A girl in an orange dress, and a boy in a red shirt and blue pants were strolling in the streets, both looking pleased. The pants covered his ankles, where the socks that came with the dress covered hers. Edgar was holding a bag that had towels and some other simple goods, including their old ragged clothes. They just couldn’t throw those away.
Even though they hadn’t bathed, they changed into new attire for obvious reasons.
“I can’t believe you got a thirty percent discount,” Edgar was smiling like a child that had just won a competition. “He wasn’t raising it above twenty, but when you mentioned that you may bring some friends over in the future, he suddenly became willing to up the discount.”
“Well, if you look at it from his perspective, not many are visiting his store compared to other stores,” Fabby didn’t look very happy as she couldn’t get a sixty percent discount. “Instead of letting termites taste the clothes, it’s better to sell them even if the profit is low.”
“I guess you’ve got a point.”
“Now then, let’s go and meet the Zha Clan, shall we? If we’re lucky, we don’t even need to worry about the baronet.”
“Mm.”
A few minutes later.
Edgar was feeling a bit thirsty, but he couldn’t find a well outside. All the wells were built inside the walls of the houses. He found a small shop and bought lemon juice, one glass for each. As they slowly sipped and enjoyed the taste, the shopkeeper got rather impatient.
“How long are you two going to drink like children!” the shopkeeper barked. “Finish it quickly, and leave the glasses.”
However, his words had no effect on them. The shopkeeper could only grind his teeth in frustration as they took their time and left.
“They are so shameless,” the shopkeeper mumbled in frustration. “Where did they come from? Jungle?”
Soon, the siblings somehow arrived at the Zha Clan’s residential complex, which had about forty houses, spread over three hundred acres. Children were practicing martial arts in the open halls. Adults were busy discussing things in the shade of verandas. Street sellers were yelling at the top of their lungs, advertising their products. Overall, the neighborhood was busy with all kinds of works in progress.
“Clearly, this Zha Clan is wealthy as a pig,” Edgar thought, after seeing some many fat children, who were gorging on sweets and cone-shaped solid ice creams.
Unlike Edgar, Fabby’s focus was on looking for an opportunity. From the information they gathered by asking locals, they came to know that there were about three hundred members in the Zha Clan. This clan’s head was the ruler of the town in the past, but only recently, a baronet was given authority over this region. The baronet family consisted only of three people, but still, they had the same power if not more than the Zha clan.
The baronet had been developing the town greatly, but because he wasn’t born in the town, many people still didn’t take his side. All such people most likely stayed near to Zha, rather than stay neutral. So the Zha Clan was used to people taking their side, and they’d probably welcome any capable people with open arms. Considering all that, she decided to pay a visit to this clan.
After about half-hour of roaming, her ears finally caught an interesting conversation from outside the tall walls.
Inside a large manor, a red-haired female was showing her frustration on the slaves.
“Why isn’t the coriander growing well?” she barked at the three girls. “Did you water it well?”
“We did, Mistress,” they replied, with their heads bowed and spines bent low. Their cheeks had red hand imprints, for they were slapped many times already, but they weren’t in a position to cry. They were wearing the same tattered brown clothes that came up to their calves, so the symbol on their ankles were always in the open. “We truly did. But maybe because this is summer, we didn’t…”
“Summer? Don’t give me that crap! I bought premium quality seeds from the best store in the capital. And you fools are talking about seasons?”
“B-But we really…”
“Shut up,” she kicked the slave who was just about to talk. She then glared at the other three. “You’ve wasted my time and money.” She looked at the tall male assistant standing behind her. “Give them ten each.”
“Yes, Madam Raha,” the tall man with a bald head pulled out the whip resting on his back, and even though the girls kept begging, he lashed them without caution.
As their cries echoed in the air, two young people stopped by the entrance of the manor, grabbing Raha’s attention. The guards were blocking their way, so Raha called out, “Let them in.”
Both Edgar and Fabby entered the lawn. Edgar’s jaw made a hard line as the girls kept getting slashed right before his eyes, but a glance from Fabby made him look away. Before entering the manor, she had reminded him that he was still not strong enough to do however he pleased.
“What brought you two to my doorstep?” asked Raha, sounding neutral for the time being. If not for their neat attires, she probably wouldn’t even have let them inside.
“We humbly greet Mistress Raha,” Fabby bent her waist, and Edgar mimicked her. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. So I came here to offer advice.”
“Advice?” Raha’s eyes narrowed to a slit. She then looked at Fabby from top to bottom. “You look like you are the same age as my daughter, and you want to give me advice?”
“Please hear me out and decide for yourself,” said Fabby, humbly, looking at the bag of seeds lying behind Raha. “Are those the seeds you’ve planted at the start of the season?”
“Ah, yeah, why?”
“Those seeds…” with a glance, Fabby realized what was wrong with them. She then looked at the coriander plants in the lawn to confirm her theory. “These plants didn’t grow as expected because they’re faulty seeds.”
“Faulty?” Raha raised her brow up. “Do you know how high of a price I bought them for?” She smiled and shook her head before stressing her words. “Fifty bronze coins per kilo. It’s more than ten times the price of the regular seeds! That’s how much I care about quality.”
The price of the seeds made Edgar’s jaw drop.
“Maybe, but…” Fabby composedly spoke. “Have you ever wondered why those seeds are more white than you may find in this town?”
“Mm?” Raha paused for a moment.
“If those seeds were really as good as you think, then they should grow decently even if those slaves didn’t pour enough water,” said Fabby, briefly looking at the slaves who were crying and sobbing. “But they didn’t because they are not worth their price.”
Raha pressed her lips together. “What if they’re white? Aren’t they normal?”
