Miss Witch doesn't want to be a diva

After Guy vigorously promoted the quality and story of the fur coats that day, Tilan and his friends stayed here for another day. This was because the publicity was so effective, and later Guy wanted to keep a few more pieces for Stone Forest Castle, but he was not allowed to do so.

"Didn't you say that it was a masterpiece of a master and very rare? You can't just leave it at will." The trade manager, who had been quite disdainful and bargaining before, immediately changed his face. He grabbed Guy's arm and talked almost non-stop for a whole day, finally forcing Guy to give in and said that he would only take a small part to Stone Forest Castle for trading, and the rest of the coats would be left in the 'Red Pomegranate' for exchange.

"That's right, don't worry, it doesn't matter if there are too many things. We will help you deliver them to the settlement on the grassland. It just so happens that I have to go out recently, so I will help you deliver the goods once."

The two discussed for a while, and finally the staff of the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement said that they would help Guy and his friends escort the exchanged items to the grassland, and then they reached an agreement.

"It should be a little loss, but with them accompanying us on the way back, it will be much safer." Guy explained.

"Let's go, it's time to go to Stone Forest Castle." The two days of rest allowed the four people to recover, and the journey seemed brisk.

There was basically no need to worry about passing beasts attacking or robbers ambushing on the road. As they got closer to Stone Forest Castle, the number of pedestrians and brigades on the road gradually increased, and then they gradually formed a loose line and moved forward together on the road.

The wheels rose and fell slightly with the gravel on the ground. Heshia leaned on the haystack and saw the long team behind. They had different shapes. Some had curved horns on their heads, some had dark yellow skin, and some had recurved legs, but most of them were new races that looked similar to humans and could not be distinguished by much difference.

When the carriage climbed up a long hill again and walked down, the tall castle between the two mountains in the distance gradually came into view.

There is a little snow on the top of the mountain. The continuous stone wall connects the waists of the two mountains and then forms a solid mountain fortress. There is smoke from cooking and patrol teams can be seen on the wall from time to time. Along the stone wall, there is a curved stone road leading to the gate of the mountain fortress.

"Is the castle built here for safety?" Heshia asked Guy with a little curiosity.

"Yes, it is relatively hidden here, and those war machines often do not pass through here."

"In addition, it is said that there is a tortuous and hidden passage in the city, leading to the lava underground in the mountain. With the help of the heat in it, the steam engine in the city keeps running, which brings a lot of vitality and allows the Stone Forest Mountain Fortress to produce some less complicated things. By the way, the mountain fortress is also the only stronghold in this land that can be illuminated by electric lights on a regular basis." Guy recalled the news he had heard in the past.

When he arrived at the foot of the mountain fortress, the team preparing to enter the city was lined up in a long line. The four of them were just a small part of it, and they could only move forward slowly at this time.

"It will take about an hour to get in, but we can get off and walk now." Fran looked at the team in front and estimated.

"Do you want to go and take a look, Miss Heshia?"

"What to see?" Tilan was a little puzzled.

"Of course, these teams that are preparing to enter the city like us, maybe we can find some good things." Fran pointed to the crowds of people chatting and trading in the queue.

"Well, wait a moment." Tilan thought for a while, put Ores, who was still taking a nap in her arms, on the haystack and covered her with a thin blanket, then jumped out of the car and walked towards Fran.

The two walked along the dewy mountain road. At this time, many travelers also leaned on the roadside to chat and rest, and some even took out small stoves to cook something to eat.

"It smells good, it seems like something is being roasted over there." Fran walked over following the smell.

Soon, the two came to a cart. There should be a family of four here. The man had short and thick spiral horns, and the woman was slightly short. There were two children beside them. They were dark-skinned and wore simple and rough animal cloth. They were drooling at the slowly roasting things on the stove.

"This should be some kind of potato plant." Fran looked at the roasted gray and black skin and commented.

"Can you give me one, my friend?" He said directly.

Hearing such a request, the man was very unhappy, but after turning around and seeing the two people's dress, he endured a little. After all, those who are dressed so well are not ordinary people.

"If you want to eat, you need to exchange something." He said in a muffled voice.

"I understand this. I have a small bag of flower tea that can be used to make water." Fran took out a small paper bag from his pocket that he didn't know where it came from. It contained several kinds of dried leaves and dried flowers.

"What's the use of this thing?" The man frowned and waved his hand.

"Don't you need it?" Faran didn't mind. After taking it back, he changed his pocket and took out another paper bag.

"Here is a small amount of herbs, which are good for external injuries. They are made by mixing Amaranth and Mouse Whisker Flower powder. Take a look." The other party took it half-doubtfully and sniffed it with his nose.

