Moncton led the four parties to the tent the caravan had prepared, while his elite guards surrounded it in concentric circles, barring anyone from approaching.
"Sir, I'm innocent! You can't detain me!" Anna, fiery-tempered, burst out as soon as they entered.
"Who said I'm detaining you? I just thought all-male grudge talks are too solemn, so I invited you to join." Moncton swaggered to the main seat, uncorking a fine wine the caravan had readied.
"Not detaining me? Scared me." Anna relaxed.
"My grudge with him needs no talking—it demands blood." Rant had deactivated his armor, but his murderous intent still forced Rick back.
"Blood? Good idea. I love blood." Shust grinned savagely, eyeing Rant's neck pointedly.
Clang! Rant snatched a dinner knife from the table, glaring at Shust.
"Fuck, you ungrateful bastards! Want me to hang you all?" Moncton smashed his wine bottle, shattering it.
Chastened, everyone settled into their seats, shooting daggers at each other.
"Now, let's talk—calmly." Moncton rubbed his brow, opening another bottle.
Suddenly, the tent flap opened, and a guard burst in recklessly.
"Dammit, rude bastard! Didn't your mother teach you to knock?" Moncton hurled the bottle at the guard's head, blood streaming down his face.
Knowing Moncton's mood swings, the guard didn't wipe the blood, bowing low. "Sir, someone outside wants to ransom the prisoners."
"Ransom?" Moncton laughed. "Fine, send them in."
The guard retreated, returning shortly with a bandaged soldier leading someone in.
"Moya!" Rant's face paled, leaping up with trembling lips.
"Huh? Captain Rant?" Moya spotted Rant, then glanced at battered Rick. "Don't tell me... you two fought?"
"You're alive! Impossible... How?" Rant lost control, seizing Moya's shoulders and examining him. "It is you! You survived?"
"I... " Moya hung his head before Rant, who looked a decade older. "Sorry, Boss Rant. I lived—and betrayed you."
"Betrayed?"
"Boss, it was a misunderstanding. Rick stole our egg, but he's not an insect human, so—"
"So you became his comrade, while I abandoned the team, trekked thousands of miles to avenge you like an idiot!" Rant laughed bitterly, collapsing into a chair.
"Boss Rant, forgive me." Moya knelt. "I only feel valued with Rick. We crossed two forbidden zones, and now we're attempting the unprecedented. Forgive my selfishness—after this, I'll repay you with everything."
"Oh, you've made it." Rant smiled sadly. "Following a boss who lost his hunting ground leads nowhere. Good that you succeeded. I don't blame you, just... feel like a fool." He grabbed a wine bottle, gulping the liquor as if it could numb the pain.
"Ahem... Interrupting." Moncton cleared his throat, pointing at Rant. "So he beat Rick to avenge you?"
"Seems so." Moya gave Rick an apologetic smile.
"Clear now." Moncton slapped his thigh. "Rant and Rick had a misunderstanding."
He turned to Shust. "And what's your deal?"
"Me?" Shust sipped the good wine, sneering. "Hated the inn's swill, came to buy from the caravan. Ended up fighting, now I don't need to buy it."
"So it's all misunderstandings. Fuck, what a mess." Moncton tapped the table, chin in hand. "This is my turf. The caravan visits twice a year. You cause trouble now—if the guild thinks it's unsafe and stops coming, the city lord will punish me."
"I'll explain!" Moya hurried to say.
"Explaining doesn't always work. Your private fight, though a misunderstanding, disturbed the peace. Reports say several villagers were injured..."
Moya knew Moncton wanted money. "The villagers were hurt by you." He muttered, then asked, "How much fine do you want, Lord Moncton?"
"Smart." Moncton approved inwardly. "500 gold beetle coins per perpetrator."
"500! That's highway robbery!" Moya jumped up—the sum could buy the entire town.
"I say 500. Here, I am the law." Moncton's tone chilled, freezing the air.
Moya looked at Rick, still untreated, and gritted his teeth. "Fine, 500." He emptied Lav's purse, piling gold coins like a mountain —1,000 coins, their entire budget. Enough for two, but with Rick, Shust, and Rant involved, he hesitated.
