The festival will last for six or seven days. After the first bustle that lasted until two or three in the morning ended, many people left early the next morning.
Most of the tents that had been set up for less than ten hours had also been removed. Except for a few lazy people who were still sleeping after a good drink, most of the artists were already on their way, preparing to take seats early to continue the activities of the next day. perform and earn money.
But one day and one night of glory. Before the first ray of golden light shone in the morning, there were only dense footprints on the dirt and clogs left by an unknown person, reminding those who stayed that everything was not a dream.
After the performers left early in the morning and left late at night, the second group to set off was the team from the neighboring village carrying the mikoshi. But not everyone would leave early in the morning. Most of the tourists who came to watch and participate had so much fun that they slept until almost noon. Many of the vendors who were eyeing these people's wallets naturally stopped for the time being. Come down.
Most of these people are craftsmen selling small handicrafts, and a few are food stalls that failed to sell all the food last night and are reheating the food and selling it at half price.
Although they attend the festival every year, these people actually don't care about the festival itself. Many of these hawkers really hope that they can sell out all the things they brought in the first two days, exchange them for silver, and return to their hometown.
It is true that the festival will move all the way to bigger cities in the future. The larger the town, the more potential sellers will naturally be there, but the competition in that kind of place will also increase accordingly.
People should always act within their capabilities, and only by being self-aware can life be easier. Most of these vendors know that they cannot compete with larger merchants, so they only focus on smaller festivals in the first day or two. Unless you can't sell out all the items within these two days, you won't continue to follow the big army, because it will only become harder to sell as you go further.
There were about two hundred people left behind. In addition to the traders who brought their own tents or stayed in private houses, some of the travelers stayed in hotels like Henry and the other three, while others stayed in farmers' woodsheds for cheap. Inside.
It was past midnight last night to attend the festival, but the three of them didn't sleep too late because they still had a lot of things to do.
After getting up early, the three of them packed their newly purchased luggage: each of them bought two sets of local men's clothing, including inside and outside. Even Mira and Sakura are like this. The oiran wrapped up her original damaged long skirt and found a place to throw it away without any regrets. However, some hair accessories and the like were left behind, and she received them in the small bag.
After that, they also bought a rattan backpack, which was similar to the one they bought for Galeva in Suomir. It was just that the size commonly used by humans looked a little pitifully small when carried on the sage's back, and it was so funny. The Luoan girl laughed for a long time. Some of the original items with a strong Rigal style were placed in the backpacks, while the two ladies with weak load-bearing capacity wrapped their belongings in cloth and carried them as luggage.
The cloak can still be used, but in addition, they also bought three bamboo hats to wear on their heads to cover their heads as much as possible. Because masks can only be used for a limited time, wearing a mask outside of festivals is more eye-catching. Most travelers will carry a hat with black paint to prevent rain. They will need to go to many places later, so being unobtrusive is a very important code of conduct.
This kind of caution is actually a bit exaggerated. Even though he has a unique foreign face and a tall figure, the locals don't actually care too much. Everyone is the same everywhere. They are always busy living their own lives. There are very few people who come and go every day and have the leisure to pay attention to the strangers who glance at them. Even if the appearance is very unique, at most it will just take a few more glances to increase the conversation when you get home, and then it will pass after a while.
And fundamentally speaking, Crescent Continent is a vast continent, and even among Japanese people, there are still people with high noses, big eyes, or extraordinary height. In addition, compared with the local people, most of the Yi people have faces that are closer to the Rigar race.
The Yi people can move freely within the Moon Kingdom. Although the government will ask them to surrender, it is not to the extent that they must be exterminated when they meet. In fact, most of the persecution of ethnic minorities is caused by local officials taking excessive enforcement measures, and Xinjing itself does not have this intention.
They just hope that these people can prove that they are safe and sound, and they have no intention of killing them all.
Of course, this does not mean that Xinjing would care if he knew about it. A peacemaker is a peacemaker after all. Even if his methods are biased, Xinjing can at most just send a light letter to scold him.
To sum up, based on this background, the reason why the sage and his party wanted to cover up their appearance was not to protect civilians to a large extent, but to prevent the rebel raiders who might still exist. After all, they didn't know how far they were from Swamp Village, and whether anyone was still planning to search for revenge.
And the information about this was what they had to get up early in the morning to solve.
No matter which country or continent you are in, traveling merchants are always the most well-informed people. If the lord of a certain place likes archery, then he can bring a batch of good bows and arrows to him; if the farmers of a certain place lack iron tools for farming, then he can buy these from the craftsmen and ship them to them. If you know what people need, you can sell the things you have on hand and turn them into money to continue living. They make a living from this. People who are not well-informed will be eliminated by the industry early on. This is the foundation of this industry.
Therefore, if you want to inquire about all kinds of information and find suitable vendors, it is naturally the best choice.
Sakura took charge of this task and was solved without any suspense.
As the oiran of the former swamp village, she is more than just a pretty face. Speech skills are very important in the social world of any country, especially in a place with strict class concepts like the Moon Country. Even if she lost the wealth and status she had worked hard for, she was still the woman who had the ability to climb to the second position in Swamp Village.
Henry may be a sage, and our Luoan girls also have excellent learning abilities, but after all, they are not local aborigines who grew up here.
