Yutan's home is located in the city of Camaga, a very large area of green grass and flowers, and the house is set in a large garden surrounded by iron railings. The houses in Kameca are very special, the poor are only made of wood, bark and grass, but the houses of the rich are made of stones, plastered with lime plaster, and the walls are glued with large and small shells, and the roof is a local specialty of bark, warm in winter and cool in summer, and has special textures.

Yutan's daughter got the news early and stood in front of the house waiting. She was a ten-year-old girl, dressed in a white cotton robe embroidered with colorful patterns, with fluffy little curly hair, two round and large eyes, a delicate face, small thick lips, and a very pleasant voice. As soon as she saw her father, she shook off the hand of the nanny next to her, and rushed up to hug Youtan: "Dad, I miss you so much!" ”

You Tan hugged her tightly and hugged and kissed: "Dad misses you too, my poor baby, it's lonely to be at home alone, right?" Don't worry, Dad will stay at home for a while more this time, and Dad will accompany my little baby well. After that, he kissed his daughter's little face a few times.

Minna saw it in the back and couldn't help but think of her father. Although An Long also loves her, he has never shown such enthusiasm. She was slightly envious, thinking that when would her father stop going out to work and stay at home with herself and her mother?

After You Tan finished making love to his daughter, he turned around and said to his old friend with a smile: "Don't be surprised if you lose your temper for a while." This is my daughter Sibylla, who is ten years old and a few months older than your Minna. Sibylla, this is Dad's good friend Count Shaw, and his little granddaughter Minna. ”

Sibylla stared at Xiao Tianjian curiously: "You are the Earl Xiao that Dad said?" The number one master and the richest person on the mainland? You look so young. ”

Xiao Tianjian laughed and teased her: "Yes, then you are the Sibylla that Yutan said, the little princess who is cuter than an angel?" You look so ...... Petite. ”

Sibylla looked up proudly: "I am! After a pause, he added: "I'm not petite, I'm cute!" ”

You Tan and Xiao Tianjian both laughed, and Minna thought it was funny. Grandpa once taught her that if people praise her, she should be "humble", although this practice is not quite the same as what her parents said, but she is used to it. The little girl I met now in Kamecca is really not "modest". Even if she's cute, she doesn't have to shout about it everywhere.

I don't know if it's because Minna's gaze slightly revealed a little bit of what she was thinking, Sibylla looked at this little girl who was cute in her eyes but half a head taller than her, and felt a little unhappy: "Your name is Minna?" Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you think I'm cute? ”

Minna hurriedly waved her hand: "No, no, of course you are cute." I'm always looking at you because you're cute. She quietly glanced at her grandfather, not knowing if it was right to say that.

Xiao Tianjian winked at her, and then said to You Tan, "Come into the house, it's quite windy outside." "Although the climate in Cameca is warm, it is late autumn and the sea breeze is somewhat chilly.

His words reminded Yutan: "That's right, my little darling, come into the house quickly, don't catch a cold." With that, he picked up his daughter and invited Xiao Tianjian's ancestors and grandsons into the house.

The room wasn't huge, and it looked similar to Minna's home in Zaitun, except for a few more rooms, and the outer walls were covered with shells. Minna thought that there would be a fishy smell in the house, but when she entered, she found that it was actually no different from the houses on the mainland, except that the windows were not open very much, and the room looked a little dim, but soon a servant sent an oil lamp.

Minna noticed that the clothes worn by the servants were very short and simple, almost a long piece of thick cloth with a hole dug under the hood, and then a straw rope tied around the waist, and those who were tied to the waist were cloth belts or the hem of the clothes were more elaborate, and were more decent butlers or high-ranking servants, while Sibylla's nanny, perhaps because she was very favored for taking care of her little master, had a string of turquoise necklaces more than the other high-ranking maids, and wore dresses with simple embroidered trims.

At first, Minna thought that the oil lamp brought by the servants was no different from the one on the mainland, but then she smelled a faint aromatic smell, and realized that it was not ordinary lamp oil, but something a little like grease. She had seen a lot of materials from Potions Professor Sauron, and after a brief recollection, she remembered that it was the fat of some kind of deep-sea fish, which could be used to light lamps, but it seemed that only the royal palace and the great nobles could afford it? However, it soon occurred to her that this kind of oil was valuable on the mainland because of its small amount, but on an island like Camica, it was probably not valuable, right?

She was thinking nonsense here, and Xiao Tianjian and You Tan had already finished discussing the allocation of rooms during the temporary stay, and the grandparents and grandchildren each occupied a room, and in order to make the children more close, Minna's room was arranged next to Sibyla's room. Sibylla stared at Minna and pouted to her father: "That room is also mine, why should I live in someone else?" ”

You Tan smiled at Xiao Tianjian embarrassedly, and whispered to his daughter: "Good baby, don't you often say that you are alone at home, and no one plays with you, it's boring?" He also said that other children are stupid and slow, and they don't deserve to be your friends. Minna is very smart, she has been to many places, and she is the granddaughter of her father's best friend, so you can be good friends with her. ”

Sibylla thought for a moment and nodded reluctantly: "Okay." She held out her hand to Minna: "Then I'll be friends with you." Minna looked at her grandfather's expression and smiled and held her hand, but she was a little reluctant in her heart. This Sibylla is so nasty! Who wants to be her friend?

