mother, but unfortunately, I have a terrible sense of direction…”
As he spoke, Koda began to cry.
Uncle Lettuce felt terrible seeing this and hurried to comfort him.
“Koda, don’t you worry.
Since you’ve had such a tragic experience, I have no reason not to help you.
Leave the matter of finding a map to me.
I’ve been a traveling merchant for so many years, so I have some connections.
You stay at the inn for these few days, and I’ll definitely get the map issue sorted out for you.”
“Then thank you, Uncle.
I’ll kneel to show my gratitude,” he said with a sob, preparing to kneel.
“Don’t…
don’t…
don’t.
It’s not worth it, it’s not worth it.” Uncle Lettuce quickly supported him.
“It’s not that big of a deal.
It’s nothing.”
Secretly, Koda let out a small smirk.
He had long since seen that Uncle Lettuce was a bit greedy, but it was undeniable that he also possessed a kind nature.
If he was going to put on an act, he had to go all the way, so the kneeling was a must.
He had anticipated that the uncle would catch him.
If he hadn’t, he would have just pretended to trip.
Kneeling was impossible — not in this lifetime.
He had no money, so he could only rely on acting to get by.
Although taking advantage of a kind person was a bit unscrupulous, this was currently the fastest way to obtain a map.
He would find a way to repay him when he had the chance in the future.
After this episode, their relationship had transformed from strangers who had just met into fairly good acquaintances.
…
📢 Author’s Note
The full completed version of Avatar:
✅ Part 1 Complete — 110+ Chapters
Follow Koda’s incredible journey as he leaves the mysterious Foggy Swamp, masters the art of waterbending, uncovers ancient secrets, and grows stronger while changing the fate of the world.
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories.
😉
1 Dragon Ball: Oolong’s Sex Adventure
2 Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3 Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4 The Naive Me Who Became Someone’s Everyday Secret
5 High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6 Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System