This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 674: Food Earned from Labor is Dignified

Chapter 674: Chapter 674: Food Earned from Labor is Dignified

The harbor of Ring Island.

The damp and stifling cabin.

Next to the electric light, Sesame Paste sat cross-legged, reading a storybook she had borrowed from Si Si to the children gathered around her.

At first, it was Misa who did this alone, aiming to help the restless children pass the time and incidentally teach them to read and write.

Later on, Sesame Paste joined in, too.

Thanks to this, she found that her United Human language had improved a lot lately, especially in reading and writing, where she could now understand common texts without relying on VM.

Crouched beside Sesame Paste, a little girl about seven or eight years old hugged her knees, eyes intently fixed on the swaying cat ears atop her head.

When one story ended, the little girl couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and ventured a soft, tentative question.

"Sister."

"What is it?" asked Sesame Paste, turning a page with a gentle smile towards the little girl.

Sesame Paste remembered the girl’s name was Vinegar Chestnut.

Her farmer father had entrusted her to the ship and then, with other Moon people determined to rebel, had vanished into the jungles outside the Port of Golden Gallon.

Like many children here, she was without relatives, and Misa had been taking care of her.

The girl looked timidly at Sesame Paste, embarrassed for a moment, but finally she voiced the thought that was in her mind.

"Are you a messenger of the Silver Moon Goddess?"

Startled for a moment, Sesame Paste blinked and asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because that’s what people say... everyone on the ship," the girl continued softly, "I’m wondering... if the Silver Moon Goddess of Silver Moon Bay and the Moon God of Poluo Province might actually be the same person."

Occasionally, she saw some mercenaries from Silver Moon Bay secretly praying to this sister with cat ears, but the people in the cabin said that she was an avatar of the Moon God.

Everyone said different things, and she couldn’t help but be confused about who this sister with cat ears really was.

Seeing pairs of eyes that expectantly looked up at her, Sesame Paste’s face broke into a smile she could hardly suppress and reached out to gently touch Vinegar Chestnut’s little head.

"Umm... there might actually be a possibility, since both myths and history are written by people after all."

"Really?" Not just Vinegar Chestnut, a group of children’s eyes all lit up.

"Mhm!" smiled Sesame Paste, "And it just so happens that I have a good friend who likes to study this... you can discuss it with her. Although she might not seem very approachable, she is actually a very warm-hearted person."

After finishing the story.

Sesame Paste closed the book and patted her pants before getting up from the floor. That’s when she noticed an elderly lady watching her, and so she approached with a smile and asked.

"Do you need something?"

The elderly lady was named Sang Ru, herself at the ripe old age of sixty, the oldest survivor here, and also a revered elder among these people of the Moon Clan.

Watching Sesame Paste walk over, the old lady slightly nodded her head and earnestly said.

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to thank you on behalf of everyone... Those children are all pitiful; their fathers are fighting the West Winds Empire’s army thousands of miles away, uncertain whether they’ll ever reunite. Thanks to you and Misa, at least they have the opportunity to learn."

"I’m just doing what I can, and to be honest, I’m quite happy about it," responded Sesame Paste to such a solemn thanks, scratching her cheek shyly.

"Even so, we are very grateful, as are your friends who took us in," Sang Ru looked at her earnestly, her tone tinged with a hint of shame, "If there’s any way we can help, please do tell us, even if it’s just to help wash your clothes or clean the deck. We’ve been eating and using your resources... everyone feels rather guilty."

Looking at the grave face of the old lady, Sesame Paste didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she said.

"You really don’t have to do that, we—"

"This is very important to us," Sang Ru slightly lowered her eyes apologetically, "I am sorry if my words have put you in a difficult position. According to the ancestral teachings of our Moon Clan, only food earned through labor can be dignified... We’re very grateful for your help, and we’ll surely repay you, but if possible, please give us a chance to fight for our own dignity."

Sesame Paste stared blankly at the old lady.

Feeling the earnestness and determination in those eyes, she took hold of the old woman’s wrinkled hand and responded seriously to her request.

"I promise!"

...

At the same time, the deck of the Meat Meat was a cacophony of chirping and chattering.

