Chapter 184: The Trivial Matters of the Divine Birth Day
Even I, who has only been here for a mere two years, know the extent to which the entire Mage Guild, under Fara's leadership, has ruined its reputation. While describing it as 'heaven's wrath and popular resentment' might be a bit exaggerated, it's at least at the level where everyone wants to beat them up.
Especially Fara, the culprit, I estimate that if they could make a wish, nine out of ten Rogue Residents would pray to hang this boring Sorceress old man naked from the highest Watchtower in the Rogue Encampment for three days and three nights, so they could live a few days of peaceful life.
Therefore, what surprised me was not at all the matter of the Mage Guild suddenly turning into ruins. In my heart, this was just something that would happen sooner or later, either the Rogue Residents revolting out of unbearable frustration, or that bunch of Research Fanatics from the Mage Guild engaging in collective Self-Destruct.
What I was wary of was that unusual atmosphere in the Surroundings, especially the attitude of the passersby, who seemed to understand it completely, or even be used to it, as if saying: "What are you so surprised about?! Isn't it perfectly normal for Aliens to attack the Dark Continent? It happens a few times every day, you just get used to it."
"Gulp—"
I swallowed hard, taking the first step forward with stiff Pace. Just thinking wildly outside was useless; the best way to resolve the confusion was to go inside and investigate.
"Wuwu, Fan, do we really have to go in?"
Alice's tearful Voice echoed in my Mind. This Candidate Saintess, who has very little Guts, seemed very troubled by this almost Supernatural Situation.
"Wh-what... what foolish words are you saying? Wh-what's there to be afraid of? I... I still want to go home and sleep." I said to the Little Ghost, pretending to be disdainful.
"Wow!! Why do I feel like your Voice is trembling?" The Little Ghost, who didn't understand social etiquette at all, hit the nail on the head.
"Toothache!" I coldly squeezed out two words from between my teeth.
"Wuwu..." Sensing the killing intent in my words, the Little Ghost finally obediently closed its mouth.
Unexpectedly, I had thought I would have to play hide-and-seek for a while to catch a few masterminds. I didn't expect that I wouldn't have walked far before a familiar Figure appeared in front of the entrance where several Tents were connected.
What surprised me even more was that this familiar Figure was not a Member of the Mage Guild. Instead, it was the Rogue Encampment's top Drunkard and Warrior—Kashya.
She was crossing her legs. In front of her was a long, dark wooden Table, making her look like one of those Shady Merchants who gain something for nothing by waiting for Easy Marks to take the bait.
Seeing it was me, she raised her Head, tossed her wine-red shoulder-length hair, and showed me a smile she thought was friendly, but which to me looked more like a big bad wolf staring at Little Red Riding Hood. Then, with an exaggeratedly rising Tone, she said loudly.
"Oh, isn't this Wu Fan, the top Warrior and Great Elder of our Rogue Encampment? I didn't expect the first customer... *cough cough*..."
She stopped mid-sentence. As if realizing she had let something slip, she quickly stopped, her chattering mouth falling silent. Her smiling face also suddenly shriveled up, as if transforming from the smug landlord Huang Shiren into the tragic White-Haired Girl.
"Do you know?" She suddenly turned her back to me, hands behind her back, looking up into the distance, trying hard to put on a look of vast, melancholy sigh, like a great poet concerned about the country and its people.
"I don't want to know." I answered straightforwardly.
Faced with my uncooperative Action, Kashya finally couldn't keep up the act anymore. She sharply turned her Head back, glaring fiercely and pushing her face close, completing the transformation from poet to bully in an instant.
"Do. You. Know. What. Day. It. Is. Five. Days. From. Now?" she said, while clenching her Fists until they cracked, putting on an attitude of "Be sensible, kid, don't make me force you."
"Alright, then what day exactly is it five days from now? Please, Lady Kashya, explain it." In this day and age, having a big Fist is the hard Principle. I reluctantly surrendered out of Helplessness and made a fierce mental note of it.
"What? You really don't know?" Now it was Kashya's turn to put on an unbelievable expression, and it didn't seem fake.
"...Is it a very important day?" I looked innocently at the shocked Kashya.
"Heavens! I really suspect you ran out of some deep mountain forest before, like a Savage, to not even know this."
"Alright, just pretend I'm a deep mountain Savage. Could Your Excellency Kashya, who knows everything, please tell me what's going on?" My barbed compliment seemed to satisfy Kashya's vanity. She circled me with her Gaze and nodded as if I were a teachable child.
"Since you ask me so sincerely, I shall, out of great mercy, tell you. Listen well, five days from now is the most important day on the entire Dark Continent, the Divine Birth Day, celebrated by all under heaven."
"Divine Birth Day?" I quickly searched for keywords In my Head and finally recalled some similar content from Doug, the big mouth.
