The next morning, A

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Okles woke up late, had a terrible headache, and had a weak stomach, and he slowly realized that he had drunk too much, too quickly. It felt like his brain was waking up piece by piece. He tried to open his eyes, but the fire kept reaching the back of his head, causing him to rise.

He was startled, and suddenly felt a bunch of small hands on his chest, shaking him. Someone called his name, and then ...

The gods are above, his children! Where are they? He sat up quickly, his head thumping, covering his eyes from the sun, trying to look around. He was outside, it was too bright to see anything.

"Young Master Andlox, are you awake now?" Pepper asked.

He snorted sincerely, lay down again, covered his eyes, and muttered, "I'm awake." Gods, what has happened? Is the other one here?"

"He's awake!" Do we give him eggs first, or do we give him tea first? Flowers said.

A man's voice said, "Wait a minute. Let him sit up first. He's still awake. But you can wash the rag. ”

The man sounded familiar, and while Androx wasn't quite sure what was going on, he heard the voices of his two children, suggesting they were still alive. Relief relieved the tension in his heart, but it did nothing for his headaches. Someone put a cold, wet rag on his forehead, and he shivered. After a while, he woke up, opened his eyes and looked around.

Flowers and Pepper sat on either side of him, looking sideways at him, anxious wrinkles on their eyebrows. He appeared to be lying near the center of the village.

The man with a familiar voice said, "Didn't I say don't you sleep outside like a bum?"

Andlos turned around to see Kemen crouching, stirring a large glass of steaming things. Luckily, the man didn't look angry. More happy.

"You said you didn't. How much did I drink? I remember until the second pot. ”

"Apparently you drank two whole cans. Two. Half a pot is enough to make a Karthur beer shaky. I think someone should remind you that the goddess blesses us with a good harvest and that our beer is strong. And you, Young Master Androx, you are too heavy, so we left you where you fell. ”

At this moment, these inconsequential details gave him a headache. "In fact, I feel like my stomach is going to die."

"Stick to the idea. Give, give this to him. Caimen said, handing a fat spoon to Pepper, who dutifully shoved it into Anjex's mouth. It turned out to be honey, which was exactly what he needed. After a while, he lost the urge to empty his stomach.

Once he figured out that Andrix would keep the contents of his stomach, the door handed Pepper the cup he had been stirring and said, "Let him drink it all." Slowly. ”

Flower put his hand under Androx's shoulder and tried to help him sit up. Of course, it was comical and ineffective, but Andoks sat up anyway. Flower held Anjex's head as Pepper slowly poured tea down his throat as they did treating a dying man. The peppers didn't spill either. Andlocks couldn't help but see the irony of the baby seals he rescued a week ago taking care of him in the same way. They take it very seriously, which makes him feel lovely, even though he has a splitting headache.

Then, the boys took turns feeding him hard-boiled eggs, five or six in all. A

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Okles wanted to take them away and feed them, but Hua gave him a fierce look and said flatly, "No! If you eat too fast, it will make you lose your stomach. Let's do it. It was so funny that Andex agreed.

Kemen said, "Master Andlos, these children are so cute. They curl up and sleep on either side of you, keeping you warm. I think they took the blanket off your car. They worry about you all morning and ask everyone who has been there if they can help you. I explained that you were just drunk. ”

He snorted, then pulled out a bottle of something and spun around. "Then they started begging me to give them some cure for drunkenness, just in case." He handed the bottle to Androx. "So here you are. I know all the cures for drunkenness. Take two large sips, and then two more around noon, and drink a lot of water. ”

"What's the matter?" Androxes asked, frowning with a headache. Talking hurts. Sounds painful. It's painful to be alive.

"Vinegar in apples."

"Ahh Perfect. Thank you. ”

"Do you know the vinegar of the South?"

"I think everyone who drinks wine knows about vinegar," Androx said. He dutifully swallowed two bites and grimaced. Then he capped the bottle and set it aside. "Where should I go to fetch water?"

"There should be a bucket near the house you live in. I'm going to the door. By the way, I have already fed your child. You owe me. After saying that, Kemen nodded and left.

After Andlos fetched the water and made sure the carriage was still there, the children took him by the hand and led him to the shade under a small tree. Pepper puts a pillow behind him, and Flower pushes him to rest on it without compromise.

A cold, damp cloth was reapplied to his forehead and left there.

"Let me sleep a little longer, kids, and I'll be fine." He grunted.

"I'm a little tired too." Pepper said, lying down beside him.

Hua said, "Me too." Then lay down on the other side.

