Ashen Wasteland 08: One Gold Coin Could Buy Everything...

It was almost as if they resented the rich.

But when their gazes fell on the badges the group wore conspicuously on their chests, understanding flashed in their eyes.

As if everything Red Beard and the others did was only natural.

That was interesting.

"San San, how far can you search now?"

"I've finished refining and absorbing the violent energy in the Beast Core. Unless something major happens, it's enough to keep the space running on its own. I can keep watch over everything within a hundred li, so you get some rest. I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Okay~ If the space can run on its own, does that mean it'll be able to provide me with Spiritual Power soon?"

"Mm. I've collected two drops of spiritual liquid, too. I'm saving them for you. Your body's still far too weak, so you need to take good care of yourself."

"Hehe, having you around makes my life so much easier, San San!"

San San didn't want much. She just liked hearing Ye Chuqi praise her. She was obviously delighted, yet she always acted too proud to admit it.

"I told you you couldn't manage without me." San San gave a couple of smug huffs. "Some of the spiritual plants in the fields were destroyed by the Astral Wind. The ones that barely survived nearly withered from lack of Spiritual Power, so I diverted the Spirit Spring to them. They should recover in a while. I set aside a plot for the Red Sun Fruit you brought in, and I've successfully propagated it. And that Big Black Fish keeps saying she's hungry..."

Ye Chuqi looked sheepish. She had nearly forgotten about Big Black Fish.

"What does she eat?"

"Magic beast meat or Beast Cores. Of course, you don't have to indulge her. If it comes down to it, the crystals from deadwood roots or ground rat meat will do."

"Can we grow that deadwood in the space?"

"..." San San sighed. "Eating crystals from deadwood roots is only a last resort. Why eat something so strange when potatoes taste much better? Frankly, it has no value worth collecting."

"All right, then."

"But since you brought it up, we could collect one or two, just in case. Who knows? They might have some amazing use we don't know about."

Ye Chuqi beamed. "Okay."

When it came to collecting things, San San was far more methodical than Ye Chuqi. San San had always been the one leading her to gather all sorts of things, hoping to repair the space as soon as possible and help her refine it further.

Xiya turned her head and saw Ye Chuqi smiling happily. She had no idea what Ye Chuqi was so pleased about. Xiya handed her a fruit on a whim, and Ye Chuqi held it as though it could keep her happy for ages.

She had no way of knowing that Ye Chuqi ate it and immediately tossed the pit into the space for San San to deal with. As San San put it, as long as they worked hard enough, there would be more than enough room once the space was repaired.

"Yezi."

"Mm?"

"How old are you this year?"

Ye Chuqi counted it out. "About fifteen."

When Eldest Senior Brother found her, she had still been an infant, with a bone age of around one. She had spent roughly fourteen years in the Cultivation World, so this body was probably fifteen.

She hadn't expected that single "about" to fill Xiya with heartache. Fifteen. In everyone's eyes, Ye Chuqi was a child through and through.

"Is there anywhere you want to go, Yezi?"

Ye Chuqi gave it serious thought, but there really wasn't. After all, she didn't even know what places there were to go in this world. She shook her head.

"Would you like to stay with the Red Wind Mercenary Group? The Reserve Corps gets good benefits. Whatever you want to learn, the group can provide for your training. In return, once you finish, you'll have to work for the group for a corresponding number of years." At that, Xiya glanced at Jun Ruofeng. He had come up with that rule. Besides developing talent for the Mercenary Corps, it kept people from taking its resources only to leave the moment someone else recruited them. Anyone who didn't want to work had to repay the cost of their training with interest, plus a hefty penalty.

Joining the Red Wind Mercenary Group was a dream for countless people. Even knowing how restrictive the contract was, they still fought for the chance to sign one.

As a member of the Elite Group, Xiya was qualified to recommend candidates for the Reserve Corps. She thought Ye Chuqi had great potential, and since she seemed to have nowhere to go, staying with the Mercenary Corps might be a good choice.

Red Beard's voice drifted back from up ahead. "Stay if you want to. If you don't, there's no need to force yourself. Don't feel pressured."

Xiya suddenly came to her senses. Red Beard's tone placed Ye Chuqi on equal footing with him, while what she had just said treated Ye Chuqi like someone weak who needed their protection. Could her habit of pitying others have made Ye Chuqi uncomfortable?

"Yezi..." Had she said the wrong thing again?

Ye Chuqi tugged at Xiya's sleeve and gave it a shake. Her smile was especially bright as she said without a trace of resentment, "Thank you. I'll think it over carefully."

She really did need to think carefully about where to go from here.

Chapter 8: Ashen Wasteland 08—One Gold Coin Could Buy Everything...

Before the group reached the Adventurers' Camp Xiya had mentioned, they all put away their Starhorn Horses and prepared to continue on foot.

Xiya was worried about Red Beard's injuries. Only after repeatedly checking that the wound on his leg no longer hindered him did she let him be.

Ye Chuqi, however, was puzzled. She had noticed the looks people gave them along the way. Everyone seemed used to seeing them flaunt their wealth, so was there any need to pretend they didn't have Starhorn Horses now?

Red Beard took the black strip of cloth from his eyes. Once he had adjusted to the light, he rubbed the top of Ye Chuqi's head and said, "To make it easier to manage, the Adventurers' Camp doesn't allow magic beasts inside. That includes mounts."

Beast companions were generally enormous, while the Adventurers' Camps scattered across the region were never very large. If everyone brought their companions in and out, things would quickly descend into chaos. An unwritten rule had therefore stood for years: no matter who they were, people put away their beast companions before entering an Adventurers' Camp, mounts included.

Anyone who ignored that unspoken rule would most likely find the entire camp turning on them.

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