Chapter 5 Act II - 2

While talking, Arold narrowed his eyes as if looking into the distance. What he saw should be his life so far. However, his thoughts quickly returned to reality. "However, if you want to go north, the sooner the better. Now, even the horse in your hand should be able to walk for a while. After that... just change to a long-haired horse and a sled. .Of course, I mean if you're in a hurry." "There's one in the stable." "The owner of that horse is from the north, so the details should be clear." "What's his name?" When Lawrence asked such a question, Arold showed a dumbfounded expression for the first time.

It seems that he also has this kind of cuteness. "That's right, although he has lived here for a long time, but I haven't asked his name, but I clearly remember that he is getting fatter every year. So that's why... there's another thing... " There is not even an accommodation registration book, and this hotel is really amazing. "He's a fur merchant in the north. He should be running around the town now... If I see him, I'll tell him about you." "Then please." "Well. However, if you plan to wait until the meeting of fifty people is over, you may have to wait until spring."

After speaking, Arold finally took a sip of the warmed wine. It was the first time Arold spoke so many words in front of himself.It seems that he is in a really good mood. "Will the meeting be that long?" Originally, he planned to see if he could get some information from him, but after Arold spoke halfway, the expression on his face disappeared and he fell silent.If you want to spend the rest of your life quietly, maybe this is the right choice. Thinking of this, Lawrence was about to give up and was about to thank him for the conversation just now, but Arold interrupted him and said:

"Life has its own trend, so it is only natural that a town formed by gathering people has its own trend..." This sentence is said in the unique style of people who have retired from the stage of life. However, Lawrence was still young after all. "I think it is human nature to rebel against fate, just as people often make mistakes and pray for salvation at the same time." Arold cast his blue eyes on Lawrence wordlessly. That look didn't look angry, but contemptuous. But Lawrence didn't care, because Arold looked very happy. "Hehe, it seems that it's not easy to refute... It's been a long time since I had such a pleasant time. This is the third time you've lived here? What's your name?"

He obviously didn't even know the name of the fur merchant who lived here for a long time, but now he came to ask Lawrence's name. This should be a question raised not as the owner of the inn, but as a technician. The act of a competent technician asking for a customer's name.It is a ceremony of conferring credit.It is equivalent to as long as it is the request made by this guest, no matter how difficult it is to complete, it will try its best to meet it. It seems the taciturn and no-nonsense ex-belt mechanic liked Lawrence's look. So, he stretched out his hand and reported his name - "I am Claf Lawrence."

"Craft Lawrence. I'm Arold Ecklund. If it was before, I would make you a proud belt, but now I can only make you It’s just a matter of sleeping peacefully at night.” "It's more important than anything." Hearing what Lawrence said, Arold showed his missing teeth and laughed for the first time. "Excuse me." As Lawrence said, he was about to turn around and leave, when he suddenly noticed that Arold's gaze was cast behind him.So Lawrence also turned around, only to see a person standing there who was completely unexpected. Holo pointed out that the merchant, who was a woman, was dressed as before, carrying a sack in her right hand.It seems that it is this businessman who is fiddling with things in the warehouse.

"That was the fifth time for me. Ask his name faster than mine, Mr. Arold." With the hoarse voice and the self-proclaimed "Lao Tzu", if Holo hadn't said it, she would have thought she was a young businessman. "Because I talked to you when you came here for the fifth time." As Arold said, he glanced at Lawrence lightly with the end of his eyes, and continued: "It's rare to see you talk. Are you in a good mood today like me?" "Maybe." She answered with a smile.No beard can be seen at the corners of the mouth curled up under the turban. It seems that it is not because the beard is thin, but because it is not there at all.

"you--" The businesswoman spoke to Lawrence. Of course, Lawrence responded with an expression of discussing business. "What's up?" "How about listening to it? Didn't you have something to do with Li Geluo?" Lawrence couldn't help but be surprised that if it was Holo, he might be so surprised that he would shake his ears a little. But Lawrence was confident that he didn't even move his beard, so he replied flatly: "yes." Arold turned his face away the moment he heard the name Rigoro, and reached out to the wine.During this period, the names of the participants in the meeting of fifty people mentioned by the merchants were indeed difficult to take lightly.