Andex muttered, "Your time is a week or two." If they are already tired, then they must still be weak because of hunger. Or did they stay up all night, scratching the gates? He couldn't think about that right now. He had a terrible headache.

"Huh?"

"It doesn't matter. Don't talk anymore. Ouch. ”

＊ ＊ ＊

Around noon, Andex woke up again, feeling much better, but not completely. His kids ran somewhere, but after thinking about it, he thought they might be fine. He was glad they weren't around, though; He feels a little guilty about his actions and is cursed if he is going to show it. It wasn't his fault that the beer was too strong, leaving him helpless and being looked after by an anxious little boy. If the gods want to give him more humiliation, to increase his poverty and loneliness, that's their business. All he can do is keep moving forward and break through the obstacles in his path.

Even if some of them made his journey pleasant. He knew he had to send his children into a family as soon as possible. If he waits too long, it's going to be hard. Andrx is fed up with losing the people he cares about. His soul was more scarred than his face and sword arms. The children began to become affectionate, and he began to treat them as his own children, rather than the stray dogs he had adopted for a while.

It's a nice town, though he's not entirely sure how it all fits together. It lacks a lot of what makes up the city, and despite its small size, the people are friendly and everything seems to be going well.

Barbarian states are usually similar to cities, larger in size and often poor. They had no idea of autonomy and usually needed a king who was more like a tyrant than a noble leader. Perhaps the Kertals, if they consider themselves a people, are the same. People have mentioned "big cities" a few times, so maybe that's "city", and this is a village under its wing. A

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Okles wants to leave his children in a civilized place. Somewhere peaceful, with great music and a good harvest. There are places where people worship gods.

Hearing the children's laughter, he looked over to the center of the village and saw that his children were playing some kind of game with a group of small children and an older child. Some old men sat nearby, knitting their clothes, their eyes sparkling as they stared at the group. All the children who could carry baskets probably went out to harvest, but knee-high things were useless there.

His kids had a great time. The giggles of the flower sounds like a noisy and pleasant stream, drifting in the wind like his song. Ancrex was glad he at least remembered what happened that night. Pepper, on the other hand, laughs short and loud, a bit like a drum. He was scurrying left and right in the middle of a group of knee-high men, who tried to grab him and pull him to the ground. Of course, the flower was caught and rolled on the yellowed grass, staining his robes. It's nice to see them behaving like boys. Because they are still weak, playing can quickly exhaust them, but playing is good for their body and soul.

Andrew stood up and winced; His headaches didn't go away completely. He walked to the shopping cart to get some food. He also needed to find a well and draw some water to thin the flame in his blood, otherwise the bouquet would be gone forever.

Later that afternoon, when his children were snoozing on a pile of knee-high socks, he went to the door to talk to Kemen. He found the slender guard sitting on a rock, with a small figurine sharpened with a thick stick, basking in the sun and looking contented.

"I have a few questions for you, Young Master Kemen."

"I think I still have some time until people need me to count the votes," Komen replied. He didn't stop cutting wood.

"The first thing I want to know is, have you ever met an adult Skywalker?" Four children and an ordinary woman? Or maybe I heard about Skytha

D traders often come so far to the west. Do you know about this?" A

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Okles asked.

"Ahh Well, no, not exactly. It's been a long time since anyone has been here. In the big cities of the north, it is said that they come once or twice a year. Never seen here except for a few travelers, and not since last year. The guard said.

"Really? Not at all? Is it possible that some people passed through here, bought food, and then continued to move north?"

"It's possible. We only started standing guard about ten days ago when the wolves had gone bad. If they come before that, I might miss them. You have to ask everybody. If you want to find orcs, though, you should ask around in the big cities, not here. ”

A

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Okles tries not to disappoint himself too much. He knows he still has a long way to go, but it would be nice to be sure that he's on the right track. He said, "Oh, okay. A couple of people stole my money and I was always hoping to bump into them. I also have some questions about the village. Who runs the place? Are you responsible?"

"Me? Sorted. There's no confusion here, Master Andlox. I've heard that you have all sorts of laws and offices in the South because you don't know how to behave. So if you're asking me who sits here and judges, we don't need such people. "If you ask who makes the important decision, it's the king and the priest of Mali, who spend most of the year in this big city," Mr. Caimen said, with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Don't you have laws?" What if someone murders?"

"The murderer's family pays compensation based on the age of the deceased. But this hasn't happened since I was alive. ”

"If someone loses an eye, a toe, or whatever, what about a fight?"