One human and one bear, lying on the rail, held their telescopes, excitedly gazing toward the west.

"Wow, wow, wow! Meat Meat! Another ship is coming!"

"I see it! It’s bigger than ours!"

Although they had been bored at the port for days, the two buffoons never left themselves idle, always finding some entertainment.

Like now.

They started a guessing game, speculating whether the first ship to dock today would be a warship or a freighter.

As it stood, it looked like Meat Meat was going to win.

They watched as a smoke-billowing freighter with a wide and long deck, led by two speedboats, approached the direction of the harbor.

Upon seeing the cargo-laden freighter, the docks’ loudspeakers burst out broadcasting as eagerly as if they’d encountered a long-awaited rain.

Under the broadcast’s urging, workers lounging on the shore getting sun, lethargically threw towels over their shoulders and shuffled to their positions, disturbing a flock of seagulls that had been sitting on the dock and singing.

The once leisurely harbor suddenly bustled with activity again.

In the midst of the fierce battle in the Southern sea area, despite Ring Island’s distance from the center of the battlefield, there were scarcely any foreign ships that frequented it.

Looking at that empty sea, Meat Meat sometimes naively thought that maybe this was why the harbor governor hadn’t driven them away.

After all, the docks were empty anyway.

At least they would pay 1000 Dinars per day for demurrage.

Tail: "Whoa! Meat Meat! What’s that piled up on the deck, did you see it?"

Meat Meat: "I can’t see clearly, seems like ore?"

Suddenly, Tail let out a cry.

"Damn, Meat Meat, we’re in trouble! That ship over there... might be pirates!"

Meat Meat looked at Tail, who was now acting serious and stroking his chin.

"Ah?! How can you tell?!"

"You wouldn’t understand, Meat Meat."

Tail put away his telescope, propped one foot on the gunwale, and smartly cocked his not-so-bright eyebrow.

"Tail saw through it in a glance, the Northwestern Wind that sailed in with the Northwest wind is actually a pirate ship disguised as a cargo vessel! They pillaged the port and kidnapped the governor’s daughter, but fortunately, the White Bear Knights stopped them... It’s usually like that in movies!"

Finally realizing that the guy was joking again, Meat Meat, who let out a sigh of relief, looked at her with a cry-laugh and retorted.

"What the heck is Northwestern Wind?"

"That ship came from the northwest; let’s not sweat the small stuff! Isn’t there something more worth complaining about, Meat Meat!"

While saying this, Tail suddenly sniffed.

"Wait... Meat Meat, do you smell something weird?"

Meat Meat blinked, took a deep breath against the sea breeze, and then his furry bear face squished together, pinching his nose and sticking out a pink tongue.

"Yuck!"

"It stinks!"

...

At the same time, on the deck of the Northwestern Wind, a bunch of furs spread out were exuding a thick and nauseating smell.

Although Mogavi anticipated that those furs might have started to stink, the rate of decay of organic matter in the tropical environment still exceeded his expectations.

The moment his mercenaries untied the hemp ropes tied around the fur pile, an acrid stench rapidly filled the entire deck.

The smell was like an entire container of sardine cans opened at once, even the bravest Awakeners were sent reeling back several steps before they could steady themselves.

But Mogavi couldn’t care less about that.

To prevent the furs from rotting further, he had to endure the churning in his stomach, urging the retreating mercenaries to spread out the furs piece by piece on the deck, and then scoop up buckets of seawater to douse over them.

This method was actually fine.

In the absence of enough salt, rubbing and pounding the furs with seawater, which is also one of the methods of tanning furs and leather.

The brine not only killed the bacteria on the surface of the furs but also prevented cracking and cleaned off sweat, blood, and grease.

However, Mogavi underestimated the roughness of the cargo and the waterproofing of the Northwestern Wind cargo ship.

The buckets of seawater not only failed to wash the smell into the sea but also allowed the water mixed with grease and bloody water to seep into the cabin.

Now the whole lower deck looked like a crime scene, covered in sticky grease and damp bloodstains.

Seeing his beloved ship turned into such a ghastly state, Captain Song Haining’s lips turned blue with anger, his face swollen to the color of liver.

