As winter approached, most of the residents in the King's Castle changed into warm clothes, except for a few poor people who didn't have enough clothes to cover their bodies.
Apart from the slightly different weather, there didn't seem to be any changes in the King's Castle. The residents of the King's Castle also lived as usual.
For there to be any obvious changes in the city, it might have to wait for the arrival of winter.
In the northern area of the expatriate area, which was slightly more remote in the north, Lulunaka's shop was as usual. There weren't many customers coming in.
Pasta was still sitting at the counter, drinking tea and flipping through books. He had no other work to do.
It was early in the morning. Julius went out early again. Only he and Lulunaka stayed in the shop.
As for Lulunaka, she wasn't in the shop now. Instead, she continued to work on her alchemy work in the backyard.
There were always sounds coming from the backyard. It wasn't just the sound of liquid being stirred or bubbles bursting, there were also slight explosions.
For Pasta, these sounds would occasionally affect his thoughts when he was immersed in the book, but it didn't make him curious.
The things that Lulunaka made were definitely not safe.
After a while, Lulunaka returned to the shop from the backyard.
In this season, Lulunaka also changed into new clothes: thicker, warmer clothes and a cloak.
Whether it was the clothes or the cloak, they were all dark green in color. If it was in the dark, then she wouldn't look conspicuous. And in the daytime, her clothes wouldn't attract too much attention.
"Good morning, uncle.
Do you have any plans today? "Lulunaka asked Pasta.
"No, but it's not a bad choice to go out for a walk."
Pasta replied, "I haven't gone out for a while. I'm always here. My body feels like it's going to rust."
"What about that kid?"
Lulunaka continued to ask, "He wakes up so early every day. Sometimes I can only see him come back late at night."
"Who knows? You should know better than me."
Pasta said, "Also, do you think it's a good idea to let him continue scavenging like this?"
Lulunaka sat at the counter, which was her exclusive seat.
She sat on the counter and played with the cane in her hand. "What's wrong with that?
Picking up trash can at least support himself, and I think he's quite happy doing it. "
"Did you remind him that the sewers below the rat tunnel and even deeper into the sewers are dangerous?"
Pasta turned a page of the book. "Only desperate people would go down there … Some people would rather beg or starve to death than go down there to scavenge."
"I don't think it's as exaggerated as you say."
Lulunaka said, "It's just a little different from the King's Castle on the surface. But below is also a part of the King's Castle. You can't say that because there's a little bit of danger below, you don't recognize it as a part of the King's Castle."
"Maybe you're the only one who thinks that the underground is not a dangerous place."
Pasta showed a bit of a bitter smile, "That kind of place, if it's not necessary, I'll never go down there."
"Aren't you a bit too timid, uncle?
The current you can't be compared to the previous you. "
"That doesn't change my mind, and I'm not timid. Please call it cautious."
Pasta said, "The underground is not as safe as the surface. Compared to the sewers, the rat tunnel is as safe as a baby's cradle.
What if something happens to him … "
"He has eyes, hands, feet, and a brain."
Lulunaka said, "His eyes allow him to see everything clearly. His hands allow him to hold weapons and use tools. His feet allow him to walk. His brain allows him to determine what is safe and what is dangerous … Observation, defense, escape … He has all these abilities. If there's an accident, then it's a pity."
"Don't you think it's a pity?"
Lulunaka was quiet for a while before saying, "A pity … If he dies like this, then there's nothing to feel pity about.
Olga is a sentimental person, but I'm not so delicate. "
Pasta shook his head and said nothing.
At this time, Ward barked outside the door.
This lazy dog never barked when he saw a stranger. When he barked, it was only because he saw someone he knew — or rather, someone his master, Lulunaka, was familiar with.
The person who came in was Balik, the old dwarf who was a little different from the rest.
This big merchant who had his own chamber of commerce and fleet usually did not have so much free time. Even if he had time, he would have to entertain those nobles who had nothing to do.
After Balik came in, he saw Lulunaka sitting on the counter and waving her cane.
"Good morning, madam. You look very energetic, which makes my mood better."
"Good morning, Mr. Balik."
Lulunaka smiled at Balik. Then she noticed what Balik was wearing around his neck, and the smile on her face deepened. "Mr. Balik, your taste is really good."
Lulunaka pointed to her neck. Naturally, there was nothing on her neck, but Balik's neck had something.
Balik chuckled as he tugged at the chain around his neck, exposing it to the air.
There were a few gold coins strung on the chain. The gold coins were tightly attached to each other, forming a cylindrical shape. The chain passed through the hole drilled in the middle of the gold coins.
"I thought you would spend these gold coins," Lulunaka said. "The processing is quite beautiful."
"I also have some good jewelry craftsmen."
Balik said. "This gold has no impurities. It's much better than the so-called high-grade jewelry and gold. It's not suitable to be used as currency, but it's a very good choice as a gift."
"Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Lulunaka pointed to her slender neck. "Don't you feel any tingling?"
"I'm not greedy, so this probably can't be my noose." Balik replied.
"A businessman who says he's not greedy is not a sign of being aggressive."
"Only moderation, caution, and compromise can lead to a longer life. This is the experience I've gained from doing business for a long time. I think madam also has some understanding.
After all, you've lived longer than me. "
Lulunaka and Balik looked at each other and laughed.
Pasta didn't pay much attention to the mysterious conversation between the two, but he heard it all. Although he didn't show it on the surface, he sighed slightly in his heart.
Whether it was the abnormality of Lulunaka's gold coins or what Balik did with the gold coins, Pasta didn't want to know.
Pasta didn't want to know what kind of contact and communication the two had in private, whether there were any conflicts or agreements between them.
But since Balik wore the gold coins around his neck, they were probably harmless. At least the gold coins that he had processed should be harmless.
As for whether the gold coins were originally harmless or if they were also a product of Lulunaka, Pasta didn't know even if he wanted to know.
After Lulunaka and Balik finished laughing, Lulunaka continued, "Why are you here so early?
You're a busy person. Usually, you won't come to this remote place for no reason.
If you need my help, please don't hesitate to ask. "
After chatting for a while, they finally came to the reason why he was here. He showed a rare subtle expression on his face.
"About this matter …" There was no hesitation or embarrassment on his face. Instead, it was a more subtle expression. It was as if a person had encountered a strange matter, but this matter did not cause that person any loss … This kind of expression.
"Is there anything you don't want to ask?" Lulunaka continued to ask.
Balik exhaled and opened his hands to Lulunaka. "Well, madam … It's actually not a big deal.
There's a young, promising, and powerful girl who is very interested in your shop or you. "