«Thank you for the ride, old man.» Herega said, throwing a coin at him as a thank-you.
Considering his age, he had good reflexes. He took the Crest and stuffed it.
«Good luck with your adventure.» The elder replied.
Then he turned directly towards Herega.
«Don't make rash decisions. Always think about what you are doing.»
«Sure.» The young man answered as he turned around.
Then, they abandoned the old man and with him Triosa.
♦️
They came out of the port, noticing that there was no one. Climbing up from the wooden walkway, they arrived in a long avenue, parallel to the ocean, a few meters higher than its water. The ground was replaced by a thin marble slab, next to some small market and tavern. They left the ocean behind, and headed for the center of Elandria. The road led them to a large village, in which the white color and the brightness of its shade stood out. The alleys were narrow and adorned with small stairways. It was a very clean area and many inhabitants began to be seen by the three. The owners of their respective premises, above all, stood out, asking each passerby to come in and take a look or stop for a meal. There was a good smell of fish, or sea in general. People were shouting to talk to others in the house opposite their, only the length of the alley away. Long thin wires passed between the houses, to which were hung sheets and flags of the nation. Unusually, in the middle of the village, there were also parks, where the green of the grass shone with the brightness of the sun's rays. The three of them sat down on a bench, taking a brief and looking at the situation.
«The island of Triosa was quite small. It took us little to find what we were looking for. Elandria is a whole nation...» Eavelin thought.
Herega began to reflect, thinking about how the situation could evolve. Ren looked at the red-haired youth, waiting for him to have one of his usual intuitions that had always proved right.
«It's hard to think on an empty stomach. Let's go get something to eat first.» Herega said, getting up from the bench. The girls followed him. They stopped at the first tavern they found. They all looked alike, so they didn't bother to pick one in particular. While they were eating, Herega opened his backpack; taking the book, he put it on the table, opening it on the map of the continent, looking at it carefully.
«Are we precisely on the x marked on the map?» Ren asked with his mouth still full.
«No, but we don't know where we are now. Even if we wanted to go, we wouldn't know how.» Herega answered by drinking some of the water in his glass.
«If you remember, however, the first x on the map marked precisely the island of Triosa. We didn't pay attention to it but, probably, it marked the island of thieves. If we could find out our current position, we could reach it. However, we would have no other way to go.» Eavelin added.
The other two thought well of her words. Infact, he was right, at least, that it was the only way they could go at the moment. After eating, they asked many locals if they knew where the village was on the map. In few knew to answer and the majority of respondents indicated different parts, some even far from the coast. So they excluded it. There were only thirty-three people able to answer, and only twenty-two indicated places actually possible. Ten of them, a few millimetres away, pointed to the same point. They decided that they would start from there. They were, it seemed, in the north of the country. They then began to head south, as they approached the destination, the more artificial structures began to diminish until the area became completely natural. Tall trees barely let the sun's rays pass through. Paths of barren earth led the passage of people. Large plants emitted strong odors in the air. Only a few wooden houses, also covered with foliage, were able to alter the natural charm.
«How far away?» Ren asked, noticing that the path was getting longer.
«According to the indications of those people... A few kilometers.» Herega answered by looking once more at the map. They continued walking for almost an hour. As they approached the x, they saw more and more houses and public facilities. It was probably another village, but it was different from the other. It seemed that, here, the humans had only built houses, without then creating roads, parks and alleys, as if nature had taken over. To those who looked a few hundred meters from their destination, they saw a gigantic tower emerge from the trees, at whose base there was a large lake. Herega began to move quickly, and so did the others. They witnessed a spectacular view. The trees no longer obscured the view. The tower, in all its majesty, offered a great feeling of solemnity. They approached, until they reached its base. Many people were noticed. Most of them were in a line in front of a tent on the right side of the tower. To his left, however, there was another. In front, instead, between the long space interposed to the tents, there was a man with a bell that shouted:
«The treasure of demons is not worth as much as the treasure of your life!»
But no one seemed to listen. The three youths became curious and, first, Herega approached the man.
«Why are you shouting like that?» He asked, stopping his hand shaking the doorbell.
«Do you really not know the tower of demons?» He shouted in his face, scared.
Herega shook his head and moved away a little.
«You will get a treasure by defeating the King, but you will die first!» He shouted again.
They went completely away.
«Maybe we should ask someone who is not out of his mind.» Herega whispered.
They looked around. Of all the people who seemed interested in the tower, and the screamer with the bell, only one man was not in line.