"You don't mind going up there?" Business woman pointing up.Of course Lawrence had no objection. "I took this." The businesswoman picked up the iron kettle placed behind the chair Arold was sitting on, and strode up the stairs.Seeing that she and Alolde are very close, and have no blood relationship, I don't know what their relationship is? Although his curiosity made him want to ask, Arold's side face had returned to the silent and serious innkeeper's face at this time. Lawrence thanked him and followed the businesswoman away. The second floor was empty.The businesswoman walked to the fireplace, folded her feet and sat cross-legged on the ground.This is the sitting method that is used to standing and sitting in narrow places.If it's a money exchange merchant, you might think she's a colleague at a glance.

It seems that she did not start trading yesterday or today. "Ah, sure enough. It would be a waste to drink this wine warm." Then, as soon as he sat down in front of the fireplace, he took a sip of the liquid in the jug. I don't know if she has always had such a carefree personality, or is it intentional? If it is intentional, what is the purpose? Lawrence sat down after thinking. Businesswoman after two sips of wine.Wiping his mouth, he handed the water bottle to Lawrence. "It seems that you are very wary. Can you tell me the reason?" Because she was wearing a turban, Lawrence couldn't see her face, but she could clearly see Lawrence's expression.

"After all, I'm a traveling businessman doing business, and I often come into contact with strangers. So I developed this habit." As he spoke, he also put the kettle to his mouth and took a sip.Indeed, this wine is very good. The businesswoman peered at him from under her hood. Lawrence smiled wryly, and had no choice but to confess: "Because there are not many female businessmen, if such a person talks to me, he will always be a little more wary than usual." The other party seemed to be shaken because of this sentence. _ "...In the past few years, no one has been able to see through this point." "We passed each other in front of the hotel this morning, didn't we? The people I was with had an animal instinct." The so-called animal intuition should be more or less an animal, but Lawrence would not have discovered that the merchant was a woman if Holo hadn't been there. "A woman's intuition really shouldn't be underestimated. Although it's a bit inappropriate for me to say this." "I have already experienced this deeply." The businesswoman seemed to smile when she heard this sentence, she stretched her hand around her neck and untied the rope that tied the headscarf, and pulled off the headscarf with skillful movements. Well, how tough is this woman? ——Lawrence looked at her with a little curiosity, but when he saw the face exposed under the hood, he completely lost the ability to hide himself Surprised look on the face of confidence. "My name is Flulu Bran. But the name Flulu doesn't really have much sense of savvy, so I use the name Abu Bran when buying and selling." The businesswoman who called herself Flulu, or Ebu, was very young. However, it is not too young to be able to make money just by youth.It can be said that it is a time of beauty and brilliance because of the tempering and the baptism of wind and frost.To be specific, it should be similar to Lawrence. There was a steely quality to her face that reflected the blue light, not from her blue eyes, but from that weathered feeling. With short cut blond hair, he must look like a boy when he smiles. But when there is no smile on the face, it gives people the feeling that if you touch it, your fingers will be bitten off, and it is as ferocious as a wolf. "Craft Lawrence." "Craft Lawrence?" "The name used in the transaction was Lawrence." "I'm Eb. I don't like being called Bran. Also, I know how I look to men when I put on makeup and a wig. So I don't like it either." To be flattered." When she said this, Lawrence swallowed back what he wanted to say and closed his mouth. "If I can hide it, I plan to keep it hidden." She must be referring to being a woman. Perhaps because he didn't like being seen by others, Abu quickly put on the turban again and tied the rope tightly. Wrap the knife in cotton cloth.Although there was a slight gap, this feeling flashed across Lawrence's chest for an instant. "I'm not the kind of quiet person. If I really want to say something, I should be the talkative one. I think I'm pretty likable." "That kind of cute place. It will change the impression a little bit." Although I don't know the reason, but now that the other party has shown his true colors to himself, he also started to talk freely.Then I have to accompany myself.Thinking this way, Lawrence's tone became more relaxed. Even if the other party is a woman, as long as she is not a reserved lady, there is no need to be nervous. "What a funny guy. No wonder the old man likes you so much." "I really dare not take it seriously. However, I only talked to you a few short words, so I don't know why you like me." "Businessmen don't do things like love at first sight. So