A mighty mountain range separated the peninsula from the continent.

The high mountains were more or less the same, with relatively steep angles and full of evergreen trees, but its sides seemed to reflect the disposition of the people living there.

The valleys on the side of the peninsula were full of herbs and grazing fields, lakes and rivers; on the side of the continent instead the taller oaks and pines encroached on the streets of the villages in the valleys, the forests housing more berry bushes and thorny plants.

The tallest peaks of the range acted as a natural border, always full of snow and with sparse wildlife.

It's said that the only army that managed to cross them in the span of a single summer was of the Perennial Sun continent, on the other side of the sea, to the south.

But Nicalua wasn't trying to traverse the pass anytime soon. He was staying at a local farmhouse still far from there higher altitudes.

To earn his stay, he was doing the more menial tasks like beating the milk for the butter, cutting better planks of wood to switch the rotting ones or finding edible herbs for the daily meal.

As the sun was about to set, the sound of many cowbells came from the distance.

After half an our, amidst the barks of the sheep dogs and the shepherd, the herd of cows and sheeps was redirected to their respective enclosures.

Then, the shepherd came to Nicalua.

If the middle aged man was to be described with a word, it would be unremarkable.

He wore a sleeveless coat of sheep skin with dirty wads of wood. Underneath there was a green tight knitted wool shirt with square patterns of red.

His short unkempt hair perfectly complemented his sunburn face, a different shade of red from the seafaring people Nicalua was aquatinted with.

The wart at the base of his right little finger wasn't out of place for his ruined hands, and the gnarly walking stick he used certainly wouldn't ruin the picture.

All this could be blamed on his toilsome job and shouldn't be used to gauge his personality, but the spoiled cherry to complete his muddy image wasn't missing.

"You smelly brat, what are you looking at? Do you think I don't have the guts to let you sleep with the cattle? You have to earn the bed, I don't do charity."

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The clothes of iuta and bare hides on Nicalua certainly gave credibility to the man's claims.

"Mister Celino no. A messenger boy came from the valley. It seems your wife managed to get your daughter to work for the local lord."

A resounding slap met Nicalua's still tender right ceek. Then the perpetrator shook his head.

"I told you to call them as ladies. When will you learn."

"Well, whatever. Tomorrow morning, bring down the fattest veal I have to them."

Then, as if thinking about something, with a big grin he gave what pieces of cheese and bread were left on him to the boy.

"Also, wear the clothes you had the first time you came. I had you wear the sackcloth because it's more hardy, but for such an occasion your fancy rags are perfect."

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As Nicalua got to the street market down at the valley, he entered a building to the side.

"Rimi, are you here?"

"There's no need to shout dear customer, what can I do for you?"

A young lad hurriedly descended the stairs.

He wore tight fitting green clothes, a large leather waistbelt holding his trousers and a green hat with a black feather on top. This was the uniform of the city guards.

"What are you saying, you don't recognize me? I'm Nicalua, remember, a couple of months ago you told me about the rorosa."

A grimace appeared on the face of the young city guard.

"Hey, I told you it's more of a drug than a stimulant medicine, you can't blame me about anything you did with it."

At this point Nicalua shook his head in exasperation.

"It seems you really don't remember. I was to poor to hire an hike expedition up the mountain to get the rorosa.

You know, if you want to use your authority as a guard to make a couple extra gold you really ought to at least remember your dealings, you risk getting caught."

The lad quickly lost his friendly attitude.

"What do you know kid. This way I don't have to fake to not know a thing. And what dealings and dealings, you said yourself that you were too poor to make one."

By now Nicalua had a mischievous smile.

"Well, whatever. Look outside, I brought you a fat veal. Isn't it enough?!"

"What are you getting so smug for, it's enough for an escort, not for a hike.

Let Me refresh your mind. To get rorosa semi fossilized flowers of lina plants have to ferment into a black rock. Other than the exposed sides of steep cliffs where else could it be found?!

If you want others to risk their life instead of you, you have to offer them the corresponding benefits."

Nicalua had an ashen face.

Once he heard about the properties of the rorosa, even if it was barely considered a medicine, he knew it was what he needed to break through.

That's why he had endured all the abuse from Celino. If he just wanted food and a place to stay for the night he could have easily boarded another caravan with his accumulated experience. After all he was a man from the modern world, where equality was paramount and even the poorest people would retaliate if they felt their basic pride as humans beings being stepped on.

With gritted teeth, he finally said:

"Alright, but be fast, I haven't much food."

The basic mental control Celino had over his cattle was enough to guarantee that Nicalua couldn't just sell the veal to earn a basic cash floor and if Rimi was willing to make a deal he was sure to know about it; in the end, the beast was already declared dead from the start.

"Don't worry, come here tomorrow morning, before the sun rises. You will find a small team ready."

As Nicalua exited the building and the bustle of the market once again reached his ears properly, he didn't bother to acknowledge the sunny Rimi waving him a lazy goodbye.