Trafford’s Trading Club

Generally speaking, if dehydration symptoms occur, ordinary recovery would take several days at the fastest to recuperate, but Claudia was surprised that by the time the sun began to shine on the desert, she felt her body had mostly recovered.

Perhaps it was the effect of the camel milk tea she drank last night—after all, it was made by these Bedouins, and they have lived in the desert for generations, naturally knowing a lot of useful things.

Claudia could only think in that direction; she couldn’t possibly say that it was because the camel milk tea was enchanted by her new classmate, which is why it had such magical effects, could she?

She opened the tent flap and saw a golden hue on the horizon by the sand dunes; Claudia stretched lazily, thinking that perhaps she had been scared senseless yesterday; as an atheist, how could she possibly have such thoughts.

“Um… you, have you been here all along?”

She saw Boss Luo… Luo Qiu sitting not far outside the tent, next to a campfire, holding a book and seemingly engrossed in reading.

Boss Luo casually replied, “Mr. Adili’s family could only spare this one tent… Anyway, there’s a fire here, so it’s not cold.”

“You…” Claudia suddenly felt her eyes welling up—it was hard to pin down why. This guy always acted so casually, always catching people off guard later on, “Why don’t you go inside and get some sleep, even if it’s just for a while? You… you haven’t rested at all.”

“Not tired for now.” Boss Luo looked up and smiled, “Don’t worry. I’ll rest when I need it; I won’t be a burden to you.”

“I… I don’t mean that.” Claudia quickly shook her head and hesitated for a moment, then slowly came to the campfire and sat half a meter away from Boss Luo.

She didn’t speak, just hugged her knees and watched the flames burn in front of her… The surrounding smell was not particularly pleasant, and she couldn’t help but frown.

“That’s the smell of burning camel dung,” Luo Qiu said casually at this moment, “Camel dung is one of the most important fuels for the Bedouins… It actually has some insect-repelling properties too; there are more poisonous insects in the desert.”

Listening, Claudia turned her head; the sky was just beginning to lighten slightly, casting a glow on Luo Qiu’s face. She watched, somewhat entranced, and said softly, “Actually, you seem to know a lot… Did you know ahead of time you’d meet the Bedouins here, which is why you took this route?”

Boss Luo looked up at the gradually fading Pole Star and smiled, “When I was young, my father told me that if you get lost, as long as you look up at the Pole Star in the sky, you will always be able to find direction…and find people.”

Claudia suddenly chuckled, “Lucky you’re not at the South Pole; otherwise, you’d think your father was fooling you.”

Boss Luo just smiled gently.

Claudia vaguely seemed to sense that this topic suddenly made the atmosphere quieter; however, her mind quickly turned, and she promptly said, “Actually, my father also taught me a lot of knowledge, but for some reason, this knowledge doesn’t seem to help at all in this current situation.”

Luo Qiu said indifferently, “Perhaps, it’s not that it’s unhelpful, but that Claudia, as a classmate, hasn’t had the chance to truly use it yet.”

“You really do overestimate me.” Claudia smiled wryly, “I know myself; actually, I’m just a bookworm, more fragile inside than you’d think…I mean, what are you reading?”

“Grimm’s Fairy Tales.”

“Grimm’s Fairy Tales?” Claudia was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, obviously uninterested in such a storybook, but she remembered something, “Why did you bring a fairy tale book to the desert?”

He didn’t answer but instead asked, “Claudia, do you like storybooks?”

“I liked them when I was little, but not now,” Claudia added quite truthfully, “Little girls like fairy tales; grown-up women like diamonds.”

Boss Luo smiled and said, “But the little girls in fairy tales also like diamonds.”

“That’s true…” Claudia was a little surprised, then sighed, half helpless, half resigned, “an undeniable truth.”

“Mr. Adili made this for us last night, still warm—want some?” Luo Qiu used two branches to pick up a bag from the campfire, opened it to reveal some flatbread.

“I am… a little hungry.” Claudia nodded, feeling hungry naturally, she didn’t hold back. Although it was a simple thing, it tasted especially delicious at that moment—especially the meticulous care for keeping the food warm.

It’s really rare… The boys around her have never been like this.

“Seems like we’re nearing the place your father previously investigated.” Luo Qiu suddenly said.

Claudia immediately stopped, looking at Luo Qiu in shock, and instinctively said, “What did you say?”

“While you were resting, I chatted a bit with Mr. Adili,” Boss Luo said casually, “As we talked, it seemed like we pinpointed the location of the ancient site your father visited before he disappeared… And it’s not far from here.”

“Really?!” Claudia stood up instantly.

Why did she come to this wretched place, almost losing her life? She’s here to find clues about her father’s disappearance!

“You… you are really…really,” Claudia said happily, “a lucky fellow!”

…

But Mr. Adili, the Bedouin, did not recommend they go to that place just like that, even showing a hint of serious warning.

“Why?” Claudia asked puzzled.

Since it’s a clue regarding her father’s disappearance, she naturally wouldn’t give up easily—especially since it felt so close, nobody would want to give up like this.

Mr. Adili, wearing a pair of lantern pants, smoked a pipe fervently, shaking his head as he spoke.

Claudia didn’t understand; Boss Luo translated at that time, “Mr. Adili says that’s a place inhabited by devils; entering recklessly will cost one’s life. Even they don’t dare reside near there, even though it’s a rich oasis.”

“There are no devils in this world; even if there are, they could only be people who act like devils!” Claudia shook her head… But she didn’t plan to continue arguing over this with the Bedouins who have their beliefs—besides, the language barrier made arguing impossible.

