Preparation for harvesting (4)

"Wait for me brat!" The old man rushed to Tolya's side as he ate what was on his banana leaf. He was almost finishing what was placed on it even before he had yet to sit down, Tolya on the other hand wanted to sit down first before he could begin to stuff his food into his mouth because he was also starting to feel hunger kicking in even if he ate supper before boarding the carriage.

"Don't follow me old man! From here onwards, let's go our separate ways!" Tolya hollered, he scanned where he was going and saw a group of teenagers who were huddled together at a certain place in the park and Tolya didn't stand on ceremony and dashed towards them while leaving the old man behind who was still shouting for Tolya to wait for him.

"At least... The annoying old man is no more!" Tolya heaved a sigh before he sat at the midst of the teenagers. He stared at where he came from and truthfully, he didn't saw the old man approaching, maybe the old man had surely lost him.

"What are we waiting for while in this park? It is not like we will have to sit here until morning, right?"

"I heard that we are to sit here until king Virtya arrive to give us directions." The teenagers were in their own discussion when Tolya's appearance interrupted them.

"Hi guys!" Tolya greeted the teenagers around him but they just stared at him before they shifted their stares at what he was holding.

"Lidiya, a fat lamb is here." An emaciated boy who was close to Tolya said to a tomboyish girl who was facing Tolya's back.

Just as the words of the emaciated boy came out, the teenagers around Tolya squirmed towards him as they didn't want to stand up to be whipped, they closed in and snatched Tolya's food before they ate it all in a blink of an eye. Tolya could not say a thing as his mouth remained agape as he didn't believe what had just happened.

After all, Lidiya Bolsky who was aged 14 and her gang came from Polkok district and they were here to not only harvest barley to get the three gold coins, but also to rob people and Tolya had just stumbled into their midst. He couldn't stand up unless he wanted to be whipped again by the knights.

"I like your hood. This hood is at least 20 silver coins, right?" Lidiya asked Tolya with a smile as she licked her lips.

"Well... I bought this hood in Whiyork, the capital of Litkesh, at that time, they were on offer and it was only one silver coin each... You see this cargo pant of mine... I bought it for 40 silver coins..." Tolya was not bragging, he was being truthful to his fellow youths because he could see that they were friendly as compared to the old man, maybe what they did earlier was because they were hungry or it might be they just wanted to share food with him but he was slow at eating it with them.

"Wow! You are so handsome. Could you please allow me to have the hood and see how it will look on me? Please let me have it... I will give it back to you... trust me." Lidiya begged Tolya, she caressed Tolya's neck which made him a little confused. After all, Tolya's yellow hood looked great and Lidiya thought that she could sell it at a good price in Whiten. She wanted to have Tolya's hood.

Tolya hesitated as if he was pondering.

"Don't tell me that you can't give something to a girl. She will return it to you. It is not like she is going to run away with it... The guy is not even handsome and here he is hesitating when our Lidiya likes him. Stupid of him, he would never find a girlfriend for himself." The emaciated boy beside Tolya chimed in and the other youths with them nodded their heads.

"Ok... You can have it." Tolya finally decided to give Lidiya his hood. After all, Lidiya was not that bad and if he could make her his girl, then, it would be nice, she was just wearing his hood for some time and then she would return it to him, right?

However, at that moment, several knights who were driving on their horses while carriages following behind them entered into the park. 

The many carriages had close to a thousand knights in them and they all came down.

Meanwhile, it was only a single carriage that remained. The door of the carriage was opened and men in Black suits came down. It was of course Alexandre, Vlad, Tanya, Virtya and five unknown men. 

Tanya was still wearing an armour and also the knights were cladded in armours.

"It's king Virtya!" The murmuring ensued. One should know that all the needed workers had already been assembled here and there was no more carriage with workers coming this way.

The knights stood around these men in suits and the people could only catch their faces vaguely under the moonlight.

"That is Vlad the high priest. Look at his black suit. It is well tailored. I wish I had money to buy one." 

"Look at Virtya's suit, that overcoat that reaches up to his knee looks cool are those types of suits in the market?"

"Wow, the suits are well ironed. I wish I had one like that. Poor me... Look at the robe that I am wearing... It makes me look like a beggar."

Actually, wearing suits was considered a form of exclusive prestige that was only for the rich, after all, a suit especially those made in Azuhai were very expensive and the poor could not afford to own one.

"Who are those men?" One of the people who were seated asked his friend. He was pointing at an unknown black man who was talking to Virtya but his friend didn't find a chance to see that person as Virtya's group was lead to a shade that was facing the people at the park.