Chapter 16: Acquired, The Lion Tribe.
There was an old man in Erindale, seeking water veins in the parched land with a wooden rod. For eighty-four days, he found none.
With that foolish stick, youll never locate a water vein, his acquaintances taunted. But the old man never lost faith.
After all, his ancestors and their ancestors before them had discovered water veins using this very thod.
It had been a long ti since Erindale beca known as the Land of Death. His family had left the land long ago. Yet, the old man persisted, seeking water veins with a rod made from a birch tree.
A young lad, with a gaunt face, stepped forward offering to help.
The old man didnt trust the youth, who slled of ink and paper, barely giving him the ti of day, rely waving his rod dismissively.
Undeterred, the youth followed suit, snapping a birch branch to form a Y-shape. Exhausted, the old man sat and watched the youths attempt, which looked more like a comical dance than a thod to find water.
Thats enough.
The old man croaked. Although the youth seed like he might collapse from exhaustion any mont, he didnt give up. He was naive and foolish, much like the old man himself.
For the last ti, the youth moved the birch branch and then stopped. It was a spot the old man had checked dozens of tis. The youth began to dig with a pickaxe.
Clang!
Clang!
Stop that. Theres no water vein there...
Whoosh!
But at that movent, cool groundwater sprouted forth.
Wha...?!
The old man wet himself.
****
The benefactor has arrived in the village! Prepare a feast! We must slaughter a cow!
Village Chief, its been a week since the cow starved to its bones.
Then prepare a pig.
The wolf took the pig a few days ago.
At least get a chicken ready.
We fed the last chicken to the sick children.
The Village Chief stared at Ascal.
A resolute determination flickered once again in the Chiefs eyes.
Hero! Even if its unworthy, please be satisfied with my own body!
The Chief suddenly brandished a long knife.
Ancestors in the heavens! Watch over ! Your descendant is coming to join you!
'Is this person of Aztec origin?'
Ascal hurriedly interjected.
Stop! Please stop. I still have plenty of food in my backpack. Lets have a feast with that.
Can we really? After finding underground water for the village, youd even provide food? Are you perhaps a saint?
Before the Chief could spout more nonsense, Ascal took out dried at, preserved food, and hard bread from his backpack.
Thrown hastily into a pot with the freshly drawn underground water, it soon gave off a mouth-watering aroma.
Ah... never thought Id eat a stew again instead of tree bark...
The elderly villagers licked their bowls clean, tears streaming down their faces. One of the old n patted his frail stomach contentedly.
How can we ever repay this kindness, dear benefactor? We are truly grateful.
Then I shall take my leave.
Ascal rose from his seat, his voice dry.
It was the sa this ti as well.
With a singular focus on success, he struck with the pickaxe and found a water vein.
It was natural from the beginning. His own emotional state had nothing to do with the outco. Or rather, upon reflection, maybe it was impossible to fail as long as there was a lingering wish deep inside to experience failure...
While Ascal was lost in his spiraling thoughts, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
It was a girl holding a flower resembling a dandelion.
Ah, Ashuna. Want to present a gift to our benefactor?
The girl was the village chiefs daughter.
Blushing, she lowered her head and offered the flower.
Being soone who, in a previous life, was born in the land of courtesy in the East, refusing such a gesture of gratitude would have been impolite.
Ascal was about to accept the flower, but paused.
Is there a tradition implying that if I accept this flower, Im agreeing to marry the giver?
Youre sharp. Caught on quick, didnt you?
Tsk.
The village chief clicked his tongue in mild disappointnt.
Still, if you ever encounter a troubling matter, Benefactor, why not try our tradition? Of course, it wont involve things like marriage.
What tradition is that?
Its called Seed Sowing.
?
****Fortunately, the seed sowing that the village chief spoke of was a perfectly normal tradition.
Atop a hill, they practiced a ritual of blowing on a flower called Kamsu-bire, scattering its seeds far and wide.
Theres a legend passed down in our tribe. Long ago, when our people were on the brink of starvation, a black-haired man appeared. He blew on the Kamsu-bire, and where its seeds landed, fruit sprouted from the parched earth.
The chief spoke, gazing at the distant horizon.
It seed like a familiar, cliche story, but the chief appeared to genuinely believe it.
Consuming this fruit, the ill regained health, and the old were transford back into young n. As everyone in the village regained their vitality, the man departed. From then on, he was revered as the tribes guardian deity, known as Mazar-nim, an ancient term symbolizing fortune.
