CHAPTER 11: WALKING TO TOWN

There was one thing she appreciated about her planet and especially her kingdom: Unlike other kingdoms with so many tribes and divisions, the kingdom of Shoyna had none.

She had never seen any tribes before her birth. They were all one, spoke the same language, and hence had the same culture and traditions.

In this manner, there was no need to be concerned about breaking a custom and being penalized for it.

There was no precise form of dressing designated to either men or women, but rather a model of how women should generally wear.

Tapiwa was carrying a tiny bundle for disguise, which contained another set of clothes to change into, some money, dry meals, and water to drink along the voyage.

It was a shame she didn't have a bag or satchel to carry her belongings in; otherwise, she would have done so. Fortunately, all of her belongings remained on her, so she didn't have to worry about anything else.

It was around three a.m. when she left the house, and she bravely stepped onto the gravel road and began her journey toward the nearest town.

Although it was frightening to stroll alone at night, Tapiwa had no option. She was also terrified of inviting the unknown, so she avoided making too much noise.

Although this was an excellent opportunity for her to hone her skills, particularly her earth control, Tapiwa was concerned that other people lurking in the shadows would notice her; after all, not everyone enjoyed strolling on the open route and preferred to walk in the shadows.

Tapiwa, who had not yet grown tired of traveling, cheered up as she noticed an ox-cart just departing a branch road from the main route she was going on.

Tapiwa felt saved because there weren't many passengers on the ox-cart, so she didn't hesitate but promptly cried out to stop the older man driving the cart.

"Sir, please wait for me!" she exclaimed as she dashed up to the cart.

At this point, the ox-cart driver turned his head to get a better look at the woman he had spotted earlier when he exited the road but had not bothered to wait for.

He was doing business, and until someone called for him, he was not the kind to wait. The world was too dangerous, and even women could rob others.

Because of how they were pressed by society, some of them who had given up hope of receiving any assistance from the people chose to take matters into their own hands.

He recalls being robbed by a bunch of ladies two years ago, and the memory sticks in his mind vividly.

He couldn't help but exclaim inwardly when he halted the cart and stared at the woman who was speeding up to where he was.

'She appears to be very wealthy. Where does she come from? How come I've never heard of her or seen her before?'

In villages, everyone knew everyone else, and if there was a wealthy individual or family nearby, everyone knew. After all, those with money were kings, and they were usually the people who were mentioned when people were upset.

Everything that they do in the eyes of the poor is always wrong.

While the driver was watching the approaching Tapiwa, several ladies in the cart were looking enviously at Tapiwa.

They didn't say anything because they were frightened of being heard, but their eyes said everything.

Tapiwa exhaled a breath of relief as she approached the cart.

Instead of upsetting the ladies who wore unpleasant expressions on their faces, she addressed the driver politely and greeted him.

"How do you do, Sir?" she asked respectfully as she faced the elder man.

The driver was taken aback by being greeted in this manner, especially by such a well-dressed woman.

As someone who had grown up in the village and had gone to the city to work before returning, he could tell with a glance that now when he was much closer to this woman, she wasn't so easy.

Her attire was enough to tell him she wasn't a commoner, but he was perplexed as to why she was walking and at such an early hour.

Normally, women like these would not care to honor rural dwellers like him, so what she did immediately made him like her.

So, with a nicer expression on his face, the man also responded to the greeting, causing Tapiwa to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Are you heading for town, Sir?" Tapiwa inquired after exchanging greetings.

"Yes, we're going there," the driver replied, nodding his head. "Are you also going?"

"I am, indeed. Is it possible for me to go with you?" she inquired of the driver.

The driver nodded his head since he couldn't see the reason why not. He hadn't gotten many people today, so having one more person on his cart was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Sure, please proceed. And because you're getting on the cart halfway, you only need to pay 1 copper coin for transportation," the driver reminded Tapiwa.

Tapiwa simply smiled and nodded at the man before boarding the cart.

Tapiwa gave the five women in the cart a pleasant grin before greeting them.

She had no intention of entertaining these ladies with her greeting or their thoughts of meeting her.

Some of them were very familiar, and they had tormented her several times when fetching water from the river.

The rest of the trip to town was much easier and faster than before, and it was surprising how these ladies didn't say anything from the moment she entered the cart until they all got off.

Tapiwa couldn't care less about whether they were isolating her or not. She didn't need to ponder about individuals who only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong because she had other things to do.

Tapiwa paid her transport fare before rushing to the escort agency, where people who wished to leave town for other locations could either charter a carriage or pay the fare and use the carriage that was departing that day.