Not long after, Carl returned to the stall.
"A total of six servings of soul powder, for twelve black stones. Ten will be fine, Uncle," Ayala rubbed her hands together, her small face flushed red.
Those ten black stones already represented the largest single transaction she had ever made at her stall. After deducting the cost of purchasing soul powder from others, she would make nearly three black stones.
"Six servings?" Carl frowned slightly, crouching down to check the powder, his tone tinged with displeasure. "Only this much?"
Out of respect for Kolon, the deceased former stall owner, he had given her ample time to gather the soul powder, yet she had only managed six servings, far from his target.
"Uncle..." Ayala's face turned pale. Then she gritted her teeth and said, "It's my lack of ability. But if you give me some more time, I can definitely collect more soul powder."
"I swear it on my life!"
Carl looked up. She didn't make excuses for not gathering enough but directly admitted her own lack of skill. This was somewhat unexpected. Anyone else would likely claim they had done their best, or that other traders had no soul powder left.
"One day." Standing up, Carl spoke slowly, "You have one day. How much soul powder can you collect?"
"One day?" Ayala looked down, thought for a moment, then replied, "Twenty servings! At least twenty servings. If Uncle is willing to lend me the capital, I can gather up to thirty servings."
"Alright," Carl nodded. "Let it be twenty servings. I will come back tomorrow at this time, and I hope you will have gathered them as you said." As he spoke, he took out the ten black stones he had received from an exchange and handed them over.
As for lending her the capital... he had no such intention. His willingness to continue doing business with her was already the greatest kindness he could offer at this moment.
"Thank you, Uncle." Ayala excitedly took the black stones, frantically patting her flat chest. "By tomorrow, I will definitely collect the full amount."
Carl didn't respond and turned to leave. At this point, promises meant less than having the actual amount ready. He also needed to gather supplies. Twenty servings of soul powder required forty black stones. Exchanged for bread and salted meat, that would be at least a cartload. One trip wouldn't suffice.
Upon returning to Sigerno City, he hired a carriage to the market, bought a cartload of bread and salted meat wholesale, and headed back. At the same time, using the Divine Domain Fragment, he sent them in batches to be hidden in the Black City.
"Hmm?" Carl's face stiffened. After several transitions, upon returning to Sigerno City, he suddenly found he could no longer enter the Divine Domain Fragment.
This made him a bit panicked. The Divine Domain Fragment, his gateway to the Otherworld, had been his greatest trump card since he began traveling between worlds. Now, to think he couldn't use it?
Luckily, after a short wait, he felt a sensation from the depths of his sea of consciousness. It wasn't unusable. Rather, the multiple transitions in a short period had strained the Divine Domain Fragment, and it needed time to rest. He wouldn't be able to use it for at least a day.
"As long as it still works, that's good. As long as it still works," Carl breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't expect this limitation. Luckily, this isn't an emergency escape, or I'd be in trouble."
If he couldn't use it for a day, he would just have to wait a day. However, he definitely wouldn't make it in time for his appointment with Ayala.
「The next day.」
Carl appeared in the Laka Market.
"Uncle!" The moment she saw him, Ayala's face lit up with ecstasy. She SWOOSHED up from the ground. "You're here."
She didn't ask Carl why he had failed to show up the previous day, nor did her face show any resentment; she was as warm as ever.
"Sorry." Carl bowed his head slightly. "Something came up yesterday, and I couldn't make it."
"It's fine," Ayala waved her hand, her expression magnanimous. "I trust you, Uncle. If there wasn't a truly unavoidable reason, you definitely wouldn't have broken your promise. You came at the right time, Uncle. I ran to several more places yesterday and gathered a total of thirty-two servings of soul powder."
"Thirty-two servings?" Carl's eyes flickered. His gaze paused for a moment on Ayala's arms, revealed as she waved her hands. Those slender arms were covered in scars.
"Ayala."
"Yes?"
"Do you want black stones, or food?" Carl asked slowly. "I have a batch of bread, cured meat, and some milk stashed in the city that I can let you have cheaply. But you need to come with me."
"Bread, cured meat, milk?" Ayala unconsciously swallowed, hesitation in her eyes. Compared to black stones, these items offered better value in the market. Moreover, if Carl really sold them to her cheaply as he said, she could resell them for a profit.
"Uncle," Ayala's eyes flickered. "Give me a moment."
Saying that, she quickly packed the goods from her stall into a bundle, slung it on her back, and turned to run towards the rear area.
「In some ruins.」
"Take the black stones!" a childish voice, despite belonging to someone with a large build, rang out. "Sister, the black stones are right there. He wouldn't dare play any tricks during a market transaction. But if we go with him, who knows what might happen?"
"Little Nian has a point," a hoarse voice added. "Earning money safely is better than anything. In Black City, killings and robberies are not uncommon."
"But…" Ayala said, conflicted, "the harsh winter months are almost upon us. Without sufficient supplies, we'll have a tough time getting through. Plus, I've been at the market so long and still haven't made enough for the stall fees. This could be an opportunity."
"Do you know him?" A shaky elder emerged from the darkness, asking, "Do you know what kind of man he is? Why is he able to procure a large amount of food? How can you trust him? Have you thought about the consequences?" The elder pressed her relentlessly.
"I'm not sure of his character," Ayala shook her head, her expression serious. "But Uncle Kolon once said this man always manages to get his hands on good things others can't, and his identity is very mysterious. Such a person shouldn't be short of money, and there's nothing I have that would be worth his scheming."
"What if…" The elder tapped his cane. "What if something goes wrong?"
"I want to take the risk," Ayala said, her eyes firm. "If he really does have a large amount of food, I could establish a connection with him. That could bring many benefits in the future. If I get deceived… then I've just lost my bet, and I'm willing to accept that!"
"You…" The elder was exasperated. "I never should have let you buy Kolon's stall! With your skills, you could have lived a steady life mining."
"Living?" Ayala's face twisted with bitterness. "Just 'living,' indeed. Mining day and night, what's the difference from an animal? I don't want to be an animal for my entire life."
"Sis," the burly 'young man' stepped forward. "I'll come with you."
Carl didn't have to wait long. Ayala soon returned, and beside her was a burly man, thoroughly wrapped up.
"Uncle," Ayala smiled. "If there's a lot of food, I might not be able to carry it all myself, so I brought a companion."
"Mmm." Carl slowly nodded. It was normal for her to be cautious, and he didn't feel any threat from the burly man either.
"Let's go!" He turned around, signaling them to follow.
The city's 'snowflakes' continued to fall. The black snow piled thicker on the ground, where sparse, scattered footprints were visible.
Before long, Carl gestured with his eyes toward a wooden hut ahead. "It's right inside."
Just as Ayala was about to step forward, the burly man beside her gently held out a hand to stop her. He then cautiously approached the wooden hut's door.
CREEEAAAK...
The wooden door swung open. Mountains of bread, strips of meat, and barrels of fresh milk came into view, making the burly man freeze on the spot.
Ayala tensed. Though her face remained expressionless, her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms, drawing blood. She herself was oblivious to the pain.
It was true! The man truly had the means to acquire such a vast amount of food!
Carl's expression remained unchanged. Whether for easier transactions or future development, he needed a local agent here. The unassuming Ayala, with no significant background, was a perfect fit.