Saulo, after saying goodbye, walked in the direction of the city of Boggio.

Having traveled half of the Oyogue Path and crossed the part with the densest fog, and therefore the one of greatest danger, it was motivating for him to be so close to his destination. His senses were still alert in case thieves appeared again, but that unlikely possibility reassured him.

What are the chances that I’ll encounter more thieves on the same day? I can't have such bad luck ... right?

After a while, the fog gave its first signs of disappearing when certain fields of crops were glimpsed in the distance. And just as at the beginning of the path, the fog vanished in less than few minutes. Saulo hastened to take a large breath of air and exhale.

A small cloud was expelled from his mouth.

The steam he caused soon dispersed until it mixed with the fog.

A feeling of pleasure took hold of his body.

If he didn't count the diminished range of vision and the dangers of a robbery, the sea fog was pleasant. With this in mind, breathing and feeling the climatic conditions of an environment alien to his hometown put a small smile on his face.

How wonderful.

It were those small events that could turn a dangerous experience like the one that he lived in a real enjoyment of the travel experience

Saulo shook his head closing his eyes.

He should hurry.

The fog had proved to be treacherous in its passage, so it was quite likely that it would suddenly return even with the ground clear. For this reason, he didn't plan to fall into any more distractions, however minimal, until he had crossed the area of the bridge over the river.

!

Suddenly, Saulo felt the need to turn around.

"Nobody follows me."

As he expected, the path had no unusual elements after being freed from the fog that hid it. It was a relief to see the same landscape of soil, stones and small plant buds that he imagined would be common on a path little traveled.

Of course, the person he was walking with was no longer in sight.

By now, the police would be taking notes about the assault and preparing a contingent to arrest the former commander and the other two young men.

"Hm?"

Saulo's attention returned to a familiar sound.

Along with the sound of sea waves hitting the coast, another force of water was heard nearby. Remembering what was in the middle of the Oyogue Path, the vision of that landmark was the best indication that he was halfway there to the city of Boggio.

He had managed to reach the bridge over the river.

Saulo slowed the pace.

As he approached the bridge, he felt that suddenly the surroundings became more pleasant. The air felt less humid than at the beginning of the road. Cold and refresing, but not enough to force him to cover himself with his hood.

It was a familiar and recognizable sensation for him to breathe such refreshing air, but due to the proximity of the sea, it acquired a new degree of enjoyment.

Likewise, it wasn't the only thing that gave him a growing sense of happiness when he stepped on the first wooden planks of the bridge.

I'm still halfway to the city. I've seen some crops recently, so it's certain that eventually I'll see villagers.

The rest of his journey would be without altercations.

It was a thought that he hoped to believe would remain reality.

Without waiting for a new unforeseen event to assault him, Saulo decided to run.

He ran as fast as his legs allowed.

It wasn’t a surprising speed given his average physical condition, the weight of the backpack and the accumulated tiredness of the previous fight. However, as much as he wanted to push his body to the limits, he couldn't run faster. His legs were in perfect condition with no trace of lacerations, bruises or blood because of the two healing orbs the elderly man used on him, but despite receiving these two healings, the pace with which he tried to make an effort was difficult for him to maintain. Saulo was well aware that healing orbs only healed wounds, but not exhaustion.

This bridge was no guarantee of safety.

He had felt as if he were being observed through the fog, but that sensation disappeared when he reached a clearer area like this bridge that connected with the final section of the Oyogue Path.

Saulo thought that maybe he was being too cautious after what happened a little less than an hour ago.

After several seconds in which his attempts to breathe were heard over the noise of the river and the sea, he decided not to tempt anymore his luck and continued running.

With this objective to be fulfilled, he continued on his way between agitated and calm. Crossing the bridge meant that he had just covered half of the dirt path leading to the city. However, he didn't have permission to rest if he considered the distance travelled.

The Oyogue Path had shown him that a moment of calm was maintained or vanished according to those dictated by the laws of nature... or by unforeseen and revealing encounters.

This half from now on separates me from the city.

After the bridge, the human intervention in the environment became noticeable.

It was still the landscape of earth and vegetation of a few moments ago, but it didn't have the same natural growth that he had seen before the bridge.

These were areas prepared for crops.

Saulo, a few minutes after walking and still a bit on guard, was advancing surrounded on both sides of the road by fields ready to be harvested. Seeing the intense green of the plants infected him with the effort that the owners had evidently put into achieving that state of crop growth. Likewise, because the fog constantly provided a flow of water, the excellent state in which the fields had germinated was to be expected.

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Walking suddenly became less tiring.

...

A few minutes later, Saulo exhaled in silence.

He wanted to ask for some indications, but at the same time, he didn't want to interrupt the diligence with which these men worked in the distance with their shovels and plows in the land which they prepared to sow. He knew very well from his own experience that tilling the land was an activity that had to follow strict care and schedule.

For example, care had to be taken to keep crops free of pests. Normally, when talking about pests, the first thing one person would think about would be insects or small vertebrates. Worms or rats being one of the main invaders. However, the presence of the vegetation constituted a pest in itself. These unwanted plants were known as weeds. Of spontaneous growth, were known for suffocating the plants and in the worst of cases, they damaged the soil making it unproductive for future sowings.

Saulo approached the nearest crop within his reach and from one of the furrows he randomly inspected a lettuce without caring too much that his hands were filled with soil.

Seeing this vegetable waiting patiently to be harvested, brought back to him the memory of his days working in the numerous vegetable gardens present in his community.

Days under the sun and rain with the straw hat on, the plow in one hand and a perforated container to irrigate in the other.

But these vegetables are ready to be harvested.

