章 296: Garbage

Not many days before his arrival at Oakenfair, the place seemed to Yoichi so far away as to be beyond his reach. Now, however, his eyes were really witnessing the interior of the stone city, the supposed hiding place of the blacksmith Shusaku. 

Besides the narrow tunnels and tiny spaces between buildings, something else welcomed the two southern travelers: homeless people were lying side by side on the side of the road. Their hygienic conditions were poor, and their stench permeated the air.

One of them was snoring blissfully, holding in his hands a large clay jug, probably empty. On the other hand, the other was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and looking down between his half-open legs.