Shambala Sect - 96 LIFE AND DEATH

It had been an hour since Beren woke up, and everything seemed new to him. After Hundred explained what had happened, Beren just stayed silently on the bed, with his face like a wet weekend. Even though Mulyk brought water and fruits for him, Beren didn’t have them. He just seemed to be lost in his own thoughts while being down in the mouth. Mulyk and Hundred wanted to give him some time to think, so they told him to not take things hard and then left him alone.

Currently, Beren was awake. Mulyk wasn’t there, but Hundred was sleeping in the chair next to the bed. However, a haze of fear dispirited Beren because the dog had just woken up. Since the door was shut, it had no way out. So it kept looking for an exit, which made Beren even tenser. Eventually, the dog stopped in front of Beren’s bed. Both their eyes met.

Meanwhile, Hundred, in his dream, was arguing with a girl.

“No, Khoa. I’m not in the wrong.”

“Then why did you apologize if you’re not guilty for not wishing me for my birthday?”

“I apologized because I didn’t want to prolong an unnecessary fight. I respected our friendship more, so I backed away.”

“Hmph! As if you’d ever done that! You clearly are guilty, Ninety Nine!”

“How can I be guilty when you’ve never even told me when your birthday is!”

“No! You’re guilty!” she yelled. “I can see it in your eyes!”

“Huh? That’s bullshit.”

“Yeah, I can see ‘that’ too in your eyes. You are very good at striking raw nerves with your gaze.”

“Stop speaking nonsense.”

“No, you’re the one speaking nonsense. Shut up!” she yelled again.

“Just because you can scream louder doesn’t mean you’re right—”

Suddenly, a cry intruded into his dreams. “Ah! Let me go!”

“Eh?” Hundred was forced to come out of his dream. “Who disturbed my—” he was startled upon seeing a dog biting Beren’s pants and trying to pull him down from the bed.

Hundred’s body automatically reacted. He swung his leg over the bed and kicked in the dog’s face, causing it to roll back and squeal a little. “Heh, serves you right, puppy.”

GRRR~!

The dog now bared its teeth at Hundred, and his laughter abruptly stopped. “Ah, wait, I was only joking. Of course, you’re not a puppy.” As the dog took a step toward him, he moved back a step. “You shouldn’t take my words seriously, or you’ll lose your brain cells, little friend.”

BOW~!

The dog barked vehemently, causing his skin to crawl.

“Crap,” Hundred was taken aback. “T-That was loud. You truly have a bone or two to pick with me, huh?”

The enclosed space only amplified the dog’s barks, and Beren had to plug one of his ears with his finger.

“Open the door,” Beren hurriedly said, his hair standing on end.

The dog fell back. Hundred used the opportunity and opened the door. The dog still set his eyes on him, but he stomped on the floor and barked, “Go!”

The dog immediately changed its priorities and vamoosed out. Hundred shut the door in all possible haste. “Whew… dogs are such tough bastards to take on. Luckily, I took care of the situation without getting hurt.” He looked at Beren. “Why was it attacking you anyway? Did you throw something at it?”

“No,” Beren quickly responded, blinking sweat from his eyes. “I did nothing. It attacked me for no reason.”

“No, they don’t attack you for no reason. Either you angered it, or it might have been quite hungry.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Beren was lightly massaging his shin. “It bit my leg. If its teeth weren’t broken, I might have lost a leg to it.”

“Probably,” Hundred sighed. “Sometimes, all it takes to trigger an animal is your stare, so be careful.”

“Staring, huh… okay,” Beren said, but then his eyes enlarged as he suddenly remembered how he kept looking at the dog for a prolonged time. “U-Uncle, I think I did stare at the donkey for some time.”

“Oh, so you did. No wonder that ticked the dog off,” Hundred sat back in the chair. “Remember this, kid. You can’t stare at some animals in the eyes, because they’ll think you’re challenging them. A glance may be okay, but any more, and they’ll consider you as a threat, so if you don’t have the smoke to back up your stares, you better avoid their gaze, especially those of alphas.”

“Dogs are so scary,” Beren’s voice was a bit shaky. He remembered the times when dogs had chased him on multiple occasions, which now left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Scary indeed. Compared to humans, most animals are physically gifted, and they hone their natural abilities through their lives, unlike us, who tend to depend on tools to get most of our jobs done.”

“So, if I don’t look them in the eye, I’ll be fine,” Beren told himself. “Come to think of it, isn’t there a rule that says we shouldn’t look at someone from the upper belt directly in the eye?”

Hundred paused, unable to breathe abdominally as a moment from the past flashed in his mind; he had looked in a person’s eyes, and then a lot of unpleasant things happened to him.

“I can somewhat understand why we can’t look at animals directly in the eye, but why can’t we look at fellow men, too?” Beren couldn’t help but ask.

