“Welcome to Namgar, the land of opportunities.” The merchant said while patting Lith’s shoulders and feeling his amazing constitution. “Here tyranny is not tolerated. Unlike in Garlen, a simple boy can become a powerful merchant, like me.
“Or even the most powerful man of the country, like our Prime Minister. In Namgar, there are no nobles who can harass you, only honest people that make a living.”
“Thanks.” Lith replied with an accent that the locals found almost incomprehensible.
“You don’t look like a merchant, more like a warrior.” Zugu was as tall as Lith, but the weight the man had in fat, the stranger had in muscles.
“I am, but sadly, I’m not a mage. Those guys had wands and caught us by surprise. There was nothing I could do.” Lith looked into the merchant’s eyes and above his shoulder while answering, receiving a nod from Zoreth.
“Strong and wise! You’ll fit right in. You will be my honored guests.” Zugu led them to a carriage where they could sit.
Then, one of the guards offered them food, water, and wet towels from a dimensional amulet. They accepted everything with gratitude, pretending to be relieved.
‘Solus, analysis.’ He asked while looking around.
The people of the caravan had either a bronze skin like in the Desert but also with slightly slanted eyes or a black skin that reminded him of African-Americans. Some were mixed blood and Lith couldn’t feel any animosity between them.
‘This place is no different from Garlen.’ She replied. ‘Most people have a red or orange mana core, like Zugu. His personal guards, instead, are all low talented mages with a bright yellow core.
‘Zugu and the guards are the only ones wearing magical equipment, the rest have regular gear. The caravan contains several enchanted pieces but it’s all small stuff.’
Lith could feel Solus’ enthusiasm and curiosity. Unlike him, she was free to stare and gawk as much as she wanted. Solus was eager to come out and experience Verendi in person.
Yet at the same time, spending more time with Bytra was far from alluring.
‘It makes sense. If they were powerful mages, they wouldn’t guard a simple caravan and if Zugu carried something precious, he wouldn’t have stopped to help a bunch of strangers.’ He thought.
Zoreth and the merchant spoke most of the time while Bytra explained Lith the terms he didn’t know and how to be polite towards their hosts. The Shadow Dragon avoided asking precise questions, letting the conversation flow by itself.
As usual, there was war in the south, the north, and the west. The east was peaceful, but only because a widespread draught made it impossible to fight.
“Your sister will make a great wife and mother.” Zugu nodded at Bytra who was showing Lith how to use a piece of cutlery that reminded him of a spork, just much sharper. “She has the patience to teach her man like a child.”
Bytra smiled shyly and blushed at those words, but her eyes fell on Zoreth instead of Lith.
Once they arrived at their destination, the city of Gulna, they helped the merchant to unload his merchandise as a thank you. Zoreth ordered Lith around like a drill sergeant so he didn’t argue to not compromise their cover story.
‘I think that just like Zugu offered you hospitality, now it’s your turn to return the favor by working for free. It must be another custom of Verendi, or at least a merchant’s tradition.’ Solus pointed at him how even the guards were warming up to the group after they had started to help.
‘Okay, but why unload all the carriages and make me lift the heaviest crates? This is just a waste of time.’ Or so Lith thought for about one minute.
Zoreth had insisted to help because now they were surrounded by the bustling activity of the storehouses. It was full of people of all ages and social status, and they all talked to make their work less boring.
At first, they became silent as soon as they saw unknown faces, but after witnessing Lith’s strength, the silence turned from distrust into admiration. As soon as Zugu told the people of the warehouses the circumstances of his guests, the mood turned upside down.
Everyone patted Zoreth’s back for having found such a hard-working brother-in-law. They asked her for help and she was happy to send Lith loading their caravans in exchange for money and information.
While she dealt with the merchants, Lith listened to the carriers’ and the guards’ talking. He had become one of them and now they spoke openly in Lith’s presence, even asking his opinion from time to time or giving him advice.
Aside from the weird food and the thick accent, Verendi didn’t look like a bad place where to live. Or better, it wouldn’t if not for the huge crates of weapons he was carrying around and the fact that most of the news was about war.
Once they were done, they left the warehouses with a purse filled with copper coins.
Now that Lith could finally look around, he noticed that Gulna was built mainly in stone. The houses had big windows and doors that were left open during the day to keep them ventilated.
The furniture was made of some kind of light wood he had never seen before. The poor houses, instead, were made of straw or whatever their owner had put together to make four walls and a roof.
What struck him the most was the poverty. He had traveled a lot in the Kingdom as a Ranger, but he had never seen so many poor people.
He was about to ask for an explanation when they reached the main plaza. There, right in the middle and in the only free space between the merchant stalls, there was a stone statue.
It depicted a beautiful woman with long hair and a long dress. She carried a basket full of food in her left hand and a stone tablet in her right. The people took good care of the statue, keeping it clean and painting it regularly.
“Isn’t that Tyris?” Lith had no problem recognizing her even though the statue was centuries old.
“She is. You heard Zugu, they still respect the Great Mother even in Verendi.” Zoreth nodded.
“What do you mean still? Isn’t it Tyris forced to stay in the Kingdom?” He asked.
“That’s now.” The Shadow Dragon shook her head. “When I was a child, my father would tell me how back when there was only one Guardian, Tyris the Great Mother would spend each season in a different continent.
“Winter in Garlen to help its people survive the harsh climate. Summer in Verendi to keep the draughts away. Spring in Jiera to teach them how to face the monsoons, and Autumn in Zima, where the sun rises.
“Their land is rich but unstable due to the frequent quakes. She taught them how to identify the safe areas where to build their homes and to recognize the early signs of volcanic eruptions.”
“All by herself?” Lith’s mouth fell to the floor.
“Yes. Tyris was considered the goddess of earth and fertility. Wherever she went, life thrived.” Zoreth nodded. “Then, as new Guardians started to appear, she couldn’t move as freely as before.
