A bit larger was putting it mildly, Snow thought, trying to encompass the enormity of the settlement before his eyes. Except that, more than a village, it looked a lot like a huge camping site.

Everywhere his eyes could reach, large, tall tents had been raised, their colorful fabrics making it so that the land was completely covered in the most spectacular mix of bright colors. And yet, they were still organized enough to leave wide, open streets between them, in a strange kind of disorganized arrangement.

There were also people everywhere, Snow realized, his head turning left and right as he closely followed ZaiWin¹Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). down one of said streets. Everyone looked strangely cheerful, greeting each other, laughing out loud, trying to offer their products to whoever passed by their vending stalls. Well, more like huge blankets spread on the dirt, covered with the most varied things, Snow noticed, his gaze quickly flying from one thing to another. They were selling almost everything, he realized, starting to get a bit dizzy. From fruits and vegetables, to meat and salted fish. There were also house utensils like bowls and pans. Another vendor had a huge collection of rolled manuscripts and books. The next one beautiful, colorful fabrics in large rolls. All in all, it was one-hundred times worse than the market he had visited in Wei!

Afraid he might get lost, feeling more than a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people surrounding him, he reached out and held on to ZaiWin’s coat.

Turning back to look at him, ZaiWin gave him an annoyingly amused smile, but ended up holding his hand, pulling him along as he cut through the crowd.

Turning left and right, it was obvious he knew the place all too well. And so Snow wasn’t surprised at all when he stopped in front of a huge tent and loudly clapped his hands. In front of the tent, a large blanket had been spread on the ground, selling all kinds of small knives and daggers. A small child, sitting on an old pillow, watched over the business.

“Anyone home?!” he shouted, clapping his hands again, and the tent’s flap finally opened to reveal an old man with a patch of white beard spilling over his chest.

“Ah! If it isn’t the Azure runt!” he happily laughed and turned to shout into the tent. “Hey, woman! The stuck-up runt is back!”

Snow immediately stepped back, half-hiding behind ZaiWin, but still wanting to see what was happening.

From inside the tent came a short woman, her dark hair streaked with white tied at the top of her head. She wore a man’s pants and a tunic that reached her knees, and her tanned skin was wrinkled around her mouth and big brown eyes. Still, she immediately smiled at the sight of their unexpected visitor, showing a mouth where several teeth were missing. And yet, somehow, none of that really stole her natural beauty.

“Well, well, it has been a while, hasn’t it?” she asked and ZaiWin bowed his head, almost respectfully.

“How have you been, mother Wing?”

The woman’s smile widened, clearly pleased by his greeting, and she even managed to blush a bit.

“Oh, fine! We’ve all been fine!” she waved a dismissive hand and the man crossed the space between them, placing a huge, dirty hand on the head of the child sitting on the ground, looking after their business.

“This one here is Pebble!” he announced with a proud smile. He was missing almost as many teeth as the woman.

The small boy at his feet frowned and cringed away from his touch, but the older man didn’t mind it at all, ruffling his disheveled dark hair. He must have been six or seven years old, and Snow couldn’t help notice the old tunic he wore, that, even though too large for his small frame, had been carefully washed and mended.

“Say hello to our guests,” the man commanded, trying to make the kid look up, but Pebble efficiently swatted his hand away and quickly scooted to the other side, leaving a sigh on the man’s lips.

“He’s a stubborn one.”

“Just let him be!” Wing scolded him. “The poor child only got here two weeks ago. He’s still getting accustomed to our ways.”

The man shrugged, clearly willing to let his wife have things done her way, and crossed his arms over his chest, again with that toothless smile on his face.

“What about you? Out hunting monsters again?”

“No. Not this time. Not so many monsters left to hunt, either,” ZaiWin replied, sounding clearly proud of that fact, and the man laughed wholeheartedly.

“Ain’t that the truth! And good riddance! We’re much better off without them. Your master didn’t come?” he asked, peering behind around him as if excepting to see someone else, and Snow immediately took one step to the side, better hiding himself from sight, but the man clearly ignored his presence.

“No. Today I’m just out for some fun.”

“Eh! As if you know the meaning of the word!” the man immediately criticized, giving him a look of disapproval. “Such a young and handsome man, always with such a sour expression on his face! It’s such a waste! You should just get married, settle down and have a few runts of your own! That ought to put a smile on that stone face of yours!”

Wing slapped her husband’s arm, and the man released an overly exaggerated complaint.

