Europe, Samogitia.
It was a small country, unheard of in the East, with an area similar to Taiwan and a population of just over a hundred thousand.
Unlike the Great Tang, it had no grand cities, only scattered castles.
The castles were surrounded by low walls, and the common folk lived between the walls and the castles.
Bale Menggan rode his warhorse in a swaggering manner, looking at a castle smaller than the An Guo Duke's mansion. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Summon someone! Old rules! Go up front and deliver a message."
A golden-haired old man emerged from the ranks, knelt respectfully on the ground, and placed one hand on his chest, saying, "As you wish, my lord~"
With that, the old man stood up and walked towards the castle.
Watching his retreating back, a close guard beside Bale Menggan grumbled unhappily, "My lord, why bother with all this trouble? Why not just storm the place?"
"My brothers have been so bored on this journey, they're practically going mad~"
*Slap!*
Bale Menggan slapped him on the forehead, glaring and reprimanding, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Our Great Tang was founded on benevolence. We always strive for a just cause. Are you suggesting the Duke's assignments are all for women?"
"Isn't doing business harmoniously more interesting than fighting on the battlefield?"
"If I hear you say such a thing again, I'll make you the one to knock on the door next time!"
The guard retreated shamefacedly, but his heart was still filled with resentment towards Bale Menggan's methods.
"He didn't fight much on this journey, but you've taken plenty of land! You sell lunchboxes for money, then use that money to buy land around their capital until you surround it, and then you collect tolls~~"
"Is this something a human would do? It's better to just draw your sword directly!"
The golden-haired old man, who had been as humble as a servant next to Bale Menggan, transformed into someone entirely different upon reaching the castle. He held his head high, his face filled with arrogance.
He took out a handful of gold coins from his embrace and offered them to the guards at the gate, saying with utmost disdain, "My master comes from the mysterious East. He is here for business and wishes to enter the city to rest for a few days."
Seeing the golden coins in his hand, the guard's vigilant expression immediately relaxed.
"Oh, my heavens, a merchant caravan from the mysterious East! No wonder you are so generous! Please wait a moment, I will report to the lord immediately~"
With that, he took the gold coins from the old man, shared them with his companions, and then opened the gate, running into the city.
Inside the castle, a man with thick, foul-smelling body hair sat on a stone chair, savoring a female slave.
In this era, Westerners generally believed that bathing would bring illness.
Therefore, the female slave, who was of Caucasian descent, had skin covered in patterns resembling urine stains, with only her two rosy nipples appearing different from the rest.
This man was the lord of the castle and the ruler of this place.
"Oh, my dear lord, the guards have just reported that a merchant caravan from the East has arrived and wishes to enter the city for repairs. Do you permit it?"
An old butler, dressed in coarse cloth, entered from outside, placing one hand on his chest as he respectfully addressed the lord.
Upon hearing this, the lord's eyes lit up. "A merchant caravan from the East? Quickly, let them enter the city! I, the great lord, will conduct trade with them!"
"As you wish, my lord!" The old butler bowed again and exited the castle.
The golden-haired old man, acting as a translator, conveyed the news of their permission to enter the city to Bale Menggan. The group then took out strips of cloth and tied them below their noses, a trick they had learned on their journey.
"These barbarians are too damn smelly!"
"They're almost as smelly as the canned goods the Duke brought out!"
Having prepared themselves, Bale Menggan led the convoy of three hundred people towards the castle.
Upon entering the city, they found it exactly as they had anticipated: filled with filth, sewage everywhere, and swarms of flies and mosquitoes. Even the outhouses of the Great Tang's common folk were cleaner.
At least, the people of the Great Tang knew to cover their waste with soil after defecating, and after accumulating for a period, they would dig it out, dry it, and use it as fertilizer.
These barbarians, however, were just like what Fang Er had seen in Suyab – on the dirty and chaotic streets, one could frequently see people relieving themselves publicly.
For convenience, women's clothes were made into wide-hemmed skirts, supported by bamboo strips inside. Without the constraint of underwear, they could squat down at any time.
For convenience, men had a hole cut in their trousers, with two cloth strips sewn on. When not in use, they were tied up; when in use, they were untied, and they would relieve themselves on the spot. If it was solid waste.
Of course, this was during the day. At night, they would use a chamber pot at home.
"Leader, dodge quickly!"
Bale Menggan heard his guard's warning and immediately ran ten steps forward.
Then, with a *whoosh*, a bucket of excrement and urine was poured from the second floor next to the street, right where he had been standing.
"Let's go!"
This was not the first time they had encountered the practice of dumping waste onto the streets, so the convoy quickly bypassed the area and hurried towards the main keep of the castle.
In front of the castle was an open square, with two teams of patrolling soldiers, armed with old spears, walking back and forth around the square.
The soldier who led them stopped here, spoke a few words to the golden translator in a garbled manner, and then went into the castle.
Not long after, the lord and his butler emerged from the castle together.
"Oh, surely the God of Thunder has guided you to the great Mosier Castle! Merchants from the mysterious East, quickly show me the treasures you have brought!"
Upon seeing the carts laden with boxes, the lord rushed forward excitedly.
The butler, however, remained calm. He placed one hand on his chest and said to the crowd:
"A pug, stewed at the doorstep, Yan Jing he you you, wants to eat meat bones~"
"My lord, he says this is their lord, named Xidadsunzi. The golden translator quickly explained nearby, saying he wants to know what treasures my lord has to trade with him."
Bale Menggan waved his hand and ordered his guards, "Come, bring out our soap to show him!"
Upon hearing this, a guard opened a box, took out a bar of soap wrapped in oiled paper, and handed it to the butler.
The golden translator introduced the use of the item nearby: "Under the bridge at the front of the village, a flock of ducks swam by, come quickly, come quickly, count them, why are three missing!"
The butler nodded upon hearing this, then took the soap and walked to the lord: "Gui'er gua, gui'er gua, no, that's a toad~ I can't count how many ducks there are."