After some time of rest, bustling sounds of horses and other sounds spread from the direction, behind the house. A wide gate into the backyard opened and a few carriages came inside. Leading them was Zigmund, who was checking and talking to the people of the caravan.
Accompanying him were one chubby, middle-aged horseman and one old lady who rode a horse as well.
Zigmund immediately noticed Allan, who sat under the biggest tree in the backyard. It was his favored spot since coming here. There was also a Sarey who was sitting by a side of the house with her chin resting in her hands.
“Well then, thank you for your work, Rengiward, and lady Roes. You can manage your goods in the warehouse in that building. The heaviest stuff will go there, with some lighter stuff which you can keep beside the building. I don't think I have enough space for everything, but that will be managed by ourselves in the future.”
“Of course, As you wish sir Zigmund.” Chubby-looking Rengiward said with a polite smile. Old lady Roes left without changing her expression to the back of the caravan.
“Hey! Both of you, there is some work to do. This is for you, so help out as well.” Zigmund shouted at the two in the courtyard.
“Are you asking your daughter to move out the heavy metals, as well as the blind boy? Do you have no shame?” Sarey said sarcastically.
“Fine, fine. I was joking.”
“I am fine with it,” Allan said calmly as he moved forward. He walked and smoothly moved into the back of the cart. He grabbed the wooden box, which he assumed to be some forging equipment.
“I will need someone to tell me where to take it.”
Zigmund was slightly taken aback before he told Surrey to at least help Allan with his clumsy method of helping out.
Allan moved with the instruction and help of many other people around him. There was a whole team under Roes's supervision to take care of all the necessary equipment and purchases according to the logistics. It was her responsibility to take care of it from a logistical standpoint.
After almost two hours, all carts were empty. The heaviest part was the furnace itself, which needed at least 12 people to move it out of it and another 4 to get it inside the building. Fortunately, merchants had plenty of manpower to do it, and since they primarily used the building for the horses. There was plenty of room for it as well.
Chubby-looking Rengiward moved closer to Zigmund.
“It is my pleasure to make business with you. If there is anything that you will need, you can always ask the Rengiward Merchant's company for anything you desire. Hohohoho” He laughed smugly.
“Sure. Sure. Sarey? How did your business go?” He asked without glancing at the merchant.
“I've got it.”
“You already purchased it? Impressive.” Zigmund said with some surprise on his face.
“No need for anything right now, Rengiward. I can always expect great work from you, so if it will be enough, there is nothing else..”
“Hohoho. Of course, it is enough, I am pleased with any kind of huge deal. Thank you for your kind words. If there is nothing else, I will be going back. See you around at another time if there is gonna be a chance.” Reward said with a small bow and with some difficulties, got back into his horse.
They all left with little fuss and glances for the reasons for such purchases. Professionality, as well as deals that went for them, were tightly protected and confined by Zigmun'ds request.
“So? Is it up to your standards?” Zigmund asked in a direction of Allan, who was checking some stuff with his hands.
“Plenty. It must have been very expensive. I am very grateful for this. Can I get a list of everything there is? I will need some time before I will know where everything is.”
“Whatever, Sarey will manage it well, won't she? I think I will have some work as well?” Zigmund said meaningfully.
“I will help him when there is a need for it.” She said with some difficulties while figuring out his meaning. It forced another ordeal upon her. Having a father like this was sometimes good, other times bad. She couldn't help but be silent about him being Allan's combat instructor.
Allan spent quite a long time going from one place to another. Zigmund specifically made special open boxes with each ore, ingots, and other materials so he could get a better understanding of them. It was also important for the whole process to not be messy for a blind person. Sarey helped whenever Allan was lost with his touch and memory.
Almost every metal was something he held in his hand hundreds of times before, so he was familiar with them, even without his eyes. While he found some materials he was unfamiliar with, he would question them later on.
But, there was one thing that was missing after all. After asking Sarey, it was clear that there were no sharpening stations as in Clayton's shop.
It would be immense help him for him. He knew it all too well from the live-long use of what he learned since he was little in Clayton's shop. He had to use regular methods of grinding blades with a sharpening stone and hammering it down to perfection. It was not that awful, per se. It will cost him many more hours of work on each blade.
There were, of course also other things to reconsider. That was the blacksmithing work in itself. He could start the fire just fine. Managing it and working around the prepared materials was easy, too. While he thought about it for the past few days, it would be a better idea and figure out things on his own, at his own pace.
“Hmmm. I will try it out tomorrow. I doubt there could be some big issues. If so, I will work around it. It will be not the first time I had to work in heavy conditions. But without eyes... huh...” Allan muttered as he examined the furnace itself.
