Kapitel 200: Olrad

While we walked, the lizard leading the way said "We just came back from the meeting, which concerned your situation. Others don't know about what you did, so my suggestion is, don't spread the information". I was a bit stunned and asked "Is it alright for you, not to notify your people?". The leading lizard said "I will only notify the upper echelons, others will not know about it. Don't worry, they will not drive you out, or chase you".

'This lizard seems to be important, maybe he is some sort of leader or something' I thought, then asked "Do you hold that much power in here?". He said "Sort of. If you are thinking whenever I'm the leader here, the answer is no. But I'm in charge of the military actions, of our race here". I thought about the whole situation, and asked "Why are you helping me? Did humans help you that much in the past?".

He said "Not as much as you may think. Humans used our services in the past, and even helped us with some information. Therefore we don't treat humans with hostility". I asked "What type of services do you provide?". He responded "Information mostly". He then continued "If what you said is true, we can sell that information. The races not hostile with humans, will surely pay to know what really happened. That way, they can stop worrying about you or other humans".

I asked "You mean to say, that my actions caused such an uproar?". He said "Yes, especially the fact, that you might possess more of that weapon, which you used to destroy Yagaroths with". I decided to ask a probing question "Are you interested in that as well?". He said "Of course. Such a weapon, would allow us to stand above other races. We don't know where you got it from, but if you are willing to share that, we will reward you greatly".

I said "Even if I tell you, you will not be able to get it". This time the lizard asked a probing question "Because you didn't find it in the North?". I replied "I'm not that easy, to give my information away. I know a thing or two, about keeping the knowledge to myself as well". The lizard smiled and said "It seems, I misjudged you. You probably only told us half of the story with Avians as well".

I said "Something like that. I told you the truth, but I didn't tell you everything. Not that it matters, Avians are still bastards, no matter how much details I give you". We soon arrived in front of the village. The lizard creature leading the way said "We will part our ways here, one of my men will show you around. I guess we will meet in the future, so till then".

He then left with the other lizard creature, while one of them stayed behind. The guy who stayed behind, didn't act impolite and said "Follow me, I will show you around. If you have some simple questions, I can answer them". We went towards the heart of the village, where my guide pointed out a few locations, that might be useful to me.

"This building here is where you can stay for the night. Of course, you will have to pay for it". Before he continued, I asked "I don't know what to pay with. I have no idea what currency you use". The lizard knocked his head lightly, and said "Right, this is what we pay with", and showed me a bizarre coin, that was black and gold in colour. There was also something printed on the coin. When I looked more carefully, I noticed it was some sort of castle.

He then said "This coin is called Hal, or to be precise Black Hal. It is the standard currency of the North. This is the biggest coin, and therefore worth the most, there are also Red Hal and Copper Hal. Where 100 Red Hals is equal to 1 Black Hal, while 100 Copper Hals is equal to 1 Red Hal". Then he showed me the other two coins.

The system was the same one, as the one humans had. We had copper, silver then gold coins. I asked "How can I get some Hals then?". The lizard said "You could sell some stuff, or earn it by working for someone". I asked "I have some medicine on me, would you be interested in buying it?". The lizard gave me a second look and asked "Is the medicine any good?".

I took out a vial containing some Healing Essence, and showed it to him while saying "Have a look, and tell me what you think". The lizard took the medicine and opened the vial. He smelled it, and asked "Can I have a taste?". I said "Sure, go ahead". He took a small sip and exclaimed "This is really good medicine. Where did you get it from?".

I said "I made it myself. Do you want to buy it?". Before he answered my question, he asked "You made it? Do you have more of it?". I replied "I don't have that much, the ingredients are not available in the North". He seemed disappointed, but still said "I want it, I'm willing to pay two Black Hals for it".

I didn't know whenever this was a fair price or not, but I needed the money, so I decided to accept. I said "Alright, 2 Black Hals it is then". He gave me two Black Hals, then said "If you are ever willing to sell some medicine in the future, look for me first! I'll be sure to buy it. My name is Lazar, and you can find me in that building over there". He then pointed at a building further away. It seemed to be a house for just one family, and wasn't that big. I nodded my head and said "Sure, when I want to sell some, I will contact you".

He seemed satisfied with that, then said "There are a few more buildings here, that may be of interest to you. For one, that place over here". He pointed at a one storey building, not far away from us, and said "This place is where you can find something to do, if you need more money". He turned around and pointed at another place with couple of stands.

"This place is the marked, where those who create weapons and whatnot, come here to sell them or exchange for something in specific". He then pointed at the upper area and said "This place is off limits to you. You will not be allowed inside the Upper Area". He then pointed at what seemed to look like smithy, and said "This is where we make weapons. You can even order custom made pieces, if you have enough money".

"That place over there is a tavern with a bar. The place I showed you in the beginning, is a simple and cheap lodge. The tavern not only has better rooms for rent, it also contains a bar, where you can have a drink and eat something" he said.

He then continued "There are couple of rules, that you will abide by as well. For one, no fighting is allowed, but if you are attacked, you have the right of defending yourself. If you are caught stealing or breaking into other people's properties, you will be killed, we don't tolerate thieves here. Any damages you do to goods or properties, will have to be repaid by you, so just watch how you walk and behave". I nodded my head and thought 'These rules are not that difficult to follow'.

He then continued "I shall leave now, feel free to explore the Lower Area of our little village here, and welcome to Olrad". He then left somewhere in a hurry. 'So the place is called Olrad. I better add that to my map' I thought. With my map updated, I took a look at my surroundings. There were Lizards everywhere, some selling stuff, some working, others doing something else. It looked like any normal human village, but instead of humans, lizards occupied the whole place.

The architecture was weird as well. The buildings in the Lower Area, were built from mud or rough stone. They didn't seem to be in bad condition, but it easily indicated a poorer district of the village. The Upper Area looked more refined, and the buildings were build with the use of some sort of white or grey polished stones. Almost all buildings, had very small rectangular windows and wooden doors. Their shapes didn't vary much either. Mostly, the buildings were just one storey tall, and rectangular in shape. The buildings in both Upper and Lower Areas, had flat roofs. The difference was that, the Upper Area buildings used stone slabs as a roof coverings, while Lower Area buildings used some sort of hay or wood.

There was one exception to all that, and that was the huge building, at the very top of the Upper Area. 'It's probably some sort of important place. Maybe something like a Village Chief's mansion' I thought. The building was quite tall and wide. It also had a flat roof, but the stones used to construct it, were as white as they could get. It stood out from the rest of the buildings, and was visible from all parts of the Village. When I was done admiring the views, I decided to head towards the tavern first. I wanted to know the prices in there, but also learn a thing or two about their food.