Moncton saw his dilemma. "You're on Nanze's mission. I won't risk upsetting that old fox for money." Meaning Moya must ransom Rick and Shust—he didn't want Shust as a headache.
"Alright, Rick and Shust." Moya agreed, giving Rant a regretful look. Rant seemed indifferent, guzzling wine.
"What about you, little firecracker?" Moncton eyed Anna. "Will you pay to ransom your partner?"
"Five hundred..." Anna trembled with anger. She wanted to abandon Rant and leave—after all, she had nothing to do with this. She'd only taken pity on Rant by the roadside last month and given him food. Even if he'd helped her hunt many sand lizards, making her famous, he owed her, and she owed him nothing.
But then she thought: with Rant's skills, being a lizard hunter was beneath him—he could earn far more. If a meal had bought her so many sand lizards, what could 500 gold coins buy...
Raising her head to meet Moncton's smiling gaze, Anna said, "I don't have that much. Can I get a discount?"
"A discount?" Moncton laughed, surprised she'd ask. "Alright, for your pretty face, I'll give you 20% off—400 gold beetle coins."
"Four hundred? That should be enough..." Anna muttered, then reached into her cleavage, pulled out a small purse, and fished coins from her boots, sleeves, and pant legs. Adding it all up, she had 300 gold. After counting, she pointed to the horned insect cart outside. "Include this cargo—it should be enough."
"Hm, fetch a guild appraiser." Moncton called out.
A guild clerk soon reported: "This cargo is worth 70 gold beetle coins."
"Seventy?!" Anna exploded, grabbing his collar. "You think I'm a girl to be bullied? This cart is worth at least 100!"
"It was worth 100," the clerk avoided her gaze, miserable. "But many sand lizard corpses were slashed during the fight—imperfect skins fetch less. 70 is generous."
"Dammit!" Anna shoved him away, frowning at Rant, who kept drinking. "Strange uncle, you got money?"
"None. All spent on wine." Since taking up drinking, Rant had not a single silver coin.
Anna had expected this, but still needed 30 gold. Moncton looked relentless—she was stuck.
Suddenly, the guild clerk approached, staring at Anna's leather outfit. "Hey, you perv! Flirting in broad daylight? death!" Anna whipped his face.
"Ouch!" The clerk covered his face, then shouted: "This red isn't dyed—it's natural fire lizard hide?"
"Huh?" Anna pointed to her leather clothes. "This is valuable?" Made from a red lizard Rant had hunted, she'd kept the hide for its color and sewn it into a outfit.
"Fifty gold beetle coins."
"Fifty? Sold!" Anna, ever bold, stripped off the leather suit right there. Though she wore a camisole and panties, the sight of her curves was more provocative than nudity. Shoving the still-warm leather into the clerk's hands, she held out her palm: "Pay up."
"Y-yes." The clerk, stunned, wiped his nosebleed and handed over 50 gold. Anna tossed 30 on the table and stuffed the rest into her bra. "Can we go now?"
"Actually, you could skip paying... My room is warm tonight." Moncton changed his tune.
"Sorry, my first time is for the man I choose." Anna winked, grabbed Rant's ragged cloak, and draped it over herself. "Had enough to drink, strange uncle? This booze cost me 500 gold." She helped the drunk Rant up and staggered out.
"Let's go. By the way, this wine sucks." Shust slung Rick over his shoulder and left, with Moya hurrying after.
Alone, Moncton grabbed a handful of gold, letting coins spill onto the table. "Now broke, let's see how far you get. Hahaha..."
"Sir," a guard knocked. "Kashin and Balzac of the Wolf Pack request an audience. Balzac appears injured."
Moncton pondered, then nodded: "Admit them."
Away from Moncton's tent, Rick, Rant, and the others wandered the desolate main street. Late at night, the market had dispersed, leaving only debris to prove the night's revelry.
Guilt drove Moya to approach Rant. "Boss Rant, what's next for you?"
Anna stepped protectively in front of Rant, chest out. "What do you want? Poach my man right before me? Remember, I paid 400 gold for him—he's my partner now!"