You Tan said to his old friend with some shame: "I'm really sorry, my child rarely sees outsiders, and she doesn't know the world, but she is a good child." ”

"It's okay, it's okay." Xiao Tianjian waved his hand and didn't take it to heart. He knew that this old friend was begging for life outside all the year round, and he would inevitably be pampered with his daughter, in fact, he had seen more willful children than Sibylla, and even his eldest son Yunlong had many bad problems when he was a child, in comparison, Sibylla was already good, and his little Minna was the most well-behaved child.

Grandpa has expressed his position, and the good boy Minna naturally doesn't want to say anything. She had been studying in the Magic City for two years, and she had a lot of experience with her peers, and although she was not very happy, she got along with Sibylla. Probably because she was new to Camecca, she didn't know a lot about the island, and she always pulled Sibylla to ask questions, and the latter thought that this new friend was so stupid and didn't know anything, and although she was impatient, she was actually very proud. After going back and forth, the two little girls actually have the appearance of good friends.

Seeing this, Xiao Tianjian relieved his heart and quietly said to You Tan: "I have something to investigate, leave for a while, and the child will be entrusted to you to take care of it more." Yutan had already heard him say that he had met a fellow villager (although he didn't know where that township was), so he hurriedly replied: "Don't worry, leave it to me, my nanny is very reliable, and Minna will be taken care of." Xiao Tianjian left with peace of mind.

Minna and Sibylla were chatting and didn't notice him leaving. Yutan has been instructing his subordinates in the study to distribute the goods he brought back, and even lunch is eaten in the room. Minna thought that her grandfather was with him, and she was not suspicious. When she learned that her grandfather had gone out alone to investigate the girl who had stolen the ship, it was already dinner time, and she was very angry that she had been dumped by her grandfather again.

Bad grandpa! Actually threw her down again, hum! She followed him all over the continent, when did she drag him back? He had important things to do, how could he leave her behind? She's not a baggage, you can throw it away if you want to!

Minna secretly made up her mind that she wouldn't let her grandfather succeed next time no matter what.

Yutan was eating with his daughter on the other side of the table. Sibylla kept putting her favorite food on her father's plate, and Yutan simply ate a few bites of the child's hand and fed her some nutritious and delicious meat.

Minna watched the scene of their love for each other, and poked at the roasted conch meat and dough pieces on her plate with some depression. Although Sibylla repeatedly said that their food was the best on the island, Minna still found the food in Kameca so strange, and the bowl of kelp fillet soup actually had cream in it, and it smelled strange, and she was not used to eating it.

"Master, master......" Someone at the door lowered his voice and called Yutan. Minna heard the reputation and recognized that it was the first mate on the ship, what would happen?

Yutan was a little displeased when he was interrupted from eating, but seeing that his subordinates seemed to be in a hurry, he still coaxed his daughter a few words and walked out of the restaurant.

Minna saw from afar that he was listening to what the first mate said outside the door, and his face became ugly, and when he returned to the restaurant, he didn't have a smile on his face in the face of his daughter's coquettishness.

Minna asked curiously, "Uncle Yutan, has something happened?" ”

Yu Tan smiled reluctantly: "It's nothing, there is a little thing on the dock that has been resolved." Then he comforted his daughter, who had been angry because of his cold reaction just now. Minna didn't quite believe him, and pretended to continue eating, but kept looking up at him.

After eating, the two little girls played for a while, and Xiao Tianjian came back. Minna glanced at him, snorted disdainfully, and turned her head away from him. Xiao Tianjian touched his nose and touched her head with a smile, but she dodged away. He walked up to Yu Tan with some sneering and coughed lightly: "Excuse me, this kid isn't naughty, right?" ”

"How so? Minna was very obedient. Yutan laughed, "How are you there?" Any clues? ”

Xiao Tianjian nodded: "I found a family that had taken her in for a few days, it is said that she came down from the Holy Mountain, and then separated from her companions, and she couldn't make a living on the island, so she went back." I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm going to go around there and check it out. ”

"Holy Mountain? What is that place? When Minna heard this word next to her, she became curious and forgot about what she was going to do with her grandfather.

Sibila said: "The holy mountain is just north of Kamecca, just three kilometers from the island. It is the family burial place of the former king, and it is the place where the sacrifice is held, so it is called the Holy Mountain. Got it? ”

Minna nodded, but was a little puzzled: "Is Grandpa talking about the girl who stole the ship?" What did she do at the place of sacrifice? Could it be that she was the daughter of a former king? ”

Yutan smiled: "Kameca is now the presbyterian council, and the royal family has been extinct for hundreds of years, how can there still be a king's daughter?" There are no trees or stones on that sacred mountain, and there are strange noises from time to time, and it is said that there are ghost fires, so few people usually go there. Could Xiao's fellow villager be that he couldn't live on the island anymore, so he ran to live there? However, although there are caves there, there is no food and no fresh water, so I am afraid it will be difficult to survive. ”

Xiao Tianjian thought deeply about this. He had visited that sacred mountain once out of curiosity, and there were no wild fruits in the whole mountain, except for some miscellaneous trees, rocks, and cemeteries, and the only food was grass roots and fish. If that girl doesn't know how to survive in the wild, I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive. Counting the days, it was two or three days ago that she went to the Holy Mountain, and he was probably in time to rush over now.

