Early Monday morning, Odys took Mandy and two other women on the first train to Gal Manor, which he had bought in the middle of Blue Mountain Island.
The manor's name followed the usual convention.
People generally named a manor after its owner's surname.
Bayam's language and surroundings were much like Backlund's. It was only after the train left the city that Mandy and the others felt they were somewhere foreign.
For one thing, Backlund rarely had forests this large or farmland this vast.
Odys told them a little about the area. "The biggest threat to this railway's freight service is the Resistance. Lately, though, they've mostly stopped attacking trains. At most, they seize supplies.
"We don't need to worry too much. They usually take cloth and everyday necessities, rarely building materials."
If his cargo was seized, Odys would have to consider asking the Fool to return it.
Mandy looked at the dense forest. "Do they attack manors?"
"Usually not," Odys said. "Manors have grain, not the manufactured goods they need."
After a pause, he added, "One advantage of the tropics is that people rarely starve to death.
"Don't mistake this for a good place, though. More people die of disease here each day than die of hunger in Backlund.
"A mosquito could bite you in the morning, and you could be dead by night."
Mandy paused. "Is that why you're planning to sell medicine?"
"Those medicines aren't meant for the locals," Odys said. "It's not that I don't want to help them. They don't trust Loenese people and won't accept our help.
"Of course, it's hard to say what will happen later. We may end up working with them."
By "them," Odys meant the Resistance and the Sea God Church.
He continued, "For now, we need a great deal