The waves lap against the stout pillars of the pier, and when you look down from the flat planks that are a few centimeters thick where you step on them, even on a sunny day, you still have a deep blue surface with no bottom visible, and you can't help but feel a fear of the abyss. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

It's as if a terrifying behemoth will emerge from there at any moment, dragging you into the sea, away from the light.

The contrast is so stark, the shore is bustling with people, the sun, the chirping of seagulls, the laughter of people, and once you look down, you can see the eternal silence of the sea.

It has watched the ups and downs of the world since eons ago, with countless creatures coming and going. If the history of the sea is compared to a Raman precision clock, on this huge clock with 60 seconds for 1 minute, 15 minutes for 1 quarter, and 8 minutes for 1 day, the history of mankind since the time of Mobigas can barely be counted as half a second.

By extension of this fact, it is not difficult to understand why so many philosophers, after pondering history, tend to conclude that "the seemingly brilliant civilization of mankind is only a blink of an eye".

Compared to the vast world we live in, both human beings and their creations are so small and fragile.

But it is precisely because of this that the envy of the elves is described: "It is precisely because of its short life span that human beings have lived a wonderful and emotionally rich life." ”

It's just a blink of an eye, laughing, rejoicing, weeping, and hoarse.

Those so-called philosophers and scholars were able to have time to "precipitate life and meditate on life" and say those words, precisely because they had no worries about food and clothing. As for the rest of the sentient beings, who seemed to them to be ignorant and ignorant, they had already spent most of their time trying to support themselves, and where did they have that kind of spare time to think about bigger things.

This way of life, which can be summed up in a Raman tone as "foolish people have foolish blessings", has different opinions on the superiority and disadvantage of the lifestyle of philosophers and scholars. All in all, when Henry and his party of nearly twenty walked along the long corridor that stretched outward from the port of Parnila, from the thick wooden trestle to the smooth white stone path, the feelings of almost everyone except the sage could be summed up in the words "helpless".

A sea of people.

Never before had the team seen so many people in the same city at the same time.

Even though Avenir, the commercial center of Avenella, claims to have a population of 600,000, more than ninety percent of the population actually lives in the surrounding towns and villages. Even Prospel, the largest capital on the west coast that Sivalier prides himself on, does not have a population of more than 30,000 at best.

I was accustomed to the relatively deserted streets of the city-states on the west coast, to the dirt roads covered with garbage and urine that others had dumped at will, to the low, damp and unpleasant smell of the city gates, and to the peasant mercenaries who were dressed in tatters and did not necessarily take a shower once in ten days and half a month.

When the group came to Parnira and walked a few steps ahead to blend in with the crowd, a feeling of out-of-place immediately came over them. One of Minna's entourage as an envoy was a young maid, who seemed to feel a little embarrassed and inferior to this scene, and subconsciously grabbed her arm to dodge.

It's different, Mira thought.

The Sivalyers proclaimed their power at every turn, and they always tried to present themselves as the inheritors of the Lamani culture on the west coast. But that kind of ostentatious pride is the pride of the nouveau riche - what they have learned is only the surface of Lamani culture, which is different from the real history that has been integrated into the body and mind of the people after thousands of years of cultural precipitation.

It's like a pot of old wine, like a veteran of a hundred battles. As the years passed, the sharp, piercing part sank to the bottom, and it became more mellow and more restrained - but this was not the embarrassment of inferiority like Minna's little maid, which was a testament to extreme self-confidence. With a single stir, the aroma of the old wine, which is far greater than the new, fills the mouth and nose, and with a little temptation, the terrifying edge of the years will be revealed.

Unlike the Sivaliers, Prospel needs to be flaunted everywhere, trying to prove it to whomever to see.

The mere presence of Parnira is enough to be awe-inspiring.

They walked forward gradually, and the overly wide avenue was bewildering not only the people here. People who had long been accustomed to the order of the place naturally walked on the right without instructions, and those who were not used to the large flow of people were separated from their companions at the slightest mistake.

The people were dressed in all sorts and the words of their mouths were very different - the little maid, who had been a little embarrassed by her clothes and knowledge, was now relieved, for she suddenly realized that in this huge city, which numbered thousands of people on a single street.

No one at all.

Will care about their line.

With the exception of Henry, who was taller than the average person, they didn't even attract any attention from the locals and travelers who were used to seeing people coming and going.

"Let's go find a hotel and tidy up, and then think about what to do next. Henry turned back to the crowd and said that the sun was shining a little too brightly, and the Lamanite roof was more dazzling in its bright red and orange colors. Even though it's January, the weather is only slightly cooler due to the latitude of Parnira that is about the same as that of Avenella.

On a sunny day like today, in a cold part of the city far from the heights, wearing a short sleeve is enough.

The sun shines warmly on the body, and although the salty sea breeze makes people feel a little sticky, the mood is still very comfortable and cheerful.

It's still about ten o'clock in the morning, but the people by the sea are used to getting up early, and they've been busy for hours. Most of the fishing boats have returned with a full load, and the live fish and shrimp are brought ashore in wooden barrels. Seeing that it was still early, the fishermen wanted to go out and cast their nets again.

The sky was a clear blue, with only a few clouds floating in the distance. Walking along the crowd on the right, a sign made of black iron squeaks softly in the breeze, and the word "inn" is written in Lamanite.