“Stop meddling in everyone’s lives!” she scolded him and he grunted.

“As if I’m wrong! Just look at him and tell me that I’m wrong!”

Wing did look at him and ended up sighing with a sorrowful expression. Yes, it was truly a waste; it was written all over her face.

“Are you relocating that child?” she opted to ask, clearly changing the subject, and Snow tensed up a bit at finally being mentioned. “Need help finding him a suitable family?”

“No. I’m just showing him around. I think he’ll be better suited for a more quiet village, like Dryriver.”

Wing nodded.

“He does look to be a bit on the timid side,” she agreed. “And I hear that Dryriver is actually doing rather well,” she offered excitedly. “This year’s crops were plentiful enough to feed everyone, and they still managed to bring a good amount of vegetables to be sold and exchanged for other goods.”

“That’s right! That old bastard TreeRock just wouldn’t shut up about it!” the man added and Wing immediately slapped him over the head.

“Language!” she chided but he didn’t even blink.

“Boasting around how they had enough to pull them through the winter. He was even offering samples of his goods to everyone that walked in front of his stall!”

“That’s really good news,” ZaiWin declared with a smile on his lips, and Snow could immediately tell that it was truly heartfelt.

“So it is,” the man agreed with a strong nod. “Oh! Here! I have been keeping this piece on me for a while now, since no one around these parts can actually recognize its worth. But I’m sure your master will like it,” he suddenly remembered, fishing something wrapped in a piece of cloth from his belt, and proudly held it with one hand, while carefully unwrapping it.

The bright light of the day immediately caught on the small, sharp blade, the handle, though simple, looking comfortable and easy to wield. Resting on the man’s dirty hands, the blade looked incredibly clean and pristine, and although it might look like any other dagger to the nescient eye, the man had been right. The blade was indeed made of precious metal.

Silver, to be more precise, Snow immediately knew, slipping his hand away from ZaiWin’s so he could take another step back. A silver blade. He could practically smell it. He would never forget that sensation.

Feeling his hand suddenly empty, ZaiWin’s fingers twitched. He should have held on to him with more strength! Still he refused to look back to see what had happened. Doing so would only draw unnecessary attention towards his silent companion. Instead, he did his best to acknowledge the precious dagger the man in front of him was trying to show him.

“Here. Take it!” the man finally said, slamming it against his chest, which was a rather dangerous thing to do! Since the man simply released it there ZaiWin had no other choice but to try and catch it without cutting himself. It had been such a precious thing just a few seconds ago, and now the man had simply discarded it as if it were trash.

“I can’t just take it!” he contested, holding the small weapon in his hand, and the man turned his head away, grunting loudly.

“Well, I have no use for it! Just take it home as a present for your master, if you want. Or keep it yourself. I’m sure you will put it to good use.”

“Then give me a price for it. I will pay,” ZaiWin tried to negotiate but it was Wing’s turn to intervene.

“Now that’s a bunch of nonsense, plain and simple!” she declared, looking almost angry. “Just be a good boy and take it, Azure! You and your master have done more for us than we can ever repay. Not even one-hundred blades like that would be enough.”

ZaiWin sighed, knowing he would never win that argument.

“Besides, I’m actually telling you to go and keep working for us!” the man added. “Just use that to kill more of those things, if you find them. I’ll be more than glad to know it's being used for that!”

ZaiWin nodded and slid the blade into his belt.

“Then I will take your offer. But I will be keeping it for myself!” he added with a mischievous smile and the man laughed, his warm voice filling the air around them.

“Good for you, kid! Good for you!”

“So I gather that everything else is going as usual? The roads remain clear? No troubles around here?” ZaiWin asked in a more serious tone, and both man and wife smiled proudly.

“Nothing we can’t handle ourselves! So no need to bother your master about it!”

“But you will let him know, if things change,” he wanted to make sure and the man waved a dismissive hand.

“Please don’t worry. We most certainly will,” Wing replied.

ZaiWin nodded approvingly.

“Then I shall take my leave. There’s still plenty of road ahead, before we can reach Dryriver.”

“So soon?” Wing asked with a small frown. “I was hoping you could stay and eat with us.”

“Another time, maybe. I just passed by to get an update on how you were doing.”

“On your way back, then? After you’ve dropped that child somewhere safe,” Wing insisted and ZaiWin gave her a polite smile.

“I will do my best.”