Acropolis 17 (2)
Mi continued walking into the inner city, where the city gradually became bustling. There were men's rough shouts and pedestrians whispering among themselves by the roadside. After turning two corners, Mi finally saw the vibrant side of the city: strong men carrying goods hurried along, while equally strong women chatted loudly in groups of three or five. Wooden signs hung by the doorways along the street, reading: Cloth Shop, Salt Shop, Butcher Shop… Women stood in queues outside each shop, and every now and then a man would carry a bag inside. A woman would teasingly pat a man's round backside and ask, "New stock arrived today, how's the quality?"
Mi chose a shorter line. At the back, a little girl kept looking up to count how many people were ahead. She would glance down at a booklet in her hand, then look up again, her expression filled with anxiety and anticipation. A faint pink glow emanated from her. Mi walked over and asked, "Excuse me, miss, what's going on here?"
"Miss?" The girl who was being asked the question giggled. She turned to look at the thin Mi and asked curiously, "I've never seen you before. Where did you come from? Is today the day for distributing supplies?"
“Uh, I just came from out of town,” Mi raised her hand and pointed to the line of people, asking, “What kind of supplies are being distributed?”
"You're from out of town?" The little girl stared at Mi suspiciously for a moment before holding up a small notebook in her hand. "They give out everything here, look, by the head. This is the candy store. I heard they had some really delicious candy yesterday. I love candy the most, so I came as soon as the candy store opened. Come in with me later, you can try some." As they spoke, it was the little girl's turn. She pulled Mi into the candy store. There were two rows of cabinets against the wall, and all kinds of candy were poured into wooden boxes on the cabinets, emitting a sweet aroma. A middle-aged woman brought over two small plates: "Little Donna, you're the first one here again today. Take whichever you want, and tell me when you've chosen so I can weigh it for you."
“Well, Mommy Bella, I brought a new friend over to try. You don’t need to worry about me.” Little Donna said, picking up the tongs and taking one of each kind of candy. She quickly piled up half a plate and handed it to Mi: “Here, have a taste. I love candy.”
Mi stared at the half-plate of candy that was handed to her, feeling overwhelmed by its sweetness even before taking a bite. How much sugar would she have to consume after eating just half a plate? Bella's mother saw this and said, "Child, eat up, there's more if you're not satisfied." More? Mi picked up a piece of green candy and put it in her mouth. It tasted like grass, with a hint of sweetness. This was— Mi stared at the candy plate. No wonder they said there was more if you weren't satisfied; it was more like a slightly sweet pastry. Little Donna and Mi sat together and ate most of the sweet treats before contentedly buying two bags of what was supposedly the sweetest candy to take home.
"Do you know where Krus lives?" After leaving the candy store, Mi thought about the matter Krus had entrusted to her and asked the enthusiastic little girl for directions.
“Are you asking about Krus, who went to the border? I know, come with me,” Little Donna said, pulling Mi toward another shop. “Everyone’s out collecting their things today, so Krus’s house is probably empty. I just saw Krus’s sister at the fabric shop, I’ll take you there.” Little Donna was slightly taller than Mi, but much stronger, and she pulled Mi through the growing crowd like two nimble little fish.
Donna quickly found a red-haired girl with braids who was a little taller than her. The girl was holding up a piece of floral fabric against her body.
"Carrie, was that guy, Crowe's sister, with you just now?" Little Donna pulled Mi and rushed up to Carrie. She immediately forgot to ask the question and stared at the fabric in Carrie's hand, saying, "Oh, these flowers are too small. Dahlias are prettier."
Little Donna forgot all about Mi the moment she saw the fabric. She reached for the fabric next to her and started arguing with Carrie about the patterns and types of fabric. Mi smiled and waited to the side, watching the two girls discuss which fabric would look better for a dress. The older women nearby, however, weren't interested in the floral fabrics; they preferred thicker, warmer materials. A little girl watched all this impatiently from a corner of the shop. Mi noticed this out-of-place girl and thought to herself, "This is what teenagers are like—they have an air of entitlement, are averse to everything, and are only thinking about escaping this restrictive place." After the two girls finished discussing and buying their fabric, they introduced themselves to Mi. It turned out that this arrogant teenager was actually Cruz's sister.
Two little girls led Mi around the city. Krus's sister stood by with her arms crossed, watching Mi, who seemed clueless. Her two friends, one on each side, introduced everything about the Acropolis to Mi. She stared at Mi, sometimes puzzled, sometimes angry, and then turned her head away. Mi saw tiny, colorful bubbles constantly rising from the top of her head, like a rainbow. Her two friends, however, had nothing on their heads. They took turns explaining the Acropolis to Mi.
Entering from the city gate is the City Lord's Mansion, where the guards and defenders of the Stone Forest are located. Behind the City Lord's Mansion is a whole street of warehouses, and then various trading companies. Everything the people of the city need is in these trading companies. Behind the trading companies is a row of tall stone fences, with half-meter-wide gaps for people to walk through. Behind these fences are the residents of the city, the city's most valuable asset, always carefully protected in the safest rear.
