SURVIVORS

199 Chapter. Trade Caravan Recording

Liam didn't expect that within half an hour, the stretcher was done.

Dean lifted Laras carefully into the air. Floating out of the room where the stretcher was already held by Yoshi and Yabie.

Liam blinked his eyes several times looking at Dean's ability.

"Liam, Widuri, you're here first. We'll pick you up again.

"Let's go doc, I'll take you, '" Dean said.

Doctor Chandra nodded. They went out in tandem.

"Wait, I'm coming, '" Liam got out of bed.

"Wait for Dean to pick us up. Don't hinder them. Laras needs immediate help, "prevent Widuri.

"I can walk on my own. It doesn't have to be stretchered off" Liam said insistent.

"They fly, not walk. Can you fly?" reply Niken.

"Fly off? So they can actually fly?" Liam still can't believe it.

"Widuri, you live with them. Do you know how far it is to the doctor's place?" ask Liam curiously.

"I don't know the healer's house. But according to Indra who was treated there at the time, it was on a hill in the countryside. Between the fishing village and the farming village. Far away from the city." Widuri tried to remember.

"So you live in the city?" liam's face was radiant.

"No. We live in the middle of the woods far from the city. But the distance is even further if you come here" replied Widuri.

"What?" exclaim Liam.

"Yaahh, the location of this dead city is almost in the middle of the island. In the middle of a thick forest untouched by humans."

Widuri blinked seeing Liam's mouth, Kenny and Mattew open to hear his explanation.

"Bright.... I know you won't believe it. My advice, don't just get out of here. There are still many unsolved mysteries in the woods out there. One wrong step, you can be lost forever. There have been many townspeople who have gone missing while hunting in this forbidden forest" Widuri said.

"Prohibition forest?" They look at each other. Is it as scary as the haunted forest?

"You guys, when we leave, it's fine to stay here. Don't break the Yabie ban. Later after the setup of Laras is finished, we will return here," Widuri said again.

"Yes, we understand. We will obey him" Mattew replied politely.

*

*

Dean and Yabie return to pick up Liam and Widuri.

"Liam, Yabie will take you to the doctor's office. You can stay there as long as Laras is treated. I hope you can take care of it and strengthen it" Dean said.

"You're not coming?" ask Liam.

"I'll go back to the cottage. The rest of my friends are worried there too. Maybe tomorrow we'll see you. There's doctor Chandra there anyway." Dean patted Liam's shoulder.

"Oh, okay."

Liam nodded obediently.

"We're off. You guys stay fine here. Don't go up anymore. This house is rotten.

"Attent. I don't know if this information is useful or not." Mattew's got Dean under arrest.

"Things he [👉pointed Yabie] took in the warehouse. That black box. It's the thing that Laras hit when he fell" Mattew said.

"How do you know?" ask Dean.

"When we got here, the warehouse was a mess. But we haven't checked it, just opened the window. Then the barrel goes up and falls. His body hit the straw that was scattered." Mattew paused his testimony.

"The second day Laras was sick, I thought about cleaning the warehouse, also removing the wooden floor that had fallen the previous day. While clearing the haystack, underneath it was a black box lying down. Then I put it on the wall shelf. I think it was the collision with the box that caused Laras' back to turn blue. But I didn't know it was gonna be this bad." Mattew.

"He fell hard. So it must have been a blow to his spine," Liam still felt pain in his heart if he imagined the fall of Laras 3 days ago.

"alright. Liam, you can tell Dr. Chandra that Laras fell on a wooden box. Maybe it could open up a little bit of a picture of how to handle it" Dean told Liam.

"Yes. I'll say." Liam nodded.

"We're leaving now. See you soon." Widuri waved towards the children standing in the front yard.

"Auntie, we'll play again!" shouted the little girl who was carried Widuri.

*

******

"Jane, it's almost a bright day. Let's go!" leon shouted near their wheelbarrow.

"Just a second!"

Jane [her real name Kaleela] stepped out of her house. He's carrying a cloth package.

"What's that?" ask Leon.

"Get us on the road." Jane smiled. He was more friendly and open to Leon. I trust Leon's words more.

"alright. Put it here, then we'll go. It will be too late" Leon said.

They pushed the cart with vigor. This time their trade is not only salted fish and salt. But also dried seaweed.

Some time earlier, Leon had dived into the sea. He wanted to find something else to sell besides fish and salt. They had to increase their income so as not to waste pushing carts to distant cities.

He found a lot of seaweed as it is commonly added in sweets. There are also other types of seaweed that they have recently tried for their own consumption.

Leon teaches Jane to clean and dry the seaweed they harvest from the sea. And yesterday afternoon, Leon went back to diving to harvest quite a lot of clams. He kept the shells in a container filled with water to keep them fresh.

So today their carts are really full and heavy.

'May the people here try to cook the seaweed we brought with us' Inner Leon.

Leon can teach Jane to eat seaweed, because Jane trusts him. But it's not necessarily that easy to offer it to others. What else is seaweed-eating culture is east asian culture. It's so different from this place.

*

*

They arrived in the afternoon in front of the city gate. All the merchant carts lined up to enter the city to rest and take shelter tonight.

"Why is this queue so long?" leon asked one of the traders.

"Have you not been here long?" ask the merchant.

"3 weeks. Why?" ask Leon.

"deserve. They now recorded the names of every merchant who entered and exited." The merchant told Leon.

"Why? Did something happen in that town? Are they investigating us?" ask Leon to know.

"none. They said they just wanted to know the city's permanent merchants. After that we can still sell as usual," replied the man.

"Oh, interestingly, they started making administrative records. The city is quite advanced" muttered Leon.

"Name!" ask officer.

"Leon. This is my wife Jane" replied Leon.

How long have you been trading here? Been a long time. Don't remember," Leon scratched his head.

"But your name wasn't in the previous record."

The attendant observed Leon's face which was similar to their nation's facial lines.

"I haven't been here for 3 weeks. We decided to collect more items before leaving. That's so as not to spend too much time on the road." Leon walked to the back of his wagon.

"Look, there are many types of trading today." Leon uncovers the cart cover cloth.

"Hi Leon, where have you been? I thought your wife was pregnant, so it didn't come some time." Someone's voice in the back, it sounded.

"Older brother. How's it going? What's next to that son you always tell me about?" leon asked with a big smile.

The officer sees the familiarity and lets Leon and Jane into town.

Leon was grateful that the old man who used to sell beside him was right behind his cart.

Leon and Jane then rest near the city wall. Next to the old man who helped him.

They enjoy dinner while talking about the latest events during Leon's absence from trading.

******