Miss Witch doesn't want to be a diva!.

Chapter 635 Arrival at the Red Pomegranate Settlement

The gray-blue sky, the yellow grassland, the granular sand, and two horses pulling a cart step by step on the earth. Looking down from the sky, it looks like a small dot moving slowly.

The wheels swayed up and down from time to time along with the grass roots and soil caked on the ground. On the carriage, Guy leaned on the haystack behind him, holding a whistle. The slightly sharp and rapid sound of the wooden whistle changed from time to time, bringing a slightly desolate tune.

Heshia was sitting in the back of the car, leaning on the haystack with Ores, looking into the distance, thinking about many things.

She didn't know if the situation in the Federation had changed after she and Orlais left. Also, the new races she had seen in recent days had also given her a lot to think about.

If we ignore the historical background of the Fifth Season and those overly cruel scenes, the new races have no significant differences in many habits except for their genes. Some of them are very different from native humans, and it is even impossible to distinguish them directly.

Without that history, today's civilization might not be incapable of tolerance, but unfortunately, the lessons of the past were too heavy, leaving the Federation always shrouded in shadow and pressure.

She was not arrogant enough to save all lives, but was just wondering what the outcome would be if the Fifth Era had not taken the path of the 'Dark Sun', but instead applied this evolution and change to humanity itself.

Maybe for better, or maybe for worse? She shook her head, stopping these thoughts.

I always feel that I am too sentimental. Now I should think about the recent things, such as how to sell the fur coat at a good price, and then find a temporary place to live in Shilin Mountain Castle.

Although Ores didn't care, Tilan still wanted to buy her some comfortable cotton clothes. She also thought that if they were going to live there for a long time, she would need to prepare a comfortable bed and house. At least they couldn't always have a straw bed and a cave.

At this moment, Guy's whistle gradually stopped, and then he and Fran chatted in the front, complaining about the boredom of the journey.

"You play it quite well. Have you learned it before?" Fran no longer held the diary with him. Instead, he held the reins in one hand and leaned against the haystack.

"I learned it from an old hunter. He also taught me how to train dogs for hunting," Guy replied.

"That's very good."

"Well, he is indeed a nice old man, except that he is a little greedy for wine and likes to curse." Guy thought for a while.

"What about Fran? Does your Slami Association also teach musical instruments?"

"Musical instruments..." Fran didn't answer immediately, as if he remembered something.

"Unfortunately, we are not very keen on music there. I only saw a female classmate playing the violin at the graduation ceremony."

"You don't know the violin, do you? It's an instrument with a very rich and delicate sound. Unfortunately, my words are not good enough to describe its charm."

"That's a bit regrettable." Guy didn't care, and the two continued talking one sentence at a time.

"What do you usually eat in the south? Is it also wheat flour?"

"This is similar. It does have more wheat flour, but there is also rice and other foods."

"The association has a special electric mill, which grinds very fine flour. We ferment it and bake it into bread. The side dishes are often fish, and occasionally vegetables and fruits."

"The Slami Association is close to the sea. I heard from my teacher that they were planning to build a near-shore fishery a few years ago, so that everyone can eat better. When he was young, the association did not have such rich meat." Fran said with nostalgia.

"Fish soup with rice is really delicious. This was my favorite food during my years in school. It's also relatively economical."

"Are you still in school?" Guy had only seen a small school of the Gray Feather Tribe in Stone Forest Castle, with only a few scholars and about 20 students.

"Yes. Members of the association must receive at least three years of education before reaching adulthood, and learn basic literacy, as well as common sense skills, etc."

"It's just like an ideal society. I wish I could be born in such a place." Guy sighed with some envy.

"Ahahahaha, it's indeed much better than many barren places. But these are not provided for free. After graduation, we will have to run around for the association and complete the various tasks assigned to us."

"Maybe it will take more than ten years of wandering before I can return to my hometown and gradually settle down." Fran stretched himself.

"That's a place to go," Guy said, sitting up a little and adjusting the direction of the carriage so that it would not deviate from the general route.

"I don't even know where I will die in the future."

"Just like those people I once knew, many of whom I buried. Maybe in the future I'll have a friend to help me clean up the bodies."

"That sounds a bit sad. Even I'm worried." Fran shook his head.

"Why not? You met someone you loved, had many children together, and finally spent your old age leisurely, watching the sun set and falling asleep."

"I don't even dare to think about that kind of beautiful dream, for fear that the gap between it and reality would be too big and make me sad."

"The only thing I've learned over the years is not to have too high expectations and hopes for anything, so as to avoid heartbreak and sadness."

"I see..." Fran leaned against the shaky haystack, his eyes half open and half closed.

“…That’s also an answer.” He closed his eyes and began to take a nap.

The four of them rode in a carriage across the grassland for two days. Gradually, they could see rolling hills in the distance and the trees were slowly increasing in number.

The land near Shilin Mountain Fort is rarely moistened by water and grass, and has rich vegetation, so many settlements have gathered around it. While there are many people, there are also many conflicts. However, because of the authority of Shilin Mountain Fort, the intensity of these conflicts is maintained within a certain limit and is not too bloody.

