When the sun finally set, the two women walked toward the huts. One of the women knocked on the door of the middle hut, the closest of the three to the riverbank. Michio hurried forward and opened the neatly woven bamboo door. He saw two women in light gray clothes standing outside the door, holding two small torches.
One of the women said, "Dinner is ready. Father would like our guests to be at home to have dinner with the family."
Michio looked at Yul who was sitting in the corner and Abrafo who was already lying on the straw mat, and then looked back at the women. "Wait for us, let us get our other friends," he said with a smile. "You." He touched Abrafo's leg. "Go to get U-ri and Hajime. I'll go get Baishui and Jiāo."
Abrafo kicked his legs and sat up. "Fine… I'll go get them," he said, getting off the straw mat and following Michio out the front door.
Abrafo knocked on the first hut and Hajime opened the door. "It's time for supper," he said, peeking into the hut. "What's wrong with you old man?" He looked at U-ri lying on his stomach.
U-ri stretched his arms with a groan. "Arthritis," he said, pulling himself up. "When you get to my age, you'll feel it." He slowly got up. "You've got so many wounds on your body, when you get to be my age; you'll be worse off than I am."
Abrafo covered his mouth and giggled. "Hmm...I believe I'm going to age beautifully because of my strong body," Abrafo said, still giggling at U-ri. He waited for a while, but U-ri still didn't get up. "Come on, don't let others wait for you, mister ambassador."
Michio rushed over and said, "Baishui and the maid are gone. I looked everywhere, but I didn't see them."
Abrafo said, "I guess it was because of the previous discord between Baishui and Yul that he finally decided to run away."
Michio said, "I don't think he and his maid ran away because their things were still in the hut."
"It's impolite to keep our hosts waiting for us," U-ri said. "We'll go eat first and bring them something to eat later."
The five men followed two women towards the Saja's house.
Bathed in the moonlight, the long tail with shiny white scales is several feet long. Baishui soaked himself in the creek, letting the water flow down his long white dragon tail.
Baishui heaved a sigh of relief. "I feel better now," he said, resting his head on one of the rocks, gazing at the moon and the clear starry sky. "Jiāo, did father give you any advice before you left?"
Jiāo glanced at Baishui and said, "No."
Baishui said, "The scale on my neck belongs to my father, right?"
Jiāo nodded and said, "Since you already know, why bother to ask again."
Baishui said, "So, before you came up from the lake, did you meet father?"
Jiāo said, "Yes, do you think His Majesty doesn't know that you are leaving with those mortals? He knows everything, but chooses to ignore your actions, mainly because. "
Baishui interrupted Jiāo and said, "Because he wants me to crawl back to him, defeated, I know." He sighed, his tail twirling in the water.
Jiāo said, "His Majesty has his reasons. Any decision he makes is because he loves you." She looked at Baishui who was wagging his tail. "Ninth Prince, since we have brought them here, let's leave and go home."
Baishui said indifferently, "You can leave if you want. I won't leave. I want to see it to the end."
Jiāo frowned, "Why are you so stubborn? Can you behave normally like the other Eighth Princes?"
Baishui said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, I can't."
Sitting around the big round table were the five men from Tanzang, and Saja's ten family members.
After Saja introduced his family to the five Tanzanies, the people began eating.
Saja asked, "So, what exactly are the seven are you here for?"
Yul knows that no matter what happens from now on, he wants to get into Magior City and find the key to No Man's Land. Yul put the bowl of soup on the table and said, "We're going to enter Magior City."
Saja chuckled. "No one knows the way to Magior. Although this village is a descendant of Magior City who survived the war, it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. The true location of Magior City is unknown. My grandfather once told me, many years ago, there were many travelers who also sought the way to Magior, but once they entered the forest, my grandfather never saw them come out."
U-ri asked, "Have you ever met any of these travelers?"