Hundred took his time to reply. “I guess the Shamblians are telling us that powerful men ‘can’ transform into the wildest beasts, ones that can’t be stared down. No matter what gimmicks you do, you can’t fool their eyes or make them feel the least bit cautious about you, which is why if you annoy them with your gaze, they will likely look to assert their dominance in any way they can.” He continued to speak in a slow, doleful manner, “But don’t worry too much about it now. You’ll get a very real dose of reality sooner or later. Everyone who stays long enough on Exvo is bound to experience it, but just hope that nothing too unfortunate happens to you.”

Beren’s heart was pounding against his chest at this point, and he was sweating all over.

Hundred looked a bit irritated, “Ah, now, I can’t get the same dream again.”

Beren quickly said, “I’m sorry, Uncle. I never apologized for disturbing your sleep.”

“Huh? Why are you saying it this late?” Hundred asked, but Beren stayed silent. “Don’t tell me, it’s because I’m at a higher spot on the food chain compared to you?” he shook his head. “You’re overthinking. There are all kinds of rules on this ship, but don’t let them get to your head, or you won’t have a peaceful time here. Get some sleep”

“Mm…” Beren faintly nodded, but he wasn’t in the mood.

“Then let me sleep,” Hundred started sleeping on the chair itself.

Beren got lost in thought.

A couple of minutes later, as Hundred was sleeping with his head tilted up and his mouth partly open, Beren gently slapped on his thigh a few times. “Who woke me up!” Irritation took over Hundred’s reddening eyes, but upon seeing that it was Beren, he forced out a smile and brought his expression back to normal. “What do you want?”

“I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep again, Uncle, but when will Brother Lirzod come back?”

“You woke me up just to ask that?” Hundred’s nerves twitched. “Do you bear a grudge against me or what?”

“S-Sorry, but I just wanted to know,” Beren’s expression looked lame.

“Soon,” replied Hundred, guessing what was going through the kid’s mind. He thought that Beren was probably waiting for Lirzod and would’ve tried to leave if not for that. (In just a couple of minutes, his countenance had changed a lot. He must be thinking about his parents again. At this point, it’s better to divert his attention to something else, but how the heck can I achieve that? It’s easier said than done!)

Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the clinic looked dull.

Elsewhere on the same deck, a two-wheeled fox cart that looked like a berry turned upside down was traveling down the street. To ordinary eyes, it was a two-man vehicle—not including the driver—being driven by four foxes. Each fox was almost a meter tall.

Currently, the cart was going at a slow speed. A white-haired robber whooshed out of a room and attacked the driver, forcing the latter to go on defense. The cart stopped as those two fought. Half a minute passed, and those two were still fighting. From the entrance of the cart that was on the back of the vehicle, two people stepped out. One looked fresh, but the other had his arm and waist wrapped in bandages. The former fellow was Roseberry, and the latter one was Big Nick.

Seeing those two men, the robber raised his voice while putting the knife at the driver’s throat, “I’m Rouji the Reckless Robber!” Though he said that, he didn’t get any response. In fact, their expressions didn’t change. “If you don’t know me, then know now! My crimcost is eighteen silver! If you don’t want to die, then walk away. I’ll be taking the cart.”

“Ho… so you’re after the cart, huh,” Roseberry nodded to himself. “Okay, if you can take this guy’s punch and still stand,” he pointed his finger at Nick, “then the cart will be yours.”

Rouji raised his brows a little. “I’m not dumb,” he looked at Nick, “Even though he’s wounded, I’m not falling for that age-old trick. Just turn your asses and beat it, unless you want to see your driver’s throat get slit.”

The driver was sweating madly. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Hehe, you heard his cries,” Rouji snickered.

Roseberry exhaled audibly. “I played along for once, but if you really can cut his throat while you’re on this ship, then go ahead. Show us how big of balls you’ve got, Mr. Reckless Robber,” His words startled Rouji, but then Roseberry lowered his voice and said, “Go.”

Nick charged ahead almost immediately.

“Tch, I thought it’d work,” Rouji pushed the driver to the side. “Charging at me like that… You are looking down on me a bit too much.” He dodged Nick’s punch by bending to the left and thrust the knife at his waist. However, Nick’s elbow, of the right hand, lifted and met Rouji’s chin.

When the side of the elbow struck Rouji’s chin, his body spun in midair, but he somehow managed to land on his feet.

“Hmph, so the eighteen silver is not for nothing after all,” Roseberry narrowed the windows of his view, “but I think you’re probably worth more.”

Rouji rubbed his chin without any shame. (Even with a wounded arm, he lifted me off my feet. His power, at the least, isn’t inferior to mine. And then there’s also that other prick who could be just as strong.) He glared at Nick and Roseberry for a moment, but then he turned around and dashed away without saying anything.

Nick didn’t give chase.

