Chapter 635 Arrival at the Red Pomegranate Settlement
The gray-blue sky, the yellow grassland, the granular sand, the two horses pulling the cart step by step on the ground, looking down from the sky, it is like a small dot moving slowly.
The wheels swayed and rose and fell from time to time with the grass roots and soil on the ground. On the carriage, Guy leaned on the haystack behind him, holding a whistle. The slightly sharp and rapid sound of the wooden whistle changed from time to time, bringing a slightly desolate song.
Heshia was sitting in the back of the car, leaning on the haystack with Orles, looking into the distance, thinking about many things in her heart.
I don’t know if the situation in the federation has changed since she and Orles left. In addition, the new races she has seen in these days have also given her a lot of thoughts.
If we put aside the historical background of the fifth season and those overly cruel scenes, the new races have no significant differences in many habits except that they are different from humans in genes. Some of them are very different from native humans, and they cannot even be directly distinguished.
If it weren't for that period of history, the current civilization might not be intolerant, but unfortunately, the lessons of the past were too heavy, leaving the Federation always shrouded in shadow and pressure.
She was not arrogant enough to save all lives, but was just thinking, if the Fifth Era had not taken the path of the 'Dark Sun' at that time, but had applied this evolution and change to mankind itself, what would the outcome be.
Maybe better, or maybe worse? She shook her head and stopped thinking.
I always felt that I was too sentimental. Now I should think about the recent things, how to sell the fur coat for a good price, and then find a temporary place to live in the Stone Forest Castle.
Although Orles didn't care, Tilan still thought about buying her some more comfortable cotton clothes. In addition, she also thought that if she was going to live for a long time in the future, she should prepare a comfortable bed and house, at least not a straw bed and a cave.
At this time, Guy's whistle gradually stopped, and then he and Farlan talked in front of them, talking about the boredom of the journey.
"You play it pretty well. Have you learned it before?" Fran no longer held the diary with him. Instead, he held the reins in one hand and leaned against the haystack.
"I learned it from an old hunter before. He also taught me how to train dogs for hunting." Guy answered.
"That's good."
"Well, he is indeed a good old man, except that he is a little greedy for alcohol and likes to curse." Guy thought for a while.
"Fran, do you also teach musical instruments in the Slami Association?"
"Musical instruments..." Fran did not answer immediately, as if he remembered something.
"Unfortunately, we are not keen on music there. I only saw a female classmate playing the violin at the graduation ceremony."
"You don't know the violin, it is an instrument with a very rich and delicate sound. Unfortunately, my words are a bit poor and I can't describe its charm."
"That's a bit regrettable." Guy didn't care. The two continued to talk one sentence at a time.
"What do you usually eat in the south? Is it also wheat flour?"
"It's similar. It's true that wheat flour is more common, but there is also rice and other foods."
"The association has a special electric mill. The flour it grinds is very fine. We ferment it and bake it into bread. The side dishes are often fish, and occasionally there are vegetables and fruits."
"The Slami Association is close to the sea. I heard from the teacher that a few years ago, they were planning to build a fishing ground near the sea, so that everyone can eat a lot better. When he was young, the association didn't have such rich meat." Fran said with nostalgia.
"Fish soup with rice is really delicious. During the years I was in school, this was my favorite food. It's also more economical."
"Are you still in school?" Guy had only seen a small school of the Gray Feather species in the Stone Forest Castle. There were probably a few scholars and 20 students.
"Yes, members of the association must receive at least three years of education before adulthood, learn basic writing, and common sense skills, etc."
"It's really like an ideal society. I wish I could be born in such a place." Guy sighed with some envy.
"Ahahaha, it's indeed much better than many poor places, but these are not provided for nothing. After graduation, we will run around for the association and complete various tasks assigned."
"Maybe after more than ten years of wandering outside, we can return to our hometown and gradually settle down." Fran stretched his body.
"That's also a place to go back to." Guy said, sitting up a little and adjusting the direction of the carriage so that it would not deviate from the general route.
"I don't even know where I will die in the future."
"Just like those people I used to know, many of them were buried by me, and maybe in the future I will have a friend to help me clean up the bodies."
"It's a bit sad to say that, even I am worried." Fran shook his head.
"Why not? You met someone you liked, and then you had many children together. Finally, you spent your old age leisurely and fell asleep watching the sun set."
"I dare not think about such a beautiful dream, for fear that the difference between it and reality would be too big and sad."
"The only thing I have learned over the years is not to have too high expectations and hopes for anything, so as to avoid sadness and sorrow."
"Is that so..." Fran leaned on the swaying haystack, his eyes half open and half closed.
"...It's also an answer." He closed his eyes and took a nap.
The four of them took a carriage and traveled on the grassland for two days. Gradually, they could see undulating hills in the distance, and the trees gradually increased.
This piece of land near the Stone Forest Fortress is rarely moistened by water and grass, and has rich vegetation, so many settlements have gathered around it. While there are many people, there are also many fights. It's just that because of the authority of the Stone Forest Fortress, the intensity of this fight is maintained at a certain limit, and it is not too bloody.