The three-storey inn is dominated by stone frames with wooden panels, and the city of Parnila is set against the backdrop of mountains, which are not high enough but rich in iron ore and stone, so there are countless excellent blacksmiths in the area, and even the signs are mostly wrought iron, which is a luxury that is unimaginable on the poor west coast.

The black lacquered surface is treated to prevent rust, and polishing it in places like seaside ports may make your sign dazzling in a short time, but it will soon become rusty in the strong maritime climate.

A group of about twenty people approached the hotel. The hotels of Parniera are characteristic, perhaps because most of the passers-by smell of fish or sweat, they are not as dark and airtight as the West Coast style, and they try to dispel the smell by means of scented candles, which often make the mixture of stench and weird cheap scent all the more unbearable, but by opening the door and using the sea breeze to naturally disperse the smell and keep the air fresh.

The first half of the typical Parnira inn has a very different style, with the kitchen and warehouse in the back half being a solid stone structure, while the front half of the canteen and guest rest are supported by stone pillars, and the next three walls are covered with large folding wooden movable doors.

These oriental folding doors are much lighter and thinner than those on the west coast, and this is due to the latitude of Parnilla, in addition to the taste.

In the height of summer, you can often see sailors and mercenaries with their sleeves and trousers rolled up sitting on the well-ventilated outside, feasting on bowls of cold noodles.

There is no greater gap between local customs and customs.

"Five rooms. "Henry, they brought a lot of money on this trip, as a small country of Avenella, the purchasing power of gold coins in the west coast is quite reluctant, and the merchants on the east coast are basically not willing to accept it. As a result, they had exchanged a number of gold coins for the wider range of Ella before they set out, but on the advice of fellow southbound merchants, it would be better for them to wait a while to exchange them for Padrossi's Sexiyutu coins from trusted local people.

After all, the Padrosi Empire is a far-reaching power, and the main coastal areas are busy with transactions, and if you go to a slightly inland or rural place, what is the value of a gold coin of Ella can only depend on the meaning of the other party.

"Five rooms, okay, do you want something to eat?" It's a bit early, but if you finish lunch early, you can take advantage of the crowds. Parnira is the pride of our empire, and guests should take a good look at it. The shopkeeper, who was slightly shorter than Miradus, clearly thought of Henry as an East Coaster, and introduced him with the warmth and familiarity characteristic of a port merchant, and the Sage did not deny this, he nodded, and then looked at the wooden menu sign hanging on the wall behind him.

"Then some noodles and a few bottles of wine. Since he was the most proficient in Lamani, Henry was naturally the default foreign affairs applicator on the team. He said this flatly, and the shopkeeper nodded again with a professional smile: "Okay, this season, there are only some low-degree fruit wines, do you still like it?"

"Well, it doesn't matter. The only people who will get themselves drunk early in the morning are the lovelorn men-" and the dwarves of the mountains. The shopkeeper smiled and finished the Raman slang, and after the negotiation was over, the group walked towards the south place. The other side of the Lamanites was more or less evident at this time, and although the people engaged in commerce and service were always smiling and looking very enthusiastic, when Henry and the other twenty or so people who were obviously from other places were walking towards this side, many of the black-haired, medium-sized and well-dressed citizens of Parnila moved their places and went to sit at other tables.

Mira noticed this, and the rest of the team remained. The impulsive princess of the steppe, Muna, furrowed her little eyebrows and wanted to go over and ask if the other party was looking down on them, but Muhammad, who was accompanying her, stopped her with his big hand. The petite maiden yelled in Sumu that she was going to teach the fellows a lesson, while the steppe warrior patiently dissuaded her that this was not a steppe that could be easily moved.

Muna's noisy movement made more Parnira frown, and they didn't leave, but silently distanced themselves.

"It's xenophobic. Although they maintained politeness and did not scold or ridicule, they felt the silence as if they could not break through the sense of distance, and they felt it clear in less than half an hour after they got off the boat. Mira said with a frown, and Henry leaned his oilcloth-wrapped greatsword against the edge of the wooden table, and sat down first.

"It's no wonder that they are, because people generally like to be around people who come from the same cultural background and share a common language. The others also came over and sat down at the table, and Parnilla's standard long table could seat ten people, and four people facing each other sat two at each end. So they sat at two tables, surrounded by an invisible wall of air, and the Parnila, who had been sitting idle in the hotel since the morning, and drinking, pulled away and sat somewhere else.

"Take a break and go up and tidy up your things. The sage said this, and on the tables on the first floor of the inn were clay cups and huge kettles, which were supplied free of charge. Mira was feeling a little thirsty because of the seasickness, and as soon as she sat down she picked up the cup, and although it seemed that no one had used it before, the white-haired girl still wanted to rinse it with the cold boiled water in the pot, but Henry patted her little hand and pointed to a place on the south periphery of the inn.

"Go there and rush. He said this, and Mira, who had obeyed Henry's words, walked over with a clay cup, and saw something like an ornament fixed to the wall and made of brass with pipes.

"That's the faucet, it's connected to the water source. Unscrew the switch on it and water will flow out. He said this, and Minna, who was beside her, got up from her chair with a "poof" and ran over to stare at it.

The two girls stared at the faucet for a long time like hillbillies with little knowledge, until Minna still remembered it when she walked back after rinsing: "Although I saw it in the book, there is no image description, and it is still unimaginable......

After all, there are thousands of years of precipitation, and the Lamanites have all kinds of details about the use of water resources, which are worth savoring. Henry shrugged: "This city and this country, the place that can be an eye-opener." ”

"And many, many more," he said. ”