Curve 2. Nuvolo Ardito Figliuoli, a Grassroots Boy, a Rank-and-Filer Journeyman, and a Wunderkid

An old man named Nuvolo Ardito Figliuoli walked along a dirt road beside a farm. He was leading his horse, which he used to pull a two-wheeled wooden vehicle: a cart. Like Nuvolo's horse, the cart was also dark brown. On top of the cart, Nuvolo had a change of clothes for himself. He also had some books he was about to hand over to someone—a little child, to be exact.

On his way, Nuvolo saw two people in a field beside the road: an adult and a boy about eight years old. The two people in the field were standing about ten meters apart. The boy was at the edge of the field near the road, while the adult was in the center. The adult appeared to be hoeing the soil, while the grass-root boy was pulling grass.

Nuvolo greeted the adult, “Good morning, Pinco!”

Pinco, the farmer, returned Nuvolo's greeting, “Good morning, Mr. Nuvolo!”

The little boy who was helping his father work in the agricultural fields joined in the conversation by saying to Nuvolo, "Mr. Nuvolo! Good morning. You must have brought books, right? Let me read your books."

Nuvolo paused. He returned the greeting and said to the little boy, “Good morning, Pallino! You can read these books if you pass the Aecte Arts test at the Akustikoi level.”

“I can't do that now,” replied the little boy.

Nuvolo said, “You are still a child now, and I am sure your parents have told you that even if you are an adult, there is no guarantee that you will pass the test easily.”

The little boy didn't reply to Nuvolo's words. Nuvolo, guessing what was on the boy's mind, then encouraged him, "You can keep practicing, Pallino. As long as the clouds in the morning and afternoon are white, and as long as the clouds in the evening are reddish, you can still keep practicing, right?"

Pallino nodded and said, “I will continue practicing, Mr. Nuvolo. But right now, I have to help my father.”

Nuvolo smiled, raising his right thumb, then he said, “And now I must continue my journey.”

Pallino said, “See you later, Mr. Nuvolo. Have a safe trip.”

(***)

Nuvolo's journey proceeded smoothly without any disturbance until he reached the village's defense gate. The defense gate consisted of a wooden palisade and thin stone walls. Standing at one side of the gate was a guard, fully equipped with a protective helmet, sword, and shield. The guard's build was imposing, but his face looked listless.

The guard asked Nuvolo, “Uncle Nuvolo brought books, so you went to that house again, right?”

Nuvolo smiled and replied briefly, "Definitely."

The guard asked, “How many days will it be this time?”

Nuvolo replied, “Maybe three days and two nights. It could be less.”

The guard just nodded his head as a sign of thanks for Nuvolo's answer. Meanwhile, Nuvolo gave the guard advice, "You have a duty to perform, young man, keep your spirits up! Do it just like when you worked in your master's workshop, and when it was your shift to work on building the Polterbahn."

Nuvolo and the guard knew each other. The guard knew Nuvolo's profession. He knew Nuvolo was an Epodoi-level Magoi. Nuvolo had once been an active member of an exploration team, and his skills were advanced enough to allow him to read the Magoi's maps. After becoming an explorer, Nuvolo held a high-ranking position for quite some time before his physical decline with age.

Nuvolo also knew that the guard's primary occupation was working as a journeyman who had recently graduated from an apprenticeship at a guild that made and repaired wood and iron tools. The guard completed his apprenticeship at nineteen. That was the standard age for a rank-and-filer or a commoner to graduate from a guild.

The work at the workshop wasn't consistent every day; sometimes customers came, sometimes not. Furthermore, the guard had recently graduated from his apprenticeship, so he was given the lowest priority for customer requests. Because of this, like many young men his age, the guard's guild sent him on other jobs.

Another job the guard performed was acting as a village security guard. Sometimes he patrols, sometimes he stood guard at the defense fence. Sometimes he was on duty when the sky was still clear, sometimes at night. He did all of this according to a predetermined schedule.

The guard didn't confirm whether he would be as enthusiastic about guarding the fence as he was at the workshop. He chose to say, "I hope Uncle Nuvolo has a safe journey—and considering we're actually distant relatives—"

Nuvolo interrupted the guard, "If I get a bonus, I won't share it with you right away. I'll test you on how many digits of mathematical division and multiplication you can perform quickly."

The guard shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Okay, okay, I’ll keep practicing for that.”

Nuvolo smiled and raised his right thumb. Then the old man continued on his way, still leading his dark brown horse. Only a few dozen meters later, the dirt road Nuvolo was on led him to another crossroads.

The road in front of Nuvolo was paved with cobblestones. It was wide enough for two large four-wheeled wagons to pass each other without either having to pull over. This road was a highway that spanned the Duchy of Milano. It connected towns, villages like Nuvolo's, and, of course, the Duchy's capital.

The capital of the Duchy of Milano shares the same name as the duchy itself: Milano. Milano was Nuvolo's destination, and he was currently seated in the front of his cart, spurring his horse on. It might be said that "many roads lead to Rome," but for Nuvolo, there is only one road and several layers of defensive gates to pass through to reach a house within Milano.

(***)

Just as Pallino and the village gatekeeper had hoped, Nuvolo Ardito Figliuoli's journey had gone smoothly. He had arrived at his destination, the home of Pietro Fortunato Caetana. He had been in the luxurious house since morning, and evening was now approaching.

Nuvolo was currently sitting on the grass in the house's garden. He stretched out his legs and propped himself up with his hands facing backward. In front of him stood a female maid and a girl sitting in a chair.

The female maid beside the little girl was the second-shift maid assigned to accompany her that day. Because the maid hadn't been watching over the little girl since morning, she still had plenty of energy. Meanwhile, Nuvolo had been with the little girl all morning, so the old man was already exhausted.

Next to the maid stood a small table. On it were plates of food, a silver drinking vessel, and two gold glasses. The maid had provided the food and drink for Nuvolo and the little girl.

The little girl was an eight-year-old named Agnesi Maria Caetana. Since morning, Agnesi had been studying various subjects according to the schedule set by Old Man Nuvolo for the day. The schedule included Aecte Arts and reading lessons.

Aecte Arts practice runs from morning until noon. After the lunch break, Nuvolo accompanies Agnesi in reading various books on various topics: from history to various living things, foreign language guides, and so on. Nuvolo also indulges Agnesi's wishes, creating mini-test-style riddles based on the books Agnesi has read that day and the previous days.

Sometimes Agnesi would ask questions immediately when she had something to say about what she was reading. One such incident occurred when Agnesi closed the book she was reading and put it on her lap. Then she asked, "Mr. Figliuoli, didn't humans begin counting years as the first year when they abandoned the Ring Sanctuary of Pommelte, also known as Woodhenge?"