Chapter 21 - 21. The Merchants
One day spent in this dimension was like an hour spent in my own dimension. For Kerberos and Mickey, it did not really affect their body at all. But for me, it was really awful. My body metabolized based on the time of that dimension.
It meant that if I spent 7 days in this dimension, I would grow older for 7 days in my dimension, although the dimension where I lived, life ran for 7 hours. This would mean if I spent too long here ,I would face early aging process. .
Mickey suggested us to remain in this dimension while he would find ways tp Sa'bah a soon as possible. This would minimize the chasing from the black wizard of my father. That grey cat said that only some wizard could reach that place.
"If you suggested us remaining here while looking for Sa'bah, then you have to do it real fast," Kerberos reminded him
"Yes, I know that," replied Mickey a bit irritated, 'There is a more important issue," His sapphire eyes of that grey animal stared at us in turn, "We should have taken a bus, a train, or anything. But it is completely different here," he pointed at very barren steep and rocky hills as far as our eyes could reach which would be impossible to pass through. "I know the route to go there, but we needed to find a ride from any caravans passing by here before it gets dark
I checked my watch, "My watch stopped," I said and took my cell phone instead, "Huh!" I was shocked when I found out that flat gadget was also off. I believed I had charged it full when we ate at a food stall after meeting Mr. Oka, "How can this happen," I was really confused."My cell phone could have lasted for 11 days,"
"Miss, in this dimension, such devices cannot function properly," Kerberos explained.
I was really annoyed hearing Kerberos explanation. As all those gadgets stopped function, it was no use at all to bring them along with me. The only thing that was still in use was my drinking bottle, "Crap!" I cursed myself as I felt helpless.
…
The market we visited was on th etop of a hill. To reach the main raod, we had to walk down the the hillside with the slope of almost 600. My body was realy fatigue so that I was jus rolling down like a ball when I tripped down due to lack of focus..
The main road Mickey told us was a narrow gap even a car would not fit with it. Both sides were towering rock cliffs. The sun was barely seen from below when I reached that road. The road was dusty with full of sharp rocks. I could not protest anything, simply walked along the road that tubby cat showed us.
The hot weather really drained up my energy so that I needed to stop once in a while to rest a bit and to drink.
"Hey!," a yelled from a distant shocked us.
"The merchants," Mickey was excited.
Hurriedly Mickey walked to them. They were group of merchants consisted of 7 men and a woman with a baby in her arms. She might be the wife one of man in that group, I thought.
"Let us go to them!" I asked Kerberos to follow Mickey.
"Are you heading there, too?" one of them asked Mickey.
"Just follow us!" the other man responded. "There was a vacant place on the back of the carriage. It was just it might be less comfortable. You all can go onto the freight carriage at the back side if you don't mind," he added carefully.
I nodded fast without blinking any second. Kerberos looked surprised but he did not reject it at all. "I got something for you," I handed him 7 gold coins from my pocket, "It is not much, but I hope all of you don't mind giving us a ride." I gave them all my gold coins. They looked so happy and directly directed us to jump on the last carriage and continued the journey.
Mickey stared at me in disbelieved. I smiled at him in response. We took the carriage at the back of the last carriage filled with goods. It was a bit uncomfortable but I tried to make myself at ease.
During the journey, I preferred to keep silent. I knew Mickey kept looking at me suspiciously. "Where did you get those coins?" he asked.
"I stole them," I replied lightly. Kerberos could not believe what he heard. "When we were near that cemetery, I saw a quite crowded place and you asked me to walk there. My focus was a bit distracted by the shadows of trees in that forest. Then, when you asked me to go in, and all what I saw was so different, I realized that I was not in the place where I belonged." I told him.
"When did you do that, Miss?" Kerberos asked. His shocking expression he showed off made me grinned.
"I made use of the front part of the market we passed by that was very crowded. Mny people were not aware of our presence, too much consumed by their own activities, offering and bargaining. I stole some wallets of them, because I realized the possibilities what I took along with me from my own dimension would not help a lot," I told them proudly. "Then I saw a mother who was trying to comfort her crying child. She was so careless byleaving her bag of money unattended. Of course I took it. Then, there were two people were busy with their transaction, they did not realize I had taken their money," I took out three bags full of gold coins with bird carving and the diameter was 5 centimeters.
Mickey moved closer to me, "You are very talented. Keep it up, child!" he said
I smiled to myself with pride.
...
Caravan's owner said that the trip to Barones church took a day and a night the fastest if we kept taking that tract.
The road we were taking was the road the merchants took to reach the market we visited last time. They brought their merchandise on Wednesdays or Thursday, to be sold on Fridays. Jalan yang kami lewati ini adalah jalanan yang biasa digunakan para pedagang untuk sampai ke pasar yang kami kunjungi sebelumnya. Mereka membawa barang dagangan di hari rabu atau kamis, untuk dijual di hari Jumat. So, before Friday, they would come earlier and stayed in motels or inns around the market.
When the night came, the caravan owner invited us to eat together. We sat around the fireplace. Not long after that they served us watery porridge made of many kinds of mixed grains. It was proven when I scooped a spoonful to my mouth I chewed corn, beans, and sunflowers.
Mickey told me that I gave too much to them, that was why they served us meal. That grey cat liked the woman with a child who was in this same caravan with us. Several times I saw him curled up and pampered around her.
"Usually they just take 1 or 2 coins for 1 person, simply because we are not counted," Mickey explained that quietly.