"You asked me why I didn't settle down here. Of course, it's because I can't afford it." Guy answered Fran's curious question.
"The settlements near the Stone Forest Fortress have to pay taxes every year. The taxes vary. Some are for food, some for timber, and some for providing labor. Anyway, it's impossible to live here for free."
"Therefore, the settlements that can stay here all year round are relatively wealthy."
"We can see the road. If we follow this road not far, we will reach the territory of the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement." Guy drove the two ponies and let them walk towards the main road.
"The main road is safer, and the team from Stone Forest Fort patrols from time to time."
Then the four of them slowly entered the road shaded by tall trees. There were tall oak trees growing on both sides of the road here, and the treetops crossed in the middle of the road, making the slightly ravine forest road dappled with sunlight, especially refreshing and comfortable.
"This feeling is suddenly different." Fran also opened his diary at this time and drew the road and trees he saw today on the pages.
Sitting in the back seat of the carriage, Tilan also raised his head, stretched out his hand, caught a fallen leaf, and sniffed it carefully. It had a slightly cool grassy fragrance, which was very different from the dry grass on the grassland.
"We're almost there." Guy shook the reins slightly to let the two horses go faster.
Three hours later, they stopped in front of a tall wooden wall.
He waved to the watchtower behind the fence, and someone came out soon.
"It's Guy, long time no see." The man was wearing a leather vest, with his muscular arms exposed. The most eye-catching thing was the long tail behind him, with yellow, black and white patterns, which looked very powerful.
"Long time no see, Tiebang." Guy shook hands with him and patted his shoulder.
"Why isn't it Tedley this time? I haven't seen him for a while, and I want to exchange knife skills with him." The other party had a stubble on his face and a thick iron knife on his back.
"Tedley..." Guy's voice changed a little.
"He's gone." He shook his head.
"A lot of things happened recently. I'll tell you after we go in." Seeing Guy's sad expression, the other party didn't want to continue to pester him, so he asked the people behind him to pull up the thick wooden door, and then led the two horses and the carriage in together.
Sitting in the carriage, the girl looked around the settlement in the shade of the trees with curiosity. There were several tall watchtowers and houses under the trees. Those walking here were all humans with tails, or it would be more appropriate to call them "cat-tailed species".
Compared with the poor settlements on the grassland, the living conditions of the cat-tailed people here are obviously better. There are abundant water and grass here, the wild grass is green, and the air is much more humid and fresh.
No wonder they said before that the settlements on the grassland are remote places that no one cares about.
"You sit down, I'll go call the boss of 'Red Branch'." Tiebang led the four people into the open large wooden tent, and then walked out. On the other side, two cat-tailed women brought ceramic kettles for the four people to drink.
"This water is really clear." Fran said, and drank most of the kettle directly. Guy on the side cared more about face, after all, they were all acquaintances.
Soon, a woman wearing a dark red overlapping dress and a wooden hairpin on her head came with people. She looked about thirty or forty years old, with a beautiful face and raised eyes. She was followed by several female cat-tailed guards, all wearing long swords and small firearms on their waists.
"Are you from the settlement of the moose boss?" She glanced over with a little suspicion and scrutiny.
"Yes, my name is Guy. I met you two years ago." Guy stood up. He said he was an acquaintance, but he was not that familiar with you because it was always Tedley who led the trade in the past and he only participated a few times.
"Guy?" The other party seemed to be unable to remember the name, and it was Tiebang behind him who stepped forward to explain the situation.
"Tedley is gone..." She felt a little regretful.
"Then tell me what happened. From what Tiebang described, it seems that you have encountered many unfortunate things recently."
...
An hour passed, Guy was telling the story, and Fran occasionally added a few words. After that, Guy also took out a small branding iron as a token.
Looking at the branding iron in his hand that was heated by the question, the cat-tail leader turned his fingers slightly and then put it down.
"It seems that what you said is true. I didn't expect so many things to happen in just one month."
"I'm sorry to hear this, but since you can come out, you must have gone through the most difficult period. If you need any help, you can tell me. I may not be able to help you with big things, but I can still help you with some small things." When she was young, she traveled around with her tribe and was saved by the moose boss once, so they have always had a good relationship.
"It was my idea that the moose boss arranged the residence in that place. I didn't expect so many years to pass in a blink of an eye."
...
"Are you going to Shilinshan Fort to trade? Since you said so, I will buy some here to help share the burden. You can also leave the things you need to exchange here first and take them when you return."
"We have a lot of canned fruits and a small amount of wine stored in our settlement. If you are preparing for winter supplies, we can give you more."
"Thank you." Guy thanked him. Seeing that it was getting late, the cat-tailed species also stood up and asked them to stay here for the night.
At night, in the tall wooden tent, the firewood in the stone pestle burned quietly. The four people sat on the straw mats, waiting for the food in the pottery pot to cook, and talked about what happened after they came here.
"Not bad, boiled rice, baked apples, and she also gave us a bottle of fruit wine." Fran recorded today's dinner.
