The next two days passed slowly. As they traveled north, more and more of the wilderness was divided into patches of farms and fields. Such land is the same everywhere - a jumble of hedges divides whose fields into where, and the farmer's livestock pens are haphazardly distributed across the land, with the occasional barn. Oddly enough, nothing was built of stone. All the wood. This is a sign of how backward everything is beyond the borders of civilization. What would they do if the house caught fire? Even demons built of stone, they are hardly human. But not these Celtals. Completely human, not even close relatives like orcs, and they don't cut stones.

"Boy. problems. Do you Skywalkers call the people here stone men, even if they weren't built of stone? He asked.

Hua said, "Yes." You are stone men because you have small ears and no tails. ”

Pepper added, "You look like you're made of stone. You have flat skin all over your body and no fur. ”

"What are you talking about?" I have more hair than you combined! Didn't you notice his beard? Androx said, barely feigning indignation.

"But that's because we're too small!" When we grow up, our hair will all grow back, and then we will look normal instead of bald. Flower said. He sounded a little angry.

"Besides, the stone man is called the stone man. That's what you call them. Pepper added casually.

After thinking about it for a while, Andlos realized that it seemed normal and a blessing to have the boys around now. They all love his stories, and they are all obedient and likable. When they recover and more of their authentic selves emerge, it's almost like discovering a hidden treasure. Nikon always said that little boys were obnoxious and rebellious, but Andoks didn't understand that. No wonder Della cursed him for not having children. She must know who they really are.

Towards the end of the second day, the road was almost crowded with Kelturs, who carried their goods in baskets and occasional wagons, and soon he was in the village. It was a bit small, perhaps only a hundred buildings, and the surrounding walls were made of rough tree trunks. At the end of the road is a door, more evenly carved than the others, which opens like a door on a huge hinge. All the trees and shrubs had been cut down, about two hundred cubits in each direction, and the area was not cultivated, which seemed like a waste, but he thought there was a reason for it.

The rickety wooden walls did not impress at all. Except for driving away a stray bear, they will not protect anyone from any harm. If Androcle had come here with a large army of the Legion of Honor, the village would have fallen in a day or two. Set the wall on fire, and it's over.

In Androcleus's opinion, the clothes worn by the locals were as shoddy as the walls of the village. Mostly undyed woolen shirts and trousers, although some people have leather vests or coats, which are also mostly plain and look cheap. Some clothes have embroidery, but it can only be described as half-hearted. Don't they have the right needle?

He and his children, dressed in bright yellow robes and wearing a red cloak around their necks, stood out like paint on marble in this brown, dirty, uncivilized village. On the last stretch of the road, people stopped and stared at him openly. Even though he was tired, he pulled the car and walked high, doing his best to make it look relaxed and give them a great show.

Only one guard stood in front of the slanted, creaking wooden gate leading to the village. He was dressed in leather armor, the same armor worn by the knights in previous days, and an unpolished conical bronze helmet. His round, non-intimidating face was clearly not fitting for his identity, and his arms didn't look very powerful. He is a little taller than most locals, but nowhere near as tall as Androx. As Androcles approached, the guards picked up their spears from the gates and stuck their butts in the ground.

"Welcome, travel. What business do you do at Basket? The guard asked.

In the basket? The village was named Basket? Not only is this unseemly, but it's stupid. Andrew sighed and thought for a moment before answering; He was going to announce that he had several orphans to give to a good family, but suddenly he changed his mind. It is wise to look around first to make sure the village is suitable for habitation. He didn't want to leave the kids in some terrible place. "I'm looking for a hotel where I can stay for a few days, and if you have beer here, there's a lot of beer there," he said.

"We had beer and it was good, but we didn't have a hostel. It looks like a merchant's carriage, and you don't look much like a merchant. There was no offense. So what the hell are you?"

"Why don't you have an inn?" Anthox asked angrily.

"It burned down, the owner was inside, and no one cared that strangers built another one to run it."

"I see." Androx said, his voice filled with displeasure. He had been looking forward to sleeping indoors.

"Are you here to trade, or are you not coming?" The guard asked. "Because if not, you'll probably have to convince me to let you in."

"No, I'm not here to trade. Just passing through, but it's a long road, and I'd like to let my feet rest for a day or two. We had a storm a few days ago. ”

"There isn't a lot of rain here. If you're not here to trade, then why should I let you in? The guard asked.