The village chief knelt.
Benefactor, we are truly grateful. Thanks to your discovery of the water vein, we can survive. Even though we may not be as prosperous as in the distant past, at least now we can see hope. Thank you.
Ascal helped the chief to his feet.
It was rely luck. If not , soone else might have found the water vein eventually.
Hahaha, if that were true, Shibah wouldnt have spent 84 days searching.
The chief handed Ascal the Kamsu-bire.
Now, blow it towards the west. After doing so, you may leave. We have no intention of detaining our savior. Nonetheless, you are our tribes benefactor.
Thats right.
A benefactor indeed.
Other tribe mbers gathered on the hill to watch Ascal perform the rite.
Despite the hill not being very high, so were panting and clutching their waists, seemingly strained.
Co to think of it, you also have black hair. Hahaha. Perhaps, you are the Mazar-nim of our tribe?
To consider a deity is quite the exaggeration.
Feeling the weight of many eyes upon him, Ascal decided to hasten the ritual.
He faced the west and blew on the Kamsu-bire.
In an instant, seeds dispersed, traveling far and wide.
Theyre flying so far...
And while the Kamsu-bire seeds touched the ground, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
Phew. I was fearing for no...
Ascal turned to leave...
And just as he was about to leave,
Look there! Look! Sothings growing!
Its fruit, its fruit, its fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
F*ck.
Without looking back, Ascal ran at full speed.
'How could this be? This isn't so joke.'
An ancient legend actually coming true?
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his leg.
Mazar-nim is escaping!!!!!! Catch him!!!!!!!!!!!
One of the tribe's people had shot a paralyzing dart into Ascals leg.
Which tribe in their right mind captures their guardian deity with a paralyzing dart...
Ascals consciousness began to fade.
On the brink of blacking out, a story he once heard resurfaced in his mind.
A mont later, it dawned on him...
Todays lucky constellation was Leo...
The direction of luck is west...
This was Erindale Village in the west, where the Lion tribe resided...
***
When Ascal regained consciousness, he saw the all elders of the entire Lion tribe bowing before him.
Fortunately, there seed to be no after-effects from the paralyzing dart. In fact, his mind felt as refreshed as if he had been administered propofol before a colonoscopy in a past life.
I beg your pardon, Mazar-nim! If you wish, you may take our lives!
Everyone, rise. Im not this Mazar-nim you speak of.
Mazar-nim is angry!!!!!!! Offer sacrifices!!!!!!!
Ancestors!!!!!!! Watch over !!!!!!!!
Ascal intervened to stop the chief from harming himself again.
Alright, lets say I am Mazar-nim. What would you like to do?
Please allow us to eat the Eryl fruit.
Eryl fruit.
It seed to be the fruit that had grown when the Kamsu-bire seed touched the ground earlier.
You have my permission.
Ooooooh... Mazar-nim has granted a miracle to the Lion tribe!
The village chief, head tilted toward the sky, shed tears like a waterfall from his parched face.
Everyone, eat the Eryl fruit!
The elders, with their deeply wrinkled hands, held the Eryl fruit and all bit into it at once.
Chewing the fruit thoroughly, as if to extract every drop of juice, the village chief suddenly convulsed and closed his eyes.
Then, sothing strange happened.
The chiefs original hair began to fall out, muscles contorted, and white smoke started to emit from him. Black liquid seeped out from his pores.
That sll...
Shielding his face with both hands from the stench, when Ascal looked again, an unbelievable sight greeted him.
The elders had all transford into robust young warriors.
Hahahahahahah! Is this what youth feels like?
Bring on the wolves or lions! Well make a al out of them!
The elders, who were frail just monts ago, were now brimming with vitality. Consequently, the tent felt oppressively hot.
Guardian deity Mazar-nim! We will head west! With the vow our tribe has held for ages, well subdue the monster-filled lands in the west of Elver.
A year will suffice. Please accept our token. In a year, after our conquest, we will be your loyal guardian unit!
Alright, kids. Follow us. Well teach you hunting!
With that, the transford elders, or rather the muscle-bound warriors, led the children west.
Ascal, left behind, looked at the lion tooth necklace given to him by the village chief and sighed deeply.
I swear Ill never think about succeeding again. Being mistaken for a god, of all things.
Co to think of it...
Wait, how do I get back to the city?
[TN: You can support the translation and read 3 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: /OracleTls ]
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