LUCEM
Chapter V

"Island without humans or cats would be a great place" Jiso murmured. 

Marbella doesn't let her smile fade, even though she knows what cats mean. 

"And we don't want to dissuade Marbella from her incredible new job with a magician" Jae said.

Marbella's eyes narrowed. For a moment he almost broke his iron rule of not eating anyone who could speak. 

"What about you, Mars?" he said while looking at me who was still busy polishing the flute. 

"I don't mind," I replied throwing a glance at him.

“No objection what?” tanyakanya. 

"It's okay, really," I tried to convince. "As long as nothing stops me from playing and reading."

“But you have to think about the future!” move on with a flat tone.

“I?” his words stupefied me. “I want to continue playing my music in the future. It costs nothing to play. There may be a little for the book.”

Marbella stared intently at me to see if I was making a joke, but I had never done anything like that before. He's capitulating. Well, not completely give up. Marbella doesn't get to where she is by giving in to trouble. He just put it on one side. But there is always something that comes up. I try to ignore that for now.

“OK, alright,” said. “We will do it once again and split the money in three ways. Good. Not problem. But if this is going to be the last time, let's make it to remember, eh?” He grins. 

Rats, as mice, are not interested in seeing a witch who can turn into a grinning cat, but they understand that a difficult decision has been made. 

They breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you happy with that, Mars?” marbella said with her hand on her back, looking at me.

 “I can keep playing my serule after that and reading?” askaku.

 “True.”

“OK,” reply.

The money, sparkling like the sun and shining like the moon, was solemnly put back into his bag. Rats drag bags under bushes and bury them. No one can bury money like a rat, and there is no point in spending too much money in the city.

Then there's the horse. It was a precious horse, and Marbella was very, very sorry to have let it go. But, as Jae said, it was a robber horse, with a very beautiful saddle and bridle. Trying to sell it in the city can be dangerous. People will talk. It might attract the attention of the government.

This is not the time to put an hourglass behind them. 

Marbella walked into the courtyard and looked far around, who was waking up under the rising sun. "Then, let's make this a big one, eh?" he said, when the rats came back.

“We thought tinkering with stuff wasn't really-” James started.

“Uhuk!”during Jae's cough, and James continued: “Oh, I guess, if this was the last time.” he lost his words.

"I've ignored everything since I came out of the nest" Jiso continued. “Now they tell you that it's not true. If that's what is meant by thinking, I'm glad I didn't do anything.”

“Let's let them be amazed,” said Marbella cheering herself on and us too.

“Tikus? They think they've seen rats in that town? Once they see us, they'll make up the story.” Jiso's spirit is on fire.

_______________

Mr. Jhonatan has many friends on this island. His hospitality was always understood as his kindness coupled with the various banquets he often held to welcome the arrival of anyone he considered important.

From a banquet with Mr. Benny this plan began. And that's a good plan. Mr. Benny gives a proposal to move the rat plague to the city of Ahem, and they devise a cunning plan that details it together. That's where the letter came from.

Even the rat, even me, had to admit that it worked. Everyone knows about the rat plague. There are many well-known stories of rat controllers, who make a living from city to city getting rid of rat outbreaks. Of course there are not only outbreaks of rats - sometimes there are outbreaks of caterpillars, terrors of canned mail, or fish - but those are mice that everyone knows about.

It doesn't actually take a lot of rats for an outbreak, not if they know their business. A rat, appearing here and there, squeaking loudly, destroying rice deposits and hollowing out the people's storage pockets, just a few can become a plague in a city.

After these few days, it was amazing how happy people were to see the young boy with his magic rat pipe. And they were amazed when the rats came out of every hole to follow him out of the city. They were so amazed that they did not care much about the fact that there were only a few tens of rats. They would be amazed if they knew that the mouse and I met the witch cat somewhere in the bushes outside the city, and earnestly counted the money.

And Mr. Jonathan's perfect plan doesn't know if we're not going to move a rat like he asked, just make it look the way he wants it to.

