Chapter 24: Golden

To be honest, Nagu really wanted to call out to Hamoyin, but because Duogaluo was nearby, she couldn’t reveal that Hamoyin knew her.

Moreover, Hamoyin also pretended not to have seen her. Nagu thought Hamoyin’s idea was the same as hers: to avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better not to let the people in the tribe know that they knew each other. If they were investigated thoroughly, it might expose that Hamoyin was hiding a ‘fugitive.’

Hamoyin’s position in the human territory was already strange. If someone caught hold of his weakness, Nagu couldn’t imagine what trouble would follow. But honestly, she really wanted to talk to Hamoyin, desperately wanting to hear his monosyllabic answers or even no answer at all!

“Anyway, let’s go in first.” It wasn’t until Hamoyin’s figure completely disappeared at the end of the stone road that Duogaluo scratched his head and turned to the dazed Nagu. “Give me your hand.”

“Huh?” Nagu hurriedly returned to her senses and looked at Duogaluo, standing beside the cow and extending a hand to her. “Why do you need my hand?”

“I’ll help you down from the cow’s back. Can you jump down on your own with your lame leg?” Duogaluo didn’t wait any longer and directly grabbed Nagu’s waist with both hands, lifting her down from the cow’s back and placing her on the ground. “You can’t ride the cow through the back door; we have to walk in.”

“Okay.” Nagu could only limp behind Duogaluotowards the small door under the wooden wall. The ground around here was covered with deep green grass that was a bit prickly to step on, making it very inconvenient for her to walk. “But what about the cows? Won’t they go in?”

“They will go back to the front gate on their own, and someone will take care of them.”

They are really well-trained. And Azuran’s tribe is indeed very advanced, much more than Nagu had initially imagined. They have a class system, tame animals, and a lot of ‘rituals’ that Nagu doesn’t quite understand.

Duogaluo reached out to support the wobbling Nagu. “How about I carry you? If you fall, it won’t be good.”

“No need. My foot will heal faster if I walk more. Just let me hold on like this.” Nagu gratefully held onto Duogaluo’s arm. The man’s muscles were so hard that she felt like she was touching a stone wall.

This made Nagu subconsciously recall Hamoyin’s arm. Because he was thin and had fair skin, his muscle lines weren’t as obvious and striking as Duogaluo’s, but they were still there. His whole body was hard; even his hair was prickly… and he was surprisingly strong.

“Is holding on enough?” Duogaluo looked at Nagu’s hand on his arm. Her hands were covered with many dark, old scars.

“Yes.” Noticing Duogaluo staring at the back of her hand, Nagu moved her fingers slightly. “Did I hurt you by grabbing too hard?”

“How could that be? I was just looking at the scars on your hand. How did you get these? From monsters?” Duogaluo slowed his pace to match Nagu’s. “I’ve been wondering. It must have been hard for you to escape from those monsters alone.”

I didn’t escape from monsters; I escaped from your chief. Nagu’s eyes wandered guiltily. “Because someone helped me, I was able to escape… I’m very grateful to him.”

Hearing Nagu’s voice lower, Duogaluo thought he had touched a sore spot. In his imagination, he believed that the person who helped Nagu must have been her former tribesmen, who sacrificed their lives to protect the youngest female and allowed her to escape from the monsters.

Such sad things were not new to Duogaluo. One or two women in his village had experiences similar to Nagu’s. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you about these things. You probably don’t want to remember those sad times.”

“Yes…” Nagu didn’t know what Duogaluo had imagined, but she nodded to avoid the topic. “So now you’re taking me to your sister’s house?”

“Yes, but before we go, I need to take care of something at the door. You don’t mind, do you?”

“I don’t mind… go ahead, don’t worry about me.”

Duogaluo smiled at Nagu, “You’re really considerate. Other kids would be clamoring for my attention first.”

“Haha,” Nagu could only laugh dryly, “The chief’s matters are definitely more important than mine.”

“Don’t say that. You’re very important, too.” Duogaluo raised his hand and ruffled Nagu’s hair. Although he had only known Nagu for a day, Duogaluo found himself very fond of this obedient and sensible girl. If his sister disagreed, he might as well take care of her himself.

Nagu didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed silent. Duogaluo didn’t mind and just supported her as they slowly walked to the door. He then raised his hand and knocked hard on the wooden door, “Open up!”

After Duogaluo spoke, Nagu heard a series of clattering sounds from behind the door, as if something had been knocked over. Then, the heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing a dark-skinned young man who looked at Duogaluo in surprise, “Ch-Chief! Why are you coming back this way today?”

“If I didn’t come this way, how would I know that you never open the door for Hamoyin?” Duogaluo stared at the young man with a forced smile, “So, you usually don’t open the door for him?”

“…”

Nagu looked at the young man who was too scared to speak and then softly asked Duogaluo, “Is this the matter you said you needed to handle at the door?”

Duogaluo nodded and then continued to speak to the young man, “When Gongduo returns, go find him and tell the chief that starting tomorrow, you’ll be responsible for patrolling the swamp’s edge.”

“Ch-Chief… I know I was wrong. I just… I just thought that letting the monster…” The young man tried to defend himself, but Duogaluo had already led Nagu past him and into the door, giving the young man no chance to argue.

The swamp seemed very dangerous; otherwise, the young man wouldn’t have shown such a desperate expression. Nagu felt a secret satisfaction in her heart. As expected, Duogaluo was different from those people; he was pretty good to Hamoin.

“Alright, now I’ll take you to find my sister. I hope she’s at home.” After dealing with the gatekeeper, Duogaluo returned to his usual smile. He looked down at Nagu, who was wide-eyed and looking around. “How is it, my village? It may not look as beautiful as Azuran’s place, but it’s not bad, right?”