"Why didn't you let me in?" What kind of town is this? Andlocks asked. He could feel his temper starting to rise, and he pressed it down. Killing a group of locals would make it difficult for him to achieve his purpose here. "Don't you have a place for me to stay?"

The guard thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, I didn't say we don't have a place for you to stay. I said we don't have a hostel. However, what we have is not something that anyone can have. You're a big guy with a lot of scars, and frankly, I'm not going to turn my back on you to get out of the burning house. Now is not the time to trust strangers. There was no offense. I need something to guarantee your behavior. ”

"How much trouble do you think I'm going to get into with a truckload and two skinny Thunderbolt Boys?" Androx said. "Maybe you think I'll pick it up and run away after stealing your wife's chastity?"

The guards frowned. "And where did you get the kid?"

"They're my slaves, it's none of your business. My business is none of your business. What's wrong with you under the thin manhood of the god Tulos?" Andlox reconsiders disguising his temper. The guard could probably tell, because he clutched his spear tighter.

"My question," said the guard, his voice turning serious; He began to exude a murderous intent, albeit ridiculously weak. "His roads were full of Malian thugs, robbers and slave thieves. My problem is that our people are caught before the harvest. If you steal those tools or that car, I don't want to deal with someone who comes to kill you. You're an armed giant covered in scars. I can't let you in for nothing. If you don't like it, you'll be caught by the crows!"

This guard was either very brave or very stupid, and he tried to stand in the way of Anchors; The person must know how a fight will end. But he has a point. The roads are not very safe these days. Androcles pondered what he would prefer to do now: whether to enjoy scaring a weak fool or to leave the kids somewhere while he moved on. There's also a big jug of beer, find a place to sit. Warm, frothy beer and delicious food. Maybe it's a woman, if there's a place to receive travelers, he can find a place to stuff the kids in.

Maybe, just maybe, if the guards thought that Androx was a bit of a passive character, he would be stupid enough to gamble tonight, and Androx would leave tomorrow morning with all the money that man had.

Androxes sighed, looking dejected. "Mr. Guard, I know what I look like, but I'm a man of integrity, and I'm doing business. The road was tough, and dragging this car in the rain meant I had to deal with wolves and worse. I haven't had a good rest in weeks, and neither have my poor children. Look how skinny they are!" With that, he walked back and pulled up Pepper's sleeve to show him how thin the toolbox's arm was. "If anyone in town has a place for us to stay, I'll pay the money. Even though there is nowhere left, I can have a jug of beer and you can't believe that the kids can have something hot before we leave. ”

The two eaglets looked nervous and pitiful; They probably don't understand what's going on here, and believe that Androxes is sincere. They must have been shocked to see his humility.

Hana even boldly pleaded, "Please let us in." Young Master Androx is the best stonemason here. "The boy's voice was weak, uncertain, unstable, pitiful. It's perfect. A

d

Okles had to work very, very hard not to smirk. Perfect.

The guard looked uncertain, but his attitude changed. His murderous intent vanished, and his posture became more relaxed.

"Oh my God, Kemen, you idiot!" Said a woman behind them. "He doesn't understand that you're asking for a bribe, and you're too greedy to notice. You're delaying the queue with this stupid nonsense. The adults and children looked back in amazement. A woman stood there, short and fat, with gray-brown hair tied into a knot. She had dry mud on both arms and mud on her forehead, and a large box on her stomach filled with some kind of tawny vegetable. The dirt made her age difficult to determine, but he thought she was a little older than him.

Andlocks was stunned by her audacity, but no one seemed to care.

The policeman retorted angrily, "I have every reason to worry about his appearance!" Don't interrupt us. ”

The incredible woman snorted and said, "If you do, you're even dumber than I thought." Have you ever seen a robber dressed like this? If those slaves were stolen, they would be locked up, you short-bait idiot. He's honest, the slaves are staying where they are because they want to stay where they are, and you're wasting everyone's time. Especially mine. ”

The guard, apparently named Kemen, said, "If I let them in, I'll have to give them guest rights." What if armed men come to him?"

"Then you can bargain with them at the door and ask them to bribe you, just like you do to other people." She turned to Androx and said, "Give him a silver coin and put the matter to rest." You know he just wants your money, right? He always did. ”

"I'm going to hit five, you stupid scorpion!" This guy looks like he might really be a nuisance!" The guard, knowing that he had lost the argument, tapped his foot impatiently, without looking closely at Angelus.