No matter how standard the pronunciation of the sage's Moon Country language is, others will find it very rigid and stiff as soon as you speak it. Because what he studied was the Japanese language spoken more than a hundred years ago, many vocabulary words have been abandoned over time, not to mention the dialects of local people in the north and many slang words.
Without the help of Oiran, many things they faced would not be as smooth as they are now.
The so-called strong dragon does not suppress the local snake, a similar concept has been repeated countless times, and this is one of the reasons why the sage agreed to return to save Sakura.
It is because she has value and can be mutually beneficial.
Henry understands this, Mira understands this, Aya who made this request in the first place understands this, and even Sakura herself understands this.
Saving people does not necessarily have to be a great feat of pure kindness without any intention of receiving anything in return. In fact, from the perspective of the three people who have experienced many incidents, if such a person really exists, then they will doubt whether it is a demon or a monster in disguise. Not asking for any apparent reward, just to get his own soul later.
A simple and clear community of interests is the most relaxing. Mutual help and mutual benefit, everyone plays to their strengths and shows what abilities they have, and makes a living together as a group.
In fact, this was more beneficial to Sakura than just sympathy.
Having lost everything, the last thing she needs is someone to jump out and show mercy at this time. Sympathy is the cheapest human emotion. It is often expressed through the mouth of someone who has nothing to do with it and has no understanding of the matter at all. It even appears in the form of words that have the effect of rubbing salt into a wound. As a proud and arrogant former courtesan, if Sakura was treated like this, she might rather die.
"You still have value, let's use each other."
This kind of statement may sound too cold and callous to the ears of a good person who considers herself to be sympathetic to her, but it is actually what she really wants to hear.
The reason why Aya wanted Henry and Mira to rescue Sakura was because even though this Kazuto woman lived in a way of being dependent on men that the Doctor didn't want to see, she was actually using her own way to be independent and self-reliant.
After all, they are the same kind of people.
Mixed in the strict hierarchical society of the Moon Country, companions who are struggling to survive in ways that are different but actually overlap more than both sides are willing to admit.
"The news that the village was burned down has spread. But many people here feel that it is a den of thieves and they deserve to be burned down. Instead, they feel happy." As the former leader of the swamp village, Sakura was retelling her story When he heard the news, his expression was a bit dumbfounded: "Although many people know that low-priced items go to Swamp Village, they don't feel that they are doing anything bad when they go there to buy things they know are stolen goods. But it turns out to be a tree. Are you going to scatter the hozen?"
"Now people are starting to say in hindsight that they are all adulterers, male thieves and female prostitutes, and they deserve to die."
"So how far away is it?" Mira asked Sakura.
"It's about two days' journey. The news was spread by people who escaped on the waterway and took a speedboat." The oiran stroked his messy hair, and then froze, as if he still hadn't gotten used to the fact that his hair had become short, and then Sighing: "Although the eldest son of the Kaga family is a bit stupid, the family above is not stupid."
"They just used the name of suppressing bandits in Xinjing to fool them, and the higher-ups seem to be planning to buy it. After all, we are all well-connected Chinese, and what we say within our own social circle is more credible than rumors from outside. It's a lot." After Sakura finished speaking, Henry frowned: "What about the armor?"
The sage's focus was as sharp as ever. When Aya first met the red-armored warriors, she knew they were rebels as soon as she saw the armor. And the soldiers brought directly by the eldest son of the Kaga family were all wearing red. Armor, as long as someone mentions this matter, it can obviously become a point of leakage of the rebels' plan.
"It was fooled by the night and the firelight. Besides, who are the people living in the village?" Sakura shrugged.
"Male thieves and female prostitutes." Mira repeated the newly learned vocabulary.
"So, the credibility of words is not high." Sakura sighed with mixed emotions.
"After all, why are they so obsessed with color? I've seen a lot of people wearing red armor along the way, and it has to be customized, right? With this quantity, if the craftsmen or witnesses leak the information, wouldn't it affect the plan? "?" And the Luoan girl once again questioned a point that had always been difficult to understand.
"It's ritualistic and righteous. In this country, even if you want to launch a rebellion, you must strictly follow the rules. If they don't follow the rules, even if they overthrow the royal family, the wealthy family and the people will not recognize it." The one who answered her once was the sage. The oiran glanced at Henry because of his knowledge of the Moon Kingdom system, but kept the words in his heart as always.
"Anyway, this is something I know. Then I bought a map for 10 copper coins and looked at it. The nearest town by the water is here, Qingzhi Town. It must be merged with other people, right? That little girl from Dr. Xingyong and that group of people." Sakura took out a map made of paper, while the Luoan girl couldn't help but say "so cheap".
The popularity of knowledge in the Moon Country and the abundance of paper and pens make the price of books and other information carriers in this country very low compared to Rigar.
"Then let's hit the road." After sorting out the information and re-confirming the target, the three of them put on the newly purchased breathable straw sandals and walked onto the country road.
But not far out, they stopped again.
"We should have already refused." Henry sighed and turned around: "Sir Soujiro."
"Hey, but I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily." The strong man, who was clearly prepared, was wearing a travel uniform and carrying supplies on his back, but there was no follower around him.
"What's the matter? Isn't it possible that I can't just go with you all?" The Swamp Tiger grinned.
"I've convinced you." Sakura turned her head and didn't look at him.
