He pointed to himself: “Kagashi.” Then he pointed to the girls behind him: “Companions.”
The man paused, then pointed to himself: “Baturu.” Then he pointed to the tribe behind him: “Wuen Tribe.”
Baturu’s gaze fell on the train, then on Kagashi’s group.
He spoke a long string of words in a hurried tone, as if asking a question.
He pointed to the train, then to the sky, making a gesture that asked, “Where did you come from?”
Kagashi thought for a moment, pointed into the distance, made a gesture for “very far,” then pointed to the ground and spread his hands to mean “staying temporarily.”
Baturu frowned and thought for a while, then pointed to Roxy’s staff and made a gesture for “do it again.”
Roxy looked at Kagashi, and he nodded.
The staff lit up, but this time it wasn’t a fireball.
Instead, it was a gentle silvery-white light—Basic Healing.
Roxy directed the light toward a young cavalryman near Baturu who had a bandage wrapped around his arm.
The silvery-white light enveloped the wound, and the injury beneath the bandage healed at a pace visible to the naked eye.
The young rider pulled off the bandage to reveal perfectly intact skin.
He gave a cry of surprise and knelt on the ground.
Baturu’s eyes bugged out like copper bells.
He took a step back, then stepped forward again, crossed his hands over his chest, and bowed.
This time, he bowed much deeper.
Kagashi knew the time had come.
He took a pack of instant noodles from his system inventory, tore open the packaging, and handed the noodle block to Baturu.
Baturu took the noodle block, turning it over to inspect it.
He brought it close to sniff it, his brow furrowing; he had never seen such a thing.
Kagashi then took out a small pot and a bottle of mineral water from his inventory.
He poured the water into the pot, added the noodle block and the seasoning packets, and signaled Roxy to heat it up.
Roxy used a small fireball to heat the bottom of the pot.
The water boiled quickly, and the noodles separated in the boiling water as a rich aroma spread with the steam.
Baturu’s nose twitched.
The riders behind him were also sniffing the air, and some unconsciously swallowed their saliva.
Food on the grasslands consisted mainly of meat and milk—savory and coarse.
But the aroma of instant noodles was entirely new to them.
It was rich, complex, and carried an indescribable allure.
Kagashi used wooden chopsticks to pick up a mouthful of noodles, blew on them, and took a bite himself to prove they were safe.
Then he handed the pot to Baturu.
Baturu took the pot, hesitated for a moment, then imitated Kagashi by using the chopsticks to pick up the noodles and put them in his mouth. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
He chewed twice and froze, his eyes widening.
Then he began to wolf down the remaining noodles, even drinking every last drop of the soup.
He set the pot down, wiped his mouth, and a certain light appeared in his eyes as he looked at Kagashi.
He pointed to the empty pot and gave a thumbs up.
Then he pointed to the instant noodle wrapper and gave two thumbs up.
He followed with a long string of words; Kagashi couldn’t understand them, but he could guess the meaning: Delicious, is there more, can we trade.
Kagashi took ten packs of instant noodles from his inventory and piled them on the ground.
Then he pointed to the distant lake and made a gesture for “drawing water.”
Next, he pointed to the mutton being roasted in the camp and made a gesture for “exchange.”
Baturu understood.
He turned and shouted a few commands to his men, and several riders immediately mounted their horses and galloped back to the camp.
In less than fifteen minutes, they were back.
Two riders carried a whole roasted sheep, golden-brown and crispy, still steaming hot.
A third rider carried two sheepskin water bladders filled with lake water.
A fourth rider held a bundle of animal hides—sheepskin and cowhide—neatly folded.
Baturu pointed to these items, then to the ten packs of instant noodles on the ground.
He made the exchange gesture, then held up one finger: add one more pack.
Kagashi smiled.
He took out eleven packs of instant noodles and pushed them forward.
Baturu smiled too, revealing a row of teeth whitened by mutton grease.
He pushed the whole sheep, the water bladders, and the hides over, then bent down to pick up the noodles, handing them to the riders behind him as if they were precious treasures.
Kagashi put the whole sheep and the hides into his storage and handed the water bladders to Furina.
Furina unscrewed a bladder and sniffed it; the lake water was clean and had no odd smell.
Baturu said a few more words, pointing to Kagashi’s train and then to his tribe’s tents, making a gesture that meant “come and sit.”
Then he held up four fingers, likely saying that their tribe had forty or fifty households, and if they were willing, they could make a larger trade.
Kagashi thought for a moment, pointed to himself, then to the train, and held up one finger: Wait a moment, I need to go back and discuss it first.
Baturu nodded, mounted his horse, and led the cavalry back to the camp.
Kagashi led the four girls back onto the train and closed the door.
“A whole sheep, animal hides, and lake water.” Kagashi took the items out of storage; the sheep was still steaming, its aroma filling the entire carriage.
“All for eleven packs of instant noodles.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“This sheep is enough to feed us for several days.” Misaka Mikoto stared at the whole sheep and swallowed.
“The hides can be used to make clothes and bedding.” Roxy touched the skins.
“They’re much more comfortable than hay bedding.”
“The lake water is clean.” Furina shook the water bladder.
“Saves me the trouble of using magic to create water.”
Kagashi nodded.
“This is just the beginning.”
“That Baturu said they have forty or fifty households; we can make a bigger trade.”
“We have instant noodles, and they have meat, hides, and water.
They might even have other things—ores, timber, medicinal herbs.
Twelve hours is enough time to make several big trades.”
“Are we going to get off the train too?” Yoshino asked quietly.
“Yes,” Kagashi said.
“This time we’ll go take a look inside the tribe.”
The four girls looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.
Kagashi opened the storage and took out a hundred packs of instant noodles, piling them by the door.
“These are for trading.” He also took out five simple wooden combs he had made in the Construction System the previous night.
“And these are gifts.”
“Gifts?” Furina picked up a comb and looked at it.
“The women in the tribe also need to comb their hair,” Kagashi said.
“They’re small things, not worth much, but they can help build rapport.”
Furina glanced at him, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.
“You’re quite the detailed thinker.”
Kagashi didn’t respond.
He walked to the door and pressed the button.
The door opened once more.
In the distance, Baturu was approaching the train with a few riders.
He was carrying a bulging sheepskin bag, though its contents were unknown.
Kagashi stepped off the train and went to meet him.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”