The markings on the map were distributed along the beach, with so extending onto land and others placed in the sea.
Zephyr curiously glanced across the map, trying to make sense of what he was doing. But nothing ca to his mind. Neither the map nor the markings held any importance for him.
Still, he patiently waited until the elderly man completed what he was doing.
After thinking hard and placing the last pebble-like object on the table, the elderly chief lifted his head. He was shocked to see Zephyr standing next to him. Unknowingly, he took a step back.
’Am I that scary?’ Zephyr wondered, exasperated.
It looked like even the chief was afraid of him, or his title as a mage.
’He ant no disrespect by calling here,’ the ends of Zephyr’s lips curled up, not out of pride, but out of relief.
At least, for the mont, the chief didn’t seem like an enemy he should fear.
"Phew..." He slowly exhaled the stuffy air from his lungs.
"Uh! Sir, Zephyr! I apologize for my misconduct. I should have co to you instead of calling you. Forgive for my transgression. It was urgent." The chief imdiately bowed and apologized.
Zephyr stayed in character and just nodded, watching the man bow. Although he wished to stop the man from bowing, it would have created problems in the future.
For example, breaking the status quo will likely put him on the radar of everyone around. Hiding and living a peaceful life would undoubtedly be difficult once he gathered unwanted attention.
Zephyr didn’t want any disturbance to his current life until he had the strength to protect himself.
So, he was not going to do anything that might raise an eyebrow.
’If the world is an ocean of shit, I just have to learn how to swim in it. Don’t even think of trying to clean it up.’ He said to himself and moved his eyes back to the table and the map on it.
"What is it?" He asked coldly.
The chief followed his eyes, looking back at the map. Taking a deep breath, he answered.
"This is a map of the village and its surrounding area. I was just marking the areas where crab rushes were previously seen. And this ti, there is an anomaly. I wished to consult you on that."
"Anomaly?" Zephyr repeated the word.
The less he spoke, the better it was to hide the difference between the original Zephyr and the current one. So, he simply repeated the word and waited for a response.
"Yes, there is an anomaly." The chief pointed to the markings he left on the map.
Despite being the only person to have interacted with Zephyr multiple tis, the chief still failed to distinguish the soul before him. He cautiously pointed at the map and spoke.
"See here...these places are the breeding grounds of the crabs. Every year, at the start of the storm season, the crabs will co over in mass to rocky beaches around these parts..." The elderly man placed his finger along the markings, which showed the shoreline.
"...around these parts to molt. Once the molting is over, they will consu the abundance of sealife brought by the storm season to reproduce."
’Storm season, crab rush, molt, anomaly...’ Zephyr tracked information on his mind as the chief continued to speak.
"This ti, however, a change occurred—an anomaly. The crabs are behaving differently from usual." The chief paused, glancing over to Zephyr.
After all, Zephyr was a young man in his teens. Regardless of his status or title, it would be unkind to present all the information at once. So, the chief glanced over to see if Zephyr was following.
"Hm?" Zephyr coldly looked back. "Continue." He ordered.
"Ah! Yes." The chief nodded and continued. "The crabs, for so reason, have begun to gather and make their way towards the island over here."
"What is unusual about that?"
Why was the movent of so crabs causing alarm among the villagers? Why is it a big deal?
Zephyr frowned slightly, thinking of a possible explanation. As he thought, the firm expression on his face beca even more pronounced, making the chief uncomfortable.
Although he was a worthless mage, the weakest in the world, his title was enough to scare the peasants. No one in the entire village wished to anger Zephyr. The sa goes for the chief.
"Um...the island is just a kiloter away from the land. And during low tide, land bridges form connecting the islands nearby, and the island in question to the mainland."
"Ah!" Suddenly, Zephyr realized sothing. His eyes darted to the map displayed on the table.
As the village chief said, the islands were connected and were just a kiloter away from the land. The distance between that area and the village was also insignificant. A person could probably walk the distance in thirty minutes.
"I see..."
Zephyr understood what the chief was getting to.
’The crabs are moving to the island for so unknown reason. If they can move to the island, traveling dozens of kiloters from their breeding grounds, they could also return at any mont.’
Zephyr glanced at the map.
The small fishing village of theirs was along the way that the crabs would move.
’What is even crazier is that the crabs of this world are not the small ones you usually see in supermarkets. They are giants, so as tall as toddlers.’
’I am cooked. We are cooked. Everyone except the crabs are cooked.’
Zephyr sighed.
The exhaustion that had gone away seed to have crept up on him once again.
’The crabs, for so reason, are not attacking us, as they moved to their new ho. But when all of them, possibly in the hundreds of thousands, gather on a single island, the resources brought in by the storm season would not be enough to feed them. They will surely expand outwards to hunt.’
’They might even hunt us.’ Zephyr rubbed his forehead.
As the chief said, the situation was indeed urgent.
’But, why did he call here? What could consulting help? I am not a crab whisperer.’
"You fear the swarm of crabs would attack the village, right?" Zephyr asked.
His voice was cold and detached, as if he didn’t care about life and death. It made the village chief flinch. Still, he nodded in affirmation.
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