After another night in Galeya’s Throne, the group left Mount Ourea, bringing with them a plethora of herbs, plants, and even pelts that Jethru stored in a large chest in the loft.
It took them a few trips crossing the hanging bridge before Jethru decided that they could no longer carry any more.
Each one had made a sled from bamboo and branches, reinforced by vines. Jethru taught Barett and Percival, as both seemed to have no clue how to make a sled.
Lara wanted to pass by the hills where the yarrow grew abundantly. She named that hill Yarrow Hill. But when she looked at how much they were carrying, she changed her mind.
The return trip to the village was faster than their outgoing trip to Mount Ourea. It used to baffle Lara before. The distance was the same, but how come the return trip seemed to be shorter and faster, even though the stretch they travelled was the same?
Later, she learned about the "return trip effect," a psychological phenomenon in which people perceived the return journey as shorter, even when it was not. They became familiar with the route, which gave them a sense of accomplishment and reduced stress.
When they arrived at the village, Abel and Barett were mobbed by their friends, who pestered them to tell stories about what they encountered in the legendary mountain. They were treated as ’heroes’ because the last time a group of people from their village entered the mountain to hunt, one of them returned as a corpse.
Barett was smiling like a fool. The attention from those around him felt foreign and exhilarating, a stark contrast to the shadows he had once inhabited. Memories of his encounter with the chieftain haunted him, leaving him with invisible scars that had driven him into the protective cocoon of his own solitude. Now, as he stood amidst the thrumming energy of the crowd, he felt a tentative flutter of hope, a whisper that maybe—just maybe—he could emerge from his shell and embrace the world once more. Looking at the admiration of his peers, he gained the confidence that he had lost.
In the end, after he recounted their encounters, the Lenard brothers gave their playmates the rabbits they had caught, following Lara’s strategy. The teenagers in their village admired the two brothers even more. They were very happy to bring home meat for their family’s supper.
The Norse brothers, as a gesture of goodwill, offered the chieftain half a dozen pheasants that they had caught at the edge of Mount Ourea. They also rented a carriage to transport the items they collected from the mountain.
Lara, on the other hand, was focused on acquiring cows and grazing land in the village. She needed cow’s milk for the various products she wanted to produce. Her intention in purchasing the grazing land was to have complete control over her supplies. However, she later realized that this approach would not be sustainable in the long term.
"Village chief," she said, voice steady and composed, "I know of someone who is interested in purchasing all the cows and the grazing land. Do you know who currently holds the rights?" Her expression was unreadable, calculated—never revealing that she was, in fact, the buyer.
The village chief was initially surprised. The amount of money needed to purchase was astronomical. But then he remembered that Kane had important connections to the generals of Northem. He was informed that he had gone on a mission to deliver an important message to the generals leading the war, which became instrumental in Northem’s triumph on the borders.
"Sir Kane," the chieftain, a robust man in his late thirties with weathered features, spoke to Lara with a serious tone. His piercing eyes, reflecting the wisdom of his years, locked onto hers, conveying the weight of the moment.
Lara’s expression shifted, a maze of emotions reflected in her eyes. Across from her, Jethru lounged with a bored nonchalance, rolling his eyes in exasperation before letting out a dismissive snort. Lara’s heart raced, half-expecting him to reveal her identity. Yet, much to her surprise, Jethru remained silent, his lips sealed.
’It is not that I don’t want to reveal my identity. I know that in this world, at this time, women would be looked down upon and taken advantage of if they had business dealings," Lara mused as she finished the cup of bland tea that the chief’s wife had served them.
"The cows belong to Demitrio, but since he is dead, they now belong to my sister. The grazing land belonged to my father. I can sell it to you for ten gold ingots." The chieftain explained. A hint of bitterness could be sensed in his voice when he mentioned Demitrio.
Did he know about what happened to his younger sister? Was she an innocent victim, ensnared by circumstances beyond her control, or had she willingly stepped into the dark shadows of her fate?
Lara shook her head to dispel the negative thoughts. Then she locked gazes with her master. She wasn’t still familiar with how the money worked in that era. She didn’t know if the land was worth the price, so she looked at her master for help.
Her master shrugged. He was looking at her like he was chiding her in his heart.
’Why look at me? You know that I’ve been living like a hermit for many years, right? I will not be able to help.’
She and her master had a tacit understanding. Even if they didn’t talk about it, they knew exactly what each other’s thoughts were.
However, her master was as clueless as she was. What could a person who had been away from civilization for twenty plus years know? When he purchased the Baron’s estate at Narra Alley, he got lucky because the Baron was in a rush, and so he learned from the brokers that he got a very good deal.
Then someone came to Lara’s mind.
He was such a blabbermouth, so Lara assumed that he was good at negotiations. She would ask about it the next time she visited Prince Alaric at the Baron’s estate.
When she checked the date, her next visit would be the following day.