Read The Weakest Tamer Trash Picking Journey Begins

622 - - 578 The Orphan

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As I walked down the main street with Prahu, I felt like I was being watched somehow.

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He checked his surroundings, looking at the stalls and stores lined up in a row.

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'Do you see any stores that interest you?'

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'I see you have some pretty baskets.'

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Prahu's words pointed to a certain store.

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In that store, there were brightly colored baskets.

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Ordinary baskets are brown because they are made of tree bark.

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So it was fun just to look at the brightly colored baskets.

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Dyeing is very popular in this village. A few years ago, I think, there was a lot of excitement when they were able to color the tree bark beautifully.

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Dyeing.

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Is that why the village people's clothes are so bright?

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We walk down the main street as Prahu leads us, looking at the clothes and the sundries and bags in the stores.

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I casually looked back to see a store I had passed.

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Ah, there they were.

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A man and a woman.

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A little further away, I spotted a pair of people watching us.

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I immediately look ahead and turn my gaze to the food stall.

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The smell was delicious.

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My stomach is rumbling.

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I quickly put my hand on my stomach.

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Don't worry, it hasn't rumbled yet.

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"Pfft. Want to eat later?"

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I look up and my eyes meet those of my father, who is covering his mouth with his hand.

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He saw me.

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"Yeah, I'll definitely eat it. I'll definitely eat it.

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I looked at the food on the stall and looked at the couple again.

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That looks good," he said.

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I looked in the direction the father was pointing and saw a big hunk of meat being grilled with gusto.

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He is a meat lover as always.

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That one must be good," he said.

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"Are you sure you didn't pick it just because of the size of the meat?"

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"......, no way!"

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Now there was a pause!

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I look at my dad and he cower his shoulders.

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Once again, I look at the stall where the meat is being cooked.

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A little further away from that stall, I see a couple of people hiding in the shadows of a different stall.

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The father must have been aware of that presence, so he points to the meat stall.

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He said, "People from this village are lining up for it, and it's definitely good."

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He seems more interested in the meat than the duo.

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I wonder if he doesn't feel much danger from those two guys.

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There they are."

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Mr. Praff, who had been giving a small laugh at my father and I's conversation, pointed to a store just down the main street to the right.

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''Is that 'Totom's Anything Store'?

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Anything store?

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Not a grocery store?

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I looked at Mr. Praff and he laughed.

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'It used to be an everything store, and I was told that two generations ago they closed down the everything store and turned it into a grocery store. Don't worry, it's mainly a grocery store now. I told them they should change the name of the store, but they wouldn't listen, saying, 'This is fine.'"

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He values the name that has been handed down from generation to generation.

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The name 'Totom' is the name of the current owner, and he changes it as soon as the owner of the store changes. So why don't they change it for just about anything?"

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He doesn't seem to cherish it.

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Is it something he's obsessed with?

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TOTOMO. I'm coming in."

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Mr. Praff calls out into the store as he opens the door.

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It's rare to see you here. It's Praff, isn't it?

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Long time no see.

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What are you doing here today?

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I want to sell them some groceries.

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Mr. Totom looks at his father and me.

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When our gazes meet, I bow my head a little and say hello.

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'Are you an adventurer?

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'A former adventurer. Now I'm traveling with my daughter, heading for King's Landing."

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Totom nods and looks at me.

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Should I say something?

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I tilted my head and looked at Mr. Pluff with a smirk.

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'Great.

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Thank you."

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I am a little surprised at the easy exchange between Mr. Praff and Mr. Tottom.

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It was decided in this short time, but is it okay?

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I've got something to do later, Tottom, please. I'll leave you to it, Mr. Druid.

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Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

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I saw Mr. Pluff off as he was leaving the store.

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I guess he's going to do his best again as acting Gilmouth.

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I don't even know who is friend or foe.

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I wonder if the environment will change a little when Mr. Hor and the others arrive.

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I hope it will change.

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Ah.

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I think I saw the two guys I saw earlier, though it was just a glimpse now.

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Are they looking at us instead of Mr. Praff?

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'I'm introducing you to Praff, so I'll give you a wholesale price. Let me know if there's anything you need."

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'Thanks. Is it okay if I take from the items on the shelves?"

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Yeah, you can pick whatever you want. Anything else?

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I want vegetables, meat, wheat, and rice.

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Mr. Totom nodded his head in agreement, but then immediately looked at me strangely.

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Wait, rice?　Bait?

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Bait?

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Oh, I had forgotten that rice was livestock feed, since I was eating it normally.

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No, not as food, but as our food. Not as food, but as our food."

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I nodded as Mr. Totom looked at me at his father's words.

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'I see. It must be tough."

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Oh, I feel like I've been misunderstood.

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I guess my father noticed, too, because he wrinkled his brow.

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It's not that it's particularly hard. It's more like. It's not like we're hurting for money.

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What?　I'm not in need of money, but you're eating rice?

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Because it's good.

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Rice?

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Ah."

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Tottom-san stared at his father, crossed his arms and started to think about something.

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How do you eat it?　Is it easy to make?　How long do they last?

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You mean the way you cook the rice?

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And how long do they last?

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It's a little tricky, but anyone who knows how to cook can get the hang of it. It's also very filling. But why?

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Because if you sell rice, you make money!

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"I see."

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Tottom cowered at his father's slightly stunned expression.

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The village has a lot of orphans. There are a lot of orphans in this village. The people who take care of them want something cheap and filling.

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A lot of orphans?

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I hear there are a lot of addicts in this village. Is that why?"

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Mr. Totom, staring at his father, lets out a sigh.

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'Well, the other villages know what's going on in this village, don't they? Yes, they do. Children of drug addicts.

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Are there that many?"

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Mr. Totom looks frustrated at his father's worried expression.

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Compared to a year ago, there are twice as many.

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That many?

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That's a lot.

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That's a lot.

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I think it's too much," he said. Many addicts feel that their children are a burden to them in order to pay for the drugs. More and more children are being abandoned by their parents. And then there are the children whose parents have fallen into criminal slavery and have nowhere else to go."

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It's a crime to use drugs, so if you get caught using, you fall into criminal slavery.

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I see."

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I'm told that if we can figure out how the drugs are being sold, we can suppress them. But we haven't figured it out yet."

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You don't know even though the word has spread this far into the village?

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That's strange.

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Because the people who used the drugs must have bought them from somewhere.

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If we asked them about their stories, we would have found out some of the routes they took.

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'Couldn't you get any information out of those who were caught?

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'This is a rumor, but they don't remember.

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They don't remember?

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Could it be a side effect of the drugs?

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I don't remember, yeah.

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Huh?

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Dad's mood became very sharp for a moment.

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Do you have any idea what it might be?

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Can I ask you how you cooked the rice?"

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Tottom-san looked at his father apologetically.

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I'm sorry," Tottom looked at his father apologetically. I'm sorry. I cook the rice, but the hard part is the amount of water. You should ask Ivy. Ivy knows better.

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Tottom looked at me.

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I'm happy to explain it to you, but you have to learn how to adjust the water level yourself.

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I think you have to cook it a few times and get a feel for the characteristics of this village's rice yourself."

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Tottom-san nodded at my words.

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I see. Listen, when you have time, will you come and teach me once?"

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I looked at my father and he nodded.

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He nodded at me.

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I hope it will help the kids as much as possible.

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