“The coriander seeds I know are yellowish-brown,” Fabby patiently and politely explained. “Maybe they grow in different colors in different regions, I don’t know. But I request that you ask the local farmers and find out more about them. Take some seeds from them and see how they grow compared to these premium quality ones.”
After she finished talking, there was silence.
“Then we’ll be leaving,” Fabby bowed once again. “Thank you for sparing us some time.”
As both the siblings left the manor, Raha just watched. (Sharing knowledge without asking for anything in return… Was she a monk? She sure looked like one.)
After the siblings came out of the manor and walked enough distance, Edgar asked, “Weren’t we supposed to get them to owe us? Why did you choose to come out like that?” “We shouldn’t appear as desperate, especially because of the symbol on our ankles,” replied Fabby, startling Edgar. “In times like these, patience is our best asset. If that woman is smart enough, then she will realize that it was her and not the slaves that were in the wrong. And if she is good enough, then it makes things easier for us when we meet her again.” “Sounds good, but why did you say that the white seeds are bad?” Edgar couldn’t help but ask. “Didn’t we also have white seeds back on Shushui?” “Well, did you see white seeds grow on plants, or did you see them afterward?” Edgar paused for a
Not far away from the inn they’ve rented, under a big tree, Edgar was practicing his sword skills, with eyes closed. The sky was gloomy, and the winds were picking up, resulting in as many floating leaves as he’d like. He was trying to cut as many leaves as he could. But he didn’t spend his entire time trying that challenge. He also practiced the basics such as simple thrusts and slashes, trying to keep his movements sharp and precise. He remembered his master’s words: “Fighting isn’t just swinging the fists and blades. Though raw strength and speed can win you battles over novices, a lot of little things matter when you fight against experts. From the way you move your feet and grip your sword to how you read the flow of the battle and put yourself in your opponent’s shoes so you can predict their next moves… These little things can be acquired best through
Weapons barely kept missing each other’s bodies. It didn’t seem like they were simply sparing anymore. Her attacks were mostly slices aimed not to pierce through to the bone but to cut the flesh with either edge of the blade. They weren’t just simple straightforward slices. Whenever she overextended her thrusts, intentionally or not, she transitioned into slices when extracting the blade. The control she had over her swords was definitely a class above Edgar. Most of the time, he was forced to defend himself, but every time he cleared the danger from the tip or the edge of her sword, he transitioned into slashing mode. His frequency of attacks were relatively slower but packed a punch and pushed the opponent back more often. As seconds passed by pretty fast, there was no clear sign as to who held the advantage du
Fabby was inside the room, looking bored. She pressed her hands against her belly, out of hunger. She wanted to buy something, but then having already spent so much for clothes, she simply didn’t have the luxury to eat multiple times a day.“Living in the woods is in a way better than living here. Though it had its dangers and nuisances, at least I didn’t starve there.“But then again..” she clutched the blanket, “here you have comfort.”A moment of silence passed.“The summer will end next month. There are still six weeks to go for the sect entrance exams… I hope we’ll be able to get into some sect safely.” She pulled the sock down and looked at the symbol on her ankle. It was a silver-colored nail in a
The event manager sent his underling over to Edgar. The underling was a physically disabled guy, with a knee bent badly, so his walk was off, yet he unhesitatingly showed off as he came to Edgar, with a hand always placed on his healthy knee. “If you want to wrestle without waiting in the line, then follow me.” Saying that he turned and walked away. Seeing this man, Edgar felt a sting in his leg, and he remembered his own past when he was a cripple. Though he didn’t walk as crazily as this fellow did, he still was incapable of walking as fast because it hurt a lot. Pressing his lips a little, he followed the underling and reached the small ring. Inside of it was a wooden pillar, with a red-haired fellow sitting on the other side. He looked like he was in his late teens. About three weeks later.With over 43 square kilometers in area, Orseya town wasn’t small by any means, yet about just twenty thousand people lived there. So, it was only natural that some streets would be empty intermittently, even during the daytime.Fabby had bought a wig as she believed it’d help in getting the recommendation.Having also bought sandals in the morning, Edgar and Fabby were taking them for a tour. Though Fabby asked for a test-walk, the shop owner didn’t agree, so she could only buy them. In the past three weeks, she never stepped out of the room, so she didn’t find the need to buy footwear, but now, she had to. The roads were hot, and unlike her brother, she could only walk on bare feet for so long.They were testing which sanWHIT 33 - BENEVOLENT ROYS
Edgar and Fabby waited without worry. They had nothing better to do after all. Moreover, if they could get a free pair of clothes, why would they leave? Never. Not even in their dreams would they do such a thing. However, what troubled Edgar was that Bravo had been eating sweets and hot items while he and his sister were waiting. Edgar couldn’t help but shamelessly drool. “Control yourself,” Fabby nudged him, “and stop looking at him like that.” “I am controlling myself,” Edgar replied and then whispered to her. “Why don’t you try asking him for a sweet or two? He’ll give it to you if you ask.” “And why would he give only me? Why can’t you ask him?” “I teased him, remember?” Edgar nudged her with his shoulder.
At around seven in the morning.Edgar and Fabby were in deep sleep, but Fabby kept rolling to her left and right and kneed him a few times, forcing him to eventually wake up. He wasn’t disturbed by it because it was a pretty common thing. Most times, it was her kicking that woke him up, though not always at the right time.But luckily, today it seemed like the time was right. When he opened the wooden windows, warm light came in at an angle.He sat at one end of the body and basked in the sunlight, but then his eyes closed, and his upper body kept moving back and forth. Eventually, he fell forward and ended up banging his head to the floor. “Ah!” he put his hand on his head and rubbed the bruised spot. All his drowsiness had vanished in an instant. “Tch, I didn’t think I would fall asle