Two little girls pulled Mi through the storehouse, circled several alleys, and arrived at the outside of a training ground: "That's our Acropolis 17's training ground."
The training ground was a vast open space, where hundreds of men practiced assassination with spears. The little girl named Carrie stared at the crowd for a moment, then quietly turned away in another direction. Little Donna, watching Carrie's retreating figure, shushed Mi, then pulled Cruz's sister down to crouch. Seeing her sudden caution, Mi also crouched down and whispered, "Can't we come here?"
"No, don't make a sound." Little Donna crouched and moved forward, while Cruz's sister plopped down. Mi looked around, unsure which one to follow. She stepped back to Cruz's sister and whispered, "What do we do now?"
Seeing that her two best friends finally showed a childlike smile, Krus's sister glanced at Mi and said, "They're going to see men, are you going too?"
"Look at men?" Mi looked towards the training ground, where there were thousands of men. Which one should he look at?
Cruz's sister also became interested. She pulled Mi along and followed behind her two friends to a group of soldiers. Pointing to the third person in the group, she said, "See that? The one who's really dark-skinned, that's Carrie's lover."
Carrie turned around and spat at her before saying, "That's because you're exceptionally strong! What's wrong with being black? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."
Little Donna, who was next to Carrie, nodded in agreement: "What do you think he eats all day to grow so strong? His mother must be a really good cook."
"You're not allowed to take it from me!" Little Carrie suddenly turned around and said fiercely to Donna.
"Ouch, ouch." Cruz's sister poked her back with her finger. "You know Donna only likes to eat, she doesn't like men."
“You don’t like men.” Little Donna turned around and scratched Cruz’s sister, then rolled her eyes and said, “Come on, I’ll show you someone.”
Mi followed behind the three little girls. Little Donna pointed to a chubby boy and said, "Look, isn't he eating very well?"
Mi, seeing the three girls with shining eyes, suddenly felt like teasing them. She interjected, "Fat people are generally not picky eaters and can eat anything. The real experts at eating—" Mi looked at the men on the training ground and saw only the difference between strong and even stronger, and was momentarily speechless.
"What does a true connoisseur of food look like?" Little Donna stared at the rice.
Mi lowered her head shyly and whispered, "You can ask around; I think everyone in the city knows each other."
“I thought you had some good ideas,” Little Donna sighed, then turned her head and became interested again, pointing at the chubby boy and saying, “You said he’s not a picky eater.”
Mi hesitated and nodded. Little Donna rubbed her hands together and said, "That's even better. He'll say everything I make is delicious. And since he's so fat, people will definitely think I'm a great cook."
"Eek!" Her two friends laughed at her together, "Is there anyone in the entire Acropolis who doesn't know how good your cooking is!"
"So what?" Donna said, hands on her hips, bluffing. "If I'm the one criticizing him, how can he not choose me?"
"You two are really something, it's not your turn to choose a man this year." Krus's sister pulled her two best friends and Mi away from the training ground. "Let's go home." The three girls walked and talked about men.
All the residents of the citadel lived in the back city, with rows of houses arranged neatly, each household having a matriarch. Women in the citadel could be assigned such a house when they grew up; women were in charge here. All the boys had to go to the guard when they grew up; some went to the border posts like Klush, while others trained in the city lord's mansion.
Upon arriving at Krus's house, Mi looked up at the towering building before her. She couldn't imagine how Krus, who had grown up in such a grand and spacious house, had adapted to the cramped houses and narrow beds on the border. The houses in the acropolis were as tall and spacious as the people. The streets in front of the lord's mansion were wide enough for horses to gallop through, and the flatbed carts parked in front of the warehouses were also large and wide. The people here spoke loudly, communicating entirely by shouting. The young women and wives were all enthusiastic and unrestrained. They were very welcoming to Mi, who had suddenly appeared, pulling her along and holding out plates for her to sample different goods, making Mi blush and flustered, her social anxiety fully manifesting.
"Miss Mi, is it? Miss Mi, please have a seat!" Krus's mother, with her ample bosom and wide hips, greeted Mi with a warm smile. "You're too thin! Come, eat more." The table was piled high with dairy products and large chunks of meat; not a single green thing could be seen. Mi couldn't resist this generous hospitality. She took the fragrant, dripping, roasted pork chop that Krus's mother offered, took a small bite, and the aroma of the fat exploded in her mouth. The meat was tender and juicy. Mi finished the chop, then remembered her purpose: "Krus asked me to bring you something."
Mrs. Krus brought over an empty bowl. Mi put down the bone she had been gnawing on, wiped her hands clean, and took out a marigold coin.
"This child?" Krus's mother looked at the gold coin in surprise, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word. Krus's mother took the gold coin, lowered her head in silence, and tears dripped onto the gold coin in her hand.
Mi didn't know what had caused Krus's mother to misunderstand and be so sad. She quickly said, "Krus is fine. When I came, he could eat five pieces of bread and three bowls of meat. He was healthy and had no missing arms or legs. He was living a good life."
"He's alive and well?" Mrs. Cruz was stunned. After a long while, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears and stared at Mi, asking, "He's alive and well, so where did this gold coin come from?"
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