If it weren’t for the fact that the hiring fee was still being held at the Silver Moon Bay port, he would have thrown the guy and the pile of cheap trash he bought from the deck to feed the fishes!

"...I’ll say it again. Once we dock, get these things off my ship immediately! We agreed you’d bring coal and iron, not this moldy and stinking mess!!"

"What moldy and stinking mess!" Mogavi widened his eyes at him, "Do you know how much these things can sell for in the desert! Especially in the northernmost part of the Golden Lizard Kingdom, their popularity even surpasses Devil Silk-made satin!"

Song Haining looked at him with a face of iron blue.

"I don’t care what this is, this is outside the contract! You broke the agreement first, Mr. Mogavi! And our contract states, my ship doesn’t carry perishables!"

Mogavi argued with reason.

"This isn’t perishables! This is fur—"

Song Haining angrily interrupted him.

"Enough, don’t play word games with me! This stuff is freshly skinned off the prey!"

Mogavi clasped his hands, looking at him pleadingly.

"Please, my friend, after this deal is done, I’ll clean it up nicely for you! I guarantee there won’t be a trace of any smell on your ship!"

"Thirty thousand Dinars!" Song Haining stared at him firmly, "I won’t let you touch my ship again. Once we land at Silver Moon Bay, you get as far from me as possible!"

"Deal, no problem!" Mogavi nodded like pounding garlic, chuckling and said, "As long as you agree to wait for me for a while outside Potato Harbor on the return trip—"

"Get lost!" Unable to bear him any longer, Song Haining pushed him and bellowed, "Take your pile of junk and get out now!"

Watching the furious captain, the steering apprentice didn’t dare to speak to him, only relied on his not-so-proficient experience to dock the ship.

The Northwestern Wind happened to stop next to the ship Meat Meat, and the two cargo ships with totally different styles docked side by side.

Propped on the gunwale and watching the lively scene, Tail and Meat Meat ate their melon seeds excitedly, egging them on with shouts.

"Whoa! They’re fighting!"

"Go for it!"

Hearing the noises from the deck of the nearby cargo ship, Song Haining, who was about to give that crooked merchant a good lesson, instinctively stopped his actions and looked towards that ship.

He saw a person and a bear standing on the gunwale, watching this side.

As their gazes met, the short-haired girl on the ship enthusiastically waved.

"Oh, friends across the way! Who are you guys?"

Song Haining squinted his eyes, staring at her and the huge White Bear beside her for a while, then glanced at the flag hanging above the ship’s cabin, feeling it looked somewhat familiar.

"Here we are on the Northwestern Wind! Who are you?"

As soon as they heard the name, the pair standing at the ship’s rail, both man and bear, were taken aback.

"Yikes?!"

"Giao! Is this really the Northwestern Wind?!"

Song Haining watched the duo without blinking, pondering where he had seen these two oddities before. However, Ah Wei thought he was waiting for her to introduce herself and hurriedly spoke up after an "Ah."

"We’re from Ship Meat Meat! I’m Ah Wei! She’s Meat Meat!"

Ah Wei?

Song Haining was slightly taken aback but hadn’t reacted yet. Standing beside him, Mogavi heard the name and exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah Wei?! Wait, you’re Ah Wei?!"

Seeing that someone on the vast sea recognized her, Ah Wei also showed a surprised and happy expression.

"That’s me! Have you heard of me?!"

A bit embarrassed, Mogavi chuckled and wriggled out of the grip on his collar.

"I think I’ve seen your portrait... Ah, now I remember, at Silver Moon Bay’s port! There was a group from Poluo Province looking for you, showing everyone your picture, and this talking bear beside you."

Upon hearing this, Ah Wei and Meat Meat were shocked.

"Giao?!"

"Why am I wanted too?!"

Seeing their exaggerated reactions, Mogavi quickly explained.

"Not wanted, the governor’s mansion in Silver Moon City hasn’t made a move, but you might have offended some... uh, less reputable folks. You should be careful these days."

Relieved by these words, Ah Wei responded gratefully.

"Thank you for the information! We’ll be careful!"