unfortunately, that's not the reason. You have a nice face, though. And the only reason I'm talking to you is because I want to talk to someone else." Looking at her face under the turban, I always felt that her tone of voice was a little casual, but somehow it was similar to Holo. If you are careless for a while, you may be thrown badly by her. "Three lives are really lucky. So may I ask why you chose me?" "One is because the old man Arold likes you. That old man has always had a good eye for people. The other is because of the person you brought who saw through my identity." "Who am I taking?" "That's right. The one you're carrying. Is it a woman?" If he grows up like this, but people think he is a teenager, those rich nobles who pretend to be elegant will be very happy to hear it. However, Lawrence understood what Abe was trying to say. She probably felt that since Lawrence was traveling with his female companion, there would be no problem even if he struck up a conversation. "It's okay to talk about business, but it's difficult to hide your identity as a woman when you're gossip. I know that there are very few people like me. I also understand the feeling of people who want to tear off their headscarves." "Although it's hard to say it's not a compliment, I'd say some of the merchants who've been drinking will be delighted if you take off your hood." Abe smiled as he lifted his left lip.That alone is refreshing. "So, when it comes to gossip, I will pick people. The most suitable ones are wrinkled old men, or people with women." A businesswoman is even rarer than a goblin.Hiramu's hard work must have been far beyond Lawrence's imagination. "However, businessmen with women on the road are rare. Generally speaking, those who are accompanied by women are either priests on the road, couples of wandering technicians, or couples of traveling entertainers. But if you chat with those people It’s boring to talk about the topic all the time.” Lawrence smiled. "With regard to my companions, there are many reasons." "Of course I won't ask about this. It's just that you two are used to traveling, and it doesn't look like you are together because of money, so I think it should be fine to chat for a while." After Eb finished speaking, he urged Lawrence to pass the kettle quickly. It is very bad behavior for one person to monopolize the sprinkler when there are no cups and drinking in turns. After apologizing, Lawrence handed her the jug. "That's the way it is. However, you can't run up and suddenly ask, 'Do you want to chat'? That's why I used the name of Li Geluo to lure you here. But it's not as simple as a pretense. You don't want to see Li Geluo ?" She casts a glance from inside the edge of the hood, but her expression is largely invisible from Lawrence's perspective.Eb is really skilled in negotiating and negotiating. It was still difficult for Lawrence to regard this as a chat, and he still answered in the way of thinking about business: "Yes, the sooner you can." "Can you reveal a little bit about the content?" It's really hard to guess what her intentions are with this. Is it pure curiosity? Or do you want to know what kind of content you want to use after seeing Rigoro? Or, do you want to use this question to test Lawrence's reaction? If Holo was by her side at this moment, she would still have the upper hand, but now it seems that she has been given the upper hand. Although unwilling, Lawrence could only switch to defensive mode. "I heard that Mr. Li Geluo is the chronicler of this town, so I hope he can show me the ancient legend records circulating in this town." Something about fur is too sensitive.Now that I can't see Abe's expression, it's too dangerous to say that.She doesn't wear a headscarf like Eb, so she should be able to tell at a glance that she is on guard. But even so, Eb seems to have smelled a little truth from Lawrence's words. "It's really a strange purpose. I thought you were planning to get information about furs." "Of course, I'm also a businessman. It would be great if I could get this kind of information. However, this matter is more dangerous, and the people who travel with me are not interested in it." Playing smart in front of Eb will only set him on fire. "Indeed, there are books in that guy's study that are said to have been inherited for several generations, piled up like a hill. It is said that his own dream is to read these books every day. He has always been the secretary of the fifty-member meeting. I really want to quit." "Is that right?" "Well. Originally, he wasn't the kind of person who was very social, but he just happened to be in a position where it was convenient to inquire about the content of the meeting, didn't he. People who want to get in touch with him can be said to be in an endless stream. If you talk to him directly If you say you want to see him, maybe you will be stared at fiercely by him, and you will be swept out of the house no matter what." No matter what, Lawrence showed a grateful look, and said "I see" casually, but of course, it is impossible for Abe to really think that he just listened to it. Because