"You asked me why I don't settle down here. Of course it's because I can't afford it." Guy answered Fran's curious question.

"The settlements near the Stone Forest Fortress have to pay taxes every year. The taxes vary. Some are for food, some for timber, and some for labor. Anyway, it's impossible to live here for free."

"So, those who can stay in the settlements around here all year round are relatively wealthy."

"We can see the road now. If we follow this road for a short distance, we will reach the territory of the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement." Guy drove the two ponies and let them walk towards the main road.

"The main road is safer, and there are teams from Stone Forest Fort patrolling from time to time."

Afterwards, the four of them slowly entered a road shaded by tall trees. Tall oak trees grew on both sides of the road here, and the treetops crossed in the middle of the road, making the slightly gully forest road mottled with sunlight, which was particularly refreshing and comfortable.

"This feeling is suddenly different." Fran also opened his diary and drew the roads and trees he saw today on the pages.

Sitting in the back seat of the carriage, Tilan also raised her head, stretched out her hand, caught a fallen leaf, put it to the tip of her nose and sniffed it. It had a slightly cool grassy scent, which was very different from the dead grass on the grassland.

"We're almost there." Guy shook the reins slightly to make the two horses go faster.

Three hours later, they stopped in front of a tall wooden wall that surrounded them.

I waved to the watchtower behind the fence and soon someone came out.

"It's Guy, long time no see." The man was wearing a leather vest, with his muscular arms exposed. The most eye-catching thing was the long tail raised behind him, with yellow, black and white patterns, which looked very powerful.

"Long time no see, Tiebang." Guy shook hands with him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Why isn't Tedley this time? I haven't seen him for a while, and I wanted to exchange knife skills with him." The other man had a face full of stubble and a thick iron knife on his back.

"Tedley..." Guy's voice changed slightly.

"He is gone." He shook his head.

"A lot of things have happened recently. I'll tell you after we go in." Seeing that Guy looked sad, the other party didn't want to continue to pester him, so he asked the people behind him to pull up the thick wooden door, and then led the two horses and the carriage in.

Sitting in the carriage, the girl looked around the settlement in the shade of the trees with curiosity. There were several high watchtowers and houses under the trees. The people walking here were all humans with tails, or it would be more appropriate to call them "cat-tailed species". Compared with the barren settlements on the grassland, the living conditions of the cat-tailed species here were obviously better. There were abundant water and grass here, the wild grass was green, and the air was much more humid and fresh.

No wonder they all said before that the settlements on the grassland were remote places that no one cared about.

"You guys sit down, I'll go call the boss of 'Red Branch'." Tiebang led the four people into the open large wooden tent, then walked out. On the other side, two cat-tail women brought ceramic kettles for the four people to drink.

"This water is so refreshing." Fran said, and drank most of the pot directly. Guy on the side cared more about his face, after all, they were all acquaintances.

Soon, a woman wearing a dark red folded dress and a wooden hairpin in her hair came over with her friends. She looked to be around 30 or 40 years old, with a beautiful face and upturned eyes. She was accompanied by several female cat-tail guards, all of whom were equipped with long swords and small firearms on their waists.

"Are you from the moose boss's settlement?" She glanced over with a hint of suspicion and scrutiny.

"Yes, my name is Guy. I met you two years ago." Guy stood up. Although he said they were acquaintances, he was not that familiar with them, because it was always Tedley who led the trade in the past, and he only participated a few times.

"Guy?" The other party seemed unable to remember the name, and it was Tiebang behind him who stepped forward and explained the situation.

"Tedley is gone..." She said with some regret.

"Then tell me what happened. From Tiebang's description, it seems that you have encountered many unfortunate things recently."

……

An hour passed as Guy continued to tell the story, with Fran occasionally adding a few words. Guy then took out a token made of a small soldering iron.

Looking at the branding iron in his hand that was heated by the question, the cat-tail leader turned his fingers slightly and then put it down.

"It seems that what you said is true. I didn't expect so many things to happen in just one month."

"I'm sorry to hear this, but since you can come out, you must have gotten through the most difficult time. If you need any help, you can tell me. I may not be able to help with big things, but I can still provide some small assistance." When she was young, she traveled around with her tribe and was saved once by the moose boss, so the relationship between them has always been good.

"It was my idea that Boss Moose arranged the settlement there. I didn't expect so many years to have passed in the blink of an eye."

……

"Are you planning to go to Stone Forest Castle to trade? Since you said so, I'll buy some here to help share the burden. You can also leave the things you need to exchange here and pick them up when you return."

"We have a lot of canned fruits and a small amount of wine stored in our settlement. If you are preparing for the winter, we can give you some more."

"Thank you." Guy expressed his gratitude, and seeing that it was getting late, the cat-tailed man stood up and told them to stay here for the night.

At night, in the tall wooden tent, the firewood in the stone pestle burned quietly. The four people sat on the straw mats, waiting for the food in the pottery pot to be cooked, and talked about what happened next.

"Not bad, boiled rice, baked apples, and she also gave us a bottle of fruit wine." Fran recorded tonight's dinner.

