Chương 79: Chapter 78: Zefiro Tribe (Edited!)
Leaving Aunt May and my staff to their work, I take a car towards a small village outside of Hassenstadt.
My people here have already gathered quite a bit of information for me, the location of this one village was one of them.
I park the car outside the small shabby community and look around at the numerous cloth tents planted in front of me. There are quite a lot of people here, and I can see that most people are going to or coming from the western part of this caravan, which, if my information is correct, is their market.
My car and the luxurious attire have already garnered everyone's attention, but they are staying away, apparently afraid.
Soon, an elderly person comes and introduces himself as the chief of this Zefiro tribe. The chief doesn't speak English; none of the common people here do. They speak a form of Slavic language local to these parts, which they call Latverian. My team had quite a bit of trouble at the start because of this and had to hire many translators to start their work.
I myself have already learned their language and were fluent in it with just a few hours of practice. I placate the chief's concern by informing him that I am here for help, relief work, and aid, that my company was authorized by the king, and I even show him the document.
He fearfully checks the document; I can see that he trembles at even the mention of the king's name.
The family ruling Latveria is the Fortunav Family. They have ruled these lands for more than six centuries, and their current ruler, King Sabbat, is just as tyrannical as their previous rulers, so I can definitely understand his fear.
After reading the document, he happily welcomes me inside their tribe and offers to give me a tour. I decline, explaining that I want to observe the tribe on my own. I also inform him that the people from my company will be here in some hours, so he could make preparations.
He does not question my decision, just bows after thanking me, and walks away. I then head towards the market; people look at my foreign appearance, my clothes and give me way automatically, seemingly very afraid of me.
I also notice a handful of soldiers present here who are not dressed and equipped as well as the royal guards, so they must be some local noble's soldiers.
I search around, scanning the market, and soon find who I am searching for.
There are two soldiers in front of a carpet where many sundries are displayed.
"Instead of staying in this garbage heap, why don't you accept our lord's offer and follow us back to his mansion?" one of the soldiers demands in Latverian.
"Please, if you are not here to buy something, then... please leave," I hear a soft voice replying.
A pretty woman sits behind the carpet, and the soldiers are talking to her. She is just the person I was searching for.
"If you don't want to come back with us, how about I give you ten coins, and you show me some fun time?" another soldier leers, taking out a coin purse and eyeing her cleavage with an obscene smile.
The people around are just minding their business, ignoring and avoiding this place.
"Please leave," the woman insists, looking away from them.
"We will leave when we choose to," the second guard sneers. "You have such a pretty face," he remarks, reaching forward to touch her while she tries to back away.
"Leave her alone," I command in Latverian, stepping forward and releasing a small invisible Forcefield blast in their direction, knocking both soldiers to the ground.
The woman and the people around gaze at me in astonishment.
"Why you!" the second soldier exclaims, trying to get up, but the first soldier stops him. "Hey, look at his clothes. He must be with the royal guest that just arrived," he whispers to the second soldier.
The second soldier widens his eyes in alarm. They both stand up and scamper away.
"Are you alright?" I ask with a smile as I stand in front of the woman, who is still looking at the retreating soldiers in a daze.
"Yes, thank you," she replies cautiously, "You're a foreigner. Why would you help me?"
"How could I let them harass a beautiful woman such as you?" I remark with a charming smile.
"Uhm, thank you," she blushes slightly, looking away from me.
"I am Lucas Watson. May I know your name?" I ask with a smile, squatting to meet her eye level.
"I am Valeria," she responds with a small smile.
Valeria—I am here for her. As she is the childhood sweetheart of Victor von Doom.
I engage in conversation with her. After learning about my purpose here, that I am here for relief work, she offers to show me around their community as repayment for my earlier help.
"Your Latverian is very good. I have never met a foreigner speaking it so fluently," Valeria notes as we both walk around the village.
"I have always been good at learning things," I say modestly.
I also discover that Valeria can speak English, though with a noticeable accent. People occasionally exchange greetings with Valeria as we move about the place, with Valeria pointing out those in need to me.
"Everyone knows you," I comment curiously.
"It is because of my grandpa. He was the previous chief of the tribe, but he passed away recently," Valeria speaks with a sad face.
"I am sorry," I apologize.
She just shakes her head, telling me it's fine, and continues to show me around the community.
There isn't much to see, as most people are malnourished and poor. I assure her that my people will help them as much as they can.
My focus is more on her than the village, and she definitely notices that. In the end, she brings me to a nearby hill overlooking the village. From there, I could see a small river flowing by.
"This is the spot I occasionally visit in the morning. The view from here is quite nice," she mentions with a smile, gazing at the village.
"Those soldiers—was it their first time harassing you?" I inquire, narrowing my eyes.
"No, they come by once or twice a week," Valeria responds, looking away. "They are the local lord's soldiers. He wants to marry me as his concubine," she continues, a look of disgust crossing her face.
"Well, I can definitely see why. Any man would be lucky to have such a sweet and beautiful woman as you," I comment, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Her cheeks blushes at my touch as she straightened her clothes.
"If the local lord is harassing you, why don't you leave the village?" I ask curiously.
"I have spent my whole life in this Zefiro tribe. Where would I even go?" Valeria replies with a wry smile. "When my grandfather was alive, he shielded me from most of the harassment. He was my only relative, as my father and mother both died when I was young. But now, after his death, no one wants to confront the soldiers for a lone woman's sake," she adds with a sigh.
"What about the new village chief?" I ask.
"He thinks I should accept the offer... that it is a good offer for a 30-year-old unmarried woman like me," Valeria says with resignation. "But I can't. I am still... waiting for him," she murmurs softly.
"Waiting for who?" I ask, focusing intently.
"Victor," Valeria replies with a sweet smile.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Avi2112
Avi2112 They are conversing in Latverian here not English!
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