The campsite was busy, as expected. Even this early there were a good many things to do to prepare for the journey ahead. Garret had done most of his preparations so he sat by his tent, sharpening his knife. It had been a few days since he'd arrived and even then there had been a good many people, more so than he imagined. There were even more now, which Garret found hard to believe. He'd been chasing after leads for quite some time and he'd never seen a crowd like this. Granted, most of the previous "guides" he'd had the pleasure of meeting had been fakes, and he made his grievances known to them in due time. Still, the crowd indicated that Desert Hare had something, and Garret couldn't let the opportunity slip by.

He didn't really believe that Hatari existed, but that didn't matter so much to him. Garret had chased after most rumors concerning Hatari in the hopes that he'd find his targets who were no doubt also looking for Hatari, but if the Desert Hare caravan could really lead them to Hatari then he'd change tracks. If the city did exist, and the convoy actually led them there, he could use their route to draw in his targets. And if they didn't get there, then he'd go back to his original plans. With that being said, getting there could be tricky.

Garret scanned the horizon, watching as the sun slowly crept higher. They were close to the desert of death, and while Garret had generally only skirted around it, he knew it wasn't a good place to be in. He wouldn't go if he had a choice, but the fact that the caravan were willing to brave the desert lended credibility to their claims. Scammers taking advantage of people's desires to find Hatari were certainly morally bankrupt, but they weren't stupid - they tended to stick to the outskirts of the desert before trying to rob him. It took a special someone to go directly into the desert, either someone who knew what they were doing or otherwise didn't have any attachments to their life. In other words, this was Garret's best chance at finding Hatari, which would be very beneficial for his goal.

Garret frowned and slipped his knife back into its sheath on his belt. Best not to think about that now. He rose from his seat and began walking around. They would go soon, so Garret would take the time to look around some more. This was a part of his preparation, to see what resources he could exploit and prepare an exit strategy should he need it. It was true that this trip had a higher chance of being legitimate, but if it wasn't he couldn't afford to be caught out. Not before he finished his goal. This was possibly another step forward but he couldn't afford to risk everything on it. Even so, it was a step forward, and Garret was determined to make it work for him.