"Don’t mention it," Mogavi said with an awkward smile, glancing at Captain Song Haining and then hopefully at Ah Wei, "By the way, do you have any plans to return to Silver Moon Bay soon?"

Ah Wei replied as a matter of course.

"No, why?"

Mogavi’s expression stiffened, scratching the back of his head.

"Ah... that’s going to be difficult, a headache indeed. That guy I met in Potato Harbor told me to come here and ask you."

Ah Wei’s eyes lit up at the scent of a potential side quest, hands gripping the railing as she asked.

"Oh! What’s the task—oh no, what trouble did you encounter?"

"Sort of," Mogavi looked helplessly at the pile of furs spread out on the deck and continued, "because of this unexpected windfall, I’ve made this old friend of mine terribly angry..."

"Who’s your old friend! And it’s about money, right!" Song Haining glared at him fiercely, "Less bullshit, hurry up and get this mess off my ship!"

Seeing the captain looking at him with such agitated emotions, Mogavi quickly raised his hand to try to calm him down.

"I know, I know, don’t rush me! I need to find someone to help me handle this stuff first, right?"

Hearing this, Ah Wei’s eyes shone even brighter.

"Wait, you need people?"

"Do you have them?" Mogavi was taken aback, sizing up the so-called Ship Meat Meat.

You could see a few sailors and mercenaries on the deck, but all told, no more than thirty people, possibly even fewer than his own crew.

Ah Wei smirked with pride.

"Then you’ve asked the right person, we’ve got plenty of people here!"

"That’s great... I need two hundred, well, preferably four hundred hands to help me clean these furs. The method is simple: just pour seawater over them and rub them repeatedly, scraping off the surface rot and such. I’ll figure out the tools, and it’s fine if you don’t know how—I’ll teach you myself... but are you sure you have enough people here?" Mogavi looked suspiciously at the girl, not quite sure whether she was joking or serious, and said with less confidence.

"Of course! Wait here!"

With that, Ah Wei thudded away from the railing and rushed to the cabin, flung open the door, and shouted inside.

"Si Si! Come out and greet our guests!"

"What is it again, Ah Wei..."

With a book of half-sorted notes in her arms, Si Si walked out of the cabin with a helpless face. As soon as she set foot on the deck, her pretty face twisted into a grimace of disgust.

"Yuck—did Meat Meat poop on the ship?"

Though the muttered comment was barely audible, the sharp-eared Meat Meat heard it, and a resounding roar erupted on the deck.

"Am I that kind of a person!!"

Si Si subtly shifted her gaze away.

But Ah Wei didn’t care about that, grabbing her by the shoulder and excitedly explaining.

"Si Si! That pirate ship next to us needs help processing newly-skinned furs! They need a lot of people!"

Si Si paused, then approached the railing and looked skeptically at the sheepishly smiling man on the other ship.

"Hello... Are you the captain here?"

Compared to the previous two, intuition told him she might be a bit more reliable.

"Not... I’m not the captain, the one beside me is," Si Si gestured toward the White Bear, then looked at the NPC on the opposite ship and asked decisively, "How many people do you need? What’s your offer? How do you pay?"

Mogavi watched her intently and said,

"The more the merrier! As long as you can deal with all these furs within two days, I can give you one hundred thousand Dinars! Cash payment!"

Hearing the payment was in Dinars, Si Si immediately put on an uninterested expression.

"I might consider it for ten thousand silver coins, but let’s forget about Dinars."

"Ten thousand silver coins?! Are you pirates?!" Mogavi’s eyes bulged, "Absolutely not! I only spent ten thousand on these furs!"

"Oh? Are you sure you only spent ten thousand?"

Si Si narrowed her eyes slightly, tucked her notebook under her arm, and leaning on the railing at the edge of the ship, she looked at him with a half-smile.

For some reason,

Having those eyes on him, Mogavi felt a shiver down his spine and swallowed hard, struggling for a long time before finally raising three fingers.

"Don’t worry about how much I paid, thirty thousand silver coins... for the sake of beauty."

Ignoring the merchant’s flattery, Si Si gestured with her chin toward the deck not far away.