“Not as reckless as he proclaimed himself to be,” Rosberry also just watched.

The driver’s tendons still stood out in the neck with a visible pulse. As Roseberry was climbing back into the cart, the driver hurriedly apologized, “Please forgive me for my uselessness, sir.”

Roseberry didn’t say anything.

Nick, too, got inside, and soon, the vehicle was in motion once again.

Though the cart looked small on the outside, the inside was a thirty-foot diameter hemispherical room. The interior had walls, flooring, and it seemed like it was a scenery from inside a home. Both the men sat in their respective seats in their sofas, facing one another. There was a small table in between, with food and drinks adorned atop it.

Roseberry’s expression was calm, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes. “Losing to a girl who defeated a few dozen fellow trainees was one thing, but losing to a boy who was half as old as you and probably wasn’t in good condition was an entirely different thing. You completely let him steal your show.”

Nick gave a rare pause before responding, “This Rouji fellow is nothing, but that scar-faced boy was quite fierce.” Nick looked down at his right wrist that was wrapped in a bandage. He looked a little flurried as an off-putting memory came to his mind. Lirzod had defeated Nick in two moves. The first move, a punch, broke his wrist. The second move, a side kick, broke two ribs and sent him flying into the wall and knocked him out cold. Just remembering the incident made Nick feel utterly frustrated, causing him to grit his teeth for the umpteenth time; however, he quickly brought back his usual composure before Roseberry, but there was also a bold look in his eyes. “I don’t know if he was giving his all or not, but he’s going to get even stronger with every deck he climbs.”

Roseberry’s eyes were currently watching an ant that was carrying a strawberry all by itself, albeit with great effort. “Brawny little bugger, huh…” Roseberry went into pondering as his hand rubbed on top of his walking stick without moving the cane. It was a simple skill, but it required a lot of practice, for the staff would have fallen had the rubbing force been improper. He picked up the strawberry, and the ant came together with it. He tossed them both into his mouth and chewed with his mouth closed. (Mm, a little guy with the goods. He didn’t disappoint.) Roseberry faintly smiled, though it was a short-lived one. (I can see why that Geragorn referred to this boy as a gutsy one.)

Nick, on the other hand, was having different thoughts. (I won’t let things end like this, Lirzod. The next time we meet, I’ll strain every nerve to wipe the floor with you. For now, I’ll play the pig so I can eat the tiger afterward.)

Meanwhile, in Drill Hall.

“He was freed?” Lirzod couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How could you guys let him go? Didn’t he get four weeks of jail time?”

“He did,” one of the trainees, guards of the cells, patiently explained, “but someone paid a gold piece and released him.”

“Someone?” Lirzod’s voice quickened. “Who?”

“Actually, only an envelope was sent to us, with a letter and a gold coin in it.”

Lirzod could only swallow his frustration.

After succeeding in cutting watermelons for six rounds, he had earned 9 silver and 90 copper. He failed in the seventh round where he had to cut seven watermelons straight. Though he had sliced seven of them, the fifth watermelon wasn’t properly cut, so he lost. He wanted to keep on trying until he reached the eleven silver profit mark, but the owner told him that Lirzod was no longer eligible to replay the game from the first round and that once he had passed some rounds, he could only aim for the following, tougher rounds. However, from there on, he would only receive five times the amount, given that he had failed. So seventh-round victory meant five-time profit, and eighth-round victory meant ten-time profit, and ninth-round victory meant fifteen-time profit and so on. Lirzod didn’t feel like it would benefit him, and he then also understood why there wasn’t much of a crowd around that watermelon shop. Since his hand also started to feel the heat after having broken about twenty-five watermelons, he decided to stop.

Even though Lirzod didn’t earn all the way up to the eleven-silver mark in that shop itself, he was more than happy, for he could take all those watermelons that he had successfully broken. He then went to a few more shops and contested until he reached the goal. On his way back, he had given most of the watermelons to the kids in the child booth, and a few more to the passersby who requested him. Now, in his backpack, there were four broken watermelons.

His mood had lifted because of the success, but after coming back to the drill hall, he was shocked that Nick was already let out. In his eyes, Beren was yet to even wake up after that incident, but Nick was already free and roaming. After realizing that arguing with the guards wouldn’t achieve more than flogging a dead horse would, he turned back, feeling as if cold water was thrown upon him for bringing a criminal to the drill hall and putting them behind bars.

Just then, one of the guards said, “Wait for a second, mister.”

Lirzod turned around and furrowed his brows a little, “What?”

The guard handed him a small sack that had fifty silver coins inside. “Can you give this to Nick’s son? You are going to the clinic now, right?”

“Did that Nick give this?” Lirzod was about to give the money back, but the guard shook his head.

“No. Half of the money used to release the criminal would later be given to the victim or their family. I was going to give it myself, but since you’re going there, I gave it to you. Make sure you deliver it, or you’ll suffer jail-time.”

