"ROBIN? You know him?" Carla suddenly looked shocked hearing his name.
"Of course, he's with our friend Charlotte now." Carla stepped closer to us, "Did he come with you?"
"No, he has no reason to come here," I replied.
"No way! How is this possible?" Carla walked back with a disappointed look.
After a few moments of silence, an idea struck me. "Carla, do you remember the path you took earlier?" I asked with hope.
"Hey, do you have a good plan?" Isabella interrupted.
"What's going on? Are you planning something? I don't remember," she replied with a concerned look.
"Well, it's okay. I still have another plan."
***
Our journey resumed after lunch.
"Hey, what's your plan? I don't feel good about this," Carla asked me.
"Don't worry, the plan is already set," I replied.
Carla just looked at me without saying a word.
Initially, I was confused about where to start. However, the river current determined our next path. We dispersed to find the village faster.
After a while, I found the village location after exiting the dense forest. I shouted loudly.
"Friends! I found it!" my shout echoed through the forest.
"Really?" Isabella replied, flying towards me.
"Hey, did you really find it?" Carla appeared beside me.
I smiled widely, "Of course, let's go, Isabella. We're here." I shouted again.
"Follow me," I invited.
After walking on the path for a while, the village came into view again.
"Look, I did it, didn't I?" I pointed to the bustling village.
"Hmm, you just got lucky," Carla passed me with a hint of excitement.
"Carla's right, you just got lucky," Isabella followed without celebrating.
After a while, we headed to the nearest market in the village. As I expected, the crowd was orderly and not chaotic.
"So, what's your plan?" Carla asked curiously.
"Look over there, they're the ones guarding this area, right? They're definitely part of them," I pointed to the end of the market.
"So, what's the plan?" Isabella asked.
"Just shop like everyone else, don't draw attention to yourself," I said.
Carla looked at Isabella, "Alright," and started following me.
We approached the shops and bought essential supplies. We were just waiting for something uncertain.
As we were about to leave the shop, I asked the fruit vendor a question.
"Ma'am, these apples look fresh. Are the others just as fresh?" I started small talk while putting fruits in the basket.
"Of course, young man. These grapes are fresh and sweet, just picked," the vendor replied smoothly.
I stopped taking fruits and looked at the vendor's eyes. "Ma'am, may I ask something important?"
The vendor looked surprised, "What is it, young man?"
I leaned in close, "When do they start collecting?" I whispered.
The vendor was taken aback, paused for a moment, and was about to whisper back.
"Hey, what are you doing there?" one of the guards shouted towards us.
The guard approached us and demanded, "Give us the harvest!" in front of us.
Carla and Isabella were shocked beside me, frozen in silence.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I interrupted.
"What do you mean, kid? Don't you know where you are?" the guard replied sternly.
"Look around you, don't you recognize them?" he said while staring at me sharply.
"Sir, where is your leader?" I asked with a tough face.
"Huh? What do you mean, kid? Do you have a problem?" he replied, staring back.
I clenched my fists tightly. "This isn't right, where is he?" I said, still staring sharply.
The guard looked up at me, "You mean Murphy? Do you want to find him? HAHAHA."
The guard stood up, laughed loudly, and patted his stomach a few times.
"HAHAHAHA! Alright, kid. I don't know what you can do. Just head east, and you'll find him, kid."
"Good luck, kid! HAHAHAHA." He turned around and returned to his post.
I turned around and looked at Isabella and Carla.
Carla sighed, "Well, thankfully, that didn't become a big problem. YOU."
_Slap_
"Ow, forgive me. But I did find out the path," I said while rubbing my head.
"What do you mean? Do you want to get us into more trouble?" Carla said sternly, staring at me sharply.
Carla sighed again, "Whatever. Let's leave this place. I'm almost fed up with your actions, let's go, Isabella." Carla invited.
I interrupted, "Let's go."
-To be continued
Next Chap: Scandinavia #3