After thinking about it, he said to Youtan: "I'm going to go to the Holy Mountain, I'm afraid I'll have to borrow a boat from you again." ”

"What are you polite? I'm glad I can help you. You Tan turned around and instructed the butler to find a few capable crew members, and said, "The medium sea ship is too big, and I have a smaller boat at home, so you can take that one." It is very fast, and it only takes a day to reach the holy mountain. ”

Xiao Tianjian thanked happily. Minna was eager to try: "Grandpa, grandpa, I'm going too!" ”

"What are you going to do? There's nothing fun about that holy mountain, the sea breeze is cold, so you might as well stay here and play with Sibylla. ”

"Don't!" Minna pursed her lips, "You didn't call me when you went out today, obviously there is no danger...... How can Grandpa do this? I'm here to play, not to live in a house! ”

When Sibylla heard her say this, she was a little unhappy: "My house is the most comfortable, you can live here, what else is not satisfied?" ”

Minna ignored her and just stared at her grandfather. Xiao Tianjian was a little sweaty, but he still stubbornly said: "The holy mountain is difficult to climb, and it is haunted, what are you doing in that kind of place as a child?" Even the crew of Uncle Yutam's faction, I only intend to have them wait on the ship. That's boring, you might as well stay here and play. At most, Grandpa promised you that when I returned, he would take you to the interesting places on the island of Camica, and I know several places. We can catch big fish, and beautiful starfish and crabs the size of a basin, haven't you ever eaten a lobster? I'm telling you, it's a supreme delicacy. ”

Minna looked at him suspiciously for a long time before she said slowly, "Then Grandpa should come back quickly." ”

"No problem! You can be back in three days at most! Xiao Tianjian was very confident in this, after all, he had been to Shengshan Island and knew where to hide people.

The housekeeper came to report that the crew was already waiting outside, and You Tan hurriedly asked Xiao Tianjian to go out to select someone.

In fact, Xiao Tianjian didn't care about this matter at all, the people under his old friend were naturally capable, he just wanted to sail along the seaside, and the requirements were not high. However, Yutan insisted, and he stopped prevaricating. However, when he saw that among the people waiting outside the door, the first one was the Corbyn, his face sank slightly, and he glanced at Youtan, but in the end he didn't say anything, and only chose the two crew members beside Corbin.

After he had chosen the people, he went back to the house with Yutan, and the crew dispersed, while the chosen ones rushed to the side of the ship to make preparations. Corbin stood quietly in front of the room, his face a little pale.

Ruhl, one of the chosen ones, had already planned to go to the ship with the other crew member, but when he saw this, he stayed behind and comforted Corbyn: "Are you alright?" Rest assured, your boss can trust you and won't fire you just because someone else says a word or two. ”

"But that is a noble lord, and I heard that he is still the benefactor of the boss." Corbyn said sullenly. Ruhl was also a little worried when he heard this. Seeing this, the former smiled: "Forget it, as long as I don't appear in front of that master for the time being, as soon as he leaves, I'll be fine." Go to work, and be careful not to offend him. Ruhl nodded solemnly.

Saying goodbye to his friends, Corbin returned to his home. Because he lived in the city and was friendly with the butler's assistant, he would get the news in time to fight for this job, and most of the other crew members went home, but cheapened the crew who lived in the boss's shop.

As you walk down the street, the darker it becomes, and the buildings along the road gradually change from shell stone houses to wooden huts, and then to simple sheds made of bark and hay. By this time he had returned to the lower town. Not far from home, he met two younger sisters, one aged nine and the other thirteen, who had come to pick him up.

The two girls greeted happily: "Brother, have you received a job?" Seeing Corbin shake his head, their faces were full of disappointment. His eldest sister was a little anxious: "What should I do then?" Just now, the debtors came again and took all the money from the family. ”

Corbin exclaimed, "All of them? I ...... even the money to buy medicine for my mother."

The eldest sister nodded: "The gold coins and wages that my brother just took home are all ...... Brother, what are we going to do now? I paid back a gold coin, we still owe nine, my mother's medicine money is gone, and my brother hasn't received a live ......" She couldn't help crying: "Just now that person also said that he would give us another month, and if we don't pay back, he will ...... I'm going to sell my sister and me......"

The little sister also cried: "Brother, I don't want to be sold......"

"Don't cry, don't cry." Corbin gently hugged his two younger sisters and comforted them, "Brother will think of a way, and he will never let those people capture you!" ”

Although he said this, listening to the faint sound of his mother's cough coming from the house, Corbyn felt that his heart was heavier.

(Corbyn's name means "crow," and he was a figure who had an important influence on Minna's fate.) ）