"A silver coin, then." Andlox said, digging through his purse. He carefully opened it from behind the cloak so that the guards could not see how much money he had.

Then he threw the money at the man, who caught it and said, "Go in." I'm not kidding about the hotel. You're on your own, don't let me catch you sleeping in the streets like a bum. ”

"I'm a civilized person, and a civilized person doesn't sleep on the streets. Or ask for a bribe. "Andrakles said he was a little angry because he had forgotten about the barbarians and their penchant for bribes.

He grabbed the lever and was about to step in, when the woman patted the back of the carriage and said, "Wait for me, stranger." I'll show you around. He nodded, leaning back in the car.

She placed the box at Kemen's feet, arms crossed. The man sighed, took out a cheap roll of brown paper, and counted the vegetables she had brought in. When he had finished counting, he said, "Put these in the second barn." I want to divide the harvest so that we don't lose everything if one of them burns down like we did last spring. ”

"Understood," she said. Then she put the box on his car, knocked on the wheel, and said, "Okay, stranger." Let's go. ”

Androx was shocked by her actions. He had never seen a woman behave like this in public. Never, not even slaves and prostitutes. Arguing with men, using rude language? And win? He loved it. This does not work in a glorious country, where a woman's honor is her virtue and purity, but in such a place it is pleasant.

"Lead the way, then, woman. Where are we going? He said.

"Second granary. Then I'll take you to a place where you can sleep for free, but the door can't pee on the wall. Andrew wasn't quite sure what she meant, but he still found it funny.

Anchors had to admit that the interior of the village looked a little better than the walls. The village is arranged in a large circle around an ancient-looking stone circle, perhaps ten arms wide in diameter. In the very center of it, there is a modest wooden altar dedicated to a certain deity. Of course, no part of this circle can be compared to the Temple of Glory. Although the villagers decorated it with wreaths and flowers, they did not paint it. Several old women stood outside the circle, selling all kinds of goods, and inside, some young children were playing a game of drawing wooden balls.

Most of the buildings are small circular buildings made of rough stone, and all have conical thatched roofs. Many of the houses are decorated with patterns tied with sun-dried harvested plants, and some are painted. The ground is mostly dirt, but the main road through the village is paved.

People wore plain woollen tunics, even the children; However, many women wore jewels in their hair and around their necks, some of which were gold. Their appearance is generally neat and clean, which is a relief. He didn't want to leave the kids in a place where no one was bathing.

"The name of the town is Basket Town because of the stone ring." The curious woman explained as she walked. "They say it's been there since God created the world, and our first generation of parents walked out of it on the first day. I think that story is worth spitting on, but don't tell anyone I said it. One way or another, now it is sacred to Mary, who is the goddess of the wilderness. The altar is hers. We only have God here. I believe you heard the howl of a wolf? That's because her hair is knotted. By the way, my name is Agn. What's yours? I've forgotten. Not particularly memorable. ”

"Androx, son of Paramonos. Your name sounds like'', so don't laugh at my name," he said with a smug smile.

"Hah! Where are you from, Andrx?"

"From the glorious district, far south of here. My city is Dikaia. ”

"Arrogant Southern bastards, I've heard of them. Call yourself glory and everything, just like you don't stink without a bath," she laughs.

"It would be arrogant if our land was not the greatest and best in the world. But it does, so it's more descriptive than hopeful. "Gods, if only his friends in the army could see him joking with women in public. They don't know whether to stare or laugh out loud.

"Are all the people there that tall?" Or are you a freak? She asked, surveying his appearance. She noticed his arm in particular, and he subtly bent it for her with a smirk.

"I'm also taller than most of them. And stronger, faster, prettier. He said.

She smiled approvingly and said, "I've been waiting for someone like you to stir things up." Make sure you don't make a mess before you leave. ”

At the end of the village, a short distance from the north gate, Arguna stopped and pointed to a house without a door. "This is the traveler's house, we stayed here, not the hostel. But the door probably didn't want me to show you, so we came. That little man will be taken away by the crows, and I don't care. You can stay as long as you want, but if other travelers show up, you'll have to make room. You can park your car here. No one here will steal. You don't need that sword and shield either. We're harmless people, unless you kick our campfire or spit in a beer. ”