For the intelligence of these merchants, Aaron expressed deep skepticism.
He is leading the fifth-old to leave by an indirect route. The father says that one should not get too close to the idiots.
But just a few steps into his walk, he was pulled by the arm by a Crazy-eyed Chadwin:
"No, wait! If I'm so far away and mistake this donkey for a horse - then other people in the audience may not necessarily notice!"
"Help me, I'll give you 30 copper devises! That's enough to buy three donkeys."
Aaron hesitated, wondering if he should also earn some money for the family. Otherwise, the money he was spending now was either from his father or because of his father, and when he spoke up, he didn't have much confidence in his own voice.
Young people, after all, are most afraid of having to prove their own ideas.
But Aaron still had some vigilance, pulling the reins of the fifth-old, and asked:
"Is this race without any risk? As long as I come in last, is that okay?"
After all, the fifth horse is still referred to as "Imperial Property" by Marrum. He has taken care of it for so many days, and he is unwilling to see it break a leg or get a cut.
Seeing Aaron relented, Chadwin finally exhaled a sigh of relief, let go of the arm, and said:
"Don't worry, you can just leisurely bring up the rear when the time comes; this isn't a formal chariot race either, it's just an appetizer."
"By the way, there is a request. I hope you can accept it. Don't worry, there will be no damage."
Aaron asked out of curiosity, "What else is required? Is it about the armor and costume for the competition that I have to wear?"
Aaron was very interested in this. He only had one set of Roman soldier's clothing stitched by Marrum, which had the obvious military insignia removed.
And finally, there was the long robe given to him by Kyrinan that he couldn't bear to wear.
If he could have a long robe of an unknown foreign culture for the festival, it would also be considered as collecting some intelligence for his mother in advance.
He vaguely remembered that before his mother left, she had intended to change into the priestly attire of the temple.
Chadwin smiled, "The problem has been solved. There's nothing to worry about. In this bet, I can earn 100 copper coins and obtain a ticket to participate in the real chariot racing betting."
He smiled and said, "Don't worry, there will be special clothing. After all, this is a sport offered to Ra, and we will also wear a crown at that time. Although it's a bit heavy," he unobtrusively glanced at Aaron's bald head, "but you can run at the back, so you don't have to worry about safety issues."
"We'll just need to paint some symbols on the horses with dye so that the audience can immediately tell them apart. These symbols are also chosen by the priests of Saius, corresponding to their respective deities, so that the gods can also immediately bless."
So those people in charge of the betting, are they also considered themselves as wise?
Chadwin's heart suddenly came up with this idea.
No, no, that's just the thinking of those Athenians. Their mythological stories always have gods betting.
Then they come up with all sorts of messed up things, even disasters.
Aaron sighed helplessly in his mind. He would have to work hard to get the fifth horse washed by Marrum again.
He really wanted to paint the so-called Extreme Warrior symbol on the fifth-old, as a way for the horse to repay Marrum for all the care he has given over the past few days, and what can be visibly seen in the future.
If Marrum doesn't accept for various reasons, it can be said that it is being given to Kyrinan.
"Alright, let's get going now, but you have to give me the money first."
Aaron understood the importance of money deeply and didn't want to be nagged by his father again.
Chadwin calmly took out ten copper coins from his bag: "Give me a third now. It's too heavy if you have too much, so wait until after the competition and give it all to you then."
Aaron took the money, opened it and weighed it a few times. It was fine. It was his first real money he had earned.
Both men smiled happily, and Chadwin led Aaron around the edge of the stadium to the backstage.
"That's the preparation area for four-horse chariots. You should avoid going there. Their tempers aren't good." Chadwin pointed to the area in the distance covered by a large red curtain and said.
"Girls, come and help us dress our boys and put the saddle on this horse that looks like a donkey!"
The merchants spoke nonsense without any psychological pressure. The girls of Yen had darker complexions than those of Thebes, but in terms of beauty, they were about the same.
Anyway, it's hard for Aaron to consider beauty as an objective concept. Because the appearance of his father is loved by people of all genders and ages.
So Aaron thought he should learn more about finding a partner from his mother when he meets her in the future.
Then do the opposite.
He was taken off his clothes and dressed in an Egyptian linen skirt and leather corset, then a belt pulled over one shoulder and tied around the waist.
Egypt has lower objective productivity than the north, so in terms of clothing materials, there is little cloth.
The girls laughed and brought a kind of ointment, to apply it to Aaron who had not as dark a complexion.
This can also make the muscles visible under the sun.
It didn't take Aaron much time to put on the costume, but it was the fifth horse that was not cooperative.
Because the one who had served the fifth horse before was an extreme warrior, a perfect Astate in terms of body control. And these poor mortals, even beautiful young girls, made it uncomfortable.
It was still Aaron who had to persuade it and slowly draw the strange lightning symbol on the fifth horse's neck.
It is said that the most respected four-horse chariot has the ability to carve the Eye of Horus, representing the qualification for Pharaoh's racing.
"All right, the race is about to start. You're in the fourth lane, just remember to pretend to run and then fall to the last place, make a show of it. We've bet on Siyalis, the pigeon on Ra's chariot according to legend. The beautiful white horse."
Chadwin led Aaron on the fifth horse, who rode to the entrance tunnel in front.
He patted the fifth-old's buttocks, indicating that the horse could walk forward. The fifth-old cursed and whimpered, walked forward, and swept his tail on Chadwin's face.
Chadwin didn't notice that Aaron, sitting on the saddle, was swaying slightly, as if this old donkey wasn't used to carrying a person.
But it's not a big deal; after all, the expected goal is to come in last, just for show.
He left satisfied, not noticing the snoring of Aaron asleep.
Qiaogao li, this world is 63% of grassland, and there are very few places like the forbidden land.
But this desolate land called the Navel of the Sky is one of them.
The grass here is a strange, bright yellow color. Although there are no misty clouds covering the view, you can even see the incredibly clear sky compared to the ground.
But there is a disorienting visual effect. Even the most skilled riders on the grasslands, riding on qiaogao li horses, must quickly return after running more than five li in Navel of the Sky.
Or else they will forever be lost within it.
Only natural livestock can live and migrate normally within it.
Last year's hunted livestock would further multiply and expand in the deep Navel of the Sky, then migrate back.
This is a complete ecological process.
At this point, the five-year-old Chahotai had grown taller than his peers by half a body length. He rode on his most ferocious qiaogao li wild horse last year, called Bai Bara, and led the tribal comrades on patrol around the Navel of the Sky, waiting for the appearance of a wild sheep herd.
Their tribe is called Tascal, and the wild Bai Bara had been lurking nearby, so the Tascal tribe was also referred to as Bai Bara.
As a nomadic tribe, they had to catch enough wild sheep before winter came, to meet the material needs for food and wool handicrafts.
But besides the Bai Bara tribe, there were also other hostile tribes, and on the other side of the Navel of the Sky, the hunting troops of the dangerous Baratyn Empire.
The Baratyn people call this place the Blank Land, and they will always cross the Navel of the Sky to capture slaves or hunt for fun.
