6 Aldrick
In the dawn of the next day, after he wakes up, Elias came out of the hut. He went to look at his chickens. They are still lively as ever looking for something to eat, unfortunately there is nothing since Elias only left them the fodder for the previous day.
After feeding the chickens, he took half a loaf of rye bread for a breakfast. He ate the hard bread slowly. 'Since I have this strength I think I can make more money, that way I can have a better life. I can buy some pairs of cows, more chickens, or I can buy some lambs, I heard that lamb's roasted thigh is very delicious.' Elias sitting down while leaning against the banyan tree beside his farm. He giggled when imagining all of these things.
But after he remembered that in addition to the 20 silver coins he saved in his small cupboard after Old Lig gave him, there are only 50 copper coins from the income he got by selling eggs and vegetables. Those 50 copper coins are only worth 10 loafs of rye bread. With 5 copper coins you can get a loaf of rye bread, a hundred copper coins equals 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins equals 1 gold coin.
Elias decided to go to the town to buy a cow, he departed at 7 am. Before reaching in the vicinity of the town he decided to change his appearance. He changed his face with the face of a middle aged man, with blue hair and sun-tanned skin, he made his body to be a bit toned. This ability to change one's appearance is one of the skill he got from the new memory in his mind.
Once he arrived at the town, he met the usual middle aged guard.
"halt!" the guard said.
Elias confused at the guard's behavior, in the past when he wanted to enter the town to sell eggs or vegetables the guard never stopped him, all of the guards guarding the western gate know him, at most they just greeted him and chatted with him a bit.
"May I know who you are and for what reason you visit this town?" Said the guard politely.
"Huh..." Elias became more confused. 'What in the world is wrong with this uncle'.
"Hey uncle, you don't recognize me? Are you feeling unwell?" Elias asked innocently.
The guard's mouth twitched vigorously, 'You are the one who is unwell, your whole family is sick. To even call me an uncle when he looks so much older than me'. He tried to calm his mind and asking,
"Do I know you sir? I can't recall if I ever met you before." The guard smiled, but his lips are still twitching.
"Uh.. I'm N..." Elias wanted to say his name when he remembered that he is in a disguise. He wanted to slap himself to even forget about this.
"Ehemm, sorry, I mistook you with someone else, both of you looks very similar. By the way, my name is Klas Vardeen, I came from a village 50 km south of this town. I'm here to buy a cow." Elias said in a deep voice.
"Oh, fine then. Because you are a non-inhabitant of this town, according to the law you must pay 50 copper coins as the entry fee." The guard said.
"Ughh..." Elias groaned, he really slapped his head now. He even forgot about something very important like this. 'Am I growing very muddle headed now.' He thought.
He reluctantly took one silver coin from the pouch tied in his waist and handed it to the guard.
"Wait a minute please." The guard said while taking some copper coins out of his pouch.
"This is the change, 50 copper coins." The guard handed the coins to Elias.
"Thank's, may I enter now?" Elias smiled bitterly.
"Of course."
After completing all the procedures, he entered the gate.
'I should have used the teleportation technique, that way I won't lose those 50 copper coins.' Elias thought while showing a pained expression.
After walking around the commercial area, he arrived in the market section that sells many kind of animals. He saw some domesticated animals like chickens, cows, lambs etc. There are also low beasts such as level one three horned buffalo, horned rabbit etc.
Elias looking around at the section that sells cows, he tried to find the most buff and toned cow. After searching for 10 minutes, he found the one he wanted, a muscular male cow, it was like the hunk of the cows.
"Mister, how much for this one?" He asked the kind looking owner.
"It's 30 silver coins, sir." The owner answered while smiling, when he saw the clothes Elias wore, he is sure that he can't afford to buy this cow but he still answered politely.
"Ughh.. can't you lower it to 19 silver coins?" Elias tried to bargain, all the money he brought is his twenty silver coins. And because of the entry fee, he was left with 19 silver and 50 copper.
"I'm sorry sir. But at most I can lower it to 25 silver." The owner said, still with the kind-looking face.
