Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Guy and Sura looked at each other. Based on yesterday's tally, there are still eleven barrels of flour left in the settlement. It's enough for six people to eat, but they're a bit reluctant to use it for trading.

"How about other things, like iron blocks or muskets?" Sura began.

"Iron blocks are too heavy. I only have five cows; it'd be too tiring for them to carry it. Maybe a big caravan would take them." He shook his head.

"As for muskets, we definitely wanted them before, but not anymore." Saying this, he took out an iron-gray semi-automatic rifle from a bag hanging beside him.

"This thing is much better than any bow, crossbow, or musket." He said, tapping it with his hand.

Upon seeing the gun, Sura's eyes lit up, eager to have a closer look, but judging by the man's demeanor, he clearly wasn't willing to let it go.

"Where did you get this? It looks like a fine piece of work, the edges and burrs are well handled." Sura also knew about automatic rifle designs, but unfortunately, didn't have suitable lathes and materials around.

"Recently, some people came from the east, claiming to be from the 'Heshan Rescue Association', each with deep brown appearances and carrying fully automatic weaponry. They even supposedly have cannons. They've got many people but lack food, so they're exchanging quite a bit of their firearms with surrounding forces. They appear to be self-produced, but they're rather xenophobic, and no one has been inside their stronghold."

Rescue Association? Tilan turned her head upon hearing the term.

"Are they sure it's called the 'Heshan Rescue Association'?" The girl's voice was particularly pleasant, making the man pause for a moment.

"Yes, what's wrong with that name?"

"Nothing, I heard that the people from the Rescue Association are quite different from the newborn races." Tilan pondered for a moment and explained.

"Oh that, yes, there's indeed a big difference." The man in the felt hat replied casually.

"Is this young lady here on vacation in this settlement?"

Compared to those around, whose attire was simple and lived-in, Tilan, with her appearance and clothing, seemed overly clean, standing out on such a plain.

Tilan was about to respond, but unexpectedly, Sura spoke up first.

"Yes, this is Miss Hexia from the Central Region. She's passing through here with a few servants and staying at our settlement for a few days."

"I see." The man in the felt hat quickly believed, given that Hexia's fair and clean fingers and face didn't seem like those of someone surviving with difficulty on this land.

"I wonder if Miss Hexia is looking to buy anything. I've got quite a few good items here." He began to consider how to conduct business.

"Do you have any clean fabric?" Upon hearing this, Tilan immediately thought of the lacking item.

"Clean fabric..." The man in the felt hat recalled his merchandise and then went over to another wild ox, untying a bag hanging there.

"Here are some well-tanned, sun-dried sheepskins. As for fabrics, I'll have to dig around a bit; I should have collected some before." Saying this, he searched for a while before pulling out slightly mildewy gray hemp cloth from the bottom.

"I remember now, this was exchanged last year in the west with a Fox-tail Species settlement. They had just won a battle, selling the things they couldn't take cheap, and I just happened to be there."

"This fabric isn't cheap; many people only have a few pieces of clothing in their lifetime. If you want to trade for it, you'll need to offer some hard currency." He implied a need for more money.

"This thing…" Sura took the hemp cloth, sniffed it, and showed a disgusted expression.

"It's got a weird smell. Selling this to our Miss Hexia, are you trying to fool someone? It's too dirty even for a foot rag for our Miss Hexia."

"This... actually it can be cleaned." He tried to explain, but seeing the girl nearby, he felt a bit outmatched, his momentum weakened.

"Alright, I'll trade a few weapons from the settlement for it. You said carrying iron blocks is inconvenient; doesn't it make weapons handy?" Sura continued to haggle down the price.

"I still have to see the goods first." The other party remained insistent.

"Wait a minute." With that, Sura asked Guy to keep negotiating with the other party while he went back into the mountain pass to move things.

Remaining, Guy chatted and laughed with the man in the felt hat and then inquired about other items.

"Do you have anything fresh and rare? Recently, we've been quite well-off."

"Oh, speaking of that, I do have a few good items." The man said, then rummaged through a bag and brought out something rusty.

"This is a radio in decent condition. The antenna beside it has been newly repaired and added. Although the casing looks somewhat old, it's still fully functional, capable of receiving several channels, so you won't feel lonely wherever you go."

"A radio, huh. But it needs electricity." Guy said, shaking his head. With their settlement conditions, electricity was still too extravagant.

"Isn't this just perfect then, I also have a small portable generator." The man in the felt hat pitched, taking out a portable small generator from a pack on a wild ox. Although it couldn't handle large appliances, it would certainly suffice for lighting and small devices like radios.

"However, it runs on fuel, and if the fuel is poor, it needs frequent cleaning. But with Sura around, that shouldn't be a problem." With Sura's skills, repairs and maintenance are quite easy.

Seeing the small generator, Guy also found it hard to take his eyes off it; it truly was a valuable and rare item, enough to be a family treasure for small settlements.

"This... how much are you planning to ask for it?" He deliberated and asked.

"Forget about ordinary items, you're an experienced one, you know the value of this little guy."