A Vulpo Girl's Life as a Rhodes Island Operator

Fengling found driving alone rather boring, but thankfully the car's music kept her from getting too restless.

Ursus lay in the north of Terra, enduring harsh cold for most of the year. But now, in July, the weather was not quite so dreadful.

Following the map, Fengling drove toward her destination.

Fengling did not have much experience driving this type of vehicle. Though she had done all the preparation she could beforehand and performed quite well in simulated training, there were still slight differences from actual operation.

So she maintained a moderate speed to better handle any unexpected situations.

There was more than one town along each route. When exchanging supplies for minerals, she only needed to do her best and avoid going below the bottom price.

The mission evaluation was not based solely on how many supplies she exchanged for, but on a more comprehensive assessment.

Though Fengling cared somewhat about her evaluation, she also knew that caring too much would only make her hesitant and lead to poor results.

She might encounter all sorts of situations along the way. She needed to trust her own judgment and make her choices with confidence.

Rhodes Island's training had already taught Fengling many things.

What Rhodes Island did, and the ideals it upheld, were also things Fengling deeply believed in.

With that as her foundation, Fengling believed she would not make any choice she would regret.

Just as she had expected, this was probably a fairly simple mission at its core.

Fengling successfully arrived at the first town stop.

Ursus was vast and sparsely populated, and Fengling had not been driving particularly fast. By now, it was already close to evening.

"This is Fengling. I have arrived at designated coordinates 5-1. There are currently no unusual conditions. Report complete."

Town One of Route Five.

Using the vehicle radio's standard channel, Fengling first reported her progress to the Rhodes Island landship.

Then, she slowly drove the vehicle into town.

"Hmm... It looks like I still need to be careful."

Through the one-way transparent window, Fengling observed the local residents, instinctively sounding an alarm in her mind.

Her preliminary research had taught Fengling that while Ursus had no shortage of kind and simple people, the pressure of survival also drove many to do evil over trivial things.

And people in Ursus's border regions would likely be even worse in this regard.

A little food or some fuel for an Originium heater could be enough to trigger a tragedy.

And a truck loaded with supplies was itself an outrageously fat sheep.

The town where 5-1 was located was not large. After driving the vehicle to the center square, Fengling turned off the engine.

"Many of the nighttime lighting facilities I saw on the way here seem to have been abandoned and left unrepaired for a long time."

"Most of the houses are built rather crudely."

"There also seem to be relatively few cellars."

"But there are traces of rough Originium ore being carelessly piled out in the open."

Fengling sorted through the information and closed her eyes to think for a moment.

"Whew..."

After taking a deep breath, Fengling put on a professional smile.

After checking her equipment, she opened the vehicle door.

Apparently, this town rarely saw outsiders, let alone one who arrived in such a large vehicle.

Fengling's arrival naturally drew the attention of many townspeople.

And when the residents saw that their visitor was a rather lovely-looking Vulpo girl, they froze as well.

After all, the Rhodes Island truck looked quite rugged. Instinctively, they had assumed its driver would be some muscular brute.

Maintaining her professional smile without a word, Fengling looked around before calling out clearly, "Hello, everyone. I am a merchant passing through. May I ask if the town chief is here?"

A stretch of silence followed.

Fengling was in no hurry, her polite smile remaining firmly in place.

And calling herself a merchant was not wrong. The fundamental purpose of this mission was indeed trade.

Besides, the identity of a merchant... better fit Terra's stereotype of the Vulpo race.

Cunning, shrewd.

That would probably make the people here lower their guard a little.

And give her a better chance of carrying on the conversation.

However, Fengling did not get to meet the town chief. Instead, she encountered some trouble that was more or less expected.

Two Ursus military police officers carrying long-handled battleaxes and wearing crooked, sloppy uniforms walked toward Fengling.

One of them had a vicious scar across his face. He snarled at Fengling, "Don't move. We suspect your vehicle is transporting dangerous goods. Let us inspect it!"

With a clang, the shaft of a battleaxe slammed hard against the ground, producing a tremendous noise. It seemed the two military police officers wanted to intimidate the slender, frail-looking Vulpo girl before them.

If she had really been an ordinary merchant, she might have backed down.

And this sudden inspection clearly had an ulterior motive.

"Oh my..." Fengling covered her mouth with a smile, her eyes narrowing into slits while her expression remained sweet. "What a wonderful start."

Thankfully, Rhodes Island had plenty of experience dealing with such situations.

If one was unprepared when facing Ursus military police, regardless of whether they had ulterior motives, one could only cooperate as much as possible. Otherwise, there would be no grounds to refuse.

Fortunately, some of Ursus's higher-ups knew how chaotic their country was, so they issued certain documents with special authority for situations like this.

