Chapter 22: Part (8): Almsgiving

“Nothing.” The woman smiled mysteriously. “It’s so nice~”

“…??”

With that, she got up and walked over to a nearby street stall.

“Boss! One cup of coffee, please!”

The stall owner was a middle-aged man, gray stubble covering his chin.

He was taken aback when he saw Kaya’s unusual outfit, his gaze lingering on the colorful beads woven into her hair.

“Miss, my coffee isn’t anything special…” The man scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “It’s just roasted grains ground into powder and brewed.”

“No problem, as long as it’s drinkable.” Kaya leaned over the container casually. “How much?”

“No charge! No charge!” The man waved his hands repeatedly.

“Today, the Holy Maiden herself comes to give alms—what an honor! I insist on treating you!”

“Well, that’s great.”

As they chatted, he fumbled on the shelf to grab two reasonably clean enamel cups and poured the warm “grain coffee” into them.

Kaya took a sip and smiled. “Hmm… not bad. Much better than the cactus juice I drank in the desert.”

Mi Li watched her carefree demeanor and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Travel merchants… are you usually like this?”

“How do you mean?”

“Just… casual…”

“Casual?” Kaya clicked her tongue and smiled, her lips curling. “Little Holy Maiden, do you have some misunderstanding about us?”

“—We are the most professional people in this land!”

“Professional… then you…”

“Me? I’m on duty, of course.” The woman spoke matter-of-factly. “Doesn’t this count as keeping you safe? Today’s activity went so smoothly.”

Her amber eyes darted shiftily around the surroundings.

“So what if I’m drinking coffee? I’m still right here by your side.”

“And look, from this angle, I can observe most of the movements around the stall, even the alley over there.”

“Professionalism is always online, understand?” Kaya winked proudly.

Then she took a small water bottle from her waist bag and handed it to Mi Li.

It was about the same size as the spray bottle from before.

Mi Li took a sip and was surprised to find it slightly sweet.

“Huh?” The girl raised her eyebrows.

“Kaya added honey.” She explained. “Pure water is precious; adding something good just makes it more valuable.”

“You really have everything…”

“Of course! Totally worth it!” The woman patted her chest. “There’s nothing you can think of that we can’t get!”

“Here, cheers!” She held up the enamel cup beside Mi Li’s small water bottle.

Mi Li couldn’t help but smile at her words.

“Kaya, can you tell me about your work?”

“Our work?” She blinked.

“To put it nicely, we’re intelligence agents. To put it bluntly—we’re basically couriers.”

“Couriers?”

“Yes. If someone needs something, we go find it. If someone wants to sell something, we help them find a buyer.”

“So… like a second-hand platform?”

“Nope! And that’s not all.” Kaya smiled mysteriously and lowered her voice.

“We also provide intelligence services, escort missions, and even… hmm-hmm-hmm~ you get the idea.”

Mi Li shook her head in confusion. “I don’t…”

“Let me tell you secretly—who do you want to kill? Hmm?”

Kaya deliberately leaned close to her ear, her breath warm.

“?!” Mi Li recoiled.

She also works as an assassin?!

“Forget it, forget it. You wouldn’t understand anyway.” She returned the enamel cup to the stall owner. “Thanks, boss! I’ll bring you some coffee beans next time!”

The man was overjoyed. “No, no! Your visit is our blessing!”

The woman laughed heartily. “Look at what you’re saying.”

“Anyway, we do everything, as long as the price is right.” She shrugged at Mi Li.

“How big is your network?” The girl handed the water bottle back.

“How big?” Kaya thought for a moment and drew a circle in the air with her finger. “Let’s put it this way: from the northern ice plains to the southern desert, from the eastern coast to the western mountains—wherever there are people, we’re there.”

“Other places must be dangerous, right?” Mi Li asked, a little worried.

“Dangerous?” Kaya shook her head dismissively, the beads in her braids jingling. “I’ve been on the bleeding edge for years. What haven’t I seen? Mutant beasts, superstorms, bandits and robbers… piece of cake!”

She pulled out a crumpled map from her waist bag and spread it over her forearm, dense with symbols.

“See this? All these red dots are places I’ve been.” She tapped the map with her fingernail. “Black dots are dangerous zones, green dots are safe points…”

Mi Li leaned closer. The map was even more detailed than the one she had seen in the Oasis.

The markings were extremely precise, including many remote settlements and abandoned buildings.

“Wow… you’ve been to so many places…”

“Of course!” Kaya puffed out her chest proudly. “That’s what being a traveling merchant means—we go everywhere!”

She shoved the map back into her waist bag and pulled out a nut to munch on.

Mi Li squatted quietly on the corner step like an unnoticed volunteer, yawning and watching the busy people around, eavesdropping on their conversation.

From the beginning of the alms-giving activity until now, she had observed almost every step:

Harvesting.

Processing.

Storage.

Transportation and cooking.

And finally, distribution.

She saw how the cooks carefully rinsed each grain of rice—even those grown using her own powers—screening repeatedly for impurities.

She saw how the transporters carried heavy sacks of food, sweat soaking their backs, yet never complaining…

Every step involved countless unsung people working hard.

Her abilities were just a tiny part of this enormous process…

“Tired?” Kaya walked over and sat beside her.

“Mm…” Mi Li rubbed her sore shoulders. “I didn’t expect it to be this hard.”

“Hard? This is just the beginning!”

“If you traveled with me, you’d be exhausted to the point of questioning your life.”

“Some places aren’t even meant for humans…”

“Why do you do this line of work?” The girl hugged her knees, burying her face.

Kaya thought for a moment and shrugged.

“I got used to it.”

“I’ve been following my dad everywhere since I was little. After he died, I continued his work.”

“When I earn enough money, maybe I’ll finally come full circle.”

“Buy a plot of land from Seraphina, build a small house, raise cats, plant flowers… and don’t forget to give me a discount when you do.”

“…Alright, hehe…”

“And, you know,” the woman continued, “the world may be cruel, but people’s kindness and sincerity don’t change…”

“You just want to survive, and to let your family live a little better.”

That’s all.

Mi Li nodded thoughtfully.

Just as she was immersed in this peaceful atmosphere, a sudden series of loud bangs came from afar.

Boom—!

Boom, boom!

Several explosions from outside the city shook the ground slightly.

Mi Li looked up toward the source of the noise, puzzled.

“What’s that sound?” she asked nervously.

Kaya’s expression instantly changed.

She immediately stood up, grabbed the girl’s hand, and started running. “Little Holy Maiden, we have to go!”

“What’s wrong?” Mi Li was confused as she was dragged along. “Are those firecrackers outside?”

The woman glanced back at her, her pupils constricted in alarm, forcing a smile.

“Those aren’t firecrackers…”

“They’re missiles.”