Chapter 12: “Whadya Got?”
It was now the early afternoon of Wednesday. Summer was still ever-present, and the sun was only growing hotter by the day. It would be many months before summer would be at all over.
Zar, with all these insulative clothes started to feel a little claustrophobic, so used to being practically naked. He tolerated the slightly intolerable, hopped over the East gate whilst his family diverted the attention of the north guards, and begun his journey through the trees and vegetation.
“I’ve never been this far from the village, these potatoes are so large and heavy, we only managed to fit 6 in here, I hope it's enough – given their sheer size it should be. Ah, yes, these are not normal potatoes. What should I call them? Mineral Potatoes? No, that variation sounds too connected to Mineral Qi... Hmm. Maybe, Vit Potatoes, after the word vitality? The villagers speak that the last time they ate these Mineral Qi imbued potatoes it brough them brilliant vitality. I hope no one makes the connection but that will do.”
Settling on the idea in his head and wading through bushes and trees and other vegetation, Zar eventually found an opening. He stopped behind a tree and crouched suddenly. “People are farming just ahead of me, apparently, I am in a neighbourhood, there are many fields with people busy working. Would this have not been our land? Did we own this much land?! What were we in our prime?!” Zar wondered to himself. “That aside, I need to figure out a way to get on that pathway just ahead of this field inconspicuously so I can walk around without drawing too much attention, when I find a person who is yet to be busy, I will ask for directions into the central portion of Ploughing Sect.”
Zar went back into the trees and walked near the fields on his left, trying to find an opening where not many people were about, an opening where he could walk onto the fields and no one would really care, or see him. After much walking, Zar eventually found a field with no workers and hardly anyone about, just fields upon fields with the odd house and forest. “The soil is so fertile even in these unused fields. Our soil has a long way to go, it is a miracle that we grew these potatoes, if it was not for the Mineral Qi, this would be impossible. I worked diligently in cultivation – these are the results of that reward!”
Zar stepped onto the field and made a beamline for the pathway, he looked around, but nobody was about, or if anyone was, they were busy doing something. Being unnoticed, he walked on the pathway in the direction he guessed would lead to Ploughing Sect Central. “Should be this way, in the direction those people were farming.” He thought. Eventually he begun to see the familiar faces of the people he had been assessing before. They looked at him and then looked away, taking no real notice. “Looks like this disguise is working.” Zar thought happily. “My hair does not seem to draw attention, it is extremely orange however, whereas Giaths are infamous for having blood-red dark hair.” Zar, pondering on these thoughts was not paying much attention to where he was going and knocked into something.
“Ouch!” Said a pitchy scream.
“Oh?” Zar looked down. A small faced looked up and saw Zar's very well structured and masculine demeanour.
“AHH!”
“Be calm like the morning waves boy, I am a harmless wandering trader trying to find his way to your sects Trading Centre, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes. I was running around - I didn’t see where I was going. Sorry older sir!”
“Older sir?”
“No, sir, you do not look older, but you are older. I guess?” Said the young boy concernedly.
“Oh, yes, I thought I looked old to you is all ha...” Zar said nervously, reminiscing on the fact that not so long ago, he was malnourished and did look quite old.
“No Sir, in-fact you look quite vibrant, sorry Sir, I was just playing with my sister. I will be going - I ran too far away.” The boy turned around and began to dart back, before he could Zar tapped his shoulder. “Yes Sir?” the body replied.
“May I have directions young boy?” Zar communicated his desired location.
“Yes, good Sir, if you continue in the manner to which you are walking, you will assuredly reach our Trading Centre and Central Village, there, whatever it is you have may be appraised and sold.”
“Appraised?” thought Zar to himself.
“Older Sir, you looked concerned, have you ever traded with the Ploughing Sect before?”
“No, I am afraid not, could you enlighten me boy?”
“Yes, sir, it would be my pleasure, but I will soon-after go back to my sister and family. What is the nature of your commodity Sir?”
“I am selling or trading a vegetable, a tuber to be exact?”
“Selling and trading huh...” The boy thought for a moment. “Well, yes. I suppose it could be of some value if you sold them, you might be better off trading however! If you have no success in the central village, try trading with one of our families here. But do go see our Central Village, you may find some things of interest! I am off now, bye!” The body ran off before Zar could gather any more information, and so with that, Zar continued his walk.
“Right, I should try to trade these potatoes rather than sell them. This way, I can trade them for grains and hopefully, some vegetable seeds.” Zar walked and walked. As he continued walking the density of people increased, he was the tallest among those he was passing and people for that reason gave him a look of pure curiosity. Everyone was wearing hats to block the intense heat of the sun, Zar felt a pressure to put a hat on, but it felt weird to, he left it off and kept it on his back. No one seemed to pay attention to his orange hair however and this set Zar at ease. Eventually, Zar reached a trading plaza.