Although he was still a little skeptical, this small bag was much more valuable than the black and gray potatoes that were being roasted.

He put it away, picked out one of the medium and large ones, and threw it to Faran.

"Here."

"Thank you." It was a little hot after receiving it. Faran tossed it back and forth for a while before tearing it open a little, revealing the light yellow steaming flesh inside.

"This taste..." He licked it with his tongue, tasted it carefully, and thought about it.

Smelling the fragrance coming from not far away, Tilan was also curious about what it tasted like, but she would not ask Faran for it, just wanted to hear what the other party had to say.

Eating an unknown roasted potato, the two continued to walk along the mountain road. After walking a distance, Fran spoke.

"This thing is poisonous." He looked at the remaining half of the black and gray potato in his hand and commented.

"Toxic?"

"Yes, although the dosage is very weak, it is not a big problem to eat it once, but if you eat too much, it will be bad." He looked at the half in his hand with some regret, and then threw it far away.

"I understand why the moose boss has to work hard to dig soil from the ground to grow wheat. Too many plants on this land cannot be eaten."

"Just now, I used the secret method taught by the teacher to measure the ingredients, and I felt a little bitter on my tongue. This is not a good sign. If you eat too much, your body will be numb and your reaction will be slow. And children..." He looked back at the two children who were eating voraciously around the stove.

"If you eat too much, your intelligence will decrease." He sighed.

Hearing this, Tilan suddenly remembered several settlements along the way, so she asked, "Have you also inspected the previous places, such as Hufeng and Red Pomegranate?"

"Of course, I am an outstanding member of the Slami Association. When investigating local customs and habits, I naturally have to record their food and lifestyle." Fran trembled his eyebrows and said with a little complacency.

"The livestock grazing in Hufeng actually have certain toxins in their meat, but the dosage is not high. I guess they are also experienced. They often slaughter them before they are one year old. You can see that those sheep are not big. In addition, did you notice that we ate meat that night, but those children all ate boiled beans and rice, because although beans and rice have a bad taste, they are very toxic."

"What about the fruits in the Red Pomegranate settlement." Tilan heard this and continued to ask.

"The fruits produced in the Red Pomegranate settlement are between mutton and beans and rice in terms of toxicity. If you eat one or two a day, it is not a big problem, but if you eat them for a long time, you should not live beyond 50 years old." Fran thought about it and drew a calculation on the notebook.

"In this land, the average life expectancy of people seems to be less than 30." Tilan remembered what Sura told her before.

"That's right, so I don't think they care."

"But what surprised me is that the wheat grown by the moose boss is really not polluted. If you pay attention to changing the soil from time to time, the toxicity is probably only a weak part absorbed from the air. If you eat it for a long time, you can live to more than 70 years old, provided that you don't die in any accident during the journey."

"Good food is hard currency." Tilan unconsciously repeated what Sura told her that day.

No wonder the knowledgeable Sura is willing to stay in this small settlement on the grassland. Although the scenery there is good and the environment is comfortable, it is probably because of food.

After that, the two continued to walk along the mountain road and saw many small vendors and travelers selling things on the roadside.

"The teeth of the black-spotted beast are strong and sharp, and can be used to make many tools. They can be exchanged for food and leather."

"Snake scale fruit, found in the western swamp, the juice is poisonous, and it is particularly useful when applied to weapons. You have to exchange it with something valuable."

"Semi-automatic rifle, 90% new, purchased from the eastern settlement not long ago, asking for 80 steel stamps."

Looking at the rifle that many people were watching, the girl and Fran were a little curious, but it would be difficult to get close.

"What is a steel stamp?" Fran caught a passerby and asked.

"The steel stamp is paper issued by the Stone Forest Fortress, used as currency. If you want to stay overnight in the Stone Forest Fortress, you have to pay 3 steel stamps. If you just go to the city to buy something, one steel stamp will do." Someone answered casually.

"So this is the local currency."

Seeing that they couldn't squeeze in, and the team was slowly getting their turn, Heshia and Fran withdrew and returned to the carriage. At this time, Guy was talking to a man in a rough coat.

"You are back." He then greeted and continued to talk to the man.

"What big thing happened recently? Why do I see that the rifles that were extremely rare in the past have become so common?"

"You have been in a small place for too long, and you are not well-informed." The other party laughed and joked with contempt.

"There was chaos in the east. It seems that a large stronghold fortress was breached by insects. Several major forces there had to migrate to our side. On the way, they clashed with the settlements and strongholds along the way, and then fought."

