Section 3: Impressions (I)
Section 3: Impressions (Part I
The carriage can seat four people, but generally no one does this, and cramming all the seats will make a bad impression of being treated as a refugee.
Townsend and Marcia got into the first, Vahu and his elders in the second, and the two stewards of the caravan in the third. The coachman in front of him shouted, the carriage started slowly, and the group finally entered the most prosperous city on the west coast.
A horse-only carriage with only one horse is not luxurious, but the seats are comfortable and the view is wide, and the driver controls the speed well, allowing passengers to see what they want to see most.
The city walls of Yintao City are very majestic, the walls are 35 meters high, and the towers that protrude from the walls are like wrestlers with the strength of ten thousand jun, giving people a strong sense of oppression. The gates are more majestic, with a slightly inward sloping wall topped by a row of cylindrical fortresses, and long strips of flags hanging from the platforms, all in a wavy trident pattern, but in a different color in the details.
The soldiers on the city wall are shiny in armor, wearing bright red robes, with sharp eyes and solemn expressions, like cold hard rocks that have been carved, which is very different from the hearty smiling faces of the tax collectors under the city.
After passing through the 30-meter-long doorway, you will enter the town for purely military purposes, and your guide's explanation will begin.
"Honorable master and chief, please see, this is the acropolis of Yintao City. It was built along the walls, of varying widths, and inhabited by our elite army, and I heard that there were some other things. Sitting in the driver's seat, Syllaba cleared her throat and began to explain, she was very proficient in guiding the affairs of the guide: "Unfortunately we can't go there, because this is a military restricted area, and it is also a place where the army maintains its mystery and majesty - let's be generous and let them go." ”
"It's a good rhetoric, and I know how to please people. Taking Townsend into Yintao City, Marcia seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and was in a good mood, her eyes moved from the city wall to the guide, and she said affirmatively: "You are literate." ”
"Venerable Master of Ability, I only know a few words. Seira made a humble gesture to show that she was small, and then adjusted her expression to extreme confidence: "Chief, please see, the road under our car is paved with colored tiles, and the cities on the entire continent that can be paved with colored tiles can be counted on one hand - maybe a bit exaggerated, but you know some people have more fingers. ”
"I'm sure you've only read a little bit of a book, because you're a little lacking in your means of pleasing people. Marcia couldn't help but smile: "But your attitude can make up for it." ”
Marcia was right, Sera never said "you know" and "you understand" without adding "do you?", a subtle difference in tone, but it sounded completely different - much like the standard aristocratic butler's tone, but used more often.
"Over there......" Townsend didn't join the conversation, he raised his head at the noise on the side, "It's a tent?"
"Yes Chief, there are tents over there, countless tents. Sera didn't need to look back to know where Townsend was talking about, so he gestured a huge shape with his hands: "The silver city-state is the big chief, the big chief, the most appealing and authoritative symbol of the West Coast, and it is also the gathering place of businessmen on the West Coast, so there are many tribes who send people to live here for a long time and do business." ”
"We have carved out a plot of land for each tribe here, so that they can live here according to their habits...... But first they have to clear a place, the ground roads and everything else have to be done according to our rules, and they have to pay for it. ”
"The chieftain asked us that the tent area on the left belongs to the tribes of the east on the west coast, the tent area on the right belongs to the tribes of the north, and further on there are tribes in other directions, and there are also tribes distinguished by totems. In the place near the inner city wall, there are rare overseas island tribes and so on......" Saila gushed endlessly, but said very methodically: "The tent area is the characteristic of Yintao City, which occupies almost half of the area of the peninsula + passion, and the slave area, the east market, and the west market are all in it. ”
"What are the taboos if I want to do business with these tribes?" Townsend couldn't help but frown slightly as he looked out at the sea of colorful tents.
"There are not many special taboos, I remember them all, and they will be for the chief's reference at any time. Saira patted her flat chest with her palm, making people wonder if she would be hurt: "The tribal chiefs who do business know more or less the lingua franca, and it is enough to negotiate the price, so I am afraid that some people will deliberately pretend not to understand you and take the opportunity to blackmail." Sometimes you ask how much is a pound, and he says a silver coin, and then he gives you something and it becomes a silver coin and a tael, and you are not allowed to plead. ”
"It's funny. Townsend smiled slightly: "If you don't give money, there will be a bunch of people yelling with bright knives, right?"
