>>5333435"I am sorry friend, I should go into the city alone. A pariah going with you would only make things worse." You tell him and he nods, and goes off to his tent to sleep.
You spend a few hours of the night doing some muscle exercises. Getting stronger. And occasionally reading some of the older texts that you were given on debate, business, and a simple book on poetry. The problem with getting stronger, is that it takes greater acts to strengthen you muscle groups now. You have purposely built equipment that is brought along on the caravan to help you increase in strength, but a lot of it is exercise until muscle failure. If it comes to it, you have decided that you must be stronger enough to lift the entire launch system to get your people from this planet.
After a brief rest, you wake up at dawn, brief your companions on the parts you will need to get (maybe they will be there, but all the parts to the ship or material to build the parts are on planet, it's just a matter of finding them) and what is, supposedly in the city.
If you have to steal things you decided that it would be better to do it at nightfall.
The walk into the city is always awkward. You stand taller than all others, and you always gain attention because of that, and the pariah robes you wear. It's a paradox for most, being instantly drawn to your height, then forced to shun you due to what you are. Most of the trader castes will deal with you, but relic traders almost always refuse to. You then come across a familiar face doing simple camel trading
"Josufus! You serpent! You slithered away from saying good-bye from our last gathering!" You say as you approach with a smile.
"Lorgar! You caught me! I should have seen you coming a mile away but you caught me busy conducting business!" He says coming up to give a hug, which you reciprocate.
"This city is a well of items we need, some of them actually traded a few for the camels I am selling!" He whispers.
"Really? Can I see your ledger and compare it to mine?" You ask and he nods.
The Ledger- was your whole clans most important personal item, next to what was collected. Every 4 months there would be a return to the oasis where they would be turned in, compiled on the master ledger, and then redistributed with what remained. Progress was much better in the past two returns- since you took leadership. Theoretically you could complete it all this cycle! Then the great work could begin.
Upon examination, your eyes widen. Josufus, had not only collected many items, but some thought not to have duplicates. He then had much of the material. All for trading camels. Which was odd.
"All this from camels?" You ask
"Also some light smuggling." he whispers.
"Smuggling what?" You ask