The so-called Divine Birth Day doesn't refer to the day God was born, but rather the day God created the three Acts of the Dark Continent and sowed Life within them. To commemorate this day, all intelligent Life on the Dark Continent will spontaneously celebrate this great moment in their own ways. The Divine Birth Day is held once every three years, somewhat similar to Lunar New Year's Eve or New Year's Day in the Original World, but it is even grander and more solemn.
"Yes, I know that." I nodded, and at the same time, I had a sudden Realization. No wonder when I went out just now, I felt like everyone on the street had a joyful expression. Today wasn't the Market day that happens every ten days, but it was even more lively than the usual Market, and the patrolling Soldiers had also increased significantly.
This was one of the few festivals on the Dark Continent, and the most important one. Thinking of this, my Tone also became tense.
"So what about it? Did something happen?"
"Good question." Kashya finally found an opening for the topic from my question. She gave me a big Thumb up and then sat back down on the Chair.
"Do you know about the Monster Siege event that happened in the Rogue Encampment this year?"
"Isn't that Nonsense? I'm a Special Action Team Member from Vita Village!" I looked at Kashya disdainfully.
"That's good then. You must have also learned from Akara how much Influence this Monster Siege had on the economy of our entire Rogue Encampment." Kashya sighed deeply.
"Well, that's true, but didn't Akara also say that Barely enduring this difficult time wouldn't be a big problem?" I also attended the Boss Meeting after the Monster Siege. It was during that meeting that I was pulled into the Bottomless Pit of being an Honorary Elder by those four. Every time I think of it, my heart faintly aches, and I can't help but lament my youthful ignorance. I was confused in my Mind by a mere useless title of Honorary Elder.
"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, we could indeed Barely get through. But the Divine Birth Day is an unexpected event we didn't think of at the time! As a day celebrated by all under heaven, every Divine Birth Day the Rogue Encampment spends huge sums, striving to let all residents forget all Pain and smile happily on this hard-won day. But this year, let alone spending huge sums, we can't even give the Soldiers a holiday pay raise, sigh..."
Kashya finished speaking with tears, and subtly clapped her hands a few times under the Table. Suddenly, the coarse cloth door of the giant Tent behind her was slowly pulled open, like a curtain on a stage.
Inside the Tent, as if performing a play, three sides were surrounded by several rickety Walls. Several large holes were opened in the Walls. They looked like they could fall down with a push. A Gale, blowing from who knows where, was raging everywhere inside the Tent. The holes in the Walls had become their playground. The howling sound of Wind and the broken Walls gave a sense of reality that "living in this kind of House must be very cold."
And inside the "House", several young female Sorceresses were sitting, dressed in clothes so thin they couldn't be any thinner, completely unable to hide their exquisite and well-proportioned beautiful Figures. Each female Sorceress was holding at least two infants, and at least three snot-nosed children were clinging to their feet. They were huddled together, trembling, showing expressions that seemed miserable and helpless.
Melancholy music similar to an Erhu came from somewhere, drifting from behind the Tent, adding a touch of desolation to the Scene. "Since the Monster Siege, the people's living standards have decreased significantly. Abandoned infants have reached the highest peak in previous years; almost every morning, several infants can be found next to the entrance of the Mage Guild. Under these circumstances, how can we possibly invest manpower and resources into the Divine Birth Day...?"
Matching the sorrowful Melody that sounded like an Erhu, Kashya's Voice also rose and fell, looking like she had practiced it more than once or twice.
"Ah, no, you can't do this! Th-this... here, I... I don't have any milk... milk anymore... Lady Kashya, wuwu!" A pretty female Sorceress around twenty years old in the Tent cried out mournfully in panic. An infant in her arms was trying hard to push its little head through the thin Mage Robe that couldn't hide anything at all, its pink little mouth nudging against her Chest, which was so ample it would make even Amazons with hot Figures jealous.
"Idiot! Didn't I tell you that you had to let their parents feed them before borrowing them? Serves you right! Figure out a Method to feed her yourself! Are those overly developed breasts just for decoration? Is there really nothing inside?..." Kashya, who just moments ago had a face full of Sorrow, turned her Head back and fiercely lectured the helpless female Sorceress like a landlord abusing a hired laborer. However, judging from her Tone, it was less like a lecture and more like a harsh main wife being jealous of a concubine with ample breasts.
Oh no! After a string of scolding, Kashya remembered that the person involved was still nearby. She secretly thought 'not good' in her heart—don't look at Young Wu as not being very Smart, his Nature is even more cautious than a Rabbit's. He must have seen through it this time.
She turned her Head back dejectedly. She could almost imagine what sharp words the harsh kid would use for Sarcasm, but what greeted her was an idiotic face full of tears, at least in her opinion...