Tilan handed the hot baked apple to Orlais, and took half of it herself, eating it in small bites. It tasted a little hot and soft and sweet.

Because more water was added to the rice, the grains were not as distinct as usual. It was more like rice soaked in water or rice porridge, and could be eaten with a spoon.

"There are a lot of fruits in the settlement." Fran looked and said.

"The cat-tail species are flexible and can easily climb trees to pick fruits. This is an advantage that many other races do not have. They have also learned how to plant fruit trees and have opened up orchards in the mountains and forests behind. They live a good life relying on these." Guy said slowly.

"As a warrior, this kind of flexible body is also very advantageous. I heard from the old people in the settlement that the cat-tailed people are born with faster nerve reflexes than old humans, and their fingers are also nimble, so they can do a lot of delicate work."

"Their gene expression is quite special. About three quarters of their offspring are female and only one quarter are male. Women are often in power in the tribe."

"You know so much about it?" Fran was a little surprised.

"Because I liked a girl with a cat-tail before." After saying that, Guy shook his head and didn't continue.

After dinner, the four of them slept around the fire. Although there was no separate bedroom, the straw mats provided by the cattail species were very thick, so it was not too uncomfortable.

In the morning, after the four woke up, they met the member in charge of trade in the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement. The other party had a long gray-yellow tail and wore a fur robe. He handed them the account book and the list of exchangeable items.

"That's all. Because of the boss's request, I can give you... a 10% discount." Finally, he reluctantly stretched out his fingers to gesture, and it seemed that he was quite reluctant to lower the price.

"Only 10% off?" Guy took the list, stared, and was a little dissatisfied.

"Well, you should be content. I'm giving you a fair price." The other party pinched his beard and glared back.

"Okay, let me see what we have. Canned apples, canned grapes, canned peaches, straw mats, jars of fruit wine, honey..." Most of the entries are food and fruit products, and a small number are handicraft woven products of the settlement, such as straw mats, straw sandals and the like.

Although they look good, these canned fruits are not cheap. Besides, the ceramic jars are fragile and the fruits are not filling. I guess it will be inconvenient to transport them out and they will be difficult to sell.

"Forget about straw mats and the like, it's better to exchange them for more food..." Guy commented.

"...In other words, according to the price you offered, a fur coat can only be exchanged for five cans?" Guy was very dissatisfied.

"Yes, don't think it's too little, our can is very big." He brought a mud-sealed pottery jar from the warehouse, its appearance reminded Tilan of a wine jar.

"Will this fill your stomach during the winter?" Guy retorted.

"Of course." The other party said stubbornly.

Guy was a little angry, but after all, he was on someone else's territory and it was difficult for him to force a rebuttal.

"Our fur coats are rare masterpieces within hundreds of miles. You want to exchange them for a few jars? That's really bullying."

"What master? Where can you find a master? You want to ask for a random price for a few pieces of leather and fur clothes?" The other party also started yelling.

Now, many cat-tailed creatures in the settlement were attracted by the quarrel and came over to watch curiously.

Seeing this, Guy untied the fur coat that was tied up, then stood on a wooden stake in the open space of the settlement, shook it off and scattered it, holding it in his hands.

Compared with the rough coats sewn by primitive tribes with thick seams and uneven cuffs, this winter coat has been improved with modern aesthetics, with neat sleeves, shoulders and collar that fit the body, and buckles at the waist that can be tightened to keep the body warm and highlight the figure. It is beautiful and practical, and it is indeed a dimensionality reduction attack.

When Guy took it out, it immediately attracted the likes of many cat-tail women present. Many of them came forward to touch and examine it carefully, and some even asked if they could try it on.

"Okay, a handful of rice, and try it on for five minutes." He picked up an empty clay pot and placed it beside him. If anyone wanted to try it on, they could just put a handful of rice in it. The price was not too expensive, but it was definitely not cheap either.

At first, there were still many people who hesitated, but soon someone couldn't help it and went home to grab a handful of rice and put it in. Then Guy handed the other person a fur coat.

Sure enough, it was extra warm after putting it on, and there was a separate slit at the back of the windbreaker to reveal the tail, which was a very fitting outfit.

"I'm right, right? This was sewn by the best tailor within hundreds of miles of our grassland. You can't even buy it in Shilin Mountain Fort. If he wasn't grateful to us for saving him from the war machines, he wouldn't have made clothes for us. Besides, after this winter, he will go overseas to the south. Do you know where he is? That's the wealthy and peaceful Slami Association. He probably won't come back. This is his farewell work. It can be passed down in the family for generations. You are lucky to buy it." He held up the clothes and shouted everywhere. He spoke with details and attracted many people of the Cat Tail tribe who didn't know the situation.

Seeing the cat-tailed woman walking back and forth in the open space wearing her clothes, the others finally couldn't help it and went home one by one to get rice. Soon, they filled most of the pottery jar in front of Guy.

Looking at this scene, Heshia opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but finally held back.

It must be said that Guy is indeed a child who grew up with the caravan. This method immediately turned the situation around. It seems that he will not lose money in this transaction.

(End of this chapter)