“Welcome traveller, are you new here?” Asked an old man sitting by a vegetable stand.
Zar did not reply, instead, he was bewildered by the colours of all the vegetables he was seeing.
“Traveller? You there! Orange haired traveller!” Zar turned around. “Ah good, you are not deaf or hard of hearing, how ya doing? Names Po! Want anything? All fresh! Harvested only a day ago!”
Zar looked at the old man, he was short, with white hair, slim but healthy. “Oh, excuse me good Sir, it has just been a whil-.”
“Been on the road long, eh? Well yes, Ploughing Sect is quite far away from the other sects. Where do you hail from hmm?”
“I am just a lone traveller Senior Po...”
“Yes, yes. That is becoming common nowadays. What, with all the things that are happening in the more noble sects...”
“What do you mean?” Asked Zar curiously.
“Donch’ya know traveller?”
“No, I like to keep to myself usually, only coming to villages for food and trade.” Zar felt random twitches throughout his body as he perpetuated an obvious lie.
“One of those hermits eh? Hehe, well I'll give ya a scoop! So it goes like this, long, long ago right. Big war between a family called the Giaths and a powerhouse sect called the Lions and Serpents Sect. A suitable name. Well, they managed to beat the Giaths, but they did not find any of the things they were looking for, merely results of it-”
“What were they looking for?”
“The ancient knowledge of Qi!”
“Qi? I’ve heard of that.”
“REALLY? WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!”
“Oh, me? Nothing.” Replied Zar carefully.
“Oh, shame that, anyway – when they returned, what valuables they did steal from the Giaths, some very strange stuff mind you, they monopolised. One of which was an apple, the size of a watermelon, the seeds were hefty. It is said that the apple can reverse aging significantly! How? No idea. Anyway. The sect attempted to replant the foods and medicines that were growing in the Giath province, they did not succeed. Whatever methods the Giaths were using, without such methods, foods and herbs could not be grown.
The Lions and Serpents Sect threw and outrage at the wasted resources – now they are preparing for something huge, they want to invade the Common Lands to find certain ‘secrets!’”
“Oh, but i heard that it was dangerous to do such things?”
“Yes, yes! This is so, see you have some knowledge for a hermit!” Said the oldman sarcastically, Zar feeling a little offended. “Oh, be joyful you old soul, but boy I must say, your skin is smoother than a womans ha. Well, anyway back the question. Yes, it is dangerous and that is why there has been an increase of sectless people, the Lions and Serpents sect are ravaging lesser sects looking for recruitments for their conquest into the Common Lands territory. We’ve had lots of your kind here. All different shapes and sizes, some even seeking refuge, it’s only a matter of time before the Lions and Serpents Sect reach here and start recruiting our healthy and young. Hmph. Buncha baloney, hopefully by then this old man will be in the heavenly fields...”
“Heavenly fields? How long will it take them to get here Senior Po?”
“Oh... Many years yet! We are way out in the boonies, sure back in the day these lands used to be owned by the Giaths and was a big deal, now it's just a distant fairy tale. I warn ya hermit, because you look healthy, fit and toned, if those savages get here and see you hanging about, they won’t hesitate to recruit ya into their arms for the raid into the common lands...”
“How are other Powerhouse Sects allowing this?” Asked Zar.
“Times a different young hermit, the Lions and Serpents Sect after recovering the valuables from the Giath Sect gained some rather significant benefits, their Grands and Greaters age slower, have certain abilities and all that magical stuff. It’s all due to the Qi thing if you ask me.”
“Old man senior, I have one final question for you.” Requested Zar.
“Gee, you didn’t have to put old man and senior in one sentence young hermit...” Mused the old man.
“Sorry, if all these things were gleaned from the Giath Sect during the invasion, why in my travels have I not seen the Giath Sect invaded over and over again?”
“This old man has heard from the local guards that the Giath Sect is now an abysmal mess, smelly, rundown, nearly dead. When the remaining Giaths die, Ploughing Sect Grand Elders plan on taking it over. That’s the news on the grapevine.”
“I see. Senior Po, i got some produce, you up for trading?”
“Me? Trading, no, no! I am only here for coin young scrabby!”
“Really? Because I got some good stuff senior?”
“Whadya got that would be worth some copper or silver?”
Zar opened his basket and presented the huge potatoes.
“MY GOLLY, what are these?!” Asked the senior shocked.
“Vitatoes Senior Po!”
“Vitatoes?”
(“I just thought of that on the spot...” Zar pondered privately.) “Yes, vitatoes.”
“What are vitatoes son?” Asked the oldman curiously.
End of Chapter 12.
(Author again, sorry for late upload, was busy with Easter! Happy Easter!
／(=･ x ･=)＼209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHwPP5OUlg
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