Chapter 117: Daughter of the Sands, Ayla (6)

If an item that shouldn't exist was here, it was a good sign.

But that didn't always mean it was a good thing.

Something that shouldn't be here—

That also meant something that should have been here wasn't.

'…Still not here, huh.'

I meticulously scanned the storage tent, searching for what I had come for.

But unfortunately, the number of missing items far exceeded the ones I recognized.

It was expected.

I had arrived at the Sandstorm Caravan far earlier than I should have, so it was only natural that their inventory didn't fully match what I had once known.

"Is this everything?"

"Yes, this is all we have… Unless… are you looking for something specific?"

I had asked Ayla just in case, but her response was as expected.

Of course, there were hidden storage areas—

But as someone who had just begun trading with the Sandstorm Caravan, I couldn't exactly demand access to them.

'If it's stored in a hidden warehouse, that means they already recognize its value… and that means I won't be able to buy it now.'

There would come a time when I could access those hidden vaults.

But for now—

I needed to focus on collecting the treasures they had yet to recognize.

"I'll take another look."

"As much as you like."

For a brief moment, something flickered in Ayla's golden eyes.

She had been tricked so far—

But at the end of the day, she was the Daughter of the Sands, a merchant blessed with the Golden Eyes.

I couldn't afford to be careless.

"Hmm."

Most valuable items radiated their worth just by existing.

But not all of them.

The Thunderstruck Branch was a perfect example.

To anyone else, it was just a charred, withered stick.

Even now, it was carelessly tossed aside, treated like junk.

'There's no rush.'

I circled the storage tent once more.

Even though many of the items I had hoped for were missing, there were still treasures worth taking.

The Thunderstruck Branch was one.

And the real reason I had come here—

That was also here.

Well—

"Here" might not be the right word.

Like the Thunderstruck Branch, it was dumped in a pile of junk, as if someone had picked it up off the ground.

The Seed of the Life Tree.

It looked like an ordinary seed.

No glowing aura, no special markings, nothing to suggest it was anything more than a piece of discarded plant matter.

But this was the key.

The reason I had traveled all this way to find the Sandstorm Caravan.

The reason I had tested whether plants could grow in the soil from the Great Forest within Mount Noah.

'If I can secure the Seed of the Life Tree, then my purpose here is already fulfilled.'

Of course—

There were other things I would have liked to find.

But for now—

Even just these two would be an immense gain.

'Now then… time to negotiate.'

In truth, this was where the real game began.

The goods I had brought were valuable, but if I wasn't careful, the Sandstorm Caravan could swindle me in an instant.

I had fooled them well enough so far—

But they were still the Sandstorm Caravan.

And she was still the Daughter of the Sands.

I couldn't let my guard down.

'First, I need to figure out how much they know.'

It was clear they hadn't fully recognized the worth of the Thunderstruck Branch or the Seed of the Life Tree.

But they also hadn't dismissed them as worthless, either.

If they had, those items wouldn't have even been stored in the first place.

'The fact that these are in the storage tent means… they've realized they're unusual.'

However, they didn't know their true purpose.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be lying around like junk.

'That works in my favor.'

"Hm."

"Nothing catching your interest?"

"I'll keep looking."

I walked the storage area again, picking up various items.

I selected things that were valuable but also practical for me.

"Oh! You have a good eye! That there—it's a cloak made from the hide of a Grade-3 Sky Whale. It even comes with a hood! It's a bit heavy, but it's fireproof, waterproof, insulating, and offers protection on par with Level 4 armor! Amazing, right?"

I could hunt a Sky Whale myself—

But turning its hide into something this well-crafted wasn't something I could do easily.

Sure, I could, if I wanted to—

But the preparation, effort, and time made it not worth the trouble.

──────────────

[Sky Whale Cloak] [★★★★★ (5-star)]

— A cloak crafted from the hide of a Level 3 flying-type monster, the Sky Whale.

— It provides insulation, waterproofing, and fire resistance.

— Extremely durable but heavy.

"View Details"

──────────────

My current black poncho was Ark-made, so it wasn't bad.

But compared to something made from Sky Whale hide?

It was inferior.

The Ark did sell gear made from monster corpses—

But the price was insane.

This was why processed monster materials were one of the Sandstorm Caravan's top-selling goods.

"Hm. Not bad."

"I knew you'd think so! Want to keep looking?"

The only things I planned to undervalue were the Thunderstruck Branch and the Seed of the Life Tree.

Trying to lowball something like this—something the Sandstorm Caravan already knew was valuable—

That wouldn't work.

I continued picking out useful items—

And in the midst of it all, I casually slipped in the Thunderstruck Branch and the Seed of the Life Tree.

It wasn't suspicious.

I had already chosen multiple items, and these were just two more insignificant-looking ones.

But—

"Oh my."

Even though I had tried to be natural,

Ayla's eyes narrowed.

For the first time in a while, she seemed invigorated.

And she was smiling.

She was looking directly at me.

