The Caravan

The next day in the village, Anna sprinkled a handful of grain on the ground, and a flock of chicks clucked and scurried over. They pecked at the food while their fluffy feathers brushed against

Anna's smooth ankles. Watching the chicks clean up the last bits of grain, Anna smiled contentedly and glanced at the sun, which was already high in the sky—it was almost noon.

Taking the initiative, Anna walked into the room and took the clay pot from Little Louis, intending to cook some porridge for Norn herself.

Despite learning how to cook porridge under Little Louis's guidance, Anna was a bit clumsy on her first try. The simple pot of wheat porridge ended up with distinct layers, much to the village head's disapproving shakes of his head.

But stubborn Anna persisted, ignoring the black smoke from the bonfire. She stirred the slightly burnt wheat grains at the bottom with a long wooden spoon, thickening the clear liquid on top. Even with her face blackened by the smoke, Anna smiled happily.

"Anna! We're back!"

At the sound of the voice, Anna dropped the spoon and rushed outside.

Norn, carrying a chicken on his spear, was shouting outside the house, while Jinn waved his hand excitedly beside him.

"Enno!"

Anna darted into Norn's arms like a fledgling returning to its nest, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm so glad! You're finally back!" Anna buried her head deep in Norn's chest, her voice trembling with emotion.

Norn felt a pang of guilt and gently patted Anna's back, comforting her, "I'm back safe and sound. Look, I even brought back a chicken."

Norn lowered his spear, removed the chicken from the spearhead, and held it up for display. As for where the chicken came from, of course, Norn had "borrowed" it from the knight's manor while the lord was drunk.

Suddenly, Norn felt Anna's hand probing his right side.

Anna looked up abruptly, her eyes brimming with tears, and asked, "Are you hurt? Why is there a hole here?"

Norn looked at the hole Anna was pointing to and explained, "This is our spoils of war. The hole was made by Jinn's spear."

Only then did the village head and Little Louis, who had come out with them, notice that Norn and Jinn's equipment had changed significantly. Both were now wearing round helmets. Jinn had on a different leather cuirass than the one he had left with, while Norn had a coat of arms, a short knife at his waist, and a spear that was clearly of good quality.

"It looks like you two struck it rich!" the village head couldn't help but admire. After all, these two sets of equipment would easily fetch 25 silver dinars.

"Just a little bit!" Norn nonchalantly smiled.

"We're having a good meal at noon!"

In addition to Norn's chicken, the village head, to show his gratitude, also brought out his own dried sausages and cheese, along with some freshly picked vegetables, and stewed a big pot of delicious chicken soup. The five of them ate heartily, almost gnawing on the wooden plates.

After the meal, Norn once again thanked the village head for taking care of Anna these past few days and also bid his farewell.

"Why don't you wait until tomorrow? A caravan usually passes by tomorrow. You can travel with them, and it'll be safer on the road," the village head suggested.

"Then we'll trouble you for one more night."

The next morning, a small caravan with five horse-drawn wagons arrived at the village. As soon as they arrived, the merchant leader and his apprentice immediately began to shout, "Come and see top-quality sea salt! Just 2 silver dinars for a clay jar!"

"Don't miss out, folks! Woolen cloth from Dijon, on sale!"

"Look at these sturdy clay pots! Madam, wouldn't you like to buy one to entertain your guests?"

Seeing the arrival of the caravan, many villagers and village women quickly gathered around, trading their wheat, sausages, and cheese for handicrafts and other items. For a while, the usually quiet village became noisy. Little Louis and the other children ran to the vicinity of the caravan, watching various goods that were rarely seen in the village.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the small village exhausted its limited purchasing power, and the crowd dispersed once again.

Seeing that the caravan leader was finally free, Norn pulled Jinn over and approached him, offering their services.

"Boss! Need any mercenaries?"

The leader, who was counting his goods, turned around and took a good look at Norn and Jinn. Their mismatched equipment did make them look like mercenaries, but Jinn aside, Norn's youthful face clearly showed he was still a kid.

"If it were the one next to you, I'd be interested, but you..." The leader shook his head regretfully.

"Underestimating me, huh! Do you think I got this equipment for fun? These are spoils from fighting for the knight," Norn pointed specifically to the hole in his coat of arms.

"See this? I speared that guy right here and took his gear," Norn, imitating the bratty, brutal soldiers he had seen in his past life, put on an arrogant and fierce demeanor, leaving the leader stunned.

Seeing Norn's confident claims, the leader believed him a bit. Considering the upcoming journey through war-torn areas, his caravan of 20 people with only 5 mercenaries was indeed a bit short.

"So, what's your price?" The leader looked at Norn's small frame, already planning to haggle, thinking he could get no more than a third of an adult's rate.

"With meals and lodging included, I'll take 2 copper pennies a day, but my brother here wants 5 copper pennies a day," Norn quoted a high price.

"What! That's too expensive! I'll give you half at most!" The boss countered.

"My price is negotiable, but my brother's not!" Norn pushed Jinn forward and loudly introduced him, "This is my brother, nicknamed 'Gutsplitter' Jinn. He's fought three battles for the lord, and each time he gutted at least one enemy."

Jinn was a bit bewildered, not knowing when he got that nickname, but after a nudge from Norn, he puffed out his chest and put on a menacing look.

If it were Jinn from a few days ago, the boss would have seen right through him. But Jinn had just come off the battlefield, and his equipment still had a hint of blood. This made the boss more skeptical.

But not bargaining wouldn't be like a merchant. The caravan leader put on an indifferent expression and said, "I'll give you 4 copper coins at most. Take it or leave it."

"Then I want to bring my sister along. You don't have to feed her, just give her a place to stay."

"Deal!"

Both parties, though they looked like they had been cheated, were actually delighted inside. The boss was happy that he had hired Jinn, the fierce enforcer, and Norn, the laborer or helper, for such a low price.

And Norn was happy that he could travel with the caravan, get free meals, and even earn a wage.