Chapter 45 - Salmons & Collections - [C45]

As the morning sun lighted the forest, Himo yawned and stretched out. He sat on a branch, his legs dangling from it; for some reason, he felt as refreshed as if he had slept on a comfy bed. With such thoughts, he jumped down the tree, followed by Phylia. “Let’s go.”

The two walked up to the caravan and found some merchants cleaning the mess they had done the previous night, bringing back benches and tables. Himo greeted them and walked up to the elder, who was gazing at the river flowing down at the side of the road.

Now that I think about it, I still don’t know his name… Himo crossed his arms, reminiscing the previous night. When I asked yesterday, he avoided my question. Even so, he didn’t linger on that thought. “Good morning!”

“Good morning. Have you slept well?”

“Yes, thank you. About the travel, where is our first stop?”

The gaze of the elder seemed lost in the flowing water, glancing occasionally at the salmons swimming upstream. “Considering that your aim is to reach the capital of Arsia, this will be the first and last stop we will travel together to. We are talking about a bridge we will find at the borders of the Arsia Kingdom.”

He strolled for a few steps, holding on his cane. “Afterwards, we will turn around the mountain range and travel to the Kain Kingdom, so it is best if we separate at that bridge. I will provide you with a direction to follow once we are there.”

Himo nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Smiling, the elder ambled back to the caravan and went inside.

Since he had to wait for the merchants, Himo walked toward the river. Stepping over the river rocks, he crouched just before the water—his expression dead serious. Rolling up his sleeves, he moved his hands over the flowing stream of water.

Sharply, his hand shot to just behind a small stone and caught a fish. He smiled. Salmon… captured!

Phylia, standing beside him, mimicked his actions in her own way. The sole of her feet swept beneath the rocks, darting underwater and catching each salmon instantly. Before Himo could realize it, a rain of salmons darted to his way.

Himo’s eyes brightened. “Good job, Phylia!” Abusing his cultivation phase and [Hopper], he jumped from side to side of the river to catch as many salmons as possible.

To his surprise, each salmon was uninjured aside from the shock of being thrown out of water.

Five minutes later, he noticed that there weren’t any more salmons in the proximity. Shaking his head, he released twenty salmons as to not compromise their repopulation. The rest was, naturally, placed in the storage.

Looking back at the caravan, he noticed that they were ready to depart. The coachman already sat on the front, holding the reins of the four horses. Without wasting time, Himo walked up to the caravan, when the elder signaled him to come in.

Entering the caravan, Himo and Phylia felt as if walking through a thin membrane. The space inside seemed slightly bigger than how Himo had thought it would be, but he didn’t pay too much attention to it. His eyes laid on the rows of benches where the merchants sat down. Some talked with each other, others fell asleep, while others glanced at the newcomers. The elder sat on a single bench by himself, still holding the cane.

Finally, a light shock traveled to the inside, signaling that the caravan had begun moving.

After chatting with the elder, Himo and Phylia sat on the bench, staring through the window. Flowers, trees, and the green patches of land got overtaken as minutes turned into hours. Just as the sun was at its highest, the caravan stopped.

Looking through the window, Himo saw a large stone bridge. After saying goodbye to the merchants, he walked out of the caravan with Phylia. The elder followed them outside.

“To arrive at the capital of Arsia you require to proceed in that direction.” He aimed toward the south-ovest, straight to a few hills. “You should find a small village not distant from here. Do you lack food, water, or something else for the trip?”

“We’re fine.” Himo grinned. “Instead, can I ask for your name?”

Following a moment of silence, the elder gazed at Himo amusedly. “Renhe. You might refer to me as 'Old Renhe' If you so desire.”

“Alright then; thank you for everything, Old Renhe!” Laughing, Himo walked away as he waved at the elder. Phylia followed behind him.

Glancing at the leaving duo, the elder laughed and then returned inside the caravan. Raising his cane up, he made the announcement he liked to do before visiting any important location.

"Fellow merchants, let us add the Kain Kingdom to our collection!"

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After five hours of travel, Himo and Phylia reached the aforementioned small village. Its appearance was terrible. Even the capital’s slums were leagues above that place—instead of houses, the village comprehended of broken-down hoves. The streets were muddy, and there wasn’t a single tree in the radius of a kilometer.

The few villagers he could see wore only rags. Lacking boots, their feet were dirtied by the mud from the street; their faces pale, and their bodies as thick as sticks. If it wasn’t for some farms on the sides of the village, they might have perished from a while.

Himo walked up to a villager. “Hello! Does this village have a place where travelers can sleep? Money isn’t a problem.”

Hearing those words, the villager began trembling all-over his body. “I-I’m sorry, but the-there isn’t that place.” He pointed at the center of the village. “You c-can find the lord in that direction.”

Himo nodded. “Thank you.” Following the man’s indications, he walked up to a mansion. Unlike the worn-down hovels surrounding it, the mansion held an appearance comparable to the capital’s noble mansions.

Something smells fishy. This isn’t a wealth the lord of this place should have. Himo frowned. Even if the village’s money was monopolized in the lord’s pockets, it would be far from enough to build a mansion.

Shaking his head from such thoughts, Himo walked up to the door and knocked. After a few seconds, a haughty voice sounded from within.

“Who is the trash that’s bothering me at this time?” Throwing the door open, a round man stared at Himo disdainfully. “A kid? Go away, I have no time to wa—”

“Shut up.” Himo narrowed his eyes and pointed at the muddy streets. “I’ve decided. Tonight, you will sleep outside, right on this mud.”

“What?!” The lord widened his eyes in disbelief. He stepped out of the door, clenching his fists. “I dare you to say that aga—” He froze. Staring straight at the object on Himo’s hand, he felt a shiver suffuse his body. “The Shu Family’s crest?!”

His eyes twitched between Himo, Phylia, and the crest as his heartbeat sprung up. As if ascertaining something, his gaze dwelled on Himo’s expression. Only then did he ease up. A peculiar glint made its way to his eyes as he smiled politely. “My deepest apologies, I wasn’t informed that your esteemed self would come to my humble place. Please, feel free to stay as much as you wish.”

Himo, hearing those words, replied aloof, “Even if you speak like that, you’re still going to sleep down there.”


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Author's Note

Blooquiem

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the delay, I wasn't too sure on a few parts of this chapter and ended up rewriting them a few times. I will try to publish the next chapter in three days to make up for the delay. Trivia: in the previous version of the novel, Himo was supposed to meet a group of cannibals. Yep, you've read that right. I decided to change it because it felt like a forced plot device to give a voice to Phylia. Trivia(?)n2: I decided to change the Shu Family's ‘seal’ to ‘crest’. Even so, it's still the same object with the same function, just a more suitable name. Thanks for reading!