The soldiers at the outpost stopped their gaze on Mimilu, looking at the strange creature repeatedly. And Mimilu obediently squatted on the ground and did not move, according to what Ashrufat had taught. For humans, the "Semu" are just legendary creatures that have never even been heard of. So now Ashrufat got a collar for Mimilu. Whenever someone asked about Mimilu, Ashruphat explained that it was his pet, and this reason was tried and tried.

"What, what's wrong with my pet?" asked Ashrufat.

"No, nothing, it's just rare. The soldier replied honestly. "Well, stranger, you can pass. But I'll give you a word of advice, those Hama people aren't hospitable guys. We have several records of missing people and even caravans here. If you can, I advise you to take a detour. ”

"Thank you. Ashrufat replied. "But I feel like I can protect myself. ”

"I hope so, stranger. The soldier opened the barricade, "but remember my warning." Stay away from those savage guys. If something really happens," he added. "Ask for help from the garrison of the Kingdom of Ryan closest to you. It's our job to keep our business travel safe. ”

Ashruphat thanked him once more and rode away.

"Master, Mimilu has a problem. Mimilu took the collar off her neck (she had just put this uncomfortable leather collar around her neck for disguise), "What are they talking about?"

"A relatively independent people, now a henchman of the Kingdom of Ryan. Ashrufat replied. Having been in human society for a long time, Mimilu is already familiar with human language and can understand many things between human beings, such as the meaning of terms such as nation, tribe, and country. "The Ryan people have always regarded the Bins as a thorn in their side, hoping to conquer the Bin, but unfortunately they couldn't. The two sides stopped for a long time, and finally concluded a peace treaty only temporarily under the mediation of the Church, but this fragile peace could be broken at any time as soon as the opportunity arose. Zhilu said, why did they just block the way and search us?"

Mimilu shook her head.

"They're forbidding anyone to bring iron into the Bin...... Ironware, and table salt. ”

"Mimilu doesn't understand, the master explains. Mimilu asked curiously.

"Iron tools can be made into tools and weapons and armor, which can increase the strength of the Hama clan. Salt is a necessity of life...... The Ryan were only allowed to sell their own high-priced salt to the Bin. In other words, even if they don't start a war with the Binzu for the time being, they are very careful to prevent the Binzu from increasing their strength, and at the same time squeeze as much money as possible from the Bin. We are ordinary travelers who ride by one person, and we can see at a glance that they don't have anything with them, and they don't bother to check at all. But if it's a caravan, I'm afraid it will be tossed around. Ashruphat explained to Mimilu as best he could. In fact, they were just passing through the area, and they didn't bother to ask around. But there are some things that don't need to be deliberately inquired about, and can be naturally transmitted to the ears.

"But it seems. Ashrufat recalled the soldier's last warning. "Maybe something is going to happen......"

"Master, Mimi is hungry again. Mimilu said suddenly.

"Ahh Ashrufat wanted to take a dry ration out of his saddle bag. It must be said that although Mimilu is only the size of a teenager, her appetite is not bad at all, and she can even surpass that of an ordinary adult.

"I think I'm done eating. "I didn't touch anything in the saddle bag. Only some scraps of dry food remained. No matter from any point of view, it's not enough for Mimilu to eat. Ashrufat himself no longer needs to eat, at most he occasionally drinks a little water (of course, in fact, it doesn't matter if he doesn't), and for this reason he often forgets about the problem of supplementing food.

Fortunately, as the soldiers at the outpost mentioned earlier, there was a Bin-tribe village nearby. Buying some food as a traveler shouldn't be a problem.

The village wasn't as bad as it might have been. A man-high trench was dug outside the village, and on the inside of the trench was a wall made of wood—more of a fence than a wall—a wall dotted with wooden towers that could be used by the guards. Near the gate, two guards with spears watched vigilantly, and at the top of a separate observation tower, a guard was doing his duty, and a large conch hung from his chest.

These are signs that this is not a peaceful village. Of course, as a passer-by who was just here to buy some food, Ashrufat didn't care about any of this. The doorman outside asked him a few simple questions and stopped getting in the way, so he walked in without hesitation.

The village is bigger than expected, and there must be a few thousand villagers. Although the houses of the villagers are simple wooden houses and look like they have only been built for a few years, the whole village looks simple and clean, and there is no such thing as the usual sewage flowing in the countryside. The fact that there were a number of wagons near the entrance indicated that it was frequented by caravanserans, at least more than one caravan at the moment.