Eb seems to have the possibility of being able to introduce Lawrence to Rigoro. "And then, by the way, what you seem to care about is the answer. I'm doing business with the church here, and we have a good relationship with each other. And this guy Li Geluo usually also writes for this church. The two of us have known each other for a long time." Lawrence had no doubts. Suspicion is always pervasive, and there are preconceived notions in the unconscious. If Eb finds out, she might take advantage of it. So, he simply opened his heart. "If possible. I hope you can give me an introduction so that I can read his records. It will really help me a lot." For a moment, the corner of Abu's mouth moved. It shouldn't be Lawrence's carelessness. It seems that Abu is also quite interested in this negotiation. "Aren't you going to ask me what business I'm in?" "My companions didn't ask questions about careers." It was different when I was with Holo, but the conversations were also filled with tension. However, Lawrence muttered in his heart—— very happy. "hehe……" Therefore, when he heard a cough-like laughter, he thought it was coming from his own mouth for a moment. "Woohahaha. That's right, this one is really good. Although I didn't think much of a businessman who took a woman on the road at first, it's great to talk to you. Merchant Lawrence. Although I don't know if you are The elite among the people, but at least they seem to be a little different from those ordinary beings who catch a lot." "You have won the prize, but if you want to shake hands, please wait a little longer." Eb curled his mouth slightly into a smile. That smile was so similar to someone I was familiar with, I couldn't help but check if there were fangs in the corner of her mouth. "Shouldn't you be so nervous that your palms are sweating? You've shown a bottomless face since just now. No wonder old man Arold likes you." This Lawrence knows can only be regarded as flattery. "Well, instead of asking what kind of business you're in, may I ask another question?" Although Eb was smiling, there was no smile in his eyes. "What's up?" "Well, how much are you going to charge as an introduction fee?" A stone was thrown into a dark bottomless well. How deep is the well, and is there water at the bottom or is there no water? After a while, finally heard the sound came. "I don't want money or things." It turned out to be dry. Lawrence thought.But Abe held up the kettle and handed it to Lawrence, and then added—— "However, will you chat with me?" The voice that responded was much wetter than I imagined. The expression on Lawrence's face disappeared, and he stared at Abe's face with indifferent eyes, thinking about what he said. Abe shrugged and smiled. "You are really smart. Don't worry, I am not lying. Maybe you will find it strange, but for me, people who can chat without concealing their identity as women, especially businessmen, can say that Lima gold coins It's even rarer." "So that means it's worth less than the Rumioni gold coins?" You can tell how deep the well is by looking at the reactions when talking and laughing. Eb seems to know this for granted. "I'm a businessman, no matter what kind of business, money is always the most important thing." She said it with a smile without hesitation. Lawrence laughed too. If it's with her, you should be able to chat with her all night. "However, I don't know what kind of person your companion is. If possible, it's better to talk to you alone. After all, if you are stared at by others, the wine will become undrinkable." Had Holo ever been jealous of something like this? Lawrence couldn't help searching his memory. She seemed displeased when she met Noella, the shepherdess, but Lawrence thought it might be because Noella was a shepherdess. "I don't think this should be possible." "Really? A woman's heart, a needle in the sea. And there is no reason for a woman's way of thinking at all." Lawrence's mouth couldn't help opening into an "O" shape. Seeing him like this, Abe snorted softly. "Forget it, I'm here for business, and I don't have much time, but if you can spare time, I hope you can talk to me, although it doesn't appear on the surface." "Very talkative and sociable." After counterattacking like this, Eb laughed hoarsely, shaking his shoulders like a girl. "Well, you're right." However, although the tone is a bit flippant, it sounds quite sincere. Although I don't know why she became a businessman, but as a woman in the world of businessmen full of whirlpools of desire, her experience should be beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Lawrence took a sip of wine from the jug, looked back deliberately at the stairs leading to the third floor behind him, and replied: "As long as I don't make my companions jealous." "Oh, this condition is really not easy." Then, the two laughed silently in a businessman's typical style. The meeting should not end until dusk. Since Abu herself has other things to do and cannot go with her, she said that she would communicate with Rigerau's family first. So, after noon, Lawrence took a short rest, and then