"Follow the Waveless River to Oakrath Heights and arrive and look for Kinnojo. Roger, I'll keep your suggestions in mind, Gompachi-Senpai!" Yoichi recapped, thrilled to have a new lead to follow.
Unlike Takamori's suggestions, those of the old Grimbrook village headman were much more detailed and precise. Yoichi didn't even ask him how he knew Kinnojo or how he remembered those details, but he trusted him regardless. The only thing that mattered was the fact that he too, like the Nightblades' guild leader, was pretty sure that Shusaku was in the small village at the northern edge of the mountains.
"I don't know who this Roger is, but that's fine. When you finish eating, join me on the other side of the square. There's someone I want you to meet," Gompachi stated, stepping off his barstool with a hop and heading slowly towards the tavern's exit.
"Alright, see you in a bit!" Yoichi replied, turning to his plate of ramen and starting to eat voraciously again. Without the old man talking to him closely, the young tamer finished the course in seconds.
"Aaah...an excellent meal. Thank you, innkeeper," he smiled, wiping his mouth with his hand and grabbing the small mug of beer the innkeeper had placed in front of his seat. When the young warrior pulled out a gold coin to pay the two silver coins bill, the people around him muttered something.
"Boy, don't you have any silver coins?" the innkeeper asked, compulsively touching his mustache in search of a solution. "I should give you ninety-eight silver coins, and honestly, I don't think I have them in here," he continued, opening a rumpled drawer behind the wooden bar and checking his finances.
"Um... I'm sorry, but I haven't had a chance to spend my guild pay and..."
"Look...it's fine, okay?" the innkeeper interrupted. "You were nice with the wise Gompachi, this is more than enough payment. Let's say breakfast is on the house," the big, mustachioed man smiled.
"What? But... I don't know what to say. Thank you!" Yoichi greeted. I just can't pay for lunch, can I? He thought, reflecting on the fact that every time he was in a tavern, sooner or later, someone offered him food and drink. It had happened with Hiobe at Sleeping Owl Tavern and now it had happened in Grimbrook.
"You're welcome. Go now, have a safe trip! The village head doesn't like to wait," the innkeeper spoke, taking the plate and glass in front of his customer with his huge hands to tidy up the counter.
Yoichi thanked once again and cordially greeted all those extravagant characters who, in one way or another, had participated in the conversation.
After quenching his thirst and feeding his appetite, he walked out of the saloon doors and found himself in the middle of the central village square. The sun shone high in the sky and seemed to touch the wings of the wooden phoenix. The Oracle statue of Tatsui Nishiyama was radiant and thanks to the morning light it was possible to appreciate even the smallest details.
Following Gompachi's words, Yoichi walked to the other side of the small square. The group of five women who had just been talking about him had been reduced to three. The young tamer greeted them with a wave of his hand, once again giving proof of his non-hostility.
"Yoichi, over here!" - Gompachi's distant voice called out to the young Goldhaven warrior. He looked around for a few seconds until he spotted the old man in the hat standing next to a wooden door.
The door was the entrance to one of the village's cubic buildings. No signs or inscriptions were posted near it. Probably, Gompachi had just entered a dwelling.
Still feeling the eyes of the villagers on him, Yoichi continued walking without ever turning around and followed his new friend inside the door. Although the atmosphere seemed gentle and relaxed, one hand was perpetually attached to the handle of Ryutaro's katana.
The interior of the dwelling was modest and dimly lit. Sunlight barely filtered through windows made of broken, opaque glass. It was as if the windows had been smashed and then glued back in place, piece by piece.
A low cabinet filled with drawers and small dusty shelves formed the kitchen of that tiny apartment, built less than a meter off the ground. Immediately next to the kitchen, six beds were stacked next to each other.
Mattresses of all sizes occupied all the rest of the house. Some of them were occupied by children sleeping around a fat lady with a kind face. She wore the same clothes as the women who were watching Yoichi in the square.
"Grandpa Gompachi!" another child hiding under the table suddenly exclaimed. He slipped out of his hiding place, ran past Yoichi, almost ignoring his presence, and launched himself at the old man in the hat. The grandfather and grandson squeezed into a warm embrace.
"Hello, Gompachi! Oh, I didn't think we had guests!" the woman sitting on the mattress smiled. As soon as she turned to the old man and noticed that someone was in his company, she covered her large breasts. While with one hand she stroked one of the children on the bed to sleep, with the other she held a baby while nursing.
"Oh! I beg your pardon, ma'am!" Yoichi boomed in a low voice, bending over in embarrassment like a little wooden soldier. With his gaze pointed downward, he asked himself how he had ended up in such a place.
"Hi, Emiko. Don't worry, the boy is with me," Gompachi affirmed, reassuring the woman. "What happened to your son Takuma? I'd like to introduce him to someone," he continued. With his hands crossed behind his back, the old village head looked around.
Although the house was incredibly small, it was so full of children, beds, and various junk, that finding someone in the chaos was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"Hey, Grandpa!" a voiceover exclaimed. Yoichi and Gompachi realized it was coming from the apartment's only window, which was wide open to the outside. "I was fixing the roof. I'll be right down!" the voice repeated.
Suddenly, a long, thin wooden stick from the outside entered the window. *thud* - Its flattened tip wedged between the floor and the leg of a bed.
"What the..." Yoichi stammered, beginning to believe that the innkeeper had inserted hallucinogenic substances into his ramen.
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