And I already knew what had caught her attention.

The Thunderstruck Branch.

And—

The Seed of the Life Tree.

'As expected.'

There was no way she'd let it slide.

"So, you've chosen those?"

She wasn't looking because she knew their true worth.

Rather—

She was looking because she didn't.

But to a merchant, even an item with no intrinsic value could become something valuable.

Some would call that…

A commodity.

'The real negotiation starts now.'

The Daughter of the Sands smiled at me.

* * *

There are those who brave the deserts, plains, and wilderness, facing monsters and unimaginable dangers—

All for the sake of trade.

They are called the Sandstorm Caravan.

And the one who had built them into what they were today—

Was none other than

the Daughter of the Sands.

The Daughter of the Sands possessed a unique gift—

A pair of eyes unlike any in this world.

And now, those very eyes were locked onto the man before her.

'As expected.'

The radiance within her Golden Eyes spoke clearly.

The man standing in front of her—

Was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It was undeniable.

This man, Pawn, would bring the Sandstorm Caravan immense wealth.

That was why Ayla trusted him.

That was why she trusted his judgment.

And in negotiations, that was enough.

"You really do have an exceptional eye. I wasn't expecting you to pick those items."

"Oh? Then I'll pick something else."

"…What?"

"I'm not in a position to be buying rare goods right now."

She had already known—he wasn't an easy opponent.

But Ayla wasn't the type to fall for the same trick twice.

"Then do as you please."

She did not lose her composure.

Because she knew.

That Pawn would not give up on those two items.

It wasn't her Golden Eyes that told her this—

It was simply business sense.

"Do you even know what kind of seed this is?"

Pawn's words made Ayla pause for a moment.

She didn't know its true nature.

That was why she had trusted his judgment.

But with him asking so directly, she couldn't afford to give a careless answer.

If she spoke without knowing, that would no longer be business—

That would be fraud.

"It's a rare item. Very expensive."

"Hmm. Doesn't look that valuable to me."

"Then how much do you think it's worth?"

"I have no idea."

"..."

Even Ayla found herself momentarily speechless.

"But I don't feel the need to buy it right now."

He hadn't said he wouldn't buy it.

But that single statement—

That he didn't need it yet—

Prodded at Ayla's subconscious anxiety.

As if he already knew…

That if he walked away, those items wouldn't be sold to anyone else.

"Tch."

If it had been any other item, she wouldn't have cared.

The problem was—

The two things Pawn had set down were items that even she had questioned why they were in the storage tent to begin with.

'They look unusual… but…'

A withered branch and an unknown seed.

Sure, she could plant the seed—

But if she did, it would lose all its value as merchandise.

And waiting to see if it grew?

The Sandstorm Caravan was nomadic.

They did not have the time to plant seeds and wait for them to grow.

The real issue was not just what the seed was—

But the fact that in this damned world, there were only a handful of places capable of growing anything at all.

Ayla understood one thing well.

The true treasures in this world—

Were always hidden among items like these.

But even she lacked the insight to recognize them.

Neither the Sandstorm Caravan nor her Golden Eyes could see their true worth.

Her Golden Eyes could show her the path of wealth—

But they did not tell her the value of an unknown artifact.

'What should I do…?'

She was confident she could turn a profit in this negotiation.

But she quickly shook her head.

A merchant's first rule—

Never chase after immediate gains.

'There's no need to rush.'

As soon as she let go of that unnecessary thought, she felt at ease.

She realized she had been overthinking.

Because Ayla had already seen it.

She knew where her dealings with Pawn were going.

Her Golden Eyes had already shown her—

A golden road, stretching far beyond what she could see.

"This will do for today."

A sudden halt to the negotiations.

Pawn blinked, caught off guard.

Even he hadn't expected it.

"You changed your mind all of a sudden?"

"You could say that. Think of it as a gift—or maybe even a bribe."

"Hmm."

With just those words, Pawn nodded, understanding immediately.

And without any hesitation, he gathered his purchases and turned away.

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah. No reason to stay longer."

"That's true. Safe travels."

Their farewell was brief.

There was no reason for lengthy goodbyes.

And just like that, the deal was done.

The Sandstorm Caravan had gained immensely from this trade.

They had received a huge stockpile of weapons, ammunition, and supplies.

And in return, they had parted with some monster-crafted gear, some minor goods—

And two seemingly useless items.

To anyone else, the Sandstorm Caravan had clearly won.

But Ayla knew better.

Pawn would never see it that way.

'He probably thinks he's the one who got the better deal.'

And that—

That was what satisfied her the most.

A trade where both sides believe they won… That is what a merchant should strive for.

A gem with no recognizable value was no better than a pebble on the road.

So why not hand it off to someone who could recognize it?

Especially when that person was someone who would forge an unbreakable bond with the Sandstorm Caravan.

'Pawn, huh…?'

Watching him walk away, Ayla let out a soft chuckle.

Because today, what she had gained—

Was more than just profit.