Though Lirzod still didn’t like taking the money, he knew that it wasn’t his place to decide. Besides, Beren would need all the money he could get, so he swallowed his anger and put the sack in his pocket. Afterward, he could only find his way out of the hall, albeit not with a friendly face.

However, he had to change his countenance before entering the clinic. Now, Mulyk was also there. After seeing Lirzod, Beren immediately tried to get out of the bed, but even tiny movements hurt him, and he fell back onto the bed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lirzod arranged the watermelons on the desk, except for one, before walking toward the bed Hundred was on. His eyes were on Beren all this while, “You shouldn’t be moving around any time soon.”

Beren didn’t say anything, but he still looked as dull as a baby duck that got lost and lost its energy from quacking for hours and also the hope of reuniting with the family.

Lirzod discussed with Hundred in a low voice and found out that Hundred hadn’t mentioned putting Nick behind bars, afraid that the boy might go after his father again. Also, though the blood transfer had long finished, Hundred had to rest until now, though he didn’t actually rest on the bed during the time Mulyk had gone out. He was thinking of leaving with Lirzod right after he returned, but Lirzod gave him a broken half of the watermelon and then silently slipped eleven silver coins in his hand. Though Hundred was initially puzzled, he quickly understood and then glanced at Mulyk, who was sitting on the last bed and signaled her to follow him.

As Mulyk followed Hundred and walked past Lirzod, she seemed to be a bit salty because Lirzod didn’t give her the watermelon; however, Lirzod blocked her path with his arm, and in his hand was the other half of the watermelon.

“Hmph!” she snorted. “You think I would eat it after someone sunk their teeth inside that thing?”

“No, nobody put their teeth into it,” Lirzod said and scratched his chin. (Only the hand.)

“Really?” she asked, her expression a bit more bubbly than before, but she didn’t even wait for his reply and took the watermelon. She had a bite and said, “It’s sweeter than the ones you sent me before.” Looking pleased, she followed Hundred without fuss.

The moment they left and closed the door, Lirzod raised his voice, “What the hell were you thinking, huh?” Anger flowed through his gaze and voice well enough to scare Beren as Lirzod came up to his bed. “Escaping out of the cell… I’m disappointed.”

Beren was startled. He initially thought Lirzod was asking about why he had gone to meet his father, but that clearly wasn’t the case. “I…” Still, he had no answer.

Lirzod sat in the chair, his eyes still set on Beren. “I know it’s a bad and embarrassing place to stay at, but it was still a good opportunity for you to reflect, which you wasted.”

Beren’s mouth turned down.

“Do you think you don’t deserve to be put behind bars for what you have done?” asked Lirzod, but Beren’s head was tilted down, with guilt taking over his face. “Why aren’t you saying anything, huh? My mom always says that admitting one’s mistakes is the first step to becoming a humble and good person. It might not be an easy thing to do, but did you at least think hard and struggle between thoughts before breaking out of the cell?”

Beren faintly nodded, though only hesitantly.

“So, you did. Good.” The anger on Lirzod face soon faded away. “Whatever happened has happened, but be more honest next time.” He let out a long sigh. “Anyway, taking everything that has occurred into consideration, your disciplining period has been invalidated. So, you are free now.”

“Ah?” Beren was quite surprised, but it didn’t show on his visage, not counting the eyes. After all that he had experienced, whether he spent a few more days inside a cell or not didn’t matter much to him.

Then there was silence for about half a minute.

“If there is anything you want to say,” said Lirzod, “then you can tell me.”

Beren took a laborious breath and then smiled. “I just want to thank you, brother… for everything. I don’t know how I can—”

Lirzod looked into the boy’s eyes. “Is that all?”

“Y-Yes,” Beren looked away.

“If you don’t want to talk, then there’s no point for me to be here,” Lirzod stood and put a sack on the bed and started to walk away.

“W-Wait,” Beren hurriedly said, making Lirzod turn rather slowly. “I don’t have anyone to guide me. Will you listen to my story and tell me what step I should take from here on?”

Lirzod stood right where he was, and a moment later, he said, “I’m listening.”

Burton then told his story.

His mother, Quinna Kimani, used to be an apprentice of a tailor on the twentieth deck before she got permission to raise a separate shop on her own. Since then, she had regularly burned the midnight oil to finish her work in time and had been saving a lot of money for many years. She regularly sent money to her brother to raise the wealth through interests, so she could one day buy a property and build a simple house in the mountains near the village she was born. After Nick persuaded her for months, she accepted his love and married him; however, upon hearing that she was with a child, he didn’t like it and said later on that it was an ‘accident,’ and that led into daily quarrels. Eventually, Nick just left the deck and went away, leaving her alone.

