'That went surprisingly smoothly.'
The negotiation with the Sandstorm Caravan had ended far more easily than expected.
But then again, this was a conversation about profit—there wasn't much reason for the Caravan to refuse.
'Of course, the solid basis helped too.'
No group was more sensitive to the movements of the Church of Morte than the Sandstorm Caravan.
The reason was simple.
At this time, one of the Caravan's largest customers was none other than the Church of Morte, spread across the world.
'Of course, not all chapters were clients of the Caravan.'
Despite business ties with some, other chapters had outright attacked the Sandstorm Caravan, stealing both lives and goods.
And the Church never compensated for such losses—claiming that each chapter was independently operated despite sharing a common faith.
A frustrating situation for the Sandstorm Caravan, but, as always, the cries of the powerless went unanswered.
That's why they were always highly alert to any movement from the Church of Morte—because anyone could be either a customer or a raider.
Naturally, they had picked up on the recent anomalies affecting the Church's chapters—and had even learned that the Earth Branch had fallen.
You didn't need Ayla's golden insight to see that something major was coming.
And then I appeared.
With news of a massive trade route centered around Ark.
To the Sandstorm Caravan, it was like putting a stamp on a decision they had already braced themselves for.
"Let me take a look at the warehouse."
"The warehouse?"
"That's right."
Although the main negotiation was over, I still had business with the Caravan.
It was time to decide what form of payment I'd receive for all the equipment I'd sold off.
"…You're taking goods again, aren't you?"
Ayla sounded almost exasperated.
Naturally, my answer was already set.
"Yes."
Outside of Ark, the most commonly used currency was essential goods like ammunition and food.
But for someone like me—who could trade directly with Ark—those things had relatively little value. Material goods were the better option.
'Let's see...'
Among the items available through the Sandstorm Caravan, the most useful were processed materials made from beasts and monsters.
When it came to firearms and weapons, Ark-made equipment was top-tier. Same with most other gear.
But the processed parts of beasts and monsters were an exception.
While Ark boasted the best processing technology, there was a big difference in raw materials.
As mentioned before, few monsters or beasts could retain their form under Ark's overwhelming firepower.
'Hmm...'
I wandered through the warehouse for a while until a few interesting items caught my eye.
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[Wyvern Leather Boots] [★★★★★★ (6 Stars)]
─ Boots made from wyvern leather.
─ Exceptionally tough and durable.
"View Details"
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[Flying Great White Robe] [★★★★★ (5 Stars)]
─ A robe made from the Flying Great White.
─ Waterproof and insulated.
─ Extremely lightweight.
"View Details"
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[Mutated Bagdon Gloves] [★★★★★★★ (7 Stars)]
─ Gloves made from the hide of a mutated Bagdon.
─ Highly durable, with excellent resistance to toxins and radiation.
─ Increases melee attack power when worn.
"View Details"
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Objectively speaking, they were quite decent. But aside from the Bagdon gloves, none were items I personally needed.
After all, I already had the enhanced greaves made by Maybell Pilgrim and the Sky Whale Cloak.
Still, that didn't mean they were useless.
'There are people I need to start equipping soon.'
Playable characters.
They were supposed to be the main protagonists of The Defense.
And in their own way, they had steadily grown and fought valiantly.
The problem was that recent events had progressed faster than their development.
'I'll use what I need, and hand off the rest to people like Kalakin.'
With so much happening lately, I hadn't had time to focus on the playable characters.
But with the upcoming multi-wave event, Ark's strength needed to be as high as possible.
"I'll take these."
"Hm… as expected, good taste. Anything else you're looking for?"
"I'll keep browsing."
"Ah… sure."
Ayla made a reluctant face—clearly not expecting me to continue.
She was clearly hoping I'd be on my way by now. But my shopping was far from over.
"This isn't all you've got, is it? You must have another storage room."
"Well… of course."
Even while being picked clean, Ayla did her best to hide her discomfort.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't even looting.
It was a fair trade.
'Though I doubt she sees it that way.'
For a merchant, credibility was everything.
That's why Ayla was dutifully fulfilling the lopsided deal we made previously, even if it meant swallowing her pride.
"Hm."
While browsing the warehouse, I came across a curious item tucked away in a corner.
