Chapter 40: Giving (8)
“Nothing.” Kaya grinned mysteriously.
“Pretty nice, huh~”
“…??!”
She stood and sauntered to a nearby roadside stall.
“Boss! Coffee, please!”
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with gray stubble, froze at Kaya’s exotic appearance, his eyes lingering on her beaded braids.
“Miss, my coffee’s not great…” he scratched his head, sheepish.
“Just roasted barley ground up and boiled.”
“No problem, as long as it’s drinkable.” Kaya peered into his bucket.
“How much?”
“No charge, no charge!” He waved his hands:
“The Saintess is here giving out food—huge deal! It’s on me!”
“Sweet deal.”
He fumbled, grabbing two fairly clean enamel cups from a shelf, filling them with warm “barley coffee.”
Kaya took a sip, savoring it: “Mmm… not bad. Beats the cactus juice I had in the desert.”
Mili watched her carefree attitude, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
“Traders… always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Just… so casual…”
“Casual?” Kaya smacked her lips, grinning. “Little Saintess, got some misconceptions about us?”
“—We’re the most professional folks on this land!”
“Professional… and you…?”
“Me? I’m on the job.” Kaya said matter-of-factly.
“Not keeping you safe? Today’s gone smooth as silk.”
Her amber eyes slyly scanned the surroundings:
“What’s wrong with a coffee break? I’m right here.”
“Plus, from this angle, I can see most of the area around the stall, even that alley over there.”
“Professionalism’s always on, got it?” She winked smugly.
She pulled a small canteen from her pouch, handing it to Mili: “Here, for you.”
It was the spray-bottle-sized one from before.
Mili took a sip—sweet.
“Hm?” She raised a brow.
“Honey,” Kaya explained. “Clean water’s rare—add something nice, and it’s worth more.”
“You really have everything…”
“Duh! Worth every penny!” Kaya thumped her chest.
“If you can dream it, we can get it!”
“Cheers!” She clinked her enamel cup against Mili’s canteen.
Mili couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Kaya, tell me about your work.”
“Our work?” She blinked:
“Fancy term: intelligence agents. Less fancy: delivery folks.”
“Delivery?”
“Yup. Someone needs something, we find it. Someone’s selling, we find buyers.”
“Like… a secondhand platform?”
“Nope! Way more.” Kaya grinned mysteriously, leaning in:
“We do intel, escorts, and… ahem… you know.”
Mili shook her head, confused: “No…”
“Whispering here—” Kaya leaned closer, breath warm. “Wanna off someone?”
“?!” Mili flinched back.
Assassins too?!
“Forget it, you wouldn’t get it.” Kaya returned the cup to the stall owner.
“Thanks, boss! I’ll bring you coffee beans sometime!”
He beamed, flustered: “No way! You coming here’s our honor!”
Kaya laughed: “Listen to you.”
“Anyway, we do it all, long as the price is right.” She shrugged at Mili.
“How big’s your network?” Mili handed back the canteen.
“How big?” Kaya traced a circle in the air.
“From northern ice to southern deserts, eastern coasts to western mountains—where there’s people, there’s us.”
“Other places sound dangerous,” Mili said, worried.
“Dangerous?” Kaya scoffed, beads jingling.
“I’ve lived on the edge for years—what haven’t I seen? Mutants, superstorms, bandits—child’s play!”
She pulled a crumpled map from her pouch, spreading it on her arm, marked with dense symbols.
“See? Red dots are places I’ve been.” She tapped it.
“Black for danger zones, green for safe spots…”
Mili leaned in, amazed.
The map was far more detailed than the ones she’d seen at Oasis, marking even remote settlements and ruins…
“Wow… you’ve been everywhere…”
“Duh!” Kaya puffed her chest.
“How else do you trader? Gotta roam!”
She stuffed the map back, popping a nut into her mouth.
Mili, like a quiet volunteer, sat on a corner step, yawning, watching the bustling crowd, eavesdropping.
From start to finish, she’d been part of every step of the distribution.
Harvesting.
Processing.
Storing…
Transporting, cooking.
Then distributing.
She saw cooks meticulously rinse every grain she’d grown, carefully sifting impurities.
Saw transport teams haul heavy sacks, sweat-soaked but tireless…
Countless unsung people poured effort into every stage.
Her ability was just a tiny piece of it…
“Tired?” Kaya sat beside her.
“Yeah…” Mili rubbed her sore shoulders. “Didn’t expect it to be this hard.”
“Hard? This is nothing!”
“Run with me, and you’ll question your existence.”
“Some places aren’t fit for humans…”
“Why do you do it?” Mili hugged her knees, face buried.
Kaya shrugged: “Habit, I guess.”
“Grew up running with my dad. After he died, I took his rep and kept going.”
“When I’ve made enough, maybe I’ll loop back.”
“Buy land from Seraphina, build a little house, keep cats, grow flowers… give me a discount then, yeah?”
“…Sure, hehe…”
“Also,” Kaya continued, “the world’s harsh, but people’s kindness and sincerity don’t change…”
“Just wanna survive, make life better for family.”
That’s it.
Mili nodded thoughtfully.
As she soaked in the peaceful vibe, a deafening boom echoed.
Boom—!
Boom, boom!
Explosions from outside the city shook the ground.
Mili looked toward the sound, puzzled.
“What was that?” she asked nervously.
Kaya’s face changed instantly.
She grabbed Mili’s hand, pulling her up: “Little Saintess, we gotta go!”
“What’s wrong?” Mili stumbled, confused. “Fireworks?”
Kaya glanced back, eyes wide, forcing a smile.
“Not fireworks…”
“Missiles.”