1286 Strange Passenger

"You there, where's my money?!"

One of the men bared his teeth out in rage after staring at the silent passenger in his wagon, who was still seated calmly, as though they owned the place.

Dammit! After the dangerous risks he took to get passengers here, this is the thanks he and his boys got?

Typically, the official/Royal wagon transport in the region was always booked to the brim.

So those who were desperate to catch up to some appointment in the following towns or cities, would no doubt turn to the few of them, who were peasant wagon drivers instead.

Make no mistake. William's services were preferred because of the guard protection attached to them.

But in desperate times, people would choose to risk it, especially after finding that their number one choice of transportation was booked solid.

By then, some would use their family's horses and ride to wherever they desired or hitchhike with travelling farmers or merchants to take them long for a small fare.

And so, the few peasants that now converted their wagons into official transportation services could easily make a quick buck now and then.

However, even though the people were used to travelling for long distances by themselves, that didn't take out the risk factor.

For one, one was likely to come across bandits 5 out of 10 times when travelling.

But that wasn't all.

Wild, ferocious beast attacks, mother nature, and even escaping or fleeing assassins could get them caught up in something they didn't want.

There was also the case of trafficking and kidnapping and selling them as slaves to heaven knows where.

Yes. Slavery might've been banned in Arcadina, but other continents and regions still used slaves. So kidnapping was still common.

Additionally, but all Nobles have quit slavery yet. Change in such a massive empire as Arcadina would take a long while to permanently clear things up.

So when one thinks about all the dangers added together, these medieval people were 7/10 times more likely to face danger during travels.

But whether they died, got injured, captured, raped, robbed or fled, was entirely dependent on what sort of sticky situation they got themselves in.

That being said, for they as peasants, just having a few guards at hand when using William's transportation had already significantly reduced that risk.

And that's why his methods were more effective and efficient.

But, if they were desperate to get to where they were going, then they would travel unsafely the same way they usually did.

What else could they do?

As peasants, death was their closest kin and a regular part of their medieval lives.

.

Dammit!

The distressed and annoyed people regretted picking this strange person to make another quick buck.

That's right. They spotted this person on the highway all alone.

And because they still had space in their wagon and wanted more money, they carried this person to this area.

The person said they would pay once they arrived. So where's the money?

Their eyes burned with passion as they quickly drew their weapons out, planning to roughen up the bastard before them.

After fleeing from bandit pursuits with all their lives and their passengers for 2 days now, how could they not get pissed after not receiving their money for a service job well done?

~Sling!

Their daggers slid out of their sheaths, making several faint whistling sounds.

And just when they were about to jump onto their wagon and launch their attacks, the bastard, all cloaked in black, suddenly stood calmly and threw a tiny pouch of money in it.

"Keep the change."

Pap!

The leader caught the pouch and quickly opened it up.

"Boss! Boss! Is it all there?"

(0o0)

.

Everyone stretched their necks curiously, only to see their boss scratch his head embarrassedly.

And when everyone saw his reaction, they knew that everything was in order.

But it was just that now, they didn't know where to place all their pent-up anger and fighting energy.

Their boss swallowed his anger while signaling the men not to block the stranger's lath anymore.

Smack!

"You idiot. Why are you still blocking the path? Move for this, daddy!"

With the path cleared, the stranger calmly walked away without so much as a single word.

And the wagon people could only stare temptingly at their disappearing silhouette.

"Boss... Do you think we should follow this person? Look! If they can give us this much, then doesn't it mean that they have more on them? So what if we..."

"Idiot! If we start acting like thieves and word gets out, then who will want to ride on their wagons later on? And even if we did have to find a target to rob, I feel that this person should not be simple. So why risk it?"

"Then... Then, are we just going to let them go just like that?"

The wagon people stretched their heads aggrieved after watching the person fade away from their sight.

They felt that if they should overpower this person now, then they would be more likely to win and rob the person clean.

But what they didn't know was that their boss had unexpectedly saved their lives instead.

Sometimes being too short-sighted could lead one faster to their demise!

.

~Din... Din... Din...~

With steady footsteps, the black-cloaked passenger calmly maneuvered across the busy streets, making several turns now and then.

The person's actions seemed bizarre and confused because many a time, they would pass through the same street twice.

The person walked vigilantly, glancing around from time to time, ensuring that they weren't followed.

And only after confirming their surroundings severally did the person take the right path.

Down the busy streets, around the sketchy alleys over the fences, across all sorts of paths did this person pass.

Gillian's Tavern.

It was a moderately popular site for peasants in the coastal city.

And now, stepping into the tavern, the person calmly walked to the very front, towards one of the girls at the front desk who was busy pouring Booze to strangers.

And with a swift motion, the person lowered the black cloak humbly before saying a few words to the girl.

It was a secret password of some sort.

The girl's eyes twinkled with a strange light after confirming the person before her: "Sister... Welcome. The elder will see you soon."