Lucrezia grew anxious. Just as she was about to snap, she met Leo's calm, deep black eyes.
"Lucie," Leo’s voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable sternness, much like a rigid, old-fashioned elder brother. "Even in the wild, you must not forget Father’s teachings. Dining etiquette is the final shred of dignity for a noble."
"Huh?" Lucrezia was stunned.
What time did he think it was? They were practically starving to death, and he was still fussing over this?
Leo ignored her bewilderment. He first accepted the two pieces of roasted meat with a smile, but he didn't hand them to her immediately. Instead, he placed them on a clean banana leaf.
Then, he unhurriedly pulled a water skin from his backpack.
He unscrewed the cap.
He poured the water.
Splash...
Clear water washed over his palms. He washed slowly and meticulously, even scrubbing under his fingernails as if performing some sacred ritual.
After finishing, he pulled out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands dry.
Then, he handed the water skin to the dumbfounded Lucrezia and gestured with his eyes: your turn.
The entire campsite fell silent.
Everyone stared at these two "noble young masters and ladies" who insisted on being so fastidious while sitting in a mud pit.
Leo appeared focused on washing his hands, but in reality, his muscles were tense, and his peripheral vision was locked onto the captain and the female archer.
If the meat contained a potent poison or a powerful sedative, they certainly wouldn't dare eat it first. If they ate it without hesitation, it meant the food itself was safe for the time being.
Watching Leo's pretentious display, the captain blinked in surprise before bursting into a fit of wild laughter.
"Haha... Hahahahaha!"
He pointed at Leo, laughing so hard tears almost came out. "Proper! Truly proper! We rough folk could never learn that in a lifetime! Brothers, don't wait up, let's eat! We can't let our distinguished guests see us as a joke!"
With that, the captain tore off a piece of meat still attached to the bone and took a massive, greasy bite.
The female archer and the lizardman nearby followed suit, grabbing roasted meat and feasting greedily.
Only then did Leo breathe a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile of 'etiquette fulfilled' appearing on his face.
He picked up the meat, which had cooled slightly, and handed it to Lucrezia, who looked like she was about to cry from hunger. His voice was gentle:
"Alright, eat. Remember to chew slowly."
"Wuu—!"
Lucrezia let out a cheer that sounded almost like a sob as she snatched the meat.
To hell with etiquette! To hell with noble dignity!
Like a starving little tiger, she buried her face in the meat, taking a huge bite. Her cheeks puffed out, her mouth was covered in grease, and she was so happy she nearly wept.
"Sigh, truly a pitiful child."
The captain chewed on a bone, wiping his mouth with a greasy hand as he asked with feigned sympathy, "Seeing how delicate you both look, you must be a young master and lady who ran away from some family, right? Why come to the outskirts of the Red Mangrove Swamp? It’s not as dangerous as the deep areas, but it’s no playground either."
Leo swallowed a piece of the coarse but decent-tasting meat and let out a bitter smile.
"I won't lie to you. My sister and I intended to head to Virado to seek help from some distant relatives. But... sigh, our family fell on hard times and we couldn't afford guards. We tried to take a shortcut, got lost, and have been wandering this godforsaken place for two days."
"Oh—I see." The captain nodded, his eyes flickering as if accepting the explanation.
He pointed to a stuffed bag beside him and said casually, "We are the Grizzly Bear Adventurer Team. We took a commission from the guild to collect some slag called 'Red Crystal.' We just finished the task and are heading back to Kent Town to turn it in."
"Red Crystal slag?"
Lucrezia, who had been buried in her food, suddenly looked up.
Her gaze landed on the half-open mouth of the bag, revealing several stones with a dull red luster and salt-like crystals.
How was that slag?
Lucrezia's red eyes instantly lit up.
These were clearly unrefined Red Salt Crystal clusters! Though the purity wasn't high, they were high-demand goods in the eyes of casters!
"Um..." Lucrezia’s eyes darted around. She used her good hand, now greasy, to point at the captain and asked with feigned casualness, "Hey, bearded captain, how much did the guild pay you for this job?"
The captain paused, then gave a bitter smile and gestured. "Not much, only about fifty silver coins. It’s just a gathering quest, after all."
"How much? Fifty?!"
Lucrezia nearly spat out her meat.
When she was at the Arcanum Academy, a single small piece of Red Salt Crystal of this quality could sell for two or three gold coins on the black market! This bag these bumpkins were carrying had at least ten pounds—it was only worth fifty silver?!
Pure profit! Absolute, staggering profit!
Lucrezia suppressed the excitement in her heart, trying her best to look indifferent. She nudged the quietly eating Leo with her elbow and whispered an order:
"Hey, here's our chance. This stuff is called Red Salt Crystal; we can flip it for dozens of times the price. Quick, take out the money, let's buy it!"
Then, she turned back with full confidence, waving her hand at the captain with a grand, heroic air:
"Fifty silver is too little! That's just bullying honest people! Tell you what, since fate brought us together, I won't let those black-hearted merchants take your profit. For these ores, I'll give you... one gold coin! Cash on the spot! How about it?"
Doubling the price from fifty silver to one gold (100 silver).
Buman the lizardman’s eyes went wide, his forked tongue flicking wildly.
The captain was also clearly stunned, appearing somewhat moved.
Lucrezia looked at Leo triumphantly. "What are you waiting for? Pay up!"
Leo stopped chewing.
He looked at the pairs of eyes that had instantly focused on him with anticipation, then at Lucrezia, whose face practically screamed 'praise me for being so smart.'
The air suddenly became very quiet.
Leo silently swallowed his meat, spread his hands with a blank expression, and uttered two words with utter bluntness:
"No money."
"..."
The triumph on Lucrezia's face instantly shattered. "Huh? You... you have no money? Oh, right... wait, no... where's the money?"
"We left in a hurry, I lost the coin pouch." Leo lied without even blinking.
"Then why did you..." Lucrezia’s face turned bright red, so embarrassed her toes wanted to dig a three-bedroom apartment into the mud.
She had talked so big just now, and now they couldn't produce the money. It was a public execution of her dignity.
"Haha... Hahahahaha!"
The captain let out a timely, hearty laugh, breaking the suffocating awkwardness.
"I appreciate the sentiment! You're a kind-hearted little sister!"
He waved his hand, putting on an air of principle. "However, since we accepted the guild's commission, we signed a contract. If we sold the quest items privately for a little extra cash, the Grizzly Bear Team's reputation would be ruined. How would we survive on the streets after that?"
"Right... right..." Lucrezia could only take the exit he provided, laughing dryly to cover her embarrassment.
Whether to regain some face or to shift the focus from her blunder, her gaze swept over the worn leather armor and chipped weapons of the captain and his crew. She subconsciously blurted out:
"Red Salt Crystals are rare minerals that grow near the nests of Rot-poison Dragon Lizards. They only appear at the geothermal vents in the swamp's core, which is filled with highly acidic toxic mist."
"With your... uh, how did you guys get in there and make it out alive?"
"..."
These unintentional words caused the once-lively atmosphere to plummet to freezing temperatures.
The captain's laughter stopped abruptly.
Raz, who was wiping his dagger, froze mid-motion, his cold gaze sweeping over them.
Rate on N.U.
