The glittering gold coins made everyone very excited, although everyone is self-interested, but at the beginning, it is better to cover it up.

"Remember what I said," she warned, "they may not be willing to help us." You have to respect their decisions. They are the lives I want to save. I don't want you to hurt them. ”

"Karen, I don't want or try to hurt them. Don't worry, they'll help us. It is also their own benefit. ”

"They probably won't see it that way," she continued. The rain had stopped, and with it a faint, cold mist. She pushed her cape and hat away. "Promise me, Richard, you won't hurt them."

He also pushed the cape off the cape, his hands hanging down naturally, and a smile on his lips surprised her. "Now I know how you feel."

"What?" She asked, her tone revealing a hint of bewilderment.

He looked down at him, his smile expanding. "Do you remember when I had a fever from snake vines, I asked you not to hurt Zod? Now I know how you felt when you couldn't promise me. ”

She looked deep into his grey eyes, thinking of all the people she knew Raha had killed, and how she wanted to stop him.

"Now I know how you felt," she couldn't help but laugh. "Did you think you were stupid at the time for making this request?"

He nodded. "When I realized what we were facing. When I realize what kind of person you are, you won't hurt anyone unless you have no other choice. I thought I was stupid at the time. Because I don't trust you. ”

She did think she was stupid because she didn't trust him. But she knew he trusted her too much.

"I'm sorry," she said, the smile still on her face. "I should know you better."

"Do you know how we can get them to help us?"

She had been to the village of the clay figurines several times before, not once she had been invited. They would never ask for a visit from a penitent. For penitents, visiting at the request of different people in Middle-earth is a daily affair. They were polite out of fear, but they made it clear that they could take care of their own affairs and didn't want outside interference at all.

"Clay figurines are able to convene a meeting, called the Council of the Ancestors. I was never allowed to participate, maybe because I was an outsider, maybe because I was a woman. From this rally they can seek answers that affect the normal life of the village. They will not convene this rally in front of the tip of the sword, and if they are going to help us, they must do so voluntarily. You've got to enlist their help. ”

He stared at him with burning eyes. "With your help, we were able to do just that. We have to do that. ”

She nodded, turned around again, and continued on her way. The clouds were thick and low, and they looked as if they were endlessly tumbling and boiling.

On the plains, the sky looks bigger than anywhere else. It's a breathtaking sight.

The rain made the stream tumble and boil, and the muddy water slapped against the logs, which were the bridges, foaming at the bottom of the logs. Karen could feel the power of the rushing stream, causing the logs to tremble under her boots. The log was slippery and there were no handrails on the sides, and she walked carefully. Richard reached out to help stabilize her body, and she happily had an excuse to hold his hand. She found herself looking forward to crossing the stream and being able to hold his hand. She couldn't allow herself to encourage him to keep approaching, even though it hurt her own heart deeply. How she wished she could be just a woman, just like everyone else. But she wasn't. She is a penitent. However, there were brief moments when she could forget about it and pretend to be an ordinary woman.

She expected Richard to walk beside her, but he kept following, his eyes sweeping around and watching over her. He is in a strange land and sees everything as a potential threat. In the Western Continent, she had felt the same way, so she was able to understand his actions. He risked his life to confront Raha and to face things he had never encountered before, and it was the right thing to do to be cautious. In Middle-earth, the prudent die quickly, and the unprudent die faster.

Crossing another stream and jumping into a wet meadow, eight men suddenly bounced up and stood in front of them. Karen and Richard stopped abruptly. Most of these people were covered with clothes made of animal skins. The thick mud smeared the rest of the bare skin, faces, and their hair, and even the rain couldn't completely wash it off. They have grass tied to their arms and headbands, so they are almost invisible when they squat. They stood quietly in front of the two of them. The expressions on his faces were serious. Karen recognized several of them, a group of mud men.

The eldest of them, slender and stocky, walked towards her. She knew his name was Selwyn. The others waited in place, their spears and bows and arrows easily set aside, but their demeanor and position indicated that they could attack immediately. Karen sensed Richard approaching her. Without turning her head, she whispered to him to stay still and do what she did. Selwyn stopped in front of him.

"Strength is with Karen the Confessor," he said.

"The power is with Selwyn and the Clay Figures," she replied in their language.

Selwyn slapped her hard. She slammed back in his face. Almost at the same time, Karen heard Richard unsheath his sword. She immediately turned back on her heels.

"No, Richard!" He had already raised his sword and was ready to attack. "No!" She grabbed his wrist. "I told you to stay still and do what I do."

He rolled his eyes, looking at Selwyn and her. His eyes were filled with suppressed anger, and the magic was ready to kill. He gritted his teeth, and the muscles around him tensed. "And if they slit your throat, will you let them cut mine too?"

"This is their way of greeting. It is to show respect for the strength of the other person. ”

He frowned and hesitated.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you in time. Richard, take your sword back. ”

His gaze shifted from her face to Selwin's, then back to hers, and finally he angrily thrust his sword back into its scabbard. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face the clay man, and Richard walked up to him as if to tell them that he was her protector.

Selwyn and the others looked at them calmly.

(End of chapter)