The charioteers, who had eaten last night's cooled dinner for breakfast, were harnessing the oxen to the wagons. The merchant was brushing his beard and watching the gathering. Satisfied, the guards exited the cave. They wanted to make sure that the bear was not waiting for the caravan from the outside.

I looked at my hand, or rather at the wrist of my hand. It was sore, and I saw a scorched brand in the shape of the letter "E". I didn’t understand what it meant. It didn’t look like a thermal or chemical burn. I touched it with my finger. My hand ached as if I’d dropped it into a cauldron of boiling oil. A menacing reminder echoed in my head:

- If you don’t fulfill your promise, you will turn to ash!

How many promises had I already made? To Nix, I promised to help fight the dragon. Trees also received promises from me to get freedom from the dragon. Uliya, I promised to come back. The easiest and most fulfilling promise of all. And this giant here, I promised him, too.

How powerful a wizard would have to be to imprison such a giant? His power must be far beyond my pathetic efforts. What if it was Nix who imprisoned the giant in an underground prison? Or Oceania.

I have my doubts about Nix. But Oceania, she could do it alone. It's a bad story. Let's say Oceania trapped him, and I promised him I'd let him go. What am I supposed to do with all this?

I was coming out of the cave, and my little finger hit a rock fragment on the ground. I bent down to rub the bruise and saw that it was not a piece of rock. In front of me lay a bar of gold that weighed seventy pounds. All the fellow travelers had passed by this wealth. No one noticed that there was gold lying on the ground.

I grabbed it and was about to put it into the wagon when I heard the merchant’s voice.

- Why are you picking up junk?

Holding the ingot in my hands, I asked,

- Do you call gold trash?

- Well, yes, — the merchant examined my find. - This junk is useless. Only utensils can be made from this metal. And women’s jewelry. You can’t make a sword or a plowshare out of this stuff. I wish there was as much copper as this stuff. Nobody wants this garbage.

I listened and couldn’t believe my ears. These people are calling gold a trashy metal! If that’s true, then I’m rich. In our world, I can buy anything my soul desires.

Thoughts of wealth took hold of me. I spent the first half of the day calculating how much money I would have when I returned home. I didn’t hear what Fluffy was asking me, what the merchant was telling me. Jurion was pulling the wagon by himself, I didn't touch him. Fluffy made himself comfortable on the dry grass and slept. I was dreaming about how to better provide for myself and my family for the rest of my life, having a stable and carefree financial situation. Now I had the opportunity to realize long-awaited dreams, such as traveling around the world, buying luxurious things or investing in my projects and ideas. There was only one thing left to do. I needed to get home as soon as possible.

I looked at myself from the outside. A seventeen-year-old boy in a ragged carriage, wearing off-the-shoulder pants and a shirt, calling himself a wizard’s apprentice. Is that what apprentices are supposed to look like?

I turned around and pulled out of my bag the linen pants I had gotten with the wagon as a trophy. It wasn't hard to stretch out my arm and imagine myself in leather, padded biker pants. Then I opened my eyes and tried them on. The pants fit me as if an experienced tailor had first measured me, and then used those measurements to make pants made of soft leather, strong enough to withstand long hikes and battles. The pants sat taut at the waist with a narrow belt with a silver buckle, adding a touch of elegance to my appearance.

After testing my skills on the pants I began experimenting with shirts. I managed to make a few, mostly white. All the shirts came out of a soft linen fabric that caressed my figure and allowed me to move freely. The sleeves of some of the shirts were tied around my elbows, giving my look a casual but stylish look. On top of the shirt, I wore a light velvet vest decorated with fine silver embroidery. As for shoes, I didn’t want to alter my boots, which were designed for traveling through the hunting grounds. After some thought, I decided to create something that matched my costume. Soon my feet were wearing high leather boots to protect my feet from thorny plants and sharp rocks. They were comfortable and durable, perfect for fast movements and long journeys. I liked them after trying them on for the first time.

One important detail was missing to complete the masquerade - the cape. She was made of dark material, and decorated with a pattern of silver embroidery. The cape smoothly covered my back and served as protection from the cool wind and unforeseen precipitation.

The merchant, inspecting the wagon, shook his head.

- Are you a wizard?

- No, I’m just an apprentice, not the most capable.

- You look amazing. You never cease to amaze me. You’re a capable student. You have a glorious future ahead of you.

The merchant was not ashamed of his praise; his admiration was boundless. I wished he would stop talking.

- I have three daughters, girls who are beautiful and intelligent. I know you don’t have a family yet. You can marry either the oldest daughter or the youngest. You won’t regret it.

- Thank you, - I declined the merchant’s offer to become his relative. - You said to yourself that I have a glorious future. It won’t come to me on its own. I need to learn and grow.

The caravan left the forest and found itself on the plain. At first, I noticed that the forest giants were getting smaller and smaller. We encountered many young trees, and the road had to be broken through. After a while, low shrubs replaced the trees.

I still didn’t recognize the area. Perhaps Nix's underground home was in the other direction. Somewhere on the horizon line, I could see hills or mountains. A little closer, I could see the outline of a village surrounded by a perimeter of high fences. These people could afford such luxury, for the forest was near the village.

The sun peeked out from behind a cloud and illuminated the area. I saw the village more clearly. A sense of wonder overwhelmed me to where I felt like I was part of some incredible fairy tale. Because there were over two hundred buildings of various types in the village. Among the dwellings, there were many warehouses for storing goods, several parlor yards, with living quarters and pens for draught animals. There were smithies and spinning mills, sawmills, and carpentry premises. So it was a town on a smaller scale.

