The waves gently lap at the thick pier pillars. Looking down from the flat wooden boards that are several centimeters thick at the feet, even on a sunny day, there is still a dark blue and invisible bottom of the sea, which always makes people feel a sense of wonder. The fear of the abyss.
It seems as if a terrifying behemoth will emerge from there at any time and drag you into the sea, away from the light.
The contrast is so stark. There are bustling crowds on the shore, sunshine, the chirping of seagulls and people's laughter. But once you look down, you will see the eternal and silent sea.
It has been watching the ups and downs of this world since hundreds of millions of years ago, and countless creatures have come and gone. And if we compare the history of the sea to a Raman-style precision clock, on this huge clock where 60 seconds is one minute, 15 minutes is one quarter, and 8 quarters is one day, counting from the time of Morbigas, Human history barely lasts half a second.
Taking this fact as an extension, it is not difficult to understand why so many philosophers often come to the conclusion that "human beings' seemingly brilliant and glorious civilization is just a fleeting smoke" after meditating on history.
Compared with the huge world we live in, both humans themselves and human creations are so small and fragile.
But it is precisely because of this that, in the enviable words of the elves, "It is precisely because of their short lifespan that humans live a wonderful and emotionally rich life."
So what if it was just a fleeting moment, laughing and rejoicing, crying and hoarse.
Those so-called philosophers and scholars were able to have time to "precipitate life and meditate on life" to say those words precisely because they had enough food and clothing. As for the remaining sentient beings who they regard as ignorant, they have spent most of their time just trying to support themselves, and there is nowhere left to think about bigger things.
This way of living can be summarized in a Ramanian tone as "foolish people are blessed". There are different opinions on which is better and worse than the lifestyle of philosophers and scholars. All in all, when Henry and his group of nearly twenty people walked along the long walkway extending out of Port Parnilla, walking from the thick wooden trestle to the flat white stone road, almost everyone except the sage People's feelings can be summed up in four words: "at a loss".
Crowds of people.
Before this, the team members had never seen so many people in one city at the same time.
Even though Ashenil, the commercial center of Avenella, claims to have a population of 600,000, more than 99% of the population actually lives in various surrounding towns and villages. Even Prosper, the largest city on the west coast that Sivalier is proud of, has a population of no more than 30,000 at its full capacity.
I'm used to the relatively deserted streets of the west coast city-state; I'm used to the wet dirt roads filled with garbage and urine dumped by others; I'm used to the low city gate workshops that smell of dampness and various unpleasant smells; I'm used to it. A peasant mercenary who rarely takes a shower for ten days and a half in rags.
When a group of them arrived at Parnilla and walked a few steps forward to blend in with the crowd, a feeling of being out of place was immediately felt. Among the people accompanying Ming Na as the envoy was a young maid. She seemed to feel a little embarrassed and inferior to this scene, and subconsciously grabbed her arm to dodge.
This is different after all, Mira thought.
The Siwaliya people proclaim their power everywhere, gilding themselves all the time, and always trying to regard themselves as the inheritors of Lamani culture on the west coast. But that kind of publicity is the pride of the nouveau riche - after all, what they learned was only the surface of Lamani culture, which is different from the real history that has been integrated into the people's minds and bodies through thousands of years of cultural precipitation.
Just like a pot of old wine, like a veteran of many battles. As the years go by, the sharp and piercing part gradually sinks to the bottom, and it becomes more and more mellow and restrained - but this is not from the embarrassment of inferiority like Ming Na's little maid, this is from extreme self-confidence. prove. With just a slight stir, the aroma of old wine that is far superior to new wine will fill your mouth and nose; with just a little probing, the terrifying edge accumulated over the years will be revealed.
Unlike the Sivalliers, Prosper needs to show off everywhere and try to prove it to everyone.
Parnilla's mere presence here is enough to inspire awe.
They walked forward gradually, feeling bewildered not only by the people here but also by the overly wide street. People who have long been accustomed to the order here naturally walk on the right without any instructions, while some people who are not used to this huge flow of people will be separated from their companions if they are not careful.
People's clothes were all different, and their words were very different. The little maid who was a little embarrassed because of her clothes and knowledge now relaxed her hands and feet, because she suddenly realized that there were as many as 100 people on this street. In a huge city with thousands of people.
No one at all.
Will care about them.
Except for Henry, who was taller than ordinary people, they didn't even attract any attention from the locals and travelers who were used to seeing people coming and going when they walked past.
"Let's find a hotel to tidy up first, and then think about what to do next." Henry turned around and said to everyone. The sun was too bright, and the roofs of the Lamanites were mostly colored in bright red and orange. The Lord is even more dazzling in its light. Although it is already January, the weather here is only slightly cooler because the latitude of Parnilla is almost the same as that of Avenella.
On an extremely sunny day like today, in a place inside the city far away from the cold wind at high altitudes, just wearing a short-sleeved shirt is enough.
The sun shone warmly on my body, and although the salty sea breeze made my body feel a little sticky, my mood was still very comfortable and cheerful.
It was still around ten o'clock in the morning, but people at the beach were always used to getting up early, and they had already been busy for several hours. Most of the fishing boats have returned with full loads, and fresh fish and shrimps are carried ashore in wooden barrels. Seeing as it was still early, the fishermen wanted to go out and cast their nets again to catch the fish again.
The sky is clear blue, with only a few clouds floating sparsely in the distance. Walking forward along the crowd on the right, a sign made of black iron made a gentle "squeaking" sound in the breeze, with "Hotel" written in cursive Lamani script.