"Th-this... this is truly too tragic! I didn't expect there to be such an unknown inside story hidden here. As an Elder of the Rogue Encampment, I have truly been derelict in my duty."
When Kashya mentioned that the Divine Birth Day might not be held normally due to funding issues, my Head was already so excited it couldn't hold anything else. Even the countless things that could be complained about that appeared later, such as why there were broken Walls inside the Tent, where that inexplicable Gale came from, and so on, were magnificently ignored.
Yes, what did the Divine Birth Day mean to me? Probably no one could understand my Feeling at this moment. In this godforsaken place with no TV, no DVD, no MP3—not even a Radio Receiver, no PC, no PSP, no PS2, not even a GBA or Famicom, no Lunar New Year's Eve, no New Year, no May Day, no Mid-Autumn Festival, no National Day, no Christmas, no Valentine's Day—if you were a modern person who accidentally ended up in this kind of godforsaken place, you could probably empathize and understand my excited Mood right now.
Entertainment, a rare entertainment activity, how could it be canceled because of such a small Matter? At this moment, the otaku Soul hidden deep within my heart finally burst out.
"These, these, and these, take them all to sell! Still not enough? Here's more..." Looking at the mountain of Equipment and Gold Coins piled before her, Kashya's face showed a truly wonderful change. If you had to describe it in two words, it would be—collapse.
"We must make the Divine Birth Day lively!" After clearing out the useless Equipment from my Inventory, I firmly gripped Kashya's hands, my Gaze as fervent as a Farmer Comrade meeting the Chairman.
"This kid, could he be deliberately pretending to be deceived to increase our guilt?" Kashya watched Dumbfounded as the Figure who had been completely swindled out of his fortune, yet remained unaware, hummed a Melody and left. She muttered Incredulously.
"Wuwu, I can't believe someone actually fell for it, and it was even Lord Fan! Wuwu, we're definitely going to Hell after we die..." The young and beautiful female Sorceresses inside the Tent covered their faces and cried bitterly.
"This kind of Situation really makes one's Mood complex." Two Figures walked out from behind the Tent. Looking closely, it was Fara. If it was just him, it would be understandable. After all, Fara + Kashya were the Rogue Encampment's known accomplices. But the other Figure was intriguing; it was Cain.
Fara was holding a musical instrument similar to an Erhu in his hand. It seemed the Melody from just now was played by him.
"Well then, you two keep up the good work. I'm going to Akara's Place to prepare for the Divine Birth Day." Cain chuckled a few times, and his hunched Figure actually ran extremely fast, like Roving Waves Microstep.
"Wait! Are you going to leave the two of us here to suffer? You Hypocrite!" Fara, unable to stop him in time, could only watch helplessly as Cain slipped away.
"Heh heh, if you think you're competent enough for the Divine Birth Day preparation work, then swapping positions with the two outside wouldn't be a problem either..." Cain's teasing Voice came from afar. It seemed this Old Man wasn't someone who let others walk all over him.
"Hahaha... Just from Young Wu alone, plus the price of the Equipment, there's at least a hundred thousand Gold Coins! Haha, I need to contact Gheed quickly to sell off this Equipment! Haha, I've made a fortune this time! The Rogue Encampment owed me 4 months of salary, and it's finally settled! Wuwu, I haven't bought top-quality Wheat Wine in half a year!" Kashya's wild laughter, like a money-grubber, came from beside him. Fara sighed slightly. Oh well, if they were going to Hell, they were going to Hell. At least they wouldn't have to worry about research funds for next year. Thinking of this, he also showed a knowing smile and, as known accomplices with Kashya, began to count the Equipment scattered on the ground...
After they finally finished counting the Gold Coins and Equipment from the first "Easy Mark", today's second "Easy Mark" also appeared.
Accompanied by the howling North Wind created by Magic, a tall and beautiful Figure gradually became clear in the dust. That biting Might, that ice-like Gaze, carrying an arrogance that ignored everything—who else could it be but the Queen of the Rogue Encampment?
"Whoosh—" Sharna pulled a huge Sack from her Inventory and placed it on the Table. The Table seemed unable to bear the weight inside and let out a groaning sound of Pain.
Glancing at the Scene before her, those thin and sexy lips finally parted slightly, without any Feelings.
"Don't bring out your shoddy acting skills to make a fool of yourselves. This is a donation for this Divine Birth Day... Let it be known beforehand, it's not for you, this Drunkard, to take it to buy Inn, or for the Mage Guild to take it for researching explosive items...?" Ruthlessly, with a sharp and cold Tone, she exposed the true intentions of the two masterminds. Under Sharna's aggressive and imposing Presence, the young female Sorceresses in the Tent huddled together, trembling.