She was heart-struck by it and wanted to go to her brother when Exvo would reach her island, but then she received a letter from her brother’s son explaining that all the money she had been sending was being eaten away by his father for his own profits and that he had no intention of giving even a copper piece of it back to Quinna.

She didn’t believe it. Even though some part of her wanted to go and confirm, she could only wait for Exvo to go there. In a few months, Beren was born. She sent a letter to her brother, telling him about what happened with Nick, and then the birth of Beren. However, her brother, who somehow came to know of his son’s doing, smartly sent back a letter that ridiculed not only Quinna but her newborn son. It was so demeaning that she couldn’t digest the truth. Out of shame and regret, she didn’t get down from Exvo when it stopped by their village. She had learned a great lesson from her brother, born to a different mother.

All sorts of doubts kept creeping into her mind, forcing her to wonder if even her brother’s son was an honest person, or was he simply a bootlicker who sent the letter as per his father’s order? These types of crazy thoughts worsened her temper day by day.

Eventually, she had decided to continue staying on Exvo and look after her son. She kept stitching clothes for those on the deck, for that was all she knew. Though her health was deteriorating, she worked overtime. She was alone. Even before the betrayals, she had few people she could freely talk to, but afterward, she stopped talking to anyone other than to a customer. But the memories of her looking forward to living a happy life kept coming back; the house near mountains; the betrayals of her brother and husband. The more she held onto the past, the more her health worsened. By the time she was willing to let go of the negative thoughts, it was a bit too late. She couldn’t work anymore, and her treatment cost a lot that even her stitching mission had to be sold.

As Beren was telling the past, tears streamed down from the only eye he had. The other eye socket was covered with cotton, which got wet. “When she was sick and dying, she told me that it was her fault to let others hurt her and use her for their benefits, but that I wasn’t born out of an accident. What do you think, Brother? Am I an accident?”

“Your mother was right. As far as I know, people can die from an accident, but no one can be born from an accident,” said Lirzod, rubbing the boy’s wet cheeks with his fingers. “That’s just silly.”

“You think so, too?”

Lirzod paused for a moment but then nodded twice, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Mm… My mother put all the blame on herself,” Beren’s expression still looked sad. “She told me to forget what my uncle has done, and if possible, forgive him. In my father’s case, however, she told me to forgive him, and if possible, to forget what he has done. One betrayed her in the name of blood. The other betrayed her in the name of love and abandoned her. I don’t know how she could still forgive them. I don’t know why she asked me to forgive them.” His blood was boiling as he spoke. “How can I do that when they brought her so much misery that eventually took her life?” He clutched his head. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Simple. Just get stronger, first, at least until you are no longer confused as to which path you should take.”

“Stronger?” Beren bitterly smiled. “Can I ever become strong enough to beat my… to beat Nick?”

“Of course, you can,” Lirzod replied in a lively tone. “Nick had nothing much to offer. If you put your heart to the task, you can easily surpass him in more ways than one.”

Beren was pleasantly surprised, for he wasn’t told of the fight that had happened between Lirzod and Nick. He was only told that Lirzod had helped him get to the clinic. So he thought Lirzod was exaggerating things to make him comfortable. “How can I get stronger? What does it take?”

“Getting stronger, huh…”

“I’m not at all strong,” replied Beren in a pitiful tone. “When I had both eyes, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. My friends laughed at my eyes behind my back and made jokes about me, so I was always uncomfortable to even look people in the eye for long. Now I only have one eye, so I don’t have to hide my face anymore, but I know that it’s not because I overcame the problem. Next time, when I face such a problem, I want to overcome it with my own strength.”

“Mm,” Lirzod nodded. “Whatever reason you may have for wanting to get stronger, I tell you, it’s not something that can be achieved overnight.” Lirzod raised his brows, and his eyes hinted that he was speaking from experience. “The work you put in today may not show you results right away, but it will pay you someday. You should have such a belief, and you should stick to it no matter what. Once you’ve got your faith on track, you can then go look for ways to get stronger. As for how to get stronger…” he pondered for a few seconds. “Well, listening to the experienced fellows in the field, picking up what is good in others, and such things will greatly help. After all, we are what we learn.”

Beren kept nodding frequently.

Lirzod continued, “None of us are born with a book in hand. From our birth, we take in things, good or bad, from others and the world around us. Infancy is the time when we pay the most attention to things around us. Still, we didn’t learn to speak a language in a day, right? It was a slow process. I believe it’s the same with learning any new thing. If you can, it’s better to take things slow.” He then remembered a quote from one of the books Duera read to him, “Only ingest what you can digest, with the zeal to learn anything until you know it backward. If you can get all these things working,” he then said what Burton often said, “then I don’t see why you can’t turn every hurdle in your way into a stepping stone.”

“I kind of get what you’re saying… But how can I make sure that what I’m doing is the right thing?” Beren couldn’t help but ask. “How can I believe that it makes me stronger?”

