Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1354 - 140: Primitive Commerce

Chapter 1354: Chapter 140: Primitive Commerce

"Are you truly not planning to camp together tonight?" Necromancer Kenseth asked with some concern, "There will be no light at all by nightfall, and if you haven’t reached the capital by then, you might end up stranded on the road. Rather than that, it might be better to stay here for the night and set off early tomorrow morning—I estimate you could reach the capital by noon at the latest, without too much delay. It wouldn’t make your journey seem so rushed."

"There are still at least three hours until dusk, and if I understand correctly from what Kenseth has told us, the road conditions in the mountains are quite good. We move quickly, and three hours should be enough to get us to our destination. Even if we run into trouble and can’t make it, it’s no big deal, as we’ve made camp in the wild on the spur of the moment before, and it’s never been particularly troublesome. So please, rest assured." Catherine said with a faint smile, shaking her head in refusal, "Mr. Kenseth, as you know, we are answering the summons of your master. To make him wait too long would be quite rude. And besides, someone who has received the invitation is already very eager to fulfill the appointment, so the sooner we can set off, the better."

"Heh, then I won’t try to persuade you further." Kenseth’s withered and frightful face twisted into a ghastly smile. A necromancer, a rare type of undead, appeared to be a dehydrated dried corpse wrapped in tattered cloth. Even a completely sane adult would shiver at the sight of such a smile, amiable as it may be. Fortunately in the World of the Dead, there was no such thing as decay, and the necromancer’s wrinkled skin wasn’t filled with any foul stench thanks to the influence of the Energy of Death, which somewhat diminished their terrifying aspect. Nevertheless, without the experience of seasoned adventurers like Catherine and her companions, it would have been hard to maintain composure. Of course, the necromancer himself had no awareness of this, simply stating ordinarily, "That mountain route is indeed not difficult to traverse, and if you follow the map I drew for you, you can cut through the mountains directly from the valley. As long as you don’t take unnecessary risks climbing, there should be no danger. With a quick pace, three hours should suffice. Well, since you’ve made up your minds, I’ll just wish you safe travels. If you ever have the chance, make sure to visit this area often — I mainly trade on this route, and since you’re coming through The Door Home, we might meet again."

"If I may be so bold to ask," said the rotund princess, standing with the withered necromancer, a stark contrast of plumpness and gauntness that made it hard to keep one’s composure. Naturally, the princess was well aware of this, avoiding coming within three meters of her svelte companion as surely as a fat person avoids those who are thin. Clearing her throat, she raised her voice and inquired, "Actually, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to ask all along the way, but I hesitated, worrying it might be a trade secret. However, I can’t hold back anymore. Of course, I’m not the one who’s curious, but if I don’t ask, I’ll soon be pinched black and blue. So, Mr. Kenseth, could you tell me what it is you’re transporting? Is there trading among the undead?"

"Hahahaha, Ms. Freya, speaking like that will upset Miss Lina," laughed Kenseth heartily. Although they had only been together for two days, everyone in the caravan had a clear understanding of Lina’s curious yet timid nature. Kenseth teased, facing the priestess’s flushed and indignant gaze and barely holding back a smile, "Actually, in the past there indeed was no trade among us undead. Everyone built their own houses, made their own furniture, farmed their own lands, and each village was self-sufficient with little interaction. It’s only been in the last ten years that trade began to flourish, as more undead revived and villages and towns grew. Among the revived undead, some liked farming, some liked building, some liked making tools, and others enjoyed crafting artifacts, leading to everyone starting to barter their own articles with others."

"The most primitive form of commerce," Catherine explained softly to Lina, "Economics lessons in noble classes once covered this process: after basic needs are met, commercial activity tends to follow. However, for the undead, progress has been tens of times faster than it was for the world of the living, which took centuries to develop."

"That makes sense. After revival, some of the undead retain memories from their previous lives," said Pannis, "It is naturally much quicker compared to starting from zero, like the living."

"Haha, you’re right," Kenseth concurred, waving his withered arms, "For example, I seem to have some recollection of this kind of activity from before. So while everyone else was still trading with their neighbors, I organized this caravan based on my memories, exchanging a variety of products between villages and exchanging them for more specialties in the next villages, gradually becoming the largest caravan in this world. However, even though every trade brings a wealth of goods to everyone in the caravan, enough to live comfortably ever after without lifting a finger, it feels like something is missing."

"What’s missing is a unified currency, but that’s probably going to take a long time to develop," Catherine sighed, "So, the goods you’re carrying now are specialties from various villages in this world, right?"

"That’s right. There are bone carvings, stone engravings, quality bone tools, and unique plants," Kenseth said, pointing at the goods stacked high, "In short, there are all kinds of specialties from all over that we’ve bartered for."

"I see," Catherine murmured thoughtfully, rubbing her chin like Pannis, "Then I wonder if you have considered, since The Door Home has opened..."

"Trading with the living?" The Soul Fire in Kenseth’s eye sockets flickered excitedly, but it quickly dimmed again as he shook his head, "No, it’s said that the living are very hostile towards us, and it’s unclear what they would like. No, it requires more careful consideration."

"Of course, I mean after both sides have stabilized and can communicate normally; it certainly wouldn’t be right now," Catherine said with a meaningful smile, lowering her voice, "As for the latter concern, coincidentally, I happen to have a deep relationship with the largest merchant in the Spirit World. If we were to cooperate..."