It's no good. No matter how I think about it, there is no way it can happen. Maybe I am the one who is in wrong... No! That's not right! No matter how you cut it, I am right to think about it. Ugh... This unorganized thought inside me is making me dizzy, I should meditate for a while.
I closed my eyes. Leg in cross seated position. Deep breath, breath out. I'm empty. I'm nothing. I'm null. Just a speck of dust in this vast world. Yet this mere dust wanted to make a change.
Finally, my head is clear of distraction. There is nothing limiting me now. Hmm... Maybe that is the answer I seek. Or perhaps I'm mistaken. Just as I'm swimming in the sea of idea suddenly a light come out. I finally open my eyes
"So that's it. Indeed, that is the most sophisticated method one would think of."
I rise up from my position and slowly walk up to my room upstairs. Just as I am about to touch the lowest stairway, a girl in bar maid uniform is standing between me and the stairs.
"Just what do you think you are doing right now Gram. Your shift hasn't ended yet!"
"Yuka... Yuka... Yuka... Must everything be work to you. C'mon loosen up a little bit. Or else your skin will get wrinkled and become loose." I said as I pinched her cheeks
"Geez just what is it with you!"
With her scream she launched a series of slap at me which I dodge by backstepping for a little bit. Her body wobble and so does a pair of her lively meat bun.
As I was distracted by my sudden perverse thought, Yuuka thrust the back end of the mop she was holding. I try to dodge it like before but it was too late
"Ack!"
It was a critical hit. My respiration stopped for a moment before I start gasping for a breath. I hold on to my breast, making sure that no rib was broken.
"Sharp as ever Yuuka. No wonder the kid starts calling you bitchful oni. Can you believe that? "
"I swear one of these days I would like to make a visit to those pesky kids. Putting that aside now continue to work or I'll report you to Ms. Skye.”
"Wait anything but that! You see Yuuka during my meditation session I found out about something important that will impact many and so it's just a matter for me putting the importance of many before the importance of the few. surely you will understand what I'm getting at."
"I will probably regret this but I'm all ear. Go on tell me what's this so called something important you've found."
"I may have exaggerated a bit, it's not something that will give salvation to all creation but at least it's an idea that can make this village into a prosperous one."
Yuuka who is standing with absent minded eyes is now focusing upon hearing a certain world.
She pulled a chair from one of the vacant tables and sit on it before continuing her dialogue. "That's certainly a bold claim. "
"Well, you'll be surprised. You see about some hours from now there will be harvest festival where many people outside of this village and even kingdom official will come. Therefore, all we need to do during the harvest festival is to attract their attention then bring up my proposal."
"Which is..." Yuuka was fidgeting her finger waiting in excitement
I brace myself then with a true loud voice I declared.
"THIGHT VILLAGE PROJECT!"
"What!?"
"You see during this day of age, an hour glass figure is outdated standard for woman body and it's totally unrealistic as not many women have the necessary breast size for that figure. Big breast is something one born with and as such not available to everyone, big thight however is something that can be attained by a mean of specialized diet and training. I call the new standard of this body, slim thick. A slim upper body with thick buttock and thight. On that note, the women in this village are quite athletic and as such introducing an exercise program to achieve the slim thick body will surely be welcome d by everyone. Can you image it? A village full of woman with beautiful body standard that hasn’t been applied anywhere? I'm sure many folks would flock this village in an instant and in turn make this village prosperous."
"That's enough."
"Does that mean you agree to my proposal?"
"No, it means I will report you to Ms. Skye for skipping work and have your pay cut."
"Wait Yuuka! Anything but that! How else am I supposed to have budget for my project."
So, I run to stop Yuuka who is walking really fast to the tavern owner room.
"No that's the final straw. At least I won't embarrass you further by inquiring those idea to Ms. Skye."
Yuuka focusing on me doesn't notice the hulking figure she stumbled upon. The formal cloth which is adorned with golden plate and a dignified fang in each arm. Ms. Skye, a female orc is standing in front of Yuuka.
"And what are those idea Yuuka. I'm curious to hear it
"Just the usual Gram shenanigan."
"No! it's not! It is a revolutionary idea.”
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"Calling it idea would be a disgrace to that word.”
"Plack!" "Plack!" the loud sounds of Ms. Skye clasping hand distract both of us.
"Now, now, both of you cease this at once the customer is getting disturbed."
I look around and the upset face of drunken men are sharing at us. I could only shake my head and raise my shoulder in response to this situation.
"The Harvest Festival is about to start right? Yuuka and Gram, I granted you both permissions to leave work, just don't come back beyond afternoon."
"Is that true? Ms. Skye? Then wait here Gram, I need to change my cloth to something mode appropriate for the occasion!"
Yuuka run excitedly to her room upstairs which was located across my own.
"If she is that excited to go then why don't she said so." I remarked watching her immediate change.
"That's just how she is. I'm sure her persistence to keep working have some history behind it."
Even if she does have her own reason, I think it's a good idea for me to not inquire it further.
Almost half an hour pass before Yuuka came out wearing a trendy cloth of camisole with a torn jean pant that is just a bit above her knee.
The Harvest Festival is an annual festival for every village in Dorsum province. City official and king retainer would go to every village and town to check the condition of their citizen and also making sure tax collection is going well. Of course for rural village like mine, the Harvest Festival means an opportunity to see what trader from kingdom had brought.