Tilan handed the hot baked apple to Orlesi, and took half of it herself, eating it in small bites. The taste was a little hot and soft and sweet.
Because the rice was added with more water, it was not like her usual state of distinct grains. It was closer to soaked rice or rice porridge, and could be eaten with a spoon.
"There are a lot of fruits in the settlement." Fran looked at it and said.
"The cat-tail species is flexible and can easily climb up the tree to pick fruits. This is an advantage that many other races do not have. They have also learned how to plant fruit trees and opened up orchards in the mountains and forests behind. Relying on these, they live a good life." Guy said slowly.
"As a warrior, this flexible body is also very advantageous. I heard from the old people in the settlement that the cat-tailed people are born with faster nerve reflexes than old humans, and their fingers are also dexterous, so they can do a lot of delicate work."
"Their gene expression is quite special. Among their offspring, about three-quarters are female, and only one-quarter are male. Women are often in power in the tribe."
"You know so much?" Fran was a little surprised.
"Because I liked a cat-tailed girl before." After saying that, Guy shook his head and stopped talking.
After dinner, the four of them slept around the fire. Although there was no separate bedroom, the grass mats given by the cat-tailed people were very thick, so it was not so uncomfortable.
In the early morning, after the four woke up, they met the member in charge of trade in the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement. The other party had a long gray-yellow tail and wore a fur robe. He handed them the account book and the list of exchangeable items.
"That's it. Because of the boss's instructions, I can give you a... 10% discount." At last, he reluctantly stretched out his finger to gesture, and it seemed that he was quite reluctant to reduce the price.
"Only 10% off?" Guy took the list and stared at them, a little dissatisfied.
"Well, you should be content. I'm giving you a fair price." The other party pinched his beard and stared back.
"Okay, let me see what's there. Canned apples, canned grapes, canned peaches, straw mats, fruit wine jars, honey..." Most of the items are food and fruit products, and a small number are handicrafts and woven products from the settlement, such as straw mats and straw shoes.
Although they look good, these canned fruits are not cheap. In addition, the pottery jars are fragile and the fruits are not filling. It is estimated that they are not convenient to transport them out and sell them.
"Forget about the straw mats, let's exchange more food..." Guy commented.
"...In other words, according to the price you gave, a fur coat can only be exchanged for five cans?" Guy was very dissatisfied.
"Yes, don't think it's too little. Our can is very big." He brought a mud-sealed pottery jar from the warehouse, and its appearance reminded Tilan of a wine jar.
"Can you fill your stomach by eating this in the winter?" Guy retorted.
"Of course." The other party was stubborn.
Guy was a little angry, but after all, he was on someone else's territory, so he couldn't force a rebuttal.
"Our fur coats are rare masterpieces of masters in hundreds of miles. You want to exchange them for a few jars. Isn't that too much of an insult?"
"What master? Where is the master? Just a few pieces of leather and fur clothes, and you want to make a random price?" The other party also shouted.
Now, many cat-tail species in the settlement were attracted by the quarrel and gathered around curiously.
Seeing this, Guy untied the fur coat that was tied up, then stood on the wooden stake in the open space of the settlement, shook it off and spread it out, and held it in his hand.
Compared with the rough coats sewn by primitive tribes, with thick seams and uneven cuffs, this winter coat, which has been improved by modern aesthetics, has neat sleeves, a collar that fits the body, and a buckle at the waist to keep it close to the body and highlight the figure. It is beautiful and practical, and it is indeed a dimensionality reduction.
When Guy shook it out, it immediately attracted the likes of many cat-tail women present. Many people came forward, still carefully touching and looking at it, and some even asked if they could try it on.
"Sure, a handful of rice, try it on for five minutes." He picked up an empty clay pot and placed it next to him. If someone wanted to try it on, they could grab a handful of rice and put it in. The price was not too expensive, but it was definitely not cheap.
At first, there were still many cat-tails who hesitated, but soon someone couldn't help it and went home to grab a handful of rice and put it in. Then Guy handed a fur coat to the other party.
Sure enough, it was extra warm after putting it on. The back of the windbreaker also had a slit to expose the tail, which was very fitting.
"I'm right, right? This was made by the best tailor in the hundreds of miles of our grassland. It's not available in Shilinshanbao. If he wasn't grateful for us saving him from the war machine, he wouldn't have made clothes for us. And after this winter, he will go to the south overseas. Do you know where he is? That's the rich and peaceful Slami Association. I guess he won't come back in the future. This is his farewell work. It will be passed down for generations. You are really lucky to buy it." He held up the clothes and shouted everywhere. He said it with details and attracted many cat-tailed people who didn't know the situation.
Seeing the cat-tailed woman walking back and forth in the open space wearing clothes, the others finally couldn't help it. They went home to get rice one by one. Soon, they filled most of the pottery jar in front of Guy.
Looking at this scene, Heshia opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but finally held back.
It should be said that he is indeed a child who grew up with the caravan. Guy's trick immediately reversed the situation. It seems that this transaction will not be a loss.
(End of this chapter)
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