Watching Diana ride off into the distance, Lowell scratched his head, got back in the car, and asked, "Sir, is there a general store around here?"


    "There''s one just up ahead. You want to go?"


    "Yeah, I''d like to buy a few things. Would you mind taking me?"


    "Sure thing."


    The area was remote, so there were norge supermarkets. They arrived at a small general store.


    The store was tiny, and Lowell was buying so much it looked like he was stocking up for an army. The owner, seeing such a generous customer for the first time, enthusiastically helped him carry his purchases to the car.


    "You''re not from around here, are you, son? You here to impress your future in-ws?" People usually only bought this much when they were trying to win over a girl''s family.


    Lowell shook his head with a smile. "Nope, just visiting a friend."


    "A girlfriend?"


    "A boyfriend."


    The store owner and the driver, who were in the middle of loading the car, both froze. "A boyfriend?"


    Realizing they had misunderstood, Lowell quickly rified, "I mean, a male friend. A tonic friend who is a boy."


    The owner and driver both nodded slowly. "Oh... Well, love is love these days. It''s not our ce to judge you young folks'' ways, but we respect it!"


    "A girlfriend, a boyfriend, it''s all good. As long as you''re happy, that''s what matters."


    Lowell was speechless. The sentiment was so earnest, he almost felt like he should thank them.


    After loading everything into the car, Lowell handed the driver a crisp hundred-dor bill. "This is for you, sir."


    The driver, startled, quickly refused. "I''m getting paid for the drive. I can''t take gifts from you on top of that."


    Lowell smiled. "The fare is for your hard work. The gift is just a token of my appreciation. Please, take it. Consider it a friendly gesture."


    The driver hesitated for a moment before epting the cigarettes, his smile growing wider. He struck up a conversation knew you were here. to learn martial arts, but I didn''t realize your boyfriend was from around here too."


    Lowell gave an awkward smile and exined, "My boss is the one here to lear I''m just tagging along. And I dont have a boyfriend. The male friend I mentioned is Diana."


    The driver was surprised. "Diana? You''re going to see Diana?"


    "Yep. Let''s go. You know where he lives, right?"


    The driver gave Lowell a skeptical look. "You''ve taken a liking to Diana? You want him to be your boyfriend?"


    Lowell''s smile twitched. "You''ve


    misunderstood. To be honest, my boss''s young son is a huge fan of eagles. He''s very curious about how falconers train them, so thought I''d pay Diana a visit. ''


    "Keeping the boss''s kid happy is like keeping the boss happy—it leads to a raise. I''m just doing this for the paycheck."


    Now the driver understood. "Oh, so that''s what it is! And here I thought you were, you know, into boys. Heh, just a misunderstanding."


    Lowell maintained a polite smile. "Yes, a misunderstanding."


    The driver said, "I don''t know exactly where Diana''s house is, but I know which vige he''s from. I can take you there, and we can ask around once we arrive."


    Lowell nodded. "Perfect!"


    "It''s a bit of a long drive, though," the driver added. "Will take the better part of the day."


    Border City was vast and sparsely popted, with great distances between viges. Lowell said, "That''s fine, I''ve got nothing but time. You can tell me stories about mountain locals on the way. I can tell them to my boss''s son when I get back."


    He needed a good cover story for poking around the vige. This way, even if someone questioned the driverter, his story would hold up.


    The driver started the car. "The mountain locals have a stable life now, no more migrating all over the ce."


    "It''s like most viges. The young people, some are off studying, some are working in the cities to earn money, and some have settled down elsewhere and don''te back."


    "These days, it''s mostly children and the elderly who still live in the vige."


    "Diana is pretty much the role model for the younger generation in the vige."