On the Seven Towers

A spring rain had just stopped, and the wild flowers on the roadside fell to the muddy land.

On a road leading to Montenegro, two children, one big and one small, were trudging forward in the mud.

Of the two children, the older one was a boy, who looked fifteen or sixteen years old. Although he looked thin, his arms were strong. He wore a tattered shirt and a pair of trousers, and a small bag on his back.

The younger one was a girl, who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, thin and weak. Her hair was loose, she wore a dirty robe, and her face was covered with dust. But if you look closely at her face, you will find that she has a pair of lively big eyes and beautiful facial features.

The two held hands, and the girl was obviously not strong enough. The boy leaned over and pulled her forward.

"Brother Avalo, how far is it?" The girl's voice was tired but crisp.

"We're almost there. Let's walk a little further before dark. We'll find a drier place and light 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, we'll just walk a little longer."

"But I can't walk anymore." Ava said with a wrinkled 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 and clothes. You can rest as long as you want."

"But is that true? I... I always feel... how can there be such a place?" Although Ava is young, her words carry a sense of vicissitudes of an adult.

"Although Gamboa is a bad guy, he is a wise bad guy. 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 Montenegro is the best place in the world for every slave. So it must be true. Believe me, okay? Ava."

"Yeah. I believe in Brother Avalor." The girl nodded twice vigorously.

"Besides, I have this." The boy opened his collar, revealing a brown brand, "Any lord can hang me, or let me do hard labor until I die. Except Montenegro, we have nowhere to go."

"I will go, I won't let Brother Avalor be captured." Ava walked hard 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 their saliva at the same time.

"Brother Avalor, I, I feel so hungry." Ava stared at the bonfire in the distance with her eyes wide open.

"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 to eat potatoes. You know, potatoes smell good when roasted."

"Yeah." Ava nodded sensibly, and followed Avalor down the road, looking back every step, and walked into the woods.

But at this moment, a shout came from the bonfire in front: "Who is it!"

Then a figure ran over.

Avalor was shocked and pulled Ava up to run, 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, his steps were very agile. He ran to them in one breath with a long sword and stopped them.

Avalor stopped Ava behind him, and in the dim light, he saw that the other person was a man in his thirties.

"Boss, it's two kids!" the man yelled at the fire.

A voice came from the other side, "Bring them here. Don't be a thief trying to steal something."

The man said with a stern face, "Let's go! You'd better go there by yourself 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 won't affect you." Avalo pleaded.

"No, you must bring them to the boss to ask clearly, otherwise you will be in trouble if you are spies of horse thieves."

"We are just on the road, and we have absolutely nothing to do with horse thieves."

The man said, "It doesn't matter, what are you afraid of? If there is no problem after asking, maybe the boss will reward you with a meal. You look hungry for several days, right?"

Hearing that there was food to eat, Avalo and Ava's stomachs rumbled at the same time. In the end, they were coaxed and forced by the man with the promise of a meal and rushed to the campfire.

The boss of the caravan was a slightly fat middle-aged man who looked quite friendly. He looked at the two people carefully, asked them to sit by the campfire, and gave each of them a piece of black bread and a bowl of hare soup.

Avalor and Ava had not eaten properly for a few days. Seeing these, they could no longer hold back and each held a bowl to eat and drink.

The fat merchant asked a few questions in a roundabout way. The two children were no match for the merchant who traveled all over the country. They were soon asked about their details. 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 is the Chinese?" Avalor asked.

"That's the Black Mountain Mage you mentioned."

"Uncle Janola, do you know the situation over there? Are they really as good as everyone says?" Avalor asked while drinking soup.

"You're right. There's no place more suitable for you than there. You don't know, I'm going there too. You see, my three trucks are empty, just to ask the Chinese to purchase products."

"Really?!"

"That's right! Why don't you follow my team? A three-day journey can be completed in one day with a carriage. And you can sit in the car, so you don't have to be so tired." The merchant said.

Avalor and Ava looked at each other and were very tempted. After Janola's few words, they agreed.

At night, Avalor and Ava, who were very tired, fell asleep quickly.

In a daze, Avalor was awakened by the noisy sound. He struggled to open his eyes, but found that his hands and feet were tied and he couldn't move.

And Janola was talking to two riders wearing leather armor and leading horses at this time.

"...Yes, some guys are tracking us. So we have to go back and inform the adults." A rider said.

"This stuff is very good, we will take it away first. When the adult comes, he will definitely like it." Another rider patted a thin figure on his shoulder and said.

"Of course, I can tell at a glance that this is a good thing." 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 blocked in his mouth and he could only make a humming sound.

One of the riders heard the voice here, turned his head and smiled at him.

"Let's go." Another rider carried Ava and climbed on the horse, "Send this little thing to the adult, isn't this the 'loli' he wants?"

"Loli...haha." The previous man also climbed on the horse, waved goodbye to Janola, and left in the night...

Thanks to the book friend 20170806163003704 for the reward.