The care in working the soil had to be done even when the vegetables were about to be harvested.

For example, pulling weeds too hard required precision. Failure to do so would damage the plant itself, which would result in a significant percentage of crop losses.

"There are no fungi in spite of the constant humidity of the ocean... And they have kept the proper distance from the other lettuces so that they all receive a constant flow of air. This is an excellent job."

Saulo checked several leaves of the lettuce he was examining without finding holes eaten by white or brown fungi.

It was a healthy lettuce.

A quick glance at the other furrows confirmed that the vegetables wouldn't be affected by the lack of air circulation. The separation was adequate for them to breathe.

A concentrated look could be seen on Saulo's face as he recalled what to consider in the agricultural process:

Moisture, soil type, solar rays.

Factors involved in the growth of a plant. Besides this, the hourly cycle of a seed as well as that of a child had to be continuous, giving the necessary care in the necessary times and acting opportunely in front of the dangers.

As a simple headache could be an initial symptom of an intense fever caused by the flu, in the same way with plants one had to be careful with small manifestations that managed to heal themselves. The fungi, at first sight harmless, can weakened a plant inhibiting its growth and spreading quickly to the rest of the leaves, killing the plant from not treating it in time.

Saulo smiled and forced his memories back into the void.

I must continue.

Once again, he adjusted his backpack and continued his walk along the path. In this second part of the stretch he noticed that, unlike the beginning, the flat terrain dominated the entire landscape. The elevations or small slopes didn't exceed three meters, so it was unlikely that he would be caught off guard by someone attacking from there.

"!"

Then he saw something that caught his attention.

A lot of vegetation floating in the middle of a great formation of water.

At the end of the path and his journey through it, a surprise awaited him.

Saulo didn't expect the existence of a specific ecosystem for this area, but if he considered the proximity of water sources, its presence made sense.

Some areas, with green and yellow vegetation, and flooded in waters received him as an antechamber to civilization and the city.

A wetland ecosystem.

A large zone of water and vegetation that existed a few meters from the ocean was the perfect end for what was an ecological path.

Of course, there were warning signs indicating the limit allowed to approach, and local guards with their whistles alerted visitors who were getting too close; but in general, people were enjoying the view without disturbing the creatures.

"... I didn't know this existed."

Saulo's recklessness in walking on a path he knew practically nothing about led him to take part in a fight against a person who was part of the army. That fear wouldn't be erased for the time being no matter how much he said that what was done is done.

"... this is wonderful."

But at the same time an unexpected reward was to find a landscape he didn't expect to exist.

If the ocean-side location was an incentive to walk the Oyogue Path, then the wetlands were the perfect complement to rest, and see the landscape after a long walk.

And the latter was especially due to the presence of birds.

Even though it was a working day, there were many people who had come to appreciate the beings who, unconcerned by the human eyes that observed them, lived their lives among their kind, either resting or feeding.

Gulls, herons and guano birds. Among many birds of all sizes and colors, the attention of the visitors present was focused on a flock of white birds that could be seen taking flight in "V"formation, from where moments before they were resting.

"There are also ducks."

Coming from the Central Mountains region, he didn't know many of these coastal birds or those that had come flying in migration from the north of the continent or possibly from other triads. The birds he recognized were the common ones such as seagulls or others that caught his attention when he read books about creature species, like the cormorant he was seeing that tried to attract the attention of a female, distinguishable for having a less developed ridge.

"Pass me the binoculars."

"Here."

"Not those. Pass me the 'spatial enlargement' binoculars. I want to see these birds in all their splendor. Especially those blue herons."

A group of friends who seemed to walk frequently talked to each other to see who took turns seeing with a chrome binoculars that looked pretty modern. The binoculars would look as one would expect from the classic design except for the lenses that seemed to have many small microfibers on the external ocular surface.

Saulo didn't understand exactly how this optical instrument worked, but what he could be sure of was that due to the term spatial enlargement used by the young people, the range of this object must be very sharp... perhaps as if it were a Future Technology.

But apart from binoculars, he could also agree to want to see birds in all their natural splendor.

There was no way to resist the charm of stopping to observe so many creatures in an ecosystem that belonged to them, and of which it was a privilege to see them up close, but at a prudent distance.

"These... these Boggio wetlands are magnificent!"

Saulo had finally reached the end of the Oyogue Path, realizing that a few steps to his right was the city of Boggio. Being the outskirts of the city, the totality of the houses was of rural aspect and of maximum two floors.

However, it was what was on his left that opened his eyes.

It was a magnificent view.

Like those summer days when the sun shined brighter than ever, the afternoon nap was done with serene placidity in the shade of nearby trees, and a glorious sensation of exaltation barely contained imbued the body.

In addition, the landscape was fully visible because there was no trace of fog in sight

It was a view and landscape to feel totally free.

With the sea in the background, the wetlands were the main source of life for this landscape, which the villagers had apparently made an effort to keep clean. He didn't know exactly how many species of birds were gathered, but they were counted by the hundreds.

Or maybe thousands.

"I'd like to be a bird to fly where I feel free to go."

"Perhaps with the power of a relic something similar to flying can be achieved."

"Impossible that ordinary people like us can get something like that... But if we were researchers or adventurers, perhaps it would be possible."

"Ju,ju. We have plenty of time to decide that."

The words that Saulo felt, but was embarrassed to say out loud, were spoken naturally by a young couple holding hands.

Go where you want with your own wings.

...

A flock of birds of brown plumage, sharp yellow beak and white plumage around the eye took flight towards the horizon, possibly to feed a little deeper into the ocean or possibly to en route to the northern part of the continent, where the following months would be the warmest seasons.

In these last days of summer not much was needed to be happy.