“You seem to be mistaken about something,” Lirzod said and casually smiled. “Taking major decisions certainly requires strength, but putting them into practice requires a lot more strength. So…” Lirzod ran his fingers up Beren’s arm, puzzling him, and he suddenly started to tickle near the armpit. “It’s not what you do that makes you really strong, but how good you do what you do.”

“S-Stop!” Beren almost jumped on his butt.

“And you’ll know it’s probably the right thing for you when your joy vastly outweighs your regret. So no matter what you are doing, try to give it your all, got it?” Lirzod said and chuckled. “Only then you may see some improvement before your passion and patience runs out.”

Beren also faintly smiled, though it was barely perceptible.

“Anyway,” Lirzod rubbed the back of his head, “someone once told me, “Being strong isn’t as much about beating your enemies as it’s about protecting those in your heart.’ After all, even defeating a thousand enemies wouldn’t bring back a friend you failed to protect, right? So set your priorities straight, and also make good friends, so even if you fall, they’ll get you back on your feet.”

“‘They?’” Beren’s head was somewhat tilted down, and he responded a bit late, “What’s their names?”

“For one, there was someone I used to call Squeezel. Then there’s Primera, Duera, and a few more.”

Beren stayed silent for a bit. “I have a friend named Lime. Her actual name is Lima, and I promised her that I would explore the world together with her, even though she has Keerthi, her sworn sister.” He looked at his hands that were slightly shaking upon thinking about the recent happenings. “I don’t know if I’m even eligible to tour the world with her. She is a special girl, but I am…”

Seeing Beren’s hesitation, Lirzod let out a long sigh and said, “Why do you think you’re not special? In this world, there is only one sun, only one moon…” he poked his finger on Beren’s chest, “only one you.”

All the doubt in Beren’s eyes evaporated almost instantly.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t one-of-a-kind,” Lirzod said and folded his hands. “You wanted me to guide you forward, but I’m telling you… I’m not here to make your choices. You have to start making your own decisions. That’s the only way to freedom, from others and yourself.”

Beren faintly nodded, but then he still wasn’t sure if he could muster enough courage to go back to Lima after what he had told her, after what he had attempted to do to his father. And what’s more, he knew that he was doing a similar thing that his father had done, which was to abandon his wife. Beren also, sort of, abandoned Lima. Though he realized that to an extent, his anger on his father had clouded his judgment, and even at this moment, he felt like he could defend himself. Still, he couldn’t hide it all. The guilt and shame swam about in his eyes. “I wanted to achieve many things, but now, I’m not so sure. I don’t even know if I’ll live long enough to fulfill just one of them.” Though he didn’t say it directly, he feared in the depths of his heart if he could even return to Lima safely. Even if he did, would he be the same person?

Lirzod looked at the boy’s left shoulder. At that time, if not for them being on the ship, he thought back on how Beren could have died from blood loss, much less an infection down the road. He put his hand on Beren’s leg. “Life and death are only separated by a heartbeat, yet some people go to any length to make their dreams come true. These kinds of people weigh better either on the lovely scale or the nasty scale. Nick was a nasty fellow, but…” Lirzod’s hand slowly raised and slightly touched Beren’s left hand. “Don’t curse yourself for having him as your father. I know what he did to you is unjustifiable and evil, but you can’t change what had happened. All you can do is learn from it. The quicker you grasp that, the more pain and fear you’ll leave behind.”

Beren wanted to nod, but his head wasn’t willing. It felt heavy for some reason. “What about what I tried to do to him? Doesn’t that mean I’m also evil?”

Lirzod paused for a moment and asked, “If you are evil, then why are you questioning yourself?”

Beren was startled.

“Because you aren’t purely evil, which is the absence of good,” said Lirzod. “There’s good in you because you’re reflecting on things so you can change yourself for the better. You have to cling onto that goodness in you long enough till it grows big enough and forces out the vice in you for good. I think that’s what your mother was probably trying to convey when she told you to forgive and forget your father and uncle so you won’t end up becoming like them.”

Beren stayed silent, but his eyes gave a hint of understanding, which birthed a bit of hope.

“I think after the talk we’ve had, we deserve some watermelons.” Lirzod took out two pieces of watermelons and then put one in Beren’s hand. “It’s time to get some strength back.” Lirzod gorged on the fruit, together with the seeds.

Meanwhile, outside the drill clinic, Hundred was spitting seeds right in front of the entrance, and he suddenly received a slap on the back of the head that popped his eyes out.

“Stop spitting seeds everywhere!” Mulyk barked. “This isn��t your home!”

Hundred grunted from pain. She struck him hard this time, and so he couldn’t hide the suffering. Even though she saw his reaction, she didn’t give an apology, which he was sort of expecting. So it felt as if he now received a second invisible slap that hurt his heart and did some immeasurable internal damage.

