Alex or Meru as we know was now part of the trading caravan. He was tasked with going to different places to trade products.
What Alex really wanted to do was to explore the world. He knew that there were more mysteries to this world than he knew. And it would be in his favour to know about those.
To prepare for this trip, Alex took his first bath in ages.
It was hard to have a proper bath when all the water he saw was frozen or freezing cold. And he was really not into ice baths. So, he had to bake some stones inside the oven and transfer them into a wooden tub filled with cold water to increase the temperature. There was no large clay pot to heat all the water he needed to bathe.
Solving one problem at a time, Alex tried to enjoy his life.
After the bath, he dumped his dirty clothes and put on new ones. Then took a backpack he made with leather and strapped it over his shoulder. Other than some sweet potatoes there was nothing inside it. This was just to show that he had some luggage with him. Adding a large blanket to his luggage, he completed his preparations.
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"Unda, big brother will leave soon. Do you remember what I told you?"
"Yes, When they bring a wooden log, give them this many sweet potatoes," Unda said while holding up his two fingers.
"What else?"
"I shouldn't eat the ones we are trading for wood. Big brother left a separate bag of sweet potatoes at home for me to eat."
"Smart boy, you remember everything that I said. Let them place the wood near our house." Pointing to the plot of land next to Mani's house, Alex said. He used Unda as his temporary salesman. He even gave him a salary of some sweet potatoes.
After saying goodbye to Mani and his family members, Alex left to meet the Mupan. The trading caravan was ready to depart.
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Although it was said to be a caravan. It was just a couple of small wooden sleighs pulled by people.
It was frustrating to see that they didn't even have a domesticated animal to pull that thing along. Walking was hard in the dense snow-covered land. So, we can imagine how hard it would be to drag something along with them.
Nonetheless, it was better than carrying the weight on their back and walking as they did after the hunt. At that time, they were prioritising speed over comfort. But it was not the case now.
Once the preparation was complete, the chief and Mupan came to send them off.
There were thirty people in the caravan. And the only familiar faces were of Dhairya, Daya and Kan.
Dhairya was the leader of the support group. He carefully checked the sleigh to find any defects. He threw away the broken ones and loaded the intact ones with meat, herbs and some other animal product. The stone head tribe was a hunting tribe, they only had products acquired from animals to sell.
Now Alex knew where the salt and clay potteries came from. The stone head tribe never made them. They depend on other tribes to make them.
They were a perfect example of consumers.
Daya and Kan were two of the six leaders of the stone head tribe. Daya wielded her shield and stood in front of the caravan. To protect from any unknown danger.
Kan who was carrying the bow was tasked to do perimeter checks. He was one of the top trackers of the tribe. He knew which path to follow and which path to avoid when he sees tracks of large predators.
Alex who saw this stood in front of the caravan. Which he felt was the safest. He remembered how a humongous mammoth was stopped in its tracks by Daya and decided to stay behind her at all times.
According to Dhairya, it was a week-long trip towards the market. They had to follow the mountainous path towards the south and cross a lake and river to finally reach their destination. The Blue gem city.
The Blue gem city was a trading hub. It was controlled and governed by a tribe called the snow phoenix tribe.
One would think that due to the large number of uncivilized people coming together in this city, there would be random conflicts and fights. But it was not the case, due to the strength and reputation of the snow phoenix tribe. No one dares to take part in conflict inside the city. It was the safest place to trade in.
And the winter trade season was one of the important times to trade. The flow of people to and from the city would be in the thousands. So, you can imagine the influence of the snow phoenix tribe.
There were considered the rulers of the snowy mountain regions of the north. The stone head tribe was nothing compared to them.
Alex who learned about all these stood with his mouth open in awe.
'This is getting more complex than I could comprehend.'
After an entire day of walking, they reached a large snowy plane. It spread as far as they could see with nothing in between.
"Barren and cold," Alex said seeing the plane. The caravan stopped just as they reached the snowy plane and put up their tents. They were going to rest there tonight.
Even with the superhuman capabilities of the stone head tribe. Trekking through the mountainous regions for a day was strenuous.
As the youngest member of the trading caravan, the tribesmen graciously helped Alex in setting up the tent. To be helpful, Alex volunteered to cook.
Alex had a lot of sweet potatoes in his inventory. He also had some chilli pepper, potatoes and carrots that he farmed in his spare time. It was just enough to make a mild soup.
He took a couple of large earthen pots and went towards the plane. Dhairya was sitting on a log looking into the snowy expanse. Noticing Alex, he said.
"The winter looks so different from the summer. The lake looks so peaceful now, you don't even have to worry about being eaten alive when you are fetching the water."
What an ominous thing to say.
Alex who heard this paused.
The vast snowy plane in front of him was lake Kurma. Now it had frozen solid and turned docile. From the tribesman, he knew that it was a thriving freshwater lake filled with monstrous creatures. But in winter, they sleep until the snow thaws.
It was safe for Alex to walk on the ice or to take some water from it. Tomorrow, they would be crossing over it on foot. But hearing the ominous words of Dhairya, Alex panicked.
"Don't worry. Get the water you need. I am hungry. Cook something good today." Dhairya said with a smirk. He was just teasing the kid.
Alex quickly ran around collecting water and firewood to make the meal.
The meat was considered staple food by the tribe. Even though it was tasty, Alex felt like it was hard to eat it all day and every day. With the limited amount of seasoning, it was even way worse.
So, Alex was going to try something different today.
He roasted the meat as usual and sprinkled some salt into it. To accompany that, he was going to make soup.
For those who are wondering, Alex has no idea how to make soup. But he was a pretty good idea about boiling water and chopping up vegetables.
So, he chopped up the potatoes, chillies and carrots into tiny pieces and began boiling them in water. He boiled until the chunky pieces of the vegetable turned soft. It was the best that he could do considering how cold the environment was.
After that, he added some rock salt to it until he felt like it was tasting good.
'Good!' He commented. It tasted way better than he imagined it would. The slightly spicy taste of chilli pepper and the soupy mixture of carrots and potatoes were the most delicious thing he ate in a while.
After that, he roasted some sweet potatoes and set them aside.
Taking out wooden bowls, he served them to each member. Each one got a bowl of soup, freshly roasted meat and sweet potato. It was a scrumptious meal that they could never forget.
The chilli pepper-filled soup warmed their bodies. And it felt really good in the harsh cold winter.
After the exciting meal. Alex was permanently tasked with cooking duties.
'Was this a good thing?' Alex pondered.