บท 11: Sensory Overload
Clenching the diamond in his pocket, Athen slowly lifted himself, making sure he wasn't visible from the back window of the carriage.
As the sun began to reach its apex and afternoon arrived, Athen glanced forward and around the carriage.
Where was this "flight" that the two rich men had to catch?
Looking at the ground, Athen realized that they were entering a town as the ground below was now stone and flat instead of dirt and bumpy.
Gathering enough courage, Athen stood up for a split second, glancing through the back window at the two figures.
During the fight earlier, when the rich men had emerged from the carriage, Athen hadn't managed to get a good look at them, but now his internal picture of them was much clearer.
The man who called himself "Alaric" seemed to be in his mid-twenties to thirties with an abnormally tall height of 6 feet and two inches.
Her face was well-groomed and devoid of any red spots or scars, and his amber-brown hair was pushed all the way back, giving him a smart and amicable appearance.
On the other hand, the other man, who called himself "Caldris" let his messy black-hair flow onto his his forehead and partially covered his onyx-black eyes.
Though he seemed to be the same age as Alaric, Caldris's appearance made him look much rougher and more serious.
And based on his cocky posture with his feet stretched out and resting on an empty seat, Athen could already tell he had a nasty personality.
It's not like Athen was one to talk, though...
As the wildness disappeared, instead replaced by decently sized stone houses and occasional ships, Athen took one last glance at the carriage before readying him.
This time, not tumbling to the ground, Athen jumped off the carriage before immediately getting off the road.
Staying on the carriage for any longer would increase his chances of being spotted by the people and vendors on the sidewalk.
The carriage was moving much slower now as they had to stop so people could occasionally cross the road, and there were other carriages on the street as well.
Standing on the sidewalk with his tattered clothes, Athen glanced around the town, internally comparing it to his own.
The houses and shops here were spaced much farther apart, and besides a couple of stragglers, there seemed to be no beggars.
Back in his town, at night, the streets would be filled with sleeping people.
"Is that what the middle class looks like?"
The normal people walking down the street wore a pair of trousers and a collared shirt with no stains or holes.
Even the small things were apparent to Athen, like the clean streets and non-overflowing garbage cans.
There was no repulsive smell... and maybe most interesting of all, the people of the town did not seem... grim.
Emotions like happiness, sadness, or even anger were visible on the faces of people walking by Athen.
Glancing at the nearby puddle of water, Athen stared at his appearance and tried to discern his expression.
There was nothing, just a plain, normal face that was looking right back at him.
Exactly like everyone else back in his hometown.
"What would life have been like if I was born here...?"
Following the slowly moving carriage, Athen walked through the streets, resisting the urge to enter stores on his left side.
The stores were made out of stone and had decorations, even windows, to display their products from the outside.
Kids walked by Athen, holding their parent's hand while energetically jumping around and pointing at the shops.
One of the kids even stopped by and pointed at Athen's tattered clothing.
"LOOK MOM, LOOK! LO-"
Stopping his child mid-sentence, the woman, wearing a blue dress, placed her hand over her child's mouth before apologetically looking at Athen.
Ignoring them, Athen passed by, overwhelmed by his change of surroundings.
This place...was also far from the capital city, yet it was so different from his town, which was only a two-hour carriage ride away.
Why wasn't his town like this?
What made the plot of land this town was on more valuable than his towns?
If this town was already this clean and advanced...how would the capital city be?
Ahead of him, the road ahead of the carriage came to an end, causing the driver to halt the horses.
Swinging the doors open, Caldris immediately exited the carriage while Alaric stayed back and handed some coins to the driver with a concerned expression.
Not wanting to lose sight of the two figures, Athen increased his pace to a speed walk as the two professors began moving.
However, as Athen came to a stop next to the carriage and right when the road ended, his feet suddenly stopped moving, and his mouth opened wide.
Hundreds of people could be seen walking around in front of Athen, with a matching number of vendor stands set up.
Banners were set up all around, protecting the shoppers from the sun, and loud sounds echoed through the entire place.
"COME GET YOUR FRUITS, BUY TWO GET ONE FREE, DEAL ONLY TODAY!"
"FEELING TOO HOT? COME COOL DOWN WITH A NICE DRINK...ONLY AVAILABLE TODAY!"
"HEADING TO SCHOOL? COME GET YOUR ESSENTIAL RIGHT HERE!"
"EXHAUSTED? TIRED? BORED? COME TRY THIS NEW FRUIT, BROUGHT ALL THE WAY HERE FROM THE CAPITAL CITY!"
Hundreds of stationary wooden carriages were set up, with merchants standing in front of them, proudly displaying their available products.
Athen, who was standing still, got pushed aside as the people behind walked into the square-shaped area.
Looking up, Athen quickly spotted a large sign that read, "Market Square."
Taking his first step into the square, Athen looked around like a lost dog, as his eyes glanced everywhere, and his expression was confused.
There was just too much going on for Athen to handle.
The sounds, the different smells, the people, and the sights.
It was all so interesting... and amazing.
Shaking his head, Athen instinctively clenched the diamond in his pocket to prevent himself from being pickpotted.
Cupping his ears, Athen rushed into the market square, barely managing to keep his eyes on the two professors despite the massive crowd of people.
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