Elias still stroking the cow's back and reluctantly pull his hand.
"Is there any cow with cheaper price?" He asked
"Yes, there is." The owner said, and he walked to a cow.
"This one is priced at twenty silvers."
"can you lower it to 19." Elias asked.
"Deal!" The owner said suddenly. 19 silvers is still a nice price for this one, it is even possible to bargain it to 15.
Elias startled by the sudden agreement of the owner, he regretted not bargained even lower.
"Can you lower it again?"
"No, sir." The owner refused, still with his kind smile.
Elias who became a bit annoyed of the owner's smile reluctantly taking all the silver coins in his pouch and handed it to the owner.
"Ugh, sir, can you release your hand?" The owner got annoyed of Elias's odd behavior, Elias hasn't released his hand from gripping the owner's hand. After a bit more than a minute he let go off his hand.
"Can I take it home now?" Elias asked.
"Of course." The owner answered.
Elias excitedly went approaching the cow, he completely forgot how reluctant he was to let go off the money. After unstrapping the rope binding the cow to a wooden pole, he pull the it to bring it home.
When Elias walking through the commercial area, he saw a little kid around 5 years old looking at a bread shop. The kid wears a worn-out shirt and a shabby pant with so many patches on them. Elias realized that this kid is another unfortunate person in this town.
The kid slowly approaching the bread shop. When there is no one looking at him, he took a piece of bread, then he put it in his shirt and start running as fast as he could.
The shop owner who realized that the kid stole a bread from him tried to chase after him before suddenly he felt there is a hand holding his shoulder, and the grip is so strong that he can't even move.
The guy who hold him is Elias.
"I'm sorry sir. But can you let go of it? I will pay for the bread." Elias said.
The shop owner who became a bit scared of him shook his head.
"It's not like I don't want to, but if I don't give him a lesson then tomorrow he will come again, and it will be repeated everyday. Even if you, sir, paid for him today, who will pay when he steals again tomorrow?" The shop owner said. This kind of stealing has happened almost everyday in the commercial area.
"It's alright sir, I will take care of him. So, can you let it go?" Elias still wanted to help the kid. He felt that if you have the ability to help people so why are you not helping. Even if it was a stranger, he won't ignore anyone who needs his help. There are already so many people who ignored people's plea because they are strangers, he won't blame or condemn that kind of people, but still, he don't to be someone like them. This is one of the teaching of his parents, as long as you have the mean to help people in need, then you must help them.
"Alright." The shop owner said after witnessing Elias's stubbornness, he afraid if he still persist on pursuing that kid this muscular guy will give him trouble.
After giving 3 copper coins, Elias walking to the direction where the kid ran away. He already used his tracking technique to find him.
The kid continued to run after he arrived at the slums where there are people in similar condition as him lives.
After walking he reached a shack that doesn't look like something occupied by a person, it looks like a shed for cattle. The kid entered the shack and greeted by ten or so children. Those children are the inhabitants of the shack, the ones with the same fate as him. They were either the ones that didn't have relatives anymore or the ones that being abandoned by their relatives.
These kids' age are between a few months old to five years old. The oldest is the kid that stole the bread earlier.
The kid approached the group.
"How is Little Ake doing?" He asks a little girl holding a baby who is crying non stop.
"I don't know, he just keep crying." Said the girl who almost crying either.
The boy took out the bread he hide in his shirt, when it is shown, all the eyes of the children in the shack were one the bread. They just their saliva, they are hungry, very hungry, but they knew that the bread was for their youngest brother, Ake.
"Little Ake, your big brother brought you a bread, it is so tasty you know, it so fragrance you know." The boy said.
Little Ake who is still a few months old of course doesn't understand what the boy said, he keeps crying.
"Big sis said that Little Ake can't eat bread yet." The little girl holding the baby sadly said.
The boy slumped on the ground, not knowing what to do.
"Big bro, when will big sis come. I'm so hungry?" said a small kid to the boy.
"Let's just wait a bit longer, sis will come soon. While we wait for sis, let's share this bread." The boy said.