"Follow you as a no-hope lizard hunter? No, Boss Rant should be a hero!"
"Can heroes make money?" Anna sneered at Moya. "I don't care what he does, as long as he makes money—and takes me with him."
"You? What can you do? None of this would've happened without you!"
"Pah! Your little vixen started this mess, why should I take the blame?" Anna planted her hands on her hips, ready for a war of words.
"Cough Miss Anna, your... your chest..." Rick coughed, pointing.
"I know there's money in my bra—don't need your reminder." Anna wrapped the cloak, finally covering the eye-catching snow-white skin.
"Moya, how did you get here? Where's Lav?" Rick asked weakly.
"Oh, she ran back to the inn, scared Moncton would recognize her. Gave me the purse to pay the ransom."
"Good, as long as she's safe." Rick glanced at Moya guiltily. "Sorry, I made you spend all our money. Now we can't buy enough supplies for the desert."
"I bought supplies in Terry County—should last through Tanzan Desert. But we need money for the rest of the journey."
Hearing talk of money, money-minded Anna perked up. Recalling Rick and Rant's battle and Shust's skills, she had a brilliant idea. "Want money? Why not ask me?"
"You?" Moya drawled. "You want us to be lizard hunters with you?"
"If it makes money, why not?" Rick disagreed.
"But the caravan comes only a few times a year. Wait half a year for them? We don't have that time." Moya disliked Anna for "tricking" his old boss into lizard hunting.
Rick remembered Nanze's one-year deadline. "Right—we only have a year."
"Hey, who said anything about lizard hunting? Don't look down on me." Anna jumped in.
"Then what? This desert has nothing!"
"Wrong. There's black tiger ants. You're insect hunters, right? Hunting insects is your thing."
"Black tiger ants? Demon-Rank social combat insects?" Moya broke into a cold sweat. Black tiger ants were rare high-rank social insects. No one in Linzhi Three Cities history had successfully hunted them. Their eggs were priceless, but the danger rivaled hunting Mystic-Rank insects.
Weighing the risks, Moya shook his head. "Too dangerous. We can't risk it."
"But without money, we'll never reach Armance Wasteland—maybe starve on the road." Rick was tempted.
"Even if we get an egg, we don't have enough containers. And where to sell it?"
"Lav can handle the egg. Yiso City must have a black market."
"Does Tanzan Desert have a master?" Rant, silent till now, asked.
"Master?" Anna looked confused.
"Is Tanzan anyone's hunting ground?" Rant, interested, shook off his dejection.
"No hunter team wants a desert full of black tiger ants."
"Is that so." Rant rubbed his bearded chin. "Maybe I can start over."
"Boss Rant, you..." Moya stared.
"I've wallowed long enough. Even my lowliest apprentice has made it. I shouldn't fall behind."
"Let's team up. You can't do it alone, and neither can we." Rick stopped, offering his hand.
"Team up? Heh... Not bad." Rant pushed Anna. "Partner, what do you say?"
"I'm in!" Anna raised her hand eagerly.
"I don't mind being an insect hunter occasionally." Shust chimed in.
"You, Moya?" Rick turned.
Moya shrugged. "You all agree—can I object? Besides, it's our only quick way to make money."
"Unanimous." Rick held out his hand. "Hope our first collaboration goes well. I'd rather not have you chasing me again."
"I don't want to chase you either—since meeting you, I've lost everything." Rant leaned close, whispering, "Moya says you're not an insect human. Do you think I believe that?"
Rick tensed.
"Heh... Relax. I beat you up good today—that compensates for my troubles. I don't care if you are one. You're different from most insect humans. Catching you wouldn't pay for wine anyway. I won't waste energy on stupidity." Rant clapped Rick's shoulder. "Moya chose you. But if anything happens to him because of you... You know what I mean."
"He's my best friend." Rick vowed.
"Hahaha... Cheers to good cooperation. Hope you don't bring me more bad luck, disaster star." Rant pulled out a wine bottle he'd swiped from Moncton, staggering ahead.
Rick wiped cold sweat, watching Rant's back with worry. Insect human... Am I one? If so, how long can I hide it...