Ad aspera

"It's a trick question. By tomorrow, his horses will have done their business all over the place in two days, but he'll only be paying for one day."
-- Today -- will do.

-- Then your shift is already starting. I hope you have something you don't mind getting dirty with dust and manure; I won't be giving you any easy tasks.

- I'd be happy to take over... You're saying something strange is happening, - Unus didn't hide his interest. - So far, I've only been with the captain; tell me more.

-- Listen. I first came here eighteen years ago. Back then, there was still a war going on, and we were treated even worse than we are now, but many of the locals would even befriend a ghoul for gold, so we managed, more or less, and while our warriors fought in the war, we waged a spiritual war in the lair of the pagans. You're probably aware that, although most people here worship the false god-knight, the faith in the old gods has not been forgotten. So, here's the thing: eighteen years ago, the temple of the old gods stood at the foot of the mountains, and I often walked past it on my way, where I could preach to the pagans without fear of being seen by the guards. Sometimes, pagans would stop along the way to listen, and, after listening, they would no longer persist in their delusions. I saw that temple: a titanic structure, barbarically, sacrilegiously luxurious... And then I had to leave these places. I returned seven years ago. I still don't know exactly what happened to the former priest -- I wasn't told anything; they just said: you're familiar with these places, and it's your duty to lead the parish, so -- go. That's when I arrived, and the construction of a new pagan temple began in the Eastern Quarter, and I found the old one completely abandoned. Of course, I didn't go near the former pagan place without a good reason, but... Anyway, I went. It was locked, abandoned, with no trace of its former splendor, and it's unclear where it all went -- the new one is much more modest, not much better than this church. I forgot about it for a few years.
The priest sighed and scratched his beard, gathered his thoughts, and continued.
-- And a couple of years ago, I decided to take a walk towards the mountains. It was late, and I remember being very surprised when I saw people walking along the old temple road. I called out to them, but for some reason, they ran away. Then I thought that they were just scared by the suddenness or didn't recognize me. Later, I remembered this incident.
A group of peasant children ran past. Felix fell silent, and when they were far away, he continued.
-- Then I noticed, standing in the same place at sunset, how the villagers left their homes and went into the mountains. I thought that the young people were just going out to have fun, or maybe they had some kind of holiday. But why go into the mountains, where you can't even lure a peasant during the day? To ease my conscience, I went to the pagan place again. It was locked. I tried to break in, but I didn't have the strength. I went to ask around.
Felix nervously wiped his lips and sighed heavily.
You've decided to get involved in something unpleasant. But that's the duty of a warrior of faith, and may my words not discourage you. So, no one told me anything. "I don't know," "forget about it," "it's an old story and it's dead now," and so on. It ended with one evening, when I was returning from the city, someone hit me on the head on the bridge and pushed me into the river. By the grace of the Almighty, I was able to swim to the shore and survive. I was never liked in the city. Again, I didn't pay much attention to it, and again, I had to remember it later. And a few months ago, my feet led me to the mountains again. And, I swear by my faith, there was someone in that cursed place! I heard them, although I couldn't quite make out what was happening, but it definitely wasn't mice. To be honest, I chickened out. And I ran away. The next day, the temple was locked again. And then it started. They tried to poison me, but my body was apparently too strong. They set my house on fire, but I got out. The authorities blamed it all on the hooliganism of fanatical youth, and I forgot about it. I haven't been to the mountains since. Although I survived... I'm not a warrior, after all.

Added 9 minutes ago

- Excellent. Then I'll come by again in the evening, - whistling a melancholic northern tune between his teeth, Krait left the inn and went for a walk around the city - somewhere in the general direction of the square, so that he would be in its vicinity by noon. Who knows, maybe he'll get lucky, and today there will be a town crier looking for a specialist with refined skills?

Waiting for everyone (Ples is not in the city at all (should he wait at all?), and Revan's day is just beginning) to reach noon, then I'll check the square. The others will skip until the next game day.

Having reached the city without any problems and passing through the city gates, Ruven automatically walked a little further. Seeing a crossroads ahead, he stopped, trying to remember the location of the streets.
A clear voice was heard - someone called out to him. It seems that he had aroused the interest of the local children.
- Hello, kids. No, it's not the first time. Although it's been a while since I've been here, I've already forgotten a little about where things are.
Maybe in a normal situation, I wouldn't bother talking to them, but now it might be useful. And I was in a good mood.
- So, I'm trying to remember which road leads to the square. Can you tell me? I'd like to get there, and then I'll figure it out.

-- We'll show you, of course. We know the whole city... well, except for the quarter of the rich... lords. And even there, we've been! Follow us.

The impromptu squad reaches the square in the center of the city without incident... The sundial on the square shows that it is still less than two hours until noon, and there is still time to go somewhere before the town crier appears.