Besides the main road that is used for carriage to pass, my village is mainly build around a statue of hero party that has been used as a symbol of our village. In the beginning at least the village was designed to be a circular structure around the statue but as population increase, many artery like path was build around the circle and eventually house and such were build in that path, this makes my village to be hell for foreigner as the maze like circular structure will confuse anyone wandering about it for the first time. Our tavern is located on the outmost part of the circle while the festival was on the centre of it. Of course in case of big festival like this, we have put up a lot of sign pointer to make sure no one get lost.
That day is the 4th most memorable day I've seen. Our gloomy outdated village is now filled with life and excitement. Colorful fabric being hanged in every possible surface of wall, vendor filling the street with their goods, everybody from our village, even the poor was smiling with excitement wearing the best cloth one could afford, the smells of fresh bakery, and the dazzling appearance of the new prince as centre of attention.
“Tough luck Gram, looks like we are a bit late, the crowd is already packed. There is no way we can look at the prince with many people surrounding him.”
“Someday it’s just like this. Oh well... guess, I’ll just look around at the stall, maybe one of them want to become a sponsor for my idea. How ‘bout you Yuuka?”
“Ms. Skye does instruct me to play outside so back to work is not an option. I’ll just try find some place that needs extra worker. I’m sure I can make some profit there.”
“What a boring way of life. Good bye then Yuuka, we will meet again in the evening.”
Now what should I look for? For sponsorship it is obvious that the one place who got the most capital is the best target. So The Trading Association is my first pick and from what I know, they open a stall here to offer premium association membership.
Not so far away from where I was before, I see a stall that is filled with paper. The colouring is meant to be practical using cheap paint resulting in uncreative sight. There, an old man wearing unique purple loose robe is explaining the history of Trading Association while simultaneously giving a papyrus detailing the expense and benefit of being premium member of Trading Association.
I was about to discuss my proposal with him before a thought passed inside my head.
“Indeed, Trading Association is good at making profit but that’s all there is to it. They have no heart to understand the aesthetic behind my idea. If the scenario goes well and my proposal is accepted, I shudder to think about what kind of soulless monstrosity they would have produce. So let’s change my train of thinking. Instead of having money be the number one priority, it will become number two, and the number one will be having a sense to appreciate beauty.”
After reconfiguring my mind. I look around and decided to change my trajectory into a certain tent.
Unlike the other stall that only use the most optimize and cheap way to make aesthetically pleasing sight, this one is different. An expensive trading tent, colorful painting and not to mention unique engraving which must have cost some lyras. Besides the stall or the tent to be exact is a huge wooden sign, written there in black ink “Adventurer Guild”.
Adventurer is a job that many found to be an ideal way of doing life. A good way to make money while having interesting story to share with your family and make your sibling jealous. They have many branches so joining them is rather easy and their biggest selling point is the fact that by joining the Adventurer Guild, you can be lucky and get direct order from the king himself which often result in getting you married to nobility or being appointed as a duke in certain land. So it’s not surprising that their stall is the most glamorous one, being that the king himself funded the promotion of this institution.
It should be obvious that with the benefit of joining and the amount of capital spend on making this stall that the Adventurer Guild should be swarmed with many aspiring adventurers yet there was none to be seen.
“A curious sight. I do wonder what could have caused this,” guided by my curiosity, I walk to the stall only to find a strange view. Contrasting with the colorful vibe of the tent is an old wrinkly man with a hunchback wearing of what could be described as worn out robe that extend to his bare feet, holding a rotten wood rod, he is knocking the ground a few time with it before saying cryptic chant.
At first, I thought that the other must have think that the old man must be crazy and that’s why none has approached him. Yet, it is not the case. It’s not that they choose to stay far away from the old man, it’s that they are made to be like that, to not notice the existence of the old man and the tent. However, I feel a bit different once I see the sight of that old man. Somehow my feet is walking toward him and by the time I noticed, I’m standing there face to face with him.
“Finally you have come our hero.” The old man said with a soft deep voice. Did he say a hero? I want to give my comment yet none of my body part listen to what I want.
“I have fought alone all this time hoping for your presence and finally... Finally... You have come upon me,” the old man is now kneeling himself while crying like a newborn baby. “O’ Great Typhon, I thank you for this blessing. Now I can live with content knowing our country is safe.”
I muster all my voice but all I can muster are sounds of someone that has his mouth gaged. “Hmmph!” “Hmmmmmph!” Watching my reaction, the old man lifted his finger near his mouth and in a second silence me. “Shhhh.... Be patient young one. Your potential maybe big but it’s still merely a sapling.”
Taking his rotten wood rod, the old man once again say cryptic chant before putting the end of his rod on my palm. “Ah I see it now a great destiny that await you. Indeed your journey is an unusual one as it is a journey that leads back to zero. Oh what’s this.... I can’t read your future. Either a dark force is behind this or....” I watch the old man with curiosity. This must be what Ms. Skye used to describe as hand line reading, I thought it was just a myth back then but now I see it myself in action.
“Young man, you have the most unique of magic element which prevent me from prying into your future. Indeed what you harbor inside your magical pool is the element of time.” I know magic element, it’s the basic everyone knew from academy. There are 4 elements: Terra, Heat, Mind, and Genesis. The fifth element time, my teacher used to say that whether it exist or not can’t be verified as the historic record of its holder is scarce. What a day! In just one day I’ve found the two myth I’ve heard in bogus newspaper is real!