Rotten Beans (part 4)

Both Eve and Evelyn exchanged worried glances as they stared at Rizki, who had just revealed something shocking. Rizki had claimed that they had bought a batch of beans from human merchants, and these merchants were supposed to be generally honest. Rizki's frustration with their excessive trust in these merchants was evident.

"Generally? I'm too young to be into business, and I even know that nobody should be trusted blindly in business!" Rizki exclaimed in frustration knowing that they were too trusting the others.

Rizki, with a grim expression, tore open one of the sacks with ease, releasing a pungent odor into the air. He covered his nose with his free hand and said, "This is what you call a scam! Ruined beans won't make any quality tempeh!"

As a watery substance began to flow from the torn sack, both Evelyn and Eve hastily covered their noses in disgust. Rizki quickly grabbed a glove and sealed the finger part over his nose, preparing to handle the slimy, spoiled contents of the sack.

With a disgusted look, he revealed to both of them that the beans were not just damaged; they were already moldy. Evelyn racked her brain, trying to remember when they had purchased these beans. It had been shipped only that morning. Rizki let out a sigh, telling them that the damage had already been done, and now the beans could only be used as fertilizer.

Rizki couldn't believe it; he decided to check the other sacks. As he tore into them, it became painfully clear that all of them were rotten, and some had even turned into a watery mess. His frustration boiled over as he asked, "Where are those merchants? I want to ask for explanation from them!"

Both Eve and Evelyn looked at each other, clearly puzzled by the situation. Rizki didn't wait for their response; he stormed out, only to collide with a woman outside the barn.

Rizki fell backward and yelled in anger, "Who the heck doesn't watch where they're going!"

The woman he had collided with smirked, her familiar elven features coming into view. It was none other than Liora Nightshade, the elf who was once arrested Rizki who didn't know about anything, respecting him after saving village chief's daughters and now, he bumped her.

"It's you," Liora replied coolly. She then asked, "What brings you here, Rizki? You should be resting in your room for recuperation."

Rizki scrambled to his feet, his irritation not diminishing. "I don't have time for jokes or your questions! We need to stop production immediately!"

Liora's expression remained calm as she tossed a sack of the rotten tempeh aside. "This ready-to-eat meal is beyond salvageable. I've already pinpointed some possible locations for those merchants. Master Varian suspects it might be an act of sabotage."

Rizki, who was solely focused on the crisis at hand, replied, "We need to move quickly, ASAP!"

"ASAP?" Three of the women nearby echoed his urgency.

Rizki clarified, "As soon as possible!"

Liora assessed Rizki's rush and then advised, "Rushing won't work either. Both I and Master Varian addressed this issue a week ago. That's why Princess Eve and Princess Evelyn can't have these supplies or access this area. Similar precautions were taken for your safety."

With a deep sigh, Liora gestured towards the barn, where the ruined beans were spread out. She explained that they had already taken the necessary steps to rectify the situation. All that was left was to plan and execute a raid on the location where she and the other knights had traced the merchants.

Rizki took a moment to compose himself and then asked, "What's our next step now that you know their possible whereabouts?"

Liora simply raised a sly eyebrow and left with a cryptic statement, "They will become our fertilizers."

Rizki took out his phone and dialed Faye's number. "Faye, bring my weapon to my side."

A moment later, a bag fell from the sky with a loud thud, landing at Rizki's feet. He reached down to pick it up, but as he did, a sharp cry of pain escaped his lips. He clutched his side, where he was still healing from a previous injury.

"Fuck! It hits right on the weak spot that I have!" Rizki exclaimed, his face contorted in pain. He looked at the bag and then called out, "Faye! You owe me big time for this!"

Eve and Evelyn rushed to his side, concern etched across their faces. "Are you okay?" Eve asked, her worry palpable.

Rizki winced but managed a weak smile. "Not a big deal, lets move" Despite the pain, he was determined to press on and confront the merchants responsible for the ruined tempeh.

With his weapon in tow, they decided to leave the factory behind and head towards the place where Eve had mentioned that Grandmaster Liora usually stayed. It was time to confront the merchants responsible for this sabotage and protect their land and livelihoods from further harm.

As they continued walking, Eve and Evelyn exchanged puzzled glances. Rizki's mention of a gun as a weapon from his world left them bewildered. It was clear that this world held mysteries beyond their understanding.

Rizki sensed their confusion and decided to clarify, albeit with limited success. "You see," he began, "this is a weapon from my world, and it's not something you typically find here. It uses bullets, which are small metal projectiles propelled at high speed to, well, harm or incapacitate the target."

Eve and Evelyn nodded, still not entirely grasping the concept of this foreign weapon. Magic and conventional weaponry were familiar to them, but this was something entirely different.

Rizki chose to change the subject, realizing that trying to explain the intricacies of firearms might only add to their confusion. "Let's focus on the task at hand," he said, his tone resolute. "We need to find Liora and get to the bottom of this tempeh sabotage. Whatever these merchants are up to, we can't let them harm our people any further."