"Hurray.." The little kids cheering happily. The boy shred the bread to small eight pieces and gave them to the kids.
"Big bro, why you don't eat?" Said one of the youngest kid.
"I already ate some bread crumbs that fallen in the front of the shop." The boy said smiling.
The kids ate the pieces of the bread that not even as big as their palm.
"Uhh.. delicious, but I'm still hungry." A little boy said while rubbing his little tummy.
Outside of the shack, Elias saw all the events brokenheartedly. He felt that he is an ungrateful person, he often complained about his life that was full of sufferings, but when he compared his life with the little children's, he felt that he was lucky. Even though he faced a hard life, he always had something to eat.
Elias took his pouch and gripped it. He immediately going back to the bread shop. When he reached the shop, he spent all his remaining money to buy some bread loafs and a few bottles of cow milk. He doesn't felt any reluctance when he spent all the money.
--__--
Back to the shack, after everyone ate their share of the bread pieces, the biggest boy exited the shack and running towards the commercial area. After ten minutes of running, he stopped to take a breath. He felt his body is so tired, his feet felt so heavy and he is very hungry.
The boy continued to walk towards an inn in the middle of the commercial area. He walked through an alley until he reached the back door of the inn. When he arrived, he knocked at the door and shouting,
"Big sis, big sis.." he kept shouting until the door opened. Then a middle aged woman came out and glared at the kid.
"What are you shouting for, you brat?"
The boy became a little scared. He knew about this woman, she is the owner of the inn. She was known as a harsh person and liked to use abusive words when scolding her employee.
"Uh..uhh.I..I.. I'm here looking for my big sis." He stuttered and the voice came out of him is very small.
"No. You..." When the woman wanted to chase the boy away, another person came out of the door. She is a girl not older than twenty. Her face her face dirtied by charcoal and dirt and she wears worn out clothes that was full of dirt and patches.
"Big sis!" The boy Shouted gladly. He is glad because his sister came earlier before him being chased away by the inn owner.
The girl saw the boy panting and his face is pale. She became very worried, afraid that the kid gotten an illness. She was worried because in their condition they can't afford the medicine. With the lack of medicines and the unhealthy environment they have, once you get sick it's easy for the illness to get worsen, even causing death. There were some of her brothers and sisters who also lived in the slums who passed away because of a simple fever.
"Al. Why are you here? And what happen with you? Are you sick?" The girl went to the boy and knelt in front of him while touching his forehead.
"Don't worry sis, I'm only a bit tired because I'm running all the way here. But there is Little Ake, he won't stop crying since the morning, I'm worried about him." The boy, Aldrick said.
"Okay, wait a bit. I'm going home with you." The girl said while wiping the sweat off Aldrick's face. Then she stood up and bowing to the woman behind them.
"I'm sorry Madam, I need to go home, our little brother looks like got an illness. Once everything solved I'll be back soon." The girl said while still bowing.
The woman just kept quiet while taking some copper coins from her money pouch.
"Take this." The woman said.
The girl took the coins with grateful expression.
"Thank.." The girl wanted to thank the woman when the latter cut her words off.
"Those are your wage for this week. After this, don't bother coming back to this inn." The woman said disdainfully before she entered the inn and closed the door.
The girl just looking pitifully at the copper coins in her hands. This payment is not even half of the usual weekly payment she received. Tears dropping down from the corner of her eyes. She don't know where she will look for another job. Without a job, she can't buy food for her brothers and sisters.
The boy saw his sister crying, he regretted coming here.
"I'm..I'm sorry Sis." Aldrick said while looking on the ground. He started weeping.
The girl hugged Aldrick and trying to console him, "Hush, hush. Don't cry okay. You said you want to become a strong man, a strong man won't cry. I'm fine, it's just a job, I'm going to look for a better job in the future." The girl said while smiling at the little guy.
Aldrick nodded and wiped the tears off his face.
"Alright. Let's go home and see Little Ake." The girl said.
After that, both the unfortunate girl and little boy started walking towards the shack they called as home.