"That's about it. Seira nodded, "But I remember what they look like, and we can avoid them." ”
"Don't be afraid if you don't recognize it, at most it's just a fight, we're not scared babies. Townsend smiled again: "I didn't expect it, it's not easy to be a tour guide in Yintao City." These details are very practical, you have put a lot of effort into them, right?"
"The chief praised me, I have little strength, I can't lift or carry it, if I don't be smart, then I really can't find money for food. Saira replied very seriously: "You have to pay the money before you wait for business at the city gate, and if you don't get business for a day, the money will be in vain." ”
"I see what you mean. The smile on Townsend's face widened: "If you do well this time, I will hire you for a long time." ”
"Thank you, Chief" Saira gave a smile very cooperatively, clapped her hands, and looked very professional and sensible: "We are going to enter the second city gate, master, chief, after this city gate, we will enter the real Yintao City"
As if to cooperate with Saila, the coachman cheered up and flicked his whip, and with the crisp sound of horses' hooves, the carriage passed through the more majestic gate.
As soon as I left the cave, the scenery in front of me changed drastically.
According to Saila, Yintao City is divided into three parts: tent area, outer city and inner city, of which the tent area is for those tribesmen who do not like brick and stone construction or cannot change their living habits; the outer city is for the locals of Yintao City, of course, some high-end tribesmen live; and the inner city is inhabited by nobles and other special people, and ordinary people cannot enter.
The palace district in the inner city was naturally the residence of the royal family, but it was a relatively independent small city with special access roads.
The tent area is very lively, bustling with people, in addition to a few large markets, there are countless small vendors and small shops, but on the other hand, it also seems noisy and chaotic, especially those tents that are horizontal and vertical, and the small streets and alleys squeezed out are countless. Outside of the main streets, drinking water sinks and sewers, other public facilities are rare.
But the environment of the outer city is very different, first there is a thirty-meter-wide moat outside the city wall, and the city wall behind it completely isolates the noise of the tent area. After exiting the doorway, the first thing people see is the lush street trees. Behind the tall trees and in front are carefully planted ornamental flowers, making one wonder if you have stepped into a horticultural display area.
The colourful tiles under the carriages are clean, the pedestrians on both sides of the road are neatly dressed, and the shops are well-decorated, and even the signboards of the shops are very delicate. The first impression here is that it is a thriving inland city, and you won't even think that it's actually in the wild West Coast region.
In contrast, the guys who linger in the tent area can only be called savages, and they are not even comparable to the children of the inner city. The cleanly cleaned naughty boy laughed and chased barefoot, and after running sweaty, he rushed to the small fountain on the corner of the street and drank wildly...... They would make faces at the wagon, then drop their laughter and disappear into the ornamental bushes.
The adults behaved more intimately, without the guardedness and hecticism of the tent area, their expressions were soothing, their movements were quiet, and they all used the lingua franca to make elegant conversations. But there are still differences in cultural mix in many details - some people still dress as tribes, and more people dress as inland, but whether they wear animal skins or robes, necklaces or nose rings, people will think about the style and style, and will not mess around.
Even some of the women wore the veils quite elegantly, and of course, a woman wearing a veil to show off her small waist might have her female companion wearing a spring skirt and a lace sun umbrella...... Some women are more reserved and only glance at Townsend and the others, while others are hot and bold, daring to whistle at Marcia and completely ignoring her Ability Apprentice badge.
"Master, please don't take it personally, they are envoys of overseas tribes, and their tribes are all women. Saira was very alert and immediately explained: "They can't change this habit at all, they whistle when they see beautiful women, and they often fight with people, and they lose a lot of money after they are done......"
"The Ita tribe is all about losing pearls," Marcia smiled slightly, first leaving Sera speechless, and then making a gesture to the heroines, who were so angry that they were angry, and then smiled "arrogantly" - and looked at Townsend.
Townsend had not spoken since he had entered the outer city, he had remained silent, but his gaze had kept moving—for the scene of Midtown had been so unexpected—the cleanliness of the city, the expression of its inhabitants, the coexistence of various cultures, details which he had never imagined before.
Now he has developed a strong curiosity about the owner of the Silver Coast.
"To the masters, to the chiefs, we have arrived. Serra pointed to the large building in front of her and said, "This is the number one hotel in our Silver Wave City, Rosalyn."
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