"These forces are not ordinary people. They all have guns in their hands, and it is said that there are also a small number of artillery."

"When they came here, sometimes they started a war, sometimes they traded, so many rifles flowed into our side. These guys are quite powerful. Many settlements got guns and fought with the surrounding areas, conquering opponents that they could not beat and were evenly matched."

"Now it has spread to the Stone Forest Fortress. I heard that the high-level gray feathers living in the inner house of the volcano are beginning to discuss how to solve these problems. In the end, should they issue a strict ban or directly offer a high price to collect these rifles? Otherwise, these things will break the balance of the surrounding environment sooner or later."

"So, it's been particularly uneasy recently." Guy thought about it.

"That's right. Now the caravans going to and from Shilin will hire a lot of people for protection. How about returning to your old job and teaming up with me, Guy?" The other man leaned against the car and raised his brows.

"Ahahahaha, you know, I quit this business after escaping death that time. It's better to find a settlement to live in peace and retire. Besides, you said you have a gun, and my longbow may not be able to do it. I can't beat those people."

"What can't they do? A bunch of kids who got new toys, with no experience, think they can do big things with a gun, tut tut." The other party shook his head in complaint.

"There are so many ways to kill people, poisoning, tripping, trapping, night attack, driving wild beasts, there are many ways, our business is not just about fighting."

Then the two talked for a few more words, and when they saw that the carriage was about to enter the city, the man stood up and waved goodbye.

"Is he your friend?" Fran looked at the sturdy man who walked to the back of the convoy.

"Well, I met him in Xiaolinbao before, and we cooperated several times." Guy answered, and then led the horse forward.

"Hand in a steel stamp to enter the city. If you don't have it, you can exchange it with something." The guard at the city gate, wearing chain mail and smocks, shouted to the people coming from behind.

"By the way, you have to hand over the carriage too. One stamp for each horse."

Guy stopped with the horse, calmed down the two ponies who were a little nervous and had never seen the world, and then took out 6 stamp papers from the interlayer of his clothes and handed them over.

The guard counted them and nodded, "Four people, two horses, go."

Then Heshia sat in the carriage and slowly passed through the tall city gate. Compared with the cool water vapor in the mountains, the air here was slightly turbid and warmer. There were many stalls along the way, selling various things nearby, as well as some snacks.

"Where did you get the stamp paper you gave me just now?" Fran asked about what happened just now.

"I prepared it in advance at the 'Red Pomegranate' settlement. Otherwise, if I exchanged it for something at the city gate, they would definitely lower the price." Guy explained skillfully.

"For example, a fruit jar that can be sold for 10 stamps, they took it away for 8 stamps."

"It's a bit low, but it looks okay, not too harsh." Fran commented. He had been to a stronghold that was more greedy and exploitative than this before.

"The gray feathers here are still quite particular, mainly because of the prestige of the 'Gray Fur Maester', who formulated most of the laws and rules in the Stone Forest Castle."

After listening to the conversation between the two, Heshia touched Orlesi, who was still sleeping in her arms, and woke her up.

The sleepy ice elf propped herself up, looked around with sleepy eyes, and after finding Tilan, she hugged the girl's shoulders and rubbed her head.

"Tilan, I'm hungry." During this period of time, she became more and more skilled in acting like a spoiled child.

"Okay, I'll take you to find food later." Heshia touched Orlesi lovingly, and always felt that the child had gained some weight.

How did Orlesi control her weight in the past? Did she practice a special secret method? Now that she has lost her memory and can't remember it, she has begun to grow freely.

Tilan shook her head, thinking that if it really doesn't work, she will let Ores lose weight after she gets fat. Now it is still within the normal range. After all, her foundation is exceptionally good.

However, here, Tilan looked at the scattered houses built along the mountain walls on both sides of the road, and finally felt like she had come to a civilized world.

The further she went in, the more the sound of steam roaring forging came slowly. Looking at the tall chimneys, exhaust gas and white mist kept coming out, there was also an illusion that she was about to enter the industrial age.

On the streets, various new races shuttled around. They were different from humans in physical details, but similar in appearance. They were bustling, some shopping, some hawking, and some strolling.

Finally, the carriage of the four people stopped in front of a tavern.

"The 'Black Pig Bar' is here." Guy jumped out of the car and pulled the car into the back shed.

"It's the only place within hundreds of miles where you can have a good meal. The black pork from Shilinshanbao is the specialty here."

"It would be a pity if I didn't have a meal every time I came here. Many people work hard just to get the stamp and spend a night here at the end of each month."

"Let's go, let's have a meal here this time."