left the hotel with Holo. Li Geluo's home is said to be in the northerly area of ​​the town center. The foundations and the first floor of the houses in this area are all paved with stones, which are very beautiful. It seems that the people living here should be relatively rich, but the atmosphere is unexpectedly not very good.Many houses have been expanded with wood, and the protruding walls sandwich the road, and it feels like a pile of collisions on the top of the head. It seems that this area should have been lived by wealthy people before, but it gradually declined with the passage of time. Generations of wealthy people do not find much pleasure in the act of spending money itself, but upstarts are different. As long as they have money, they will find ways to display it for people to see, so they continue to compete and expand their houses. However, the expansion itself is not a problem, but it will make the landscape of the whole area eclipsed. The dark road is filled with a damp atmosphere, as if wild dogs and beggars will appear at any time. As a result, the really rich people will gradually leave here, the prices of buildings will continue to depreciate, and the quality of the entire area will also decline. In the past, the people who lived here were probably the bosses of Qianhang or the backbone chamber of commerce. Now it is said that all the people who live there are apprentices of technicians or open-air vendors. "But this road is really narrow." The road paved with stones was uneven due to the weight of the buildings on both sides, and a lot of stones were missing. Maybe they were sold to poor people. The potholes lacking stones were full of water, and the damp atmosphere became stronger, and the narrow road made this uncomfortable feeling permeate into the heart and lungs.Lawrence couldn't walk side by side with Holo, and seemed to have no choice but to lean against the wall if someone came towards him. "It is indeed not convenient to walk, but I like this kind of dirty place." "Ah--" "It feels like it has been washed for a long time, right? Like a tool full of scars, its shape will slowly change, and it will become a unique thing." Looking back at Holo, she was walking while touching the wall. "It's almost like a river changing shape." "...Unfortunately, I don't quite understand this example." "Hmph. Then... the human heart and the like? Is it called the soul or something?" The example suddenly became so close to him, Lawrence couldn't turn his head around for a while, but he still answered "yes". "If it can be taken out and the eyes can see its shape, it should feel like this. It has been flattened a little bit, worn a little bit, and repaired a little bit. At the last look, you know it's me. That's it. This feeling." As they spoke, a large puddle blocked the way of the two of them. Lawrence strode over first, then turned around and held out his hand to Holo. "Please." After deliberately pretending to be courteous, Holo also stretched out her hand proudly, jumped up lightly, and jumped to Lawrence's side. "If your soul can be taken out—" "Well?" "There must be a lot of places that have been dyed our colors." There was no hint of a joke in Heron's amber eyes, which looked straight up at Lawrence. In other words, there is nothing new about it. Lawrence shrugged and stepped forward. "Rather than being stained with your color, it might as well be poisoned by you." "If it is, it should also be highly poisonous." Holo walked past him quickly, turned her head and said triumphantly: "After all, our smiling face makes you surrender right away." I think of this every time.Lawrence couldn't help admiring, and replied: "Then what color is your soul?" "what colour?" Holo asked back, but walked straight ahead without answering.Looking from behind her, it can be seen that her speed has slowed down significantly, and her head is slightly tilted, as if she is thinking.Lawrence quickly caught up with her, but because the road was too narrow, he couldn't walk side by side, so he had to look up from behind her. I saw her curling her fingers and muttering to herself. "Humph." Then, realizing that Lawrence was peeking at the movements of her hands, Holo looked up at Lawrence who was poking his head out from behind. "There are so many colors." "……Ah……" For a moment, he didn't know what she really meant, but soon he knew that it was referring to Lawrence's love experience. After all, Holo has lived for such a long time, she should have fallen in love once or twice.Judging from her speaking skills, the number of times the other party is human should also be quite a few. The road would be blocked if Holo stopped, so Lawrence nudged Holo's small back and motioned her to move forward. Holo walked obediently. Since the two often walk side by side and rarely see her back, she is quite fresh from this perspective. Her back is very thin, and although she is wearing thick clothes, she can still see the slender lines.The steps are not big, and they are not walking fast now, so it is suitable to be described as demure.If there is a little bit of loneliness from her