"That mink fur over there, I think I’ve seen it once in the court of Petra Fortress. I heard one can sell for over a million Dinars. You actually got one, two, three... four of them for only ten thousand? Tsk tsk, you really know how to do business."

Meeting that slightly narrowed gaze, Mogavi grinned sheepishly, breaking into a sweat. He hadn’t expected to run into someone who knew the market.

"...What do you want?"

"It’s nothing, just a casual remark, don’t think too much about it." Si Si smiled faintly and continued, "Just another casual remark then, these raw furs are... emmm, pretty roughly processed. If they’re not salvaged soon, I’m afraid it will be too late. The residents of Ring Island all have their work to do, and now there’s a war going on. Even if you can offer the money, you might not be able to find so many people so quickly, especially since they might not have done this kind of work before."

Mogavi stared at her incredulously.

"Do you have professionals here?"

Si Si spoke in a casual tone.

"I wouldn’t say all are professionals, but out of ten, there might be one or two... that’s enough, isn’t it? We can guarantee to clean it up for you."

About this matter, she did not lie to the guy.

In Poluo Province, there were quite a few survivors who lived by hunting, especially among the Moon people who were adept with bows and arrows. In hunter families, it was common for men to go hunting while women dealt with the pelts stripped from the prey.

Among the survivors rescued by tail at Jin Galun Harbor, a significant proportion were hunters. Some simple work processing fur was naturally no problem for their wives.

Mogavi hesitated for two seconds, but eventually nodded.

"Ten thousand silver coins are not impossible! But you have to promise me one condition, don’t tell the butcher at Potato Harbor about those mink furs..."

He still wanted to do business there.

If those butchers knew that he made so much from this deal, he worried that the next time he went ashore, those guys would skin him.

Hearing this, Si Si knew the guy had taken the bait, and a pleased smile appeared on her face.

"Don’t worry, they are all rule-abiding people. Even if they know, they won’t say anything— at most, they’ll curse you behind your back."

The difference between the buying price and selling price being ten times is a basic move for NPCs; most RPG store owners operate the same way, and anyone who has played a couple of games gets used to it quickly.

Compared to that, Wasteland OL is more humane; in this game, players very rarely have the power of choice.

At least when they realize they have been sheared by an NPC, they can learn from the experience and trade with someone else next time.

Or find another way to negotiate a deal.

"Let’s hurry then... don’t waste time." Seeing that both parties had reached an agreement, Mogavi didn’t want to delay a moment longer and slapped the railing beside the ship to urge them on.

However, the captain of the ship nearby grabbed his collar.

"Wait, you can’t do that work on my ship! And after you unload the goods, you need to clean the inside and outside of the ship!"

Mogavi looked helplessly towards the woman on the opposite ship.

Understanding his look, Si Si smiled faintly and said,

"Add ten thousand silver coins, and we’ll take care of the cleaning for you."

"Ten thousand silver coins?! You might as well—" Hearing the price, Mogavi’s eyes bulged out as if he were a caught frog. However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the captain of the Northwestern Wind.

"Deal! It’s decided!"

Seeing both of them looking at him, Mogavi wore a face more uncomfortable than if he were constipated, but thinking of the stinking goods on the deck, he finally nodded.

"Deal."

"Then it’s pleasantly decided, one hundred ten thousand silver coins, I’ll go and speak to the ladies."

With a slight smile on her lips, Si Si turned and went back below deck.

In just a few minutes, a crowd of raggedly dressed girls came through the cramped and crowded door and onto the deck.

The moment they saw that group of girls, Mogavi and Song Haining standing on the deck were both stunned, and then their looks toward Si Si changed.

"...Tell me honestly, what exactly do you do?"

Brushing the hair off her shoulder, Si Si said casually,

"We do charity work."

Mogavi looked at her with an "I don’t believe you" expression.

Not bothering to explain in detail, Si Si glanced at the deck opposite her and then at her side as she casually said,

"Go buy some plastic sheets from the harbor, or borrow them, it won’t cost much."

"There’s plenty at the stalls that sell fish feed and urea, and I don’t want to get the ship dirty."

-

(Thanks to "Book Friend 20171130004559159" for the Alliance Master’s reward!!!)

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