"So, who is coming along with you?" Celeste asked as she looked at Orion. Yesterday, when Orion returned home, he informed them about the conversation that had taken place between him and Caretaker Shani.
After listening to his plan, they all readily accepted it and were happy.
After staying on the farm for so long, they all wanted to return to the Village to take a stroll and see how it was doing.
However, they knew that they could not leave to avoid attracting too much attention.
Orion understood that, too, and thought about who he wanted to bring along. He took this as an opportunity to spend time with his wives before he left for the mountain again. He looked at all his partners, some of whom were waking up from their sleep, and some of whom were already awake.
Orion made his decision after a few moments.
"Reena, Sura, Ayla, Fiona, Gina, and Grandma Derry, you six can follow me to the Village," Orion said as he looked at each woman he had chosen to accompany Caretaker Shani and him to the Village.
Reena shook her head in response, "Although I would have loved to head back to the Village and see how it's doing, I, Mom, Grandma Celia, and Ingrid are heading back to Anara's side of the farm today to see how Grace is doing," she said, glancing at her mother and the others who had fainted yesterday before shifting her attention back to Orion.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOrion nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, I'm sure Anara would be happy to see you guys," he said.
He had noticed how much calmer the women looked this morning and understood that Aunt Greta and the others had succeeded in talking some sense into them yesterday.
"Okay then, who wants to accompany us to the Village?" Orion asked.
He had chosen Sura because she had just gotten pregnant, and he wanted to give her some attention before he left for the mountain. He also wanted to spend more time with Ayla and Fiona since they hadn't done that in a while, while Gina and, especially, Grandma Derry had been acting grumpy since yesterday.
He wanted to see if a change of scenery in the Village would improve their mood so that they wouldn't do something they would decide to do something impulsive that they might regret.
"Not me; I'll be following Reena and the others to see Grace," Lyra responded.
"Meldra, Vivian, and I will prepare the medicines for everyone so I can leave early and see a patient. So you guys can leave without us," Aunt Greta responded as she stood up from her mat and walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing that they all had something to do today, Orion shifted his attention towards Ursa, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and seemed to have overheard the conversation.
She nodded, indicating she had nothing to do today and would like to come along.
Orion nodded in response. "Everyone should take their baths, then let's go," he said.
Some women stood up to take care of some chores at home, while others prepared two sacks, filling them with Kalna fruits and handing them to Orion.
After they were all done bathing, they left toward the farm's gate and waited for Caretaker Shani to join them before heading to the Village.
…...
"I still can't believe that you hadn't bothered coming to the Village Square even though you had lost your memory and didn't remember anything about it," Caretaker Shani said as she walked forward with Rick in her arms.
She already knew about Orion's memory loss; however, after learning that he didn't care or bother to take a look at the Village Square—one of the more important locations in the Village, almost equal to the farm, and the two strongholds—she was a bit surprised and didn't know what to say.
Caretaker Shani was about to open her mouth and ask him what he had been doing; however, she quickly sealed her mouth shut as she remembered how hectic his life had been.
Orion, however, merely smiled at Caretaker Shani's question as he walked forward, holding Sura's hand in one hand and the two sacks over his back with the other.
Although he had passed by the Village Square a few times during the warrior's training and had even gotten the chance to see it from above when they released the children back to the Village before Stronghold Leader Drakar used it to run away, his mother used to sell her clay pots at the Village Square. She had recounted all of her stories about it.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSo, even without physically being there, he already knew everything concerning the Village Square.
"We are here," Ayla announced.
Orion raised his head and took in the scene before him. Past the large wooden gate, a wide area unfolded with various small stalls and fabric canopies providing shade from the sun. In these stalls, men and women, old and young, had gathered, waking up early to sell their products or handmade items.
The entire place buzzed with activity as villagers searched for their desired items and bartered with Kalna fruits or other materials. Given that this was the primary marketplace in the Village, aside from the farm and the two strongholds, it wasn't surprising that it was already bustling with people this early in the morning. They could only hope to find something interesting.
"Well, let's go?" Orion said with a vibrant smile as he walked forward past the massive wooden gate, holding Sura's hand, while the rest followed behind him.
…....….
Once the afternoon sun cast its warm glow, they decided to leave the Village Square. Orion effortlessly carried several sacks within his arms and on his back as they made their way home.
His strength made it easy for him to handle the sacks, which contained new tulgas, beautiful handmade sculptures, colourful fabrics, and various other items. The limited options for recreational purchases in the Village Square drove their early return to the farm. Everything available there was geared toward survival, not entertainment.
Despite this, they managed to find a spot where they could squeeze Lipry fruits together to make delicious fruit juice. However, due to its cost and a desire not to waste the Kalna fruits they had brought, they shared a few cups.
Also, they came across a stall selling breast milk with small sliced Lipry fruits, but none of them were unsurprisingly interested in it, including Orion.