back at this moment, people can't help but want to hug her tightly. The feeling of holding her must be very soft. Maybe this is the so-called protective-induced type. Lawrence thought, a wry smile appeared on his face.Then, a question suddenly popped up in my heart—— Holo was counting her fingers just now, so how many men have hugged her thin shoulders? At that time, what kind of expression would Holo have on her face? Would she squint her eyes happily and act like a baby? Or would she shake her ears and wag her tail as if she couldn't hide the joy in her heart? Holding hands, hugging shoulders, Holo is no longer a child... Lawrence murmured to himself. Other than yourself? "..." The moment he thought of this, Lawrence couldn't help panicking, and drove the thought out of his mind. A flame with an ugly color suddenly rose from the depths of his chest. Her heartbeat became extremely violent, as if she almost fell off a cliff.It's like thinking that the fire has been extinguished, so I reached out to touch the charcoal, but I was inadvertently burned with a big scar-the shock at this moment can be described by this. Holo counted on her fingers. It was obviously such a matter of course, but every time Holo bent her finger, my heart seemed to be broken somewhere. In the end, this strange feeling turned into anger. There was no way this sentiment could be mistaken. Dark dominance. Even I couldn't help being surprised.I didn't expect myself to be such a self-willed and arrogant creature. Even though I was a businessman who embodied desires, I couldn't help but think so. The sin of this kind of thinking is deep, and it is not comparable to "only wanting to be rich". "So, have you reflected on it?" So when Holo looked back at him with contemptuous eyes, it was more powerful than any priest's inducement and preaching. "...I'll let you see through everything." My heart was so heavy that I wanted to just sit down. So the tone of Lawrence's answer was quite tired.Holo grinned unexpectedly, baring her fangs. "Because we are too." "Who made you so happy talking to that kind of person who doesn't have the slightest bit of femininity, as if you were so happy that you forgot everything." After saying that, Holo's face suddenly became angry. Lawrence had seen her angry several times, but this one was the ugliest and most vicious. Lawrence couldn't help muttering in his heart.Holo is a wise wolf. "As a businessman, it's fun to talk to her. I don't know if you'll take that or not?" It's better to find an excuse first to see if you can perfunctory. Holo stopped, waiting for Lawrence to follow her before walking forward. "Do you want us to ask - what is important between us and making money?" This sentence, among the things that a traveling businessman who does business alone most wants a woman to say to himself, should be able to enter the first three sentences. Moreover, all businessmen should think hard about this sentence. Lawrence held up his hands in surrender. "Originally, the reason for our anger is exactly the same as what you thought. This can be said to be a very willful and naive idea. However, we have wisdom and language, and we can talk to each other and understand each other. So we will not be angry." Holo is a seasoned virtuous wolf. Lawrence, who has just started to touch the sword, is fighting Holo, who is equivalent to a veteran with a sword. Naturally, there is no reason to win. After searching for a while in my poor vocabulary, I still couldn't find the right words. "I know it's my fault." "real?" There was no use lying to Holo. "real." Lawrence answered, but Holo didn't look back. He began to worry, wondering if his answer deviated from the correct answer. Holo still walked forward quietly, and soon, a bifurcation appeared in front of her eyes.According to the route Abu told himself, he should turn right at the intersection. Although the atmosphere was a bit awkward, but seeing Holo standing still, Lawrence spoke up: "Turn right here." "Humph." Then Holo turned around. "This is the fork in the road." What Forked Road? - This Lawrence didn't ask. It seems that this is the first level.Holo's right eyebrow moved slightly. "How are you going to deal with your wanton and possessive desire?" Why do you ask me such a priestly question? - Lawrence wanted to protest for a moment. In theory, this kind of emotion is too willful and ugly, so it is only natural to kill it.But my own heart is saying—how can such feelings be obliterated? Lawrence looked back at Holo with a bitter expression. However, at the same time, he was also thinking—— After all, the opponent is a virtuous wolf.It is impossible to ask questions that will put others in a dilemma because of a whim. That is to say, even if it is not the correct answer for the public, Holo may accept it as a correct answer. How can I find this answer? Lawrence began to think. As Holo had said earlier, she felt the same way. So, the correct answer should be Holo in Lawrence's eyes, right? It is not uncommon for others to see the answer at a glance to a difficult problem that I think is absolutely impossible to solve.