"Compensation will be paid to the victim, which may be decided by me or a person of honor. I knew you were going to ask, so I answered – Glory is those who make important sacrifices for the Goddess. Agnn is one of them. They can do more or less what they want to show our respect. ”

"I see. What if they can't agree on what should be done?"

"Master Andlox, the question you asked is meaningless to us. Perhaps you southern wanderers have ignored the truth you were given at birth, but we have lived like this since our first parents walked out of that stone circle. We know what's right, what's right, what's wrong, what's evil, because that's what we are all about. Everyone works and honors the Goddess, who makes sure we have enough food every year and never go hungry. We don't hurt each other, and we don't hold grudges. Even if we wanted to, no one would dare to offend the Goddess, because she always did whatever she wanted. Trust me, even if nothing else. Her home was actually not far from here, perhaps a dozen miles deep in the mountains. ”

"You seem to be very proud of not having any laws."

"I've talked to a lot of travelers and know how you guys live. You southerners, I can't imagine anyone living so far away from where they were born and having something like society. I guess that's why you need those laws — you're violent, hot-tempered, stupid, and can't even agree to get along year after year," Komen said, holding up the statue to consider the angle. It looks a bit like a little man covered in leaves.

"Maybe it's because we have something worth fighting for. As far as I can see, there aren't that many here. Androx said angrily. Even though he was completely wrong, he could see where the man was coming from. "Every civilized person knows that law is necessary for wealth," he explained. But wealth is what is necessary for a person to truly discover their highest quality. If you don't have wealth in your life, there won't be great works in your society. No magnificent temples, no fancy costumes, no plays and games. There may be 300 people here who get along well, but that's not really civilization. You need thousands of people living together, each doing better than others, to have a true civilization. A society of this magnitude needs laws. ”

Kemen snorted contemptuously and said, "Do you know that I am the only person in the village who can fight? The soldiers on the road were all from the big cities. By the way, don't have any ideas. I'm more dangerous than I look. But I'm the only one who can use a spear between here and the big city, except for hunting. Why do you think this is? You southerners always talk about your great cause and your great heroes, all this nonsense, but you don't have peace. You can't believe the neighbors you've known all your life. All riches will make you sick. The same goes for living so far from the place of birth. ”

"Do you think that stone ring is that important?" Then why aren't the big cities here?"

"That's because the goddess only lets so many people live here. People she didn't want had to leave. You may not be impressed, son of Palamonos, but this is what the goddess wants, and every day of our lives is honored, just here," Kemen said.

Andrew thought for a moment. Their goddess sounds a bit harsh if she lets someone leave his property just because. If there are people here who have property; It's hard to say. Still, the village does seem harmless, and the people are kind, even if a bit primitive. He said, "Someone mentioned that your goddess was upset about something."

"Yes, they screwed up a sacrifice in a big city. But they'll take care of it soon, so don't worry. The goddess doesn't care much about foreigners. ”

"Good. But Master Kemen, here's the thing. He took a deep breath and found it harder than he expected to continue. "I needed a place to settle my children," he said. of boys. They are not mine, because they are not slaves, and I have not adopted them. If I want them to be slaves, they can do it too. But I didn't. So they're not slaves, and I'm going to find a place to keep them anyway. ”

"You're talking gibberish, Master Androx. I thought you people were proud of your poetry. ”

Andex glared at him viciously. It turned out to be harder to say than he thought. Like it or not, he has developed an attachment to these kits, and now this affects his dignity. It's time to leave them.

"Master Kemen, the people of the Glorious Legion don't like to be ridiculed." He said coldly.

Kemen giggled, clearly condescending. "I'm sorry, Master Andlox. I was wrong. I'm just having a hard time taking Southerners seriously. You are so polite in everything you do. But seriously, I'm sorry for laughing at you. So do you need to find a place to put your toolbox? How long will it take?"

"I can't take care of them, but Master Kemen. I'm going to keep my vows, and it will probably take years. It could take the rest of my life. The kids just hold me back, and I can't just do it. Just over a week ago, I saved them because they were starving on the side of the road and if I didn't pick them up and take them away, they would have died. But that doesn't mean I owe them the rest of my life. ”

There was a moment of silence, but the door looked at Andlos carefully. A

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Okles looked him straight in the eye effortlessly, and of course, he couldn't help but feel like he was being exposed.

Kemen finally said, "You don't really want to give them up, do you?" You said how long, ten days, right? What's wrong with you, falling in love with me so quickly?"

Anchors glared at him sincerely and threateningly, "I don't have any problems. You've said it yourself about how cute they are. I won't be ridiculed anymore. ”