It was very similar to the one he was used to. Hammer and anvil were prepared, too. Everything seemed as if he remembered. It felt very unnatural to be in such an unfamiliar yet familiar environment again. The smell of metal, wood, charcoal, and earthly ores filled his mind. It calmed him down even more to the point where he sat in front of the furnace for a nap.
“What are you thinking about?” a voice suddenly spoke into his ear.
“Huh? Oh, Sarey. I completely forgot about you.” Her sweet voice woke Allan up.
“And? Not like it is the first time you act like this.”
“I am remembering a lot at this moment. It is... nice to be somewhere where I used to be, even if it's a different place.”
“Do you want to go back?”
“Why should I not want to? I just can't... think about it. Not now.”
Sarey was crouching down beside him. Remembering his small past, which was something she did not know all that well. He was like an old broken book. Readable sometimes, but not entirely functional. Sarey recalled Allan's and 36's exchange. It made her somewhat pleased with his past. It was filled with the void after he fell unconscious.
She wondered why he never told about it to her, but on the other hand, was understanding that he was not in a comfortable state of mind.
“I hope you will get better, Allan. There is no point in being negative. If you lost your home to war. Why not make another one?” She asked with good intentions.
“I...know what you are telling me. I am indebted to you. But, before I will meet my father again, and see someone who saved my life numerous times, I will not stop until finding a way home. There must be something, but I lack the strength to do anything for it.”
“You are not of this world...You are almost like a Fallen One.” Sarey sighed and said in a brief moment.
“Fallen One? Who is that?” Allan asked in surprise.
“Your place has no legends? This one is very famous in my place. It is about a man or being who fell from the sky. He filled the air with mountains as he fell down. It formed moons and changed the world from that day. Do you not know about it? I wonder how far are you from your world.” Sarey recalled the story she knew since she was little. Zigmund himself was the speaker of this tale.
“Never heard of it. It sounds like a legend which is not all that exaggerated. Ones from my place are filled with betrayals, endings of numerous kingdoms with some great stories, but nothing so extravagant as this.”
“Tell me more.”
“Are you curious? I feared that you..”
“Stop it. This is just something I want to know about you. Is it something too difficult to ask?” Sarey interrupted him from saying more.
“No. I am way too afraid of the truth.” Allan said with a knot in his throat.
“What truth?”
“I won't be able to reach it...”
Sarey moved closer to him. Touching his shoulders and grabbing his face with both of her palms.
“Can you feel this?” She asked as she pushed his face inwards.
“Yes...” Allan replied with a squished face.
“My mother used to do this when I was young. It is a brief memory of what she left behind. I never felt her more than this. Then she disappeared or left. I have never seen her since. ”
Allan remained silent with his weird-looking face.
“There is hardly any good in the world. The only thing that we can do, is to make them ourselves. Do you believe in yourself or others more?” She asked in seriousness.
“I believe in you,” Allan said with some difficulty between her palms.
“Me? You should be more concerned about yourself.”
“I will manage...What choice do I have?”
“Alright. This is only something I was curious about myself. If you feel like sharing some thoughts together, you can share them with me.” Sarey said as she retracted her hands away.
“Truth is not tough or painful. It is always honest.”
“You speak nothing like your sounds.”
“Hmmm. I guess that may be the truth. I had an old teacher. Sorry for bothering you.” She got up to her feet in a move to walk away. Before she realized it, Allan's hand stopped her's.
“My father was a rather stern and serious man. I am a lot like him. At least I look up to him a lot. There is a lot I have in mind when it comes to my family. I never had a mother, but I was never lonely. Growing up in a big city was nice and lively. What is your perspective about this is not wrong. My mind is ins shambles while figuring out the current time is much harder for me than you think. ”
“You never told me your surname.” Sarey suddenly asked.
“I don't have one.”
“You don't have one? What?” Sarey asked in confusion.
“Umm...Where I am from. There are a lot of people like me, without a second name. Refugees, people with abandoned families, traitors, people who are running from their past, and so on. I grew up without one, so I don't have it. I am simply Allan.”
“How unfortunate. My name is Sarey. Sarey Moon.” She said with a bright smile as she looked at Allan.
“That is a very pretty name.”
“It is my mother's. Father took her name after her disappearance. I quite like it as well.”
Both of them fell into the silence. Both with different feelings and thoughts.
“Alright, there is no point in sitting there like this. I told you about some surprises, so why not give it a try? I believe It will be very important and helpful to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You will see, even if you don't...” Surrey grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
“You are heavier than before. Do I feed you too much?”
“Well, sorry for being a healthy young man.”
“Whatever, make sure you remember my words. I mean it.”
“I will.” Allan pushed himself from the ground while questioning himself what this fox of a girl have in mind when she talked about this yesterday.