After two days of rowing Raven and Nico reached the small village he was familiar with. They stopped a few meters away from an abandoned-looking shore.
"You have one hour. Go on purchase everything you will need and come meet me here,"
Nico just blinked at him. "We are not going to dock?"
"No, it's too noticeable. I'll be floating far away from here in the ocean that they won't spot me. In an hour ill get here. So make sure to come back on time okay,"
Nico nodded. He jumped down into the water. Thankfully, these wasters did not have crocodiles or anything. He grabbed onto the edge of the boat. "Wait how will I bring the salt in here? it will melt in water,"
Raven sighed. "I can move closer when you are coming back Nico."
"Done," he felt slightly silly for even asking that question. he mentally slapped himself and got to work.
Nico swam all the way over to the shore. He waved at him and ran into the forest.
This place was a little familiar to him. it was the spot he met the hunters. He ran in the opposite direction towards the village.
Surprisingly, the village was much more crowded than before. There were a lot more travelers along with the locals.
Nico browsed around. He did spot a few food stalls.
Through Raven he found out that this village was a stopping point to travel to arctic wolf territory. So many who want to visit that place would make a rest stop here and move on.
Last time, Nico only saw the outskirts of the town.
The more he walked into the town he saw that it was much more developed. There were a good deal of food stalls selling hot food and food for travel.
'If I set up a stall here and sell that elk it would make us a few bucks,' he thought as he walked into a shop that looked like a convenience store.
It had all foodstuffs in a very small cramped space. He didn't have the option to choose like in a supermarket. Only one person was attending the shop
He walked up to the counter. "Do you guys have salt?"
"How much?" dully, that young man asked.
"How much is half kg?"
"3 bronze." The man dully packed up a salt and handed it to him.
Nico gave him the copper.
The young man gave him an annoyed look. "I said bronze, not copper,"
"Is it too little,"
Sighing loudly, the cashier took out a huge bunch of change and just shoved it on the counter. "Man, seriously, freaks come in now and then. Why would you bring copper to buy salt?" He grumbled.
'so copper's value is higher than bronze.'
He picked up that bunch of coins and shoved them in his small delicate pouch.
"Do you have chilies powder and lemons?"
The man frowned. "Chilies is not grown here so no. where is your common sense. Do you think it will grow here?"
Nico paused. "oh I see,"
He thanked the guy and walked out with a bag of salt.
Walking through the busy streets, Nico wondered. 'so they dint ship goods from place to place. Wonder why that is.. is it to reduce carbon footprints or is the transporting so worse that they just don't bother to do so,'
It was barely ten minutes since he came here and he had already finished what he came here for. He wanted to look around and get a gist of how the market works and what people buy.
There were omelets shops. They were the most famous. But the travelers were more focused on buying and stocking dried beef.
Yue stood in a distance and sniffed the meat. it was simply salted and smoked, nothing more.
He realized how simple the life here in this small village is.
"did you hear...I heard the arctic wolves are here..."
Someone whispered.
Yue moved to a corner and eavesdropped on their conversation. 'why are the artic wolves here....'
"I heard they are here for the coffin,"
"Gasp really. I hope they find those blood-sucking leeches. Those parasites must be burned alive," other one said.
Nico's heartbeat spiked. He knew they were talking about his coffin that was washed ashore. Back then, he was too careless and left it there. if only he had pushed it into the ocean, no one would have known.
Now the wolves were on an active hunt for him.
'fuck I screwed up real bad....' he thought, hiding his face well.
"Those bastards? When will they burned?"
"Tonight at a public bonfire. The local guards are going to make it a spectacle just to appease the arctic wolves."
"You think they will like it? I mean, they are going to burn two kids alive."
"ah, you've never seen one right. Culling is entertaining, don't worry. The arctic wolf tribe will be very impressed."
Nico held his breath. These two were definitely talking about another vampire. They seem to be children too.
'I should see if I can save them...'
Silently, he watched as they talked. In a while, they both separated and went on their own way.
Nico followed after one of the guys and grabbed his shoulder.
"What? I thought you went to your wife....." he said, turning back.
Nico peered at him with his glowing amber eyes. The human was put in a trance instantly. "tell me where the vampires are..."
The man pointed to the right. "At the old house near the butchers... locked up in a shed."
Nico immediately ran in that direction. His trance will last for a bit more and then the human would not even remember what he was doing. It won't give away his identity.
He ran until he saw a broken-down hut. Inside, he heard small cries of a woman.
'he said they were in a shed...'
There was a shed close by but even that looked almost on the verge of caving in.
Slowly, he crept close and peaked in. inside two brown-haired kids were sitting there hugging each other. They were silently sobbing.
"hey there.." he whispered.
They trembled and refused to look up.
"do you want to live..."
One of them glanced at him. His eyes were blue and shining. It was the trance ability. "let us leave." He said in a small voice.
Of course, his trance did not work on him. Nico just smiled. "All you had to do is ask nicely. Come on," he broke the door silently and opened it up. "Let's go to our new home,"
The twins did not come out immediately. They looked at him with distrust.
Nico opened his mouth, exposing his vampire's teeth. "do you trust me now...'
Right at that time, the human in the nearby hut came out and saw this.
Nico did not reveal his face. he hid it with a cloth.
The twins ran to him.
He immediately plucked them up and rushed away into the forest. They both reeked of blood. if the arctic wolves were close, they can easily track them down. He had to move fast.
Along the way, he saw some plants that had a very astringent smell to them. he hurriedly rubbed the kids body with the leaves, making sure to cover every inch.
In the end, they both ended up smelling like that dirty smelling tree.
"Good," Nico lifted them up and ran again to the shores.
Raven was waiting there.
He waved at him.
Raven hurriedly rowed close.
Nico first tossed the salt into the boat and swam along with the twins to the ship. He helped them up and got in as well. "go go go....."
"what did you do?" Raven hurriedly rowed away.
"I might or might not have pissed off the locals there...."
Raven let out a deep chuckle. "You're a troublemaker, elder."
"Well I've been called much worse."