The three-story hotel is mainly made of stone frames with wooden panels. The city of Parnilla is backed by mountains. Although this mountain range at the end of the Palohia Plateau is not high in altitude, it is rich in iron ore and stone, so the local area There are countless excellent blacksmiths, and even the signboards are mostly made of iron. This is an unimaginable luxury on the poor West Coast.
The black surface is treated to prevent rust. Polishing it in a place like a seaside port may make your sign dazzling in a short time to attract passers-by, but it will soon be damaged by the strong marine climate. The bottom became rusty.
A group of about twenty people approached the hotel. The hotels in Parnilla are very unique, perhaps because most of the passers-by smell like fish or sweat. They are not as dark and closed as the West Coast ones, and they rely on scented candles to try to relax. To dispel the smell - which often makes the smell mixed with weird cheap scents even more unbearable - open the door and use the sea breeze to naturally disperse the smell and keep the air fresh.
The styles of the front and rear sections of a typical Parnilla hotel on the first floor are completely different. The kitchen and warehouse in the rear half are located in a solid stone structure, while the canteen and passenger rest area in the front half are supported by stone pillars. The next three walls are huge folding wooden trap doors.
This type of folding door full of oriental style is much thinner and lighter than the style on the West Coast. In addition to the factor of removing odor, the latitude of Parnilla is also the reason for taking this measure.
In midsummer, you can often see sailors and mercenaries with their sleeves and trouser legs rolled up sitting on the well-ventilated outside, feasting on bowls of cold noodles.
The difference in local customs and customs is nothing more than this.
"Five rooms." Henry and the others brought a lot of money with them on this trip. As a small country in Avenella, the purchasing power of gold coins on the west coast is still barely there. Businessmen on the east coast basically don't know how to buy it. Willing to charge. Therefore, before setting off, they exchanged a lot of Ella gold coins, which are more widely circulated. However, according to the advice of their fellow southern merchants, they had better go to a trustworthy local person to exchange them for Padrosi's Sekesiyo later. Tokens are better.
After all, the Padrosi Empire is a large country with far-reaching influence. The main coastal areas are busier with transactions. When you go to a slightly inland or rural area, the value of an Ella gold coin can only be It depends on what the other person wants.
"Five rooms, okay, would you like to have something to eat? Although it's a bit early now, if you finish your lunch early, you can take advantage of the lack of crowds to take a look around here. Parnilla is the pride of our empire. Customers, please take a good look." The waiter, who was slightly shorter than Miradus, obviously thought Henry was from the East Coast. He introduced him cordially with the enthusiasm and familiarity unique to port merchants, and the sage did not Without denying this, he nodded, and then looked at the wooden menu board hanging on the wall behind.
"Then let's have some noodles and a few bottles of wine." Since he is the most proficient in Lamani, Henry is naturally the default external negotiator in the team. He said this calmly, and the waiter nodded again with a professional smile: "Okay, this season we only have some low-alcohol fruit wine, do you like it?"
"Well, it doesn't matter. The only people who get themselves drunk early in the morning are lovelorn men -" "And the mountain dwarves." The waiter in the shop finished the Laman slang with a smile, and after the negotiation, the group headed towards Walk towards the south. At this time, another side of the Lamanites also emerged to some extent. Although people engaged in business and service industries were always smiling and looking very enthusiastic, when Henry and the others, more than twenty people of all kinds, were obviously people from other places, they moved towards When walking here, many local citizens of Parnilla with black hair, medium build and wearing regular clothes moved their seats and went to sit at other tables.
Mira noticed this, as did the rest of the team. The impulsive prairie princess Muna wrinkled her little eyebrows and wanted to go over and ask the other party if they were looking down on them. Fortunately, Muhammad, who was accompanying him, stopped her with his big hand. The petite girl shouted in Sumu language that she was going to teach those guys a lesson, while the prairie warrior patiently dissuaded her. This was not a prairie where violence could be easily used.
Muna's noisy movements made more Parnilla people frown. They did not leave, but silently distanced themselves.
"It's so xenophobic." Although they maintained politeness and did not curse or ridicule, the silence and the sense of distance that seemed to be unbreakable became clear to them less than half an hour after getting off the ship. Mira frowned and said this, while Henry leaned the big sword wrapped in oilcloth against the edge of the wooden table, and then sat down first.
"It's no wonder they are. After all, people generally like to stay with people who have the same cultural background and a common language." Others also came over and sat next to the table. Parnilla's standard length The table can seat ten people, with four people facing each other and two sitting at each end. Therefore, everyone sat at two tables, and there seemed to be an invisible wall of air around them. Those Parnilla people who had been sitting idle in the hotel drinking since the morning all distanced themselves and sat somewhere else.
"Have a rest for a while and go up and tidy up your things." The sage said. There were pottery cups and huge kettles on the tables on the first floor of the hotel. This fresh water was provided free of charge. Mira felt a little thirsty due to seasickness. She picked up the cup as soon as she sat down. Although it seemed that no one had used it, the white-haired girl still wanted to rinse it with cold water in the pot, but Henry patted her The little hand pointed to somewhere on the southern periphery of the hotel.
"Go over there and rush." He said this, and Mira, who followed Henry's words and walked over with a pottery cup, saw an ornament-like thing fixed on the wall and connected to a copper pipe.
"That's a faucet, connected to the water source. Turn the switch on it and water will flow out." He said this, and Mingna next to him got up from the chair with a "pop" and then quickly Run over and stare at it.
The two girls stared at the faucet in a daze for a while like ignorant country bumpkins. It was not until Mingna came back after rinsing that she still thought about it: "Although I have read it in the book, there is no picture to explain it, so it is still hard to imagine. .....”
"After all, it has thousands of years of history. The Lamanites' use of water resources and all the details are worth savoring." Henry shrugged: "This city and this country are eye-opening."
"There are many, many more," he said.