After all that, Hundred couldn’t spit the seeds, so he couldn’t help but wonder and look at Mulyk to see what she was doing. However, she wasn’t spitting, so he realized that she was eating them, too. “You… are you crunching on seeds as well?”

“Of course, they not only add texture to the crunch but also make you strong. That’s how we elves eat anyway. I don’t know why you vulnurs spit out seeds. Such a waste.”

“Texture is okay,” Hundred tapped his finger on his chin, “but I doubt if they’ll make us any stronger because when I eat them, they just come out through poop.”

Mulyk spat all that was in her mouth. “Don’t talk about ‘that’ when I’m eating-fu!”

“Uh, I-I’m sorry,” Hundred’s heart had just involuntarily skipped a beat, afraid that she might slap him again, but luckily she didn’t. However, he still moved a step away.

“Hmph!” she shook her head. She glanced at the watermelon and could no longer put it in her mouth. “Now I feel I lost all my appetite!” she glared at him making him act like he was looking elsewhere while eating the fruit. (Since he’s spoiled my mind, I’ll do the same!) She then said, “When you said about the seeds appearing in your excretion, you weren’t counting the fact that you humans and we elves are not the same. Our stomachs can digest a lot more things than you vulnurs can.”

“More like animals, huh… tiger, deer, and such.”

“Hmph, we have no likeness with animals, other than that we are closer to perfection than you people are.”

“Oh, so elves can brag perfectly, too.”

“What did you say?” her brows twitched.

“N-Nothing.”

“Humph,” she continued to glare at him. “So stupid.”

“You are the one who’s stupid,” Hundred muttered under his breath as he took in another bite. (Out of habit, I was spitting seeds on the street for birds, or I would have looked for a dustbin. But this crazy girl hit me hard. It still hurts.) He rubbed the back of his head while making eye contact with her.

“I can see why 99 people didn’t find it pleasing to travel alongside you,” she said.

Hundred was startled, and he lowered his head to cover his expression. A couple of seconds later, he lifted his head again and acted okay.

Mulyk was a bit puzzled as to why her trick, a rude remark, didn’t work all that much, so her gaze turned a bit icy and her cheeks salty.

“Uh,” Hundred took a golden wrapping paper out of his pocket. “I can give you this if you’re willing to calm down.”

“A wrapper?” she snatched it from him. “Where did you get this?”

“When I was cleaning the clinic,” said Hundred.

When she opened the neatly folded wrapper, she saw some pieces of melted chocolate inside. “Ew, this was already used!” she tossed it back.

“I know,” Hundred folded it and put it back in his pocket.

“You did that on purpose!” Mulyk rapped her knuckles on Hundred’s head.

“Argh,” Hundred cried out in pain and rubbed his crown.

“Never do that again-fu!”

“Never, never,” Hundred looked a bit foolish with his face cooked from both anger and fear. (Women are such weird creatures. As Lirzod said, you never know when they laugh in their sleeves or fart in others’ faces.)

Just then, a man came hurriedly to the entrance of the clinic. “Please, help me! The maggots are eating me alive!”

“What the heck happened?” Hundred covered his mouth to suppress his voice upon seeing that man’s forearm, which was packed with maggots living around the wound and under the skin. “That looks nasty. Are they feasting on his flesh?”

“Please help me,” the man pleaded. “I don’t have money, but I’ll pay you soon.”

“If you didn’t have money, you should have at least kept your wound clean and not let flies settle on them,” Mulyk indifferently said. “I hate treating for free, especially for stupid people like you.”

“Please, madam. I beg you,” the man wailed. “Have mercy on this halfwit.”

“No. Go and bring a silver coin. Then we’ll talk,” Mulyk coldly said, causing the man to cry and sob a lot harder, but it only worsened her mood. “Get away from me, you oaf,” she kicked him away as he tried to touch her feet. “How dare you try to touch a lady’s foot without her permission?”

The man continued to cry helplessly.

“Oi, I’ll pay for him,” Hundred intervened, “so treat him, okay?”

“Well, okay,” Mulyk showed no objection. She took a small wooden box out of her pocket. There was a pill inside. When she had opened the box, Hundred immediately shut his nose because the odor was so strong that he felt like vomiting.

“What the heck is that?” Hundred’s eyes gained redness.

“A special garbage pill I made,” Mulyk said with a smile on her face. “Maggots love this thing.” She brought the box closer to the wound, and all the maggots desperately came out of the wound and fell to the floor. There was localized pain, but the man bore it. In less than a minute, all of them were out. She then gave him a few healing pills and said, “Take these pills once every day. There may be more eggs left inside, so keep washing the wound with salt or vinegar. If you can afford it, take hot baths for a week. If you encounter any trouble, seek me out immediately. I won’t charge you if you come back within a week.”

The man looked at Hundred and said, “Thank you.” He then quickly left without saying another word.