Several drunken-looking caravan bodyguards in chain mail squinted at Ashrufat, who was passing by on a signed horse. They noticed his horse, his shield, and his sword, and he laughed. "Young man, if you want to come to the Hama and get a job as a mercenary, you will be disappointed. They're all poor to death......!

Ashrufat ignored them. He could already see the largest building in front of him, and through the open door he could hear the usual frolic and shouting of taverns and restaurants. On the outside of the tethered posts, there are a lot of horses.

Looking at this village, it seems that the Binzu people are developing well. Perhaps the various lockdown policies of the Ryan people have not worked well.

The tavern was actually quite crowded. It was afternoon, far from dinner, and it was not supposed to be so many, but in fact it was full. But Ashrufat noticed that a considerable number of people had only one or two simple drinks or a small snack on the table, and it was clear at a glance that he was passing the time.

A waitress greeted him. It was a woman of the Hama tribe, in other words, she had pale blonde hair. This is an obvious physical characteristic of the Bin, and the women of their tribe have very light hair color, either pale blonde, or silver hair with a slight light bluish, and even a faint peachy hair. This trait is rare elsewhere. It is said that some people in the northwest of the continent have similar hair colors, and most of them are the result of intermarriage with the Bin.

With a professional smile, the hostess began to inquire about Ashrufat's needs.

"Do you have any ready-made food in the store right now?"

"There were freshly prepared roasted wild goats, a variety of breads, some ducks and pheasants, some smoked fish and fresh fish. and all kinds of fruits. If you want a drink, we have beer, spirits, liqueur, milk, juice and more. I suggest you have a little sweet fruit wine, we make it ourselves from wild fruits from the mountains, and travelers say it tastes very good and the price is not expensive. ”

She looked Ashrufat up and down, her gaze resting on his leather coat. It's already spring, but it's still cold in this kind of clothes. From this point of view, this guest is not a rich man.

"If you can't drink alcohol, I suggest you have a fish soup, which is bread, delicious and cheap, and only ten coppers are enough. The hostess proposed.

"A wild duck, a roast lamb, some fresh fish, a milk. Ashrufat thought about it, and traveled with him, Mimilu ate dry food every day, and she must have been tired of it to death. "In addition, help me prepare some food for the trip, bacon, sausage, smoked fish, etc., plus dry food, the amount of one person for twenty days is about the same. By the way," he looked around, and if he didn't eat anything, it wouldn't be normal. "As for myself, bring me a fruit wine. ”

"Yourself?" the waitress looked at him suspiciously, not understanding what he meant.

"Those things are for my pets. Ashrufat explained. Only now did the waitress notice Mimilu beside him.

But as I said earlier, the tavern was already full. For a while, even the hostess couldn't find a suitable position. However, this embarrassing situation did not last long, because someone was about to break the siege.

"Young man, if you don't dislike it, sit here with me. A chubby guest greeted Ashrufat.

Ashruphat did not refuse the offer, for he had no choice, so he was invited to sit across from the guest.

The friend who reached out was a fat man, to be specific, a middle-aged man who was gorgeously dressed, had a shiny face, wore all kinds of jewelry to show off his wealth, and said "I am a successful businessman, I am very rich". In front of him lay a whole jar of sweet fruit wine. Before Ashrufat came, he had been pouring himself a drink.

"Thank you. Ashruphat thanked his helpful friend.

"You're welcome, young man, looking at you like this, you're here for divination. The fat merchant was out of sight, and greeted him very warmly. "First time?"

"Divination?ah, yes, you too?"

"That's right. The fat merchant sighed. "A year ago, I was skeptical. You know, those of us who do business have traveled from south to north, and all kinds of charlatans have seen too much. Most of the people like soothsayers are liars who are observant of words and feelings. Because the results of their divination are ambiguous and ambiguous, and they can even read different conclusions from various angles. So last time, I was skeptical. But now I don't doubt it! Miss Léa's divination is true. ”

"Miss Léa's divination is true......" Ashruphat looked carefully at the merchant's face. Although the profession of merchant has been inextricably linked to lies since its inception, this time, Ashrufat felt that he was not lying.

"Last time, she divined my fate, and I asked her to point out the dangers I would encounter within a year. She told me that I was going to be sacked by a robber, and the time and place were indicated. Friend, of course I have to take measures in this case...... So you see, I'm still sitting here safely. If I hadn't come to divination last time, I'd either be penniless on the streets or I'd have to lie in the dirt. ”