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I asked the merchant if the village had a name because the village where the blacksmith Maleus lived and the forest village were nameless.

- ‘Yellow Roofs,’ the merchant replied. - This is where we leave most of our cargo...

- You visited the Yellow Roofs before our journey! - Michael asked in surprise. - You didn’t mention the village of Banty. After visiting it we lost Sasha.

- You didn’t lose me. How many times do I have to tell you?

- I didn’t mention Banti only because I was traveling on a different road. At the time of our journey, I had explored the country and visited almost every village except the border villages. Only the White Mountains were unexplored.

- Why did we need a guide?

- I’ll tell you about that someday. Now is not the time for a story. Don’t interrupt me, please. I get lost in the narrative, I forget details. The less you ask, the quicker you’ll get the complete picture. Listen to what happened next...

.... - Why does the village have such a strange name - Yellow Roofs?

- Now, people cover all the roofs of houses and village buildings with metal. A little earlier people used - topsoil as a covering. Very often the roof bloomed with many yellow flowers. Travelers, thanks to the color, could see the village from afar. From then on, the name stuck. Then, instead of turf, people used yellow metal. The coverage has changed, but the name remains because of the color. We arrive just in time for the fair. It’s a good time to trade. During the fair, the prices for my goods are much higher. And I don’t see any fuel stone coming into the village. So let’s hurry.

The village was expanding, so there were no clear boundaries. Fairs were held in the huge village square surrounded by the headman's house, houses of rich merchants, drinking houses, and guest houses. Everything that could attract visitors to the village and travelers.

In the very center of the square stood a low wooden platform sixteen by sixteen feet. The platform had dried brown stains on its painted surface. Dried brown stains could be seen on the dirty surface of the platform. It was the blood of the participants in the knight's games organized for the entertainment of the guests.

A throaty man was walking on the platform and shouting,

- Listen up! Listen up! Tonight, after the auction, there will be another competition for the title of “Dragon Slayer”! A surprise prize awaits the winner! Listen up!

He put one or both hands to his mouth to amplify the sound. He managed to shout over the energetic vendors offering various drinks.

- Will you take part? - Fluffy asked me, eating the potatoes he had stolen. I didn’t know the answer to his question. On the one hand, I would like to test my swordsmanship skills with real professionals. Amateurs like Lyon and the forest bandits couldn’t bring out my skill. I still didn’t realize whether Targon was a good or mediocre teacher.

I had never had to take part in any competition before. Not even when I was in high school. Fear of injury, and fear of perceived defeat, kept me at a distance from all forms of martial arts. The only thing I wasn’t afraid to play was chess because the chances of getting hit over the head with a chessboard were nil.

Once in this world, I realized that my safety would depend on my swordsmanship. It was for this reason that I asked the village leader Elfric to give me a teacher. Competing with Targon, I often lost to a more skilled opponent. Later on, our fights ended with both sides winning. It was only after several convincing victories that Targon recognized I had learned his skills and refused to give me further lessons.

- Yes, I will take part, — I answered my little friend and felt my heart beating with excitement. Today I will demonstrate my abilities to a wide range of people. I didn’t even remember I would get a prize for winning.

We wandered around the square with Fluffy, looking at the goods for sale. Clothes of various sizes, dyed in different colors. Shoes made of fur and leather. Jewelry, utensils, and tools for working in the field and at home.

My attention was caught by a full-figured woman selling women's dresses. I regretted Ulia wasn’t around. She would have enjoyed rummaging through the colorful rags. Modest dresses were intermingled with extravagant outfits adorned in gold and silver motifs. Cloaks of different models and colors were just lying in a pile. Two girls of about fifteen were hanging around the counter, asking the woman something. The middle-aged saleswoman answered the young fashionistas, offering one outfit after another so that the girls couldn’t figure out which one to choose.

When the girls saw me and Tush, they looked at each other and were shy, as if they were doing something shameful rather than making a purchase.

They wanted to leave, but my request stopped them.

- Girls, I need your help. I promised my... sister I’d bring her a beautiful outfit. But I don’t know much about modern fashion, so I’m having trouble choosing. Help me, please!

One girlfriend, the bolder one, overcoming her embarrassment, asked:

- How old is your sister? What does she look like?

I pointed my finger at her friend, who was looking away:

- She has the same figure.

- Maybe she has a color preference?

- I don’t know, we didn’t agree on a color. I made a promise to my sister to bring a gift. Which one of these would you choose?

The girlfriend squinted her beautiful gray eyes, evaluating the entire assortment on display.

- If I had the opportunity, I would buy this dress!

I looked at the outfit shown by the girl. The beautiful red dress had a fitted silhouette, creating a spectacular figure. Refined folds should emphasize the feminine curves of the body, and a short sleeve, leaving part of the forearm open, to give the image of lightness and grace. The bright red color of the dress adds passion and style to it, which makes it an excellent choice for a special occasion. The satin-like material gave the dress an exquisite sheen and luxury, making it attractive.

A dismissive spark flashed in the woman's gaze.

- This is an expensive outfit. Not every man can afford such luxury.

- How much is it worth? - I got angry at the chatty saleswoman.

- Two large coins, son.

The woman froze in anticipation, thinking she had embarrassed me with her price. She wanted me to buy the outfit, but in her hind mind, she realized the young man could not have that kind of money.

To me, two coins meant just the back of a tufton.

- I’ll take it. Besides this outfit, I need a cape, a beautiful woman’s belt, and jewelry.