The holder of such a document had the legitimate right to refuse unreasonable demands from military police.

At the same time, it served as a protective charm. Anyone with such a document generally had support from high-ranking Ursus officials.

Rhodes Island had used its own connections to acquire such a document.

The vehicle and goods had also been confirmed by the Ursus side, so Fengling could refuse them here.

"Gentlemen, this is an official document issued by Ursus. My vehicle has a corresponding identification number listed on it, and all the goods we are selling and trading have already been inspected and verified. So I have the right to refuse your inspection!"

Fengling took out a prepared document from inside her coat. It indeed bore an official Ursus seal and could not be forged.

Along with the document, Fengling handed them two boxes of tobacco.

"You gentlemen have worked hard! Please accept these two boxes of tobacco. They can help keep you alert while you're on duty."

As the saying went, one did not strike a smiling face.

Fengling was so accommodating, and she had the document to back her up.

The thuggish soldiers, who had originally hoped to use the opportunity to extort something, could only accept the tobacco for the time being.

However, their greedy gazes never left Fengling's sight. She saw them clearly.

Though I'm safe for now... this probably won't end so easily.

Fengling silently put away the document, her vigilance already raised to its limit.

Making Some Money

"What does a little girl want with an old man like me?"

After Fengling had argued with the two soldiers for a while, an old, feeble voice drifted over.

Fengling narrowed her eyes and looked over with a smile.

An elderly man, bald on top with a gray beard, hobbled over unsteadily with the aid of a cane.

It seemed he was the village chief.

When the old village chief saw the two soldiers beside Fengling, a trace of fear instinctively appeared in his eyes. Then, avoiding their direction with his gaze, he looked at Fengling.

Without a word, Fengling took in all of it.

It seemed those two thuggish soldiers had given the old village chief no small amount of trouble.

However, Fengling had no intention of dispensing justice for the people just yet. At the moment, she was merely a merchant standing here.

Moreover, interpersonal relationships and human nature were always more complicated than one imagined.

Without an investigation, one should not make wild assumptions.

What one saw on the surface was always only the surface.

Fengling was neither a judge nor an Ursus commissar.

So she chose to ignore it for now and continue with her mission.

"Hello, Village Chief. I am a merchant passing through and hope to sell some supplies here. You may see if there is anything you need."

Fengling first concealed her true needs.

If she put her needs out in the open first, the other side would hold all the advantage and could raise the price at will.

So she would make money first.

The old village chief glanced at the soldiers before continuing, "What... exactly are you selling?"

"Hehe..." Fengling clapped her hands, her tail swaying lightly behind her as she declared in a boastful tone, "Fresh vegetables, prepared jerky, crop seeds, Originium heaters and fuel—even pots, bowls, and utensils. As long as it is an everyday necessity for food, clothing, or daily life, I have it here!"

That was the truth.

And it was also a test from Fengling.

The two soldiers who had accepted Fengling's tobacco had not left. They stood nearby, puffing away at their cigarettes.

When they heard Fengling's words, they instinctively gripped their weapons tighter.

Ah... I really hope they know when to back off.

Fengling also knew that at a time like this, her invincibly cute and beautiful appearance was having the opposite effect.

But at least they probably would not make a move openly.

So she would complete this transaction first.

Fengling returned to the vehicle, rummaged around for a moment, then enthusiastically handed the old village chief a price list.

This kind of situation had been foreseeable.

So the currency-based price list Fengling had prepared in advance according to materials provided by Rhodes Island truly came in handy.

Fortunately, the old village chief could read. In villages like these, the spread of education was indeed far too difficult.

After studying it for a while, the old village chief sighed.

"Little girl, the prices you offer... are fairly reasonable. The village really does need to stock up on supplies for the winter, and this season is our last chance to plant. We need these things very badly."

"—But we may not be able to come up with that much money. Little girl... could you lower the prices a little?"

After saying that, the old village chief shook his head.

"Ah... Is that so? Please let me think about it."

Fengling's face filled with regret, then she fell silent, seemingly giving serious thought to what the old village chief had just said.

Silence.

More silence.

When the other side genuinely needed something, silence at a time like this would create a little psychological pressure.

Fengling did not actually need to think. She had already prepared what she would say next.

"Then... how about this?" Fengling looked around. "Village Chief, I noticed your village seems to have mined quite a bit of rough Originium ore. Don't you want those things?"

"The good Originium ore was taken away by the lords long ago... These are poor-quality pieces that nobody wants..." Following Fengling's gaze, the old village chief looked at some scattered rough Originium ore.

These things were indeed awkward for the local residents.

They lacked the ability to refine minerals, and these Originium ores posed a contamination risk, so they could not be stored together with food and the like.

But the ores could not be said to have no value at all.