A spring rain had just stopped, and the wild flowers on the roadside fell onto the muddy ground.
On a road leading to Montenegro, two children, one big and one small, were trudging through the mud.
Of the two children, the older one was a boy who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Although he looked thin, his arms were quite strong. He was wearing a tattered shirt and a pair of trousers, and had a small bag on his back.
The younger one was a girl, who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, thin and weak, with dishevelled hair, wearing a dirty robe, and her face was covered in dust. But if you looked closely at her face, you would find that she had a pair of lively big eyes and very pretty facial features.
The two held hands. The girl was obviously not strong enough, so the boy leaned over and pulled her forward.
"Brother Avalo, how far is it?" The girl's voice was tired but clear.
"We're almost there. Let's walk a little further before dark. We'll find a drier place later and make a fire to roast the remaining two potatoes." The boy felt the girl's pace getting slower and slower, and encouraged her, "Ava, I'll hold your hand, and we'll just walk a little longer."
"But I can't walk anymore," Ava said, wrinkling her nose.
Even though Avalor was a little annoyed, seeing her cute look, he still gently touched her head and said, "As long as we get to Montenegro, there will be endless food to eat and endless clothes to wear. You can rest as long as you want."
"But is that true? I... I always feel... how could there be such a place?" Although Ava is young, her words carry the vicissitudes of an adult.
"Although Gamboa is a bad guy, he is a knowledgeable one. I heard him chatting with other guards. He didn't need to use fake things to deceive those people." Avalor looked at Ava and said seriously, "And the mercenary uncle, we just met him on the road, and he also said that Black Mountain is the best place in the world for every slave. So it must be true. Believe me, okay? Ava."
"Yeah. I believe in Brother Avalo." The girl nodded vigorously twice.
"Besides, I have this." The boy opened his collar, revealing a brown brand. "Any lord can hang me or make me work as a hard laborer until I die. There is nowhere else we can go except Black Mountain."
"I will go. I won't let Brother Avalo be captured." Ava tried to walk again.
The two children walked for a while, and the sky gradually darkened. When they turned a corner, they saw a fire in front of them. It seemed that a caravan with three trucks was camping and resting.
The wind blew from that direction, and it actually carried a hint of the aroma of broth.
Avalor and Ava swallowed at the same time.
"Brother Avalo, I, I feel so hungry." Ava stared with her big eyes at the campfire in the distance.
"We... we have to avoid them." Avalor said, looking around, "Let's go around the woods and find a place where they can't see us and eat potatoes. You know, potatoes smell delicious when roasted."
"Yeah." Ava nodded sensibly, and followed Avalo down the road, looking back every step of the way, and walked into the woods.
But at this moment, a loud shout came from the campfire in front: "Who is it?"
Then a figure came running over.
Avalor was horrified and pulled Ava to run away, but it was a pity that the two hungry children were no match for the adult warriors. Although the man didn't know how to fight, he was very agile. He ran to them in one breath with a long sword and stopped them.
Avalo stopped Ava behind him, and in the dim light, he could see clearly that the other person was a man in his thirties.
"Boss, it's two kids!" the man shouted towards the fire.
A voice came from the other side, "Bring it here for us to see. Don't tell me it's some thief trying to steal something."
The man said with a straight face, "Let's go! You'd better go over there by yourselves and let our boss take a look. But don't worry, we are not bad people. It's just that we are in the wild, so we have to be careful about everything."
"Uncle, we are really just passing by. We will walk through the woods and not disturb you." Avalo pleaded.
"No, you must bring it to the boss and ask him about it. Otherwise, if you turn out to be spies of the bandits, you will be in trouble."
"We are just on the road, and have absolutely nothing to do with the horse thieves."
The man said, "It's okay, what are you afraid of? If there are no problems, maybe the boss will give you a meal. You look hungry for several days, right?"
Hearing that there was food to eat, Avalor and Ava's stomachs started to growl at the same time. Finally, the man coaxed and forced them to the campfire with the promise of a meal.
The boss of the caravan was a slightly plump middle-aged man who looked quite amiable. He looked the two men over carefully, asked them to sit by the campfire, and gave each of them a piece of black bread and a bowl of hare soup.
Avalo and Ava hadn't eaten properly for a few days. Seeing these, they couldn't help themselves anymore and each held a bowl and started eating and drinking.
The fat merchant asked a few indirect questions, but the two children were no match for the merchant who traveled all over the country, so they were soon trapped and revealed their true colors. The merchant chatted with them for a while, and the two sides soon became familiar with each other. The merchant's name was Janola, and he was in the ironware business.
"So you are going to the Chinese territory?" Janola asked.
"What are Chinese?" Avalor asked.
"That's the Black Mountain Wizard you mentioned."
"Uncle Janola, do you know the situation over there? Are they really as good as everyone says?" Avalo asked while drinking soup.
"You are right. There is no place more suitable for you than there. You may not know, but I am going there too. You see, my three trucks are empty because I am going to buy products from the Chinese."
"real?!"
"That's right! You might as well follow my caravan. A three-day journey can be covered in one day with a horse-drawn carriage. And you can sit in the carriage, so you won't be so tired." said the merchant.
Avalor and Ava looked at each other and were very moved. After a few words from Janola, they agreed.
At night, Avalo and Ava, who were very tired, soon fell into a deep sleep.
Avalor was awakened by the noise in his daze. He opened his eyes with great effort, only to find that his hands and feet were tied and he could not move.
At this time, Janola was talking to two riders wearing leather armor and leading horses.
“…Yes, some guys are tracking us. So we have to hurry back to inform the adults.” said a rider.
"This stuff is very good. Let's take it away first. When that adult comes, he will definitely like it." Another rider said, patting a thin figure on the shoulder.
"Of course, I can tell at first glance that this is a good product." Janola said proudly.
"Ava!" Avalo recognized that it was Ava's clothes. His eyes were bloodshot and he wanted to shout loudly, but something was blocking his mouth and he could only make a whimpering sound.
One of the riders heard the voice, turned around and smiled at him.
"Let's go." Another rider carried Ava on his back and climbed onto the horse. "Take this little thing to the master. Isn't this the 'lolly' thing he wants?"
"Lolita... Haha." The man also got on his horse, waved goodbye to Janola, and sped away in the night...