Port of Behrens, the northernmost port of West Balam.
The overly hot sun shone on the entire port and the surrounding neighborhoods. There were puddles of mud left for unknown reasons on the somewhat messy streets, which had not been dried by the almost direct sun. Of course, excessive relative humidity must also play a role.
Agnes held the suitcase in one hand, took off her long leather jacket and put it on her other arm.
The long-sleeved off-white mercerized fine woven shirt and black slim-fitting trousers still look neat on her body. She looks completely different from the sweaty pedestrians on the street, attracting a lot of people's attention.
Most people looked away numbly when they saw her appearance with obvious northern continental characteristics, while a small number of people cast a vague look of hatred at Agnes.
"You are too conspicuous." The girl following Agnes said to Agnes.
"Maybe," Agnes shrugged and laughed, "but I have to be more conspicuous for the time being."
She glanced at the girl following her and said in a teasing tone: "Want to find a place to change clothes?"
"That's not necessary," the girl behind her said softly, "You should have something else to do."
"It's not that urgent." Agnes raised her hand to block the too strong light and squinted her eyes slightly. "There is still time to find a hotel to rest."
The girl said nothing and watched Agnes reach out to stop a carriage.
"Do you have any hotel recommendations?" Agnes asked the coachman in fluent Tutanese.
The coachman, who had dark brown skin, messy black hair and softer contours, opened his eyes wide after Agnes spoke, and then nodded hurriedly.
"Of course, of course, miss," the coachman answered Agnes's question very quickly, "out of the pier, there is a hotel run by Intis people. It is not high-end, but it is also clean. If you are not in a hurry If so, the people from Intis, Loen, Fusac and Feneport over the square opened it..."
Agnes smiled and raised her hand to signal the coachman to stop speaking.
"Is there one near the Church of Mother Earth?" Agnes asked.
"Of course there is." The coachman nodded quickly.
"Then let's find a church at the Mother Earth Church." Agnes said casually.
"Okay, miss!" The coachman responded to Agnes's request neatly, and diligently helped Agnes and the girl who was following Agnes put their suitcases on the carriage, and sat down before Agnes and the girl sat down. After that, he carefully waved his riding crop.
The carriage rumbled down the brick-paved streets.
Agnes looked at the untidy streets around her with some curiosity. The houses made of rammed earth were left behind. Double-story buildings of different colors gradually emerged, occasionally mixed with many brick and stone buildings. A house that clearly has the characteristics of the northern continent.
Agnes saw a building painted golden, with an obvious architectural style of the ancient Highland Kingdom, and a rare long wooden window corridor.
"That's the city hall here." The coachman introduced skillfully. He didn't say much more about this unique-looking building.
"Ahead is our central square," the coachman said with a slightly proud tone. "A lot of things have happened here. Legend has it that after the ancient Highland Kingdom defeated the ancient Balam Empire and occupied this area, it moved near the mouth of the Pizarro River and Pas A new city was built at the intersection of the river and the sea.”
"They invested a lot of money to build a big square in the center of the city, and arranged all the municipalities and churches around the square, and then radiated roads around the square..."
Agnes looked at the coachman talking with some surprise, and then glanced at the silent girl beside her.
"Now this square is generally used as a place for executions." The coachman said with some regret.
Agnes looked at the burning crematorium in the center of the square, the crowds gathered on one side, and the people tied to the whipping posts faintly exposed through the gaps between the crowds.
"What crime has he committed?" Agnes asked.
“Who knows?” The coachman sighed, “Maybe it’s a lazy slave, maybe it’s a local who secretly drank the strong liquor of the Intis people, maybe it’s a rebel who was caught... .It makes no difference."
Agnes glanced at the silent girl next to her again, and then withdrew her gaze.
"This is a terrible punishment," she said softly.
The coachman's overly excited conversation seemed to be affected by the scene in the square. The rest of the journey was just a plain and casual introduction of the names of places, until the carriage finally stopped at a hotel across the intersection from the Church of the Mother of God. .
Agnes threw over a large handful of Intis's "coppets" and got out of the car with the girl amidst the driver's surprise thanks.
"We can rest here for an afternoon." Agnes asked the hotel front desk for an hourly room and casually said to the girl following her.
The girl nodded and said nothing.
Agnes pushed open the wooden door, and there was obvious moisture and a dark musty smell.
She casually threw her suitcase on the wooden table on one side and reached out to push open the window on the other side.
"You can take a nap." Agnes sat on the armchair next to the wooden table and opened her suitcase.
The girl didn't speak, she just stood at the door and looked at Agnes with inquiring eyes.
Agnes smiled and raised her hand to her face.
The stretched flesh broke bit by bit, finally revealing the soft and thin facial features underneath, as well as the almost pale skin. His original height, which was about the same as that of an adult woman, quickly shrank, and finally he was about the same height as a teenage girl.
The girl's pupils contracted for a moment, and she made an almost inaudible sound of inhalation. Then she regained her superficial composure under Agnes's slightly joking gaze.
She opened her mouth but said nothing, and finally seemed to give up and remained silent.
"I thought you knew this." There was a little joking in Agnes' words, and her hands slowly stroked the mask in her hands that had regained its original mocking smile.
"Mr. Chester only told me that you...are not much older than me but very powerful." There was a rare hesitation in the girl's words.
"Well," Agnes smiled, "I'm really not much older than you."
She raised her hand to cover her face again with the mask in her hand. The mask with a little hardness melted away little by little under her palm, and then gradually covered her whole body.
The shrunk height grew again visibly to the naked eye, until it was slightly shorter than "Ella". The slightly longer brown hair quickly shortens in length and darkens until it turns into short, messy black hair. The pale skin color darkened visibly to the naked eye, and finally stayed at a bronze color.
Agnes slowly put down the palms covering her face, smiled at the girl who was staring at her motionlessly, and turned to look at the glass window that reflected her face.
What caught her eyes was a boy from the Southern Continent who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, with a delicate face and a thin body. There was a little coldness in his brown eyes.