She told Boss Luo, asking him to tell Mr. Adili, that she didn’t plan to go to that place anymore, but hoped to buy camels, food, and water to help exit the desert—with the supplies, she could go wherever she wanted, right?

Boss Luo thought Claudia’s cleverness was well-played, and so he began conversing with Adili following her suggestion—in the end, they successfully exchanged some food and water using a necklace and clothing from Claudia’s luggage.

But they had no intention of selling camels—Claudia naturally had no solution; camels, to desert people, are indeed the most important partners.

…

“I have no idea what kind of place that is.”

On the road, Claudia said with curiosity, “There are just too many strange things in this desert… Pyramids built underground, miraculous nomads, and even a fake magic lamp, haha!”

Luo Qiu suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Claudia about dreams.

She said her aspiration was to become a mathematician, the kind who could win a Fields Medal… Yet, when she talks about these mysterious things now, she seems… so expectant.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.”

…

…

Based on some fragmentary data left behind before Professor Xie Jiatu disappeared, and some words he had spoken, Claudia could only deduce that her father’s archaeological research involved a whole team before he disappeared. The exact number of people was unknown, and they seemed to hide their identities from each other, using code names to communicate.

The only lead Claudia could find on her father’s former archaeological team was just this one… “Golden Eyes.” But all the network IP addresses associated with “Golden Eyes” were fake, making it impossible to trace this person’s real location and true identity.

After returning from this archaeological expedition, Professor Xie Jiatu buried himself in research, eventually leaving behind only some strange research notes—about the doctrine of the “Trinity.”

“However, an oasis?” Claudia frowned, “I don’t seem to remember my father mentioning any oasis at the site of his archaeology… Could it be, it’s not the same place at all?”

Boss Luo optimistically suggested, perhaps when they arrive at that place, they would find out… If not, returning to Mr. Adili’s camp wouldn’t be a long journey.

“You’re really optimistic.” Claudia shook her head, “Wait… guess what I see? Oh my God!!”

She suddenly shouted, her voice filled with a kind of extraordinarily joyful smile, as if finally letting off some steam!

Boss Luo followed the direction she was pointing and saw, not far ahead, four figures buried in the sand—Aria and… Mr. Otto, along with the camels they took!

When Claudia hurriedly ran to where Aria and Mr. Otto were buried in the sand, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

…

“Guess what I’ve come across?” Claudia said gleefully as she looked at Aria and Mr. Otto buried in the sand, “Huh, strange, why are there two people buried in the sand here? Lost travelers or people from the earth’s core living underground?”

“Alright, alright, they’re your foes, satisfied?” Aria rolled her eyes and said irritably, “I’ve read Journey to the Center of the Earth!”

“Hahaha, got what’s coming to you, huh?” Claudia couldn’t have been more delighted!

It was obvious that Aria and Mr. Otto had fallen into a quicksand area during their journey and were trapped there. Judging by how they were almost sunk up to their chests, they hadn’t been trapped for very long.

“Mr. Otto, Mr. Aria, long time no see.” Boss Luo did not mock; he simply greeted them politely. This left Claudia utterly at a loss, as he continued, “Is there anything you need help with?”

“They… they left us and didn’t care if we lived or died… Are you still planning to save them?” Claudia asked in disbelief, “Luo, are you… are you also dehydrated? Is it serious?”

“Hmm…” Boss Luo thought for a moment and then suddenly asked, “So, according to Claudia’s opinion, you’re planning to pretend you never saw them, right?”

“I…” She frowned, gazing at Aria and Otto, who were gradually sinking and didn’t dare to move, unable to speak.

“Otherwise, you decide.” Luo Qiu calmly stated, “If we ignore them, we’ll continue on our way. If you decide to rescue them, we’ll act… What do you say?”

“Why should I decide?” Claudia gritted her teeth, “This sort of thing… me? Can’t you make a decision yourself?”

Luo Qiu said calmly, “Then the reverse—if I decide to leave, will you pretend this never happened and follow me? If I decide to save them, will you willingly follow me to rescue them?”

“I…” Claudia opened her mouth again.

She suddenly realized a problem, whether the decision was in her hands or not—she faced quite a difficult choice.

“Miss, I’m very sorry, forgive me for what I did before, but considering we saved you once…” Aria quickly pleaded—he was never a tough person.

“Shut up!” Claudia glared fiercely at Aria and glanced at Mr. Otto.

Mr. Otto had his eyes shut, seemingly oblivious to Claudia and Luo Qiu’s arrival, lost in thought—yet their bodies were about to sink past their chests, reaching their necks.

Why did they seem completely unafraid?

Finally, Claudia stomped her foot and gritted her teeth, saying, “Saving you is possible, but we must do it my way!”

“At your command, Miss.” Boss Luo smiled slightly.

Claudia rolled her eyes and then looked towards Aria and Mr. Otto, snorting coldly, “Saving you is fine! But first, you must hand over the bag and the weapons! Especially you, Aria… you wicked old man!”

Aria… Aria actually wasn’t that old, but in the desert region, the sun is strong, and UV levels high, which made his skin rough—he was only twenty-nine this year!

But what else could he say?

How could he have known he’d fall into a quicksand area? He grew up in the desert, and had obviously seen more quicksand than these pampered pale-skinned people had rolled around on their bedsheets!

The quicksand appeared so irregularly, he hadn’t felt a thing… Looking at the arrogant Claudia, Aria couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of malice… It was as if he’d been mysteriously punished!

“I’ll never do bad things again…”

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