'This is...'
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a glass bead.
But I could tell right away that whatever was inside wasn't ordinary.
If it were just an ordinary bead, it wouldn't be stored here in the Sandstorm Caravan's warehouse.
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[HSB-T045 Enhancement Serum] [★★★★★★★ (7 Stars)]
─ Heshbon-manufactured enhancement serum.
─ Tau-type.
"View Details"
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It had been a long time since I last saw a Heshbon-brand enhancement serum.
And this was a type I didn't already have.
'Didn't expect to find this.'
Even for a top-tier group like the Sandstorm Caravan, I hadn't expected them to have this.
Granted, Tau-type was clearly a lower-grade serum compared to some others—but what mattered was that it could make me stronger.
"I'll take this too."
"…As expected, you have a keen eye."
Ayla clearly knew what this item was.
To be fair, back when Heshbon still existed, enhancement serums like this wouldn't have been too rare.
"Even with this added, what I paid should cover everything, right?"
"Yes, of course."
With a far larger trade looming, Ayla had no reason to nitpick over this.
And truth be told, the Caravan would probably consider this a fair deal.
From their perspective, it's better to hold a lot of small, easy-to-sell items than a few expensive ones that don't move.
"Until next time, then."
"Yes, it was a pleasure doing business. Please think of the Sandstorm Caravan again next time."
After exchanging the customary farewells, I left the Sandstorm Caravan.
Now that I'd finished negotiations with one of the Silk Road's key players, I was nearing completion of the whole operation.
["Hmph… This time, it didn't really feel like we scammed them. Just an honest trade."]
'It was a mutually beneficial exchange.'
["Tch. I was hoping to see you pull one over on those guys again. That was dull."]
'I'm not doing this for your entertainment.'
["Pff. Yeah, yeah, of course not."]
Esther stuck out her tongue.
Ignoring her, I turned my attention to what lay ahead.
'Then… all that's left is the east.'
The western region was now under control.
Not only had I eliminated the most troublesome branch of the Church of Morte, but I had also bombarded every beast horde and monster settlement along the route.
Thanks to my ability to deliver endless bombardment from the sky, it had been easy.
Which meant that I had effectively cleared nearly half of the Silk Road.
An enormous accomplishment, no doubt.
'Before that… I should take care of something.'
It was time to deal with the enhancement serum I'd just acquired.
This particular type didn't come with an injector, but that wasn't a concern.
I could make a thousand of those in a heartbeat.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
At my call, Janus used its bone tentacles to create a fine syringe-like structure.
When I placed the Tau-type enhancement serum atop it, bone spines wriggled and formed a temporary injector.
[You have absorbed the Tau-type enhancement serum.]
[You have acquired the abilities of the Tau-type enhancement serum.]
[Acquired ability: Reinforced Tendons.]
[All stats increased by +1, except for Honor.]
True to its name, the serum had a satisfying effect.
While the stat gain wasn't huge, [Reinforced Tendons] was one of the most useful and versatile abilities I knew.
'It enhances overall physical performance.'
In some ways, it was similar to a boost in Strength or Stamina, but with subtle differences.
Reinforced Tendons allowed movement and flexibility in ways normal humans couldn't achieve.
'Not bad.'
Satisfied with the new power granted by the serum, I gave a small nod.
* * *
Business with the Sandstorm Caravan was finished, and my next destination was clear.
East.
More precisely—the eastern reaches of Ark.
So, I mounted Horus and urged him forward without delay.
This was Ark's western frontier—meaning I had to travel all the way across to the opposite side.
My journey resumed.
Though I spent the entire day simply riding Horus and scanning the ground below, I eventually noticed something strange.
'Hmm?'
Smoke rising in the distance.
Clear signs of fire.
Curious, I urged Horus to speed up, and soon enough, I understood what had happened.
'So that's it...'
Multiple branches of the Church of Morte burning—flames visible even from afar.
And not just the Church's branches—beast dens and monster habitats were also engulfed in flames.
Someone else was doing the job I'd set out to do.
Aside from Ark, only one force in this world could pull off such a large-scale operation.
To be precise, only one group could do it and deal with the consequences.
The remnants of Kronos.
No—this meant the Kronos Union was now officially in motion.