“That prick…” Mulyk was a bit angered. “He didn’t thank me on purpose. You vulnurs are always so keen on getting revenge.”

Hundred, however, wasn’t in a mood to chat. He was biting his shirt collar. (I let my emotions play me again. One silver deducted from my balance. Poor me. I should’ve at least told that man to pay me later.)

Mulyk, meanwhile, collected the maggots into a paper bag. “A bit of animal feed was acquired for free. Hehe.” A hint of abhorrence could be seen in her eyes, for she had a special hatred toward maggots, which often destroyed plants, starting with the roots. “Or should I just squash them into a pulp and use them as manure?”

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the same deck, Sariyu and 777 were heading to a particular room. A group of men who were passing by stopped and asked, “Have you seen a purple-haired guy? He’s fair, of a decent height, and breathes arrogance.”

“Purple-haired guy?” Sariyu and 777 briefly looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.

“Why are you looking for this Mr. Arrogant?” asked Sariyu.

“He messed with our guild members, so if you come across him, tell him that he’s committed the biggest mistake of his life. After we���re done with him, he’s gonna wish he never left his home.” Saying that they walked away. These men didn’t yet know that Burton had already left the twelfth deck.

After those men had walked enough distance, 777 opened his mouth, “Is it Burton they’re talking about?”

“Who’re those guys anyway?” asked Sariyu.

“Judging by their attire, they seem to be part of the plunderers guild,” 777 pondered. “They love stirring storms in teacups and are notorious for bullying those who so much as poke their skin. Would your friend be alright by himself?”

“Don’t worry about him,” Sariyu casually said. “I don’t know how powerful this plunderers guild is, but against him, they are probably no more different than blind wolves hunting a tiger.”

777 stayed silent, albeit looking a bit surprised.

They continued taking twists and turns through different streets for the next few minutes.

“We’ve entered the J block… finally,” Sariyu said in a relieved tone. “Let’s hope he’s at least in this block.”

“It can’t be helped. This fellow had many rooms, given the position he enjoyed until recently,” 777 said, putting some spirit into his walking all of a sudden. “It was only natural that he picked up different resting spots spread out all over this deck.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with this block?” she looked around, and the streets were desolate and dirty. Only one or two people could be seen living in dozens of rooms in the whole street. There were cobwebs everywhere, leaving just enough room for two to three people to walk side by side.

“Well, if bad incidents take place often in any block, it’s only natural that it gets abandoned by most. Unless the commander puts some direct effort, this block will not see many smiles again.”

“Why is this guy even staying in a place like this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Dealings in the dark, huh. But won’t a place like this also be too obvious?”

“Yeah,” 777 nodded, “but it’s not like a watchdog can keep an eye on this every hour of the day all week. Though they know that some referees are like snakes in the grass, unless and until they prove otherwise, they can’t take severe action.”

“Mm, I think I now understand why this guy owns multiple rooms. It just adds to the confusion.”

“That’s part of the reason, of course. Living in dorm rooms together with other hollows won’t do much good, after all,” 777 looked at the number written on the hand. “12J-345… I think we’re getting close. It’s probably right up that corner.”

A few seconds later.

“Mm?” Just when those two rounded the corner, at about a hundred meters away from them, they saw the four familiar faces entering a room.

777 reflexively hid behind a stack of empty oil cans. “What the heck? What are they doing here?”

“That’s not the issue…” Sariyu narrowed her eyes, and her pupils gave off a faint reddish-brown glow that didn’t even last a second. “That room… Why are they entering his room?”

“Mm? Which room?”

“12J-345.”

777 was slightly surprised. “Maybe to apologize to him? Though that seems out of their character, maybe, they changed.”

She looked at him as if he was being silly. “No, those five are definitely up to something.” She paused for a moment while keeping his eyes on him. “Anyway, what are you still hiding behind those cans for?”

“Well, I don’t want unwanted trouble with them.”

“You think I do?” Sariyu shook her head and started to walk. Though 777 called her in a held-back voice to come back, she didn’t stop but instead waved her hand as though telling him to follow.

He shook his head and followed behind, albeit without making much sound with his footsteps.

As those two were closing in on the room in focus, four people dashed out of that room, sweating madly as they quickly left in the way they had come, without even looking back. Those four people were four of the five Hardy brothers. They didn’t see Sariyu or 777 who had clung to the wall, for they were in so much of a hurry to leave the place.

“Oh, crap!” 777 was already backing away. “Something’s wrong. We should leave, too.”

“I can’t walk away after coming this far,” Sariyu felt the urge to look inside the room to see for herself as to what made those four brothers run like scaredy cats. When Sariyu peeked into the room, she got the shock she wasn’t ready for. A man with messy brown hair was hanging from the ceiling by a cloth, with his eyes bulged out but devoid of life.