We really don't need to transport the plague from another city to the city of Ahem, we'll make it simple, we will come as a plague and get paid as if we have transported thousands of rats from all over to the city of Ahem. Big job for big pay. It's going to be a party at the end of your career.

Ahem City. It seems like today is market day, but there aren't many stalls and most sell, well, junk. Old snacks, pans, used shoes.the things people have to sell when they are short on money.

Marbella and I have seen many markets, on our way through other cities, and we know how they should go.

"And the people who sell sweets for children, ribbons, also clown attractions. Even a magician, if you're lucky.”.

“There is nothing like it. Almost nothing to buy,” I looked around with a little disappointment. "I thought you said it was a rich city, Marbi."

"Well, it looks rich" said Marbella.

“All the big fields in the valley, all the boats in the river .. You would have thought the road would be lined with gold!” Marbella hastened her steps.

“Lucanya,” kekehku.

“What?”

“People look poor,” I said.

"The building looks rich." Marbella's in front of me.

“I have no more sympathy for this city.” I looked cynically around.

"I told you this would be the biggest one" Marbella said cheerfully. "We'll sit on a pile of gold before the week is over! We'll make this city a rat's house.”

“What is the house of rats?” ask me with doubt.

“All these nice buildings can be home for rats, right?” marbella doesn't care.

“And why is everyone staring at you?” I glanced unhappily at the line of young men sitting and standing along the road we were walking along.

"I'm a pretty girl" whispered Marbella to me.

Even so, it was a bit surprising. People nudged each other and pointed at him.

"You must think they've never seen a pretty girl before" I muttered as I stared at the large building across the street.

It was a large square building, surrounded by people, and a signboard that read: AHEM. It's the town hall.

"Really just written as Ahem without any other extra sentences, funny. In the future it is added the word 'Rathouse'.” Marbella laughed with her face down.

“You really know a lot of words, Marbi,” I said with a look of admiration.

"Sometimes I amaze myself" said Marbella and threw her nosy smile.

“What's next, Marbi? We've walked quite a distance in this city.”

Marbella stopped her steps and looked at the queue of people standing in front of one of the large open doors. They all brought bread.

“Do we have to queue as well?” my many.

“I don't think so," said Marbella carefully.

“Why not?”

“See the people at that door? They look like guards. They have big clubs. And everyone showed them a piece of paper as they passed by. I don't like the look of it, ' said Marbella. "To me it looks like a government."

"We didn't do anything wrong" I said. "Not here at the moment anyway."

“You never know, with the government. Just sit here, Mars. I'll see it.”

People did see Marbella when she walked into the building, it seems that in the city the pretty girl is quite popular. I smiled faintly watching that. A man is seen having formal conversations with Marbella.

Marbella turned to stare at the convoluted queue towards the large hall and passed in front of a long buffer table. There, each person showed their piece of paper to two women in front of a large tray of bread, and was given a small piece of bread. Then they moved on to a man with a barrel filled with sausages, and got much less sausages. Keeping all of this, and occasionally saying something to the food waiter, is the mayor of Ahem, Mr. Adam.

Marbella instantly recognized him because she had a golden chain around her neck. He has met many mayors since working with rats. This one is different from the others. He was smaller, much more worried, and had a bald spot that he was trying to cover with three strands of hair. He's a lot thinner than any other mayor Marbella has ever seen.

Food is scarce, Marbella thought. They have to ration it.

He came out again, but this time a little faster, because he realized that someone was playing music. That, as Marbella feared, I. I put a hat on the ground in front of me, and collected some coins and one or two little kids actually danced.

And people knock their feet when they hear the sound of the tone. They smiled for a moment. Marbella waited until I finished the song. While the crowd was clapping, he was sideways behind me, touching my shoulders and hissing, “What a good, fish-for-brain! We shouldn't be flashy. Come, go. Oh, take the money too.”

“He led the way across the square until he stopped so suddenly that I almost stepped on his foot. "Ups, it's time to go home" he said.