“Very nice…” Indeed, rather than beautiful, Nagu thought the village in front of her should be called simple. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but it was filled with a strong sense of life, making people feel incredibly at ease.

The ground was covered with finely crushed beige stones, and there were channels specifically for draining rainwater. In places where the road wasn’t paved, crops that Nagu didn’t recognize were surrounded by wooden fences.

They could see the residential area after walking a short distance along the beige road. Unlike the simple shelters made of branches and animal skins in the market, the houses in Duogaluo’s village were all built with white stones.

The gaps in the stones and the tops were fixed with wood and thick ropes. The village seemed to be planned as the terrain gradually rose with the slope of the grassland, so the houses were neatly arranged from high to low, like stairs.

Outside the houses, there were daily items or animal skulls hanging. Every few houses, there was a small wooden tower, which was probably only big enough for one adult to squeeze into, with carvings of wild animals on the outside.

“Why don’t I see anyone?” After walking with Duogaluo for a while, Nagu finally snapped out of her sightseeing state.

“They’re all waiting for me upfront, so I said we’d come in through the side door.” Duogaluo shook his head, then led Nagu to the right, turning into a narrow alley squeezed between houses. The alley was filled with bundles of hay, which Duogaluo kicked aside so Nagu could walk shoulder to shoulder with him.

At the end of the alley, they turned another corner and stopped in front of a small square window that looked like it belonged in someone’s backyard. Nagu noticed a small plot of land enclosed by branches filled with lush vegetables.

“Momoli!” While Nagu was examining the vegetable garden, Duogaluo knocked on the square window. “Are you in there, Momoli?”

“Yes, I’m here!” A lively female voice came from inside, and then the wooden window was pushed open with a bang. Duogaluo quickly bent down to avoid getting hit in the face by the window. “How often have I told you not to open the window like that?”

“Mom also told you not to knock on my window!” The girl, whom Duogaluo called Momoli, leaned on the windowsill and blinked at Nagu. “Who are you?”

“…My name is Lali.” Nagu looked away, trying to avoid meeting the girl’s bright eyes while lying. “Hello.”

“Is my sister home?” Duogaluo waved his hand in front of Momoli’s face to stop her from staring at Nagu. “I need to talk to her.”

“She’s not here. Mom went to find Buda and won’t be back today!”

Duogaluo then reached out to close the wooden window. “Alright, then, I don’t need to talk to you.”

“You’re so mean!” Momoli blocked the window, preventing Duogaluo from closing it. “I haven’t asked about the girl next to you. Who is she? I’m curious!”

“She’s my guest. Stop asking.” Duogaluo didn’t want to talk to Momoli any longer, fearing her loud voice would attract other girls from the house. He took Nagu’s hand and started walking back the way they came.

“Leaving already?” Momoli poked her head out and looked at Duogaluo, who didn’t turn back. “Don’t come next time!”

“My sister won’t be back until tomorrow, so you’ll stay here tonight.”

Duogaluo handed Nagu a bowl of water. “There’s food in the big basin over there, and water is next to the shelf.”

“Oh, okay,” Nagu sat cross-legged on the ground, watching Duogaluo walk around. Since his sister wasn’t home, Nagu was brought to Duogaluo’s house. Earlier, Duogaluo had taken her to find a witch to get some medicine, but they were out of luck as no one was home.

“Don’t wander around. There are still many people in the village who don’t know you.” Duogaluo seriously reminded Nagu. “After the sacrificial ceremony, I’ll discuss your stay with Gongduo.”

“I understand.” As she spoke, Nagu’s eyes wandered around the room. The chief’s house wasn’t extraordinary; the furnishings were quite ordinary, just with more furniture than Hamoyin’s house and many strange little objects. Duogaluo specifically warned Nagu not to touch those items as they were sacrificial tools.

“I need to go to the village’s front gate and then return to the sacrificial site. I won’t be back tonight.” Duogaluo pulled out a soft fur from his wooden cabinet and spread it on the ground. “If you’re tired, sleep here. If you’re hungry, eat whatever you want. Don’t be shy, okay?”

After explaining the locations of some items, Duogaluo picked up some sacrificial tools and prepared to leave. “I’m heading out now. Rest well.” His tone was completely like coaxing a child.

Nagu could only nod obediently. A few minutes after Duogaluo left, she had eaten more than half of the food in the big basin. Then, she lay down on the soft fur, feeling drowsy.

Finally, she had something to eat. Nagu rubbed her face against the fluffy fur, feeling tired but extremely satisfied. Although it wasn’t as delicious as what Hamoyin made, being full was always good.

Speaking of which, was that Momoli Duogaluo’s relative? His sister? But they didn’t look alike at all. Duogaluo had white hair, while Momoli had bright red hair. Also, Duogaluo was preparing for the sacrificial ceremony today. When would it start? It seemed like she needed to attend as well. Although she saw fields in the village, there were no domesticated animals. As Nagu’s mind wandered in her relaxed state, she eventually fell asleep thinking about the scales on Hamoyin’s back. She slept quite soundly because her stomach was full, and the fur underneath was warm. So when Nagu was shaken awake, she was a bit reluctant.

“Who is it… I’m still sleepy…” Nagu mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. She had started sleeping in the evening, so it was now late at night. The room was pitch black, and she couldn’t see anything. “I want to sleep more…”

“It’s me.”

“…!”

It was like a bucket of cool water with a minty fragrance was poured over her head. Nagu instantly woke up upon hearing the familiar voice. She couldn’t hide her surprise as she looked at the pair of slightly glowing golden eyes in the dark.

“Hamoyin!?”