Saja said, "Umm… let me recall." He took a puff from his bamboo pipe and paused for a moment. "The last travelers I saw were about thirty years ago. Like my grandfather told me before. We told them we didn't know the way to Magior City, so they rested for the night. The next morning, they walked into the back mountain forest. Presumably, they must all be dead, because they have never appeared since they entered the back forest."
Abrafo asked, "Did no one follow them into the back mountain?"
Saja said, "Our ancestors told us never to enter the back mountain. The ancient legend says that there is a warrior god guarding the gate of the city. He will kill anyone who walks into Magior City, if that person is not a warrior of Magior."
U-ri has already written everything Saya told them. "Do you believe that this god has the ability to judge who is Magior warrior and who is not?"
"I told you what others told me, so I'm not sure about the accuracy," Saja said.
Yul asked, "So, you're saying, what you heard was just rumors?"
Saja said, "Although it is a rumor, the decision you make may have a great impact on you."
Yul said, "We made our decision when we left our kingdom."
Saja sighed and said, "In this case, there is no reason or words to persuade you not to enter the back forest." He looked at the men at the same table as him. "Tomorrow, I will take you to the road that will lead you to Magior City."
U-ri said, "So, you know the way to Magior City."
Saja nodded. "I can only point you in the right direction, but I will not take part in the journey to Magior City."
Yul said, "Thank you very much. We appreciate your help."
The young lady started walking around the table, placing a bowl in front of each man, and the women started pouring a very sweet crumbly sticky white liquid, almost like broth, into the bowl.
Michio picked up the bowl and examined it. "What is this thick white thing," he asked, looking at Saja.
Saja said, "It's goat's milk fermented with rice wine. It's a bit sour, but the aftertaste is sweet. You can't drink too much..."
Abrafo asked, "How come?"
Saja said with a smile, "It'll get you drunk."
Yul said, "Then let's not drink too much." He looked at the other four men.
Saja smiled and picked up his bowl. "You don't have to drink too much, just a sip. It's a drink we only drink when we welcome guests," he said.
U-ri knows that different cultures have different customs. In order not to be rude in front of their host and show that they are men with manners, U-ri picked up his bowl and said, "Since I can get drunk, I'll drink up a bowl to show our gratitude to you." He raised his bowl. "To our host, thank you for your hospitality."
While everyone is drinking their bowls of fermented goat rice wine, Yul just touches the wine with his lips and pretends to drink it. Yul knew from experience that although their host Saja had a good heart, he didn't want to take any chances.
Hajime put down the bowl and said, "This wine tastes bitter and sour, but it comes with a very sweet taste. This taste is much more enjoyable than margaritas or sex on the beach." He drank again. "This tastes a bit like a tequila sour chase by paloma. I like it better than any cocktail I've had before." He takes another sip.
Abrafo asked, "Cocktail? What's a cocktail?"
Hajime said, "Mixed drinks." He suddenly realized that he had said something he shouldn't have said. he laughed. "I'm not sure what I'm talking about... I think I'm drunk."
Although Hajime's drinking capacity is not the best, he will not get drunk after taking three sips of any pure wine, but he is a bit top-heavy, and his eyes can no longer be opened. He rubbed his eyes twice, but the scene in front of him was already blurred.
Hajime grabbed Yul's thigh and said, "I think I'm really drunk." He squinted his eyes again, shook his head, and turned to look at Yul, only to see that Yul had also passed out. He tried three times to push himself up, but he was drained and there was no strength left. He finally decided to put his head on the table. He looked to the left to see that Abrafo, U-ri, and Michio had also passed out. He turns his head towards Yul, his upper eyelid slowly covering his iris. He reaches for Yul's face and mutters, "Yul…"
Saja stared at the five people whose heads were hanging on the edge of the table and on the floor and passed out. He sighed, and said, "I persuaded you not to enter Magior City. I have warned you that the decisions you make may have a great impact on you." He picked up the wine bowl and continued to drink.