Chapter 376 Thumb-sized Girl Babaya <TOC> Chapter 378 Worshiping the Source
Translator: SumTLMan
The people from Black Castle went to the Kulakuka Clan’s territory to select a choir? Was it just for this festival, or had it always been like this?
As Shadow pondered, Babaya blinked her emerald-green eyes, waiting for Shadow’s answer.
Shadow’s eyes flickered, and a lie came easily: “No, it’s not. The one who will arrive this time is my wife Fiona, and I came ahead to surprise her. You must not tell anyone.”
Babaya’s face lit up with pink bubbles: “Really? I won’t tell anyone!”
Shadow then asked a few more questions from the side, such as the location of Ciporak and whether there were any peculiar places in the entire Kulakuka Clan territory.
Babaya quickly answered the first question and even invited them to go to Ciporak with her the next day, but Angel declined.
Regarding the second question, Babaya mentioned some strange rumors, but they seemed unrelated to what the two wanted to know.
The two of them exchanged thoughts through their mental connection. In Babaya’s eyes, the conversation was already over.
Seeing that they were no longer talking, Babaya walked to the center of the dining table with an innocent and lovely smile: “Brother Angel, Brother Diavolo, thank you for your hospitality.”
As she spoke, Babaya shyly smiled: “I don’t have much to repay you, so I’ll recite a poem for you, alright?”
Angel smiled faintly, gesturing for Babaya to proceed.
Babaya nodded, pressed her fists together under her chin, closed her eyes, and began to sing—
“The first hero, with a sword in hand, entered the blooming estate, and under the watchful gaze of the red-haired princess, picked the first dew-kissed rose.”
As Babaya sang, it was as if she was surrounded by a halo.
Her versatile voice interwoven ceaselessly, like heavenly music.
Combined with her delicate face and pure aura, the innocent and beautiful images were etched into their hearts at that instant.
“The second hero, concealing his ferocity, entered the realm of the giant serpent. Behind the cunning human mask, he awaited the second dawn amid the flames and bloodshed of war.”
Angel had heard many operas and listened to numerous poems. Even when he was young, his mother forced him to write some seemingly dramatic but purely fabricated poems. With these experiences, his appreciation for poetry had skyrocketed.
Even under high standards and demands, Babaya’s performance still moved him deeply.
This might not be the most beautiful poem he had ever heard, but it was the most melodious and graceful tune.
Sometimes crisp, sometimes deep, sometimes pure, and sometimes desolate. Each tone carried the corresponding emotions, making it irresistible to immerse oneself in.
“The third hero, spreading his wings, stepped into the dark castle. Amid the high priest’s gentle chant, he picked up the scepter to greet the glorious third visitor.”
Inadvertently, Babaya’s singing attracted the Teacup Band from a corner of the Opulent Nightmare Domain.
The Teacup Band floated in midair, circling around Babaya. As Babaya moved on to the next verse, they started playing music, with some playing the piano, others blowing oboes, some pulling horns, and others plucking harps…
Angel had always felt that the music played by the Teacup Band was unpleasant to the ear… harsh, rhythmless, and tuneless. But now he discovered that when the Teacup Band was in a coordinated formation, the performance was no less impressive than a large opera house, even surpassing it due to their perfect harmony!
“The fourth hero, accompanied by a sacred hymn, opened the door in the sky, guided by the brilliant light, turned the pages of the black tome, and awakened the fourth soul.”
The performance of the Teacup Band became more and more intense with Babaya’s lyrics, reaching climax after climax.
Perhaps it was the perfect accompaniment, or perhaps it was something else that prompted Babaya to display countless times more power than usual, pushing a millennium-old hymn to new heights.
After the song ended, Babaya was immersed in the lingering sound for a long time before slowly opening her eyes and taking a bow.
When she saw the countless ‘teacup people’ surrounding her, she was not afraid, but rather happily high-fived them, praising their high-level performance, even murmuring that it was more luxurious than the performance level of the Sky Choir!
“You sang beautifully. Do you understand the meaning of this hymn?” Angel suddenly asked.
Babaya nodded: “Of course, this is the ‘Fairy Epic’ of our Kulakuka tribe, passed down for a thousand years!”
“Another thousand years.” Angel smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth. Since he arrived in Hippocrates, he had heard the term ‘thousand years’ many times, even Totoro was a thousand-year-old creature.
“Thank you for your performance. This song reminds me of many stories.” Angel stood up and performed a chest bow.
Babaya shyly nodded: “This… this is my honor.”
After a brief exchange, Babaya suddenly said: “It’s almost noon now, I should go back, my grandmother must be worried about me.”
Angel nodded in understanding, then snapped his fingers, dispelled the Nightmare Domain, and the three reappeared on the green grass.
Babaya bowed to Angel and Shadow, then waved with a smile and ran towards the foot of the mountain, accompanied by the mountain breeze and a string of silvery laughter of a young girl.
…
When Babaya disappeared from sight.
Shadow suddenly said: “You scared the little girl.”
Angel shrugged: “Her acting is better than yours.”
Yes, acting.
Although Babaya tried her best to remain calm and maintained her innocent and lively character, both Shadow and Angel had noticed her nervousness and fear from the beginning.
In the Nightmare Domain, Angel could freely tamper with people’s five senses, which meant that he had reached the peak of controlling emotions. Babaya, as an ordinary person, could not hide her intense emotional fluctuations no matter how good her acting or how calm her expression.
Angel turned to look at Shadow: “How did you find out?” Angel could grasp emotional fluctuations, but how could Shadow find out that Babaya was acting?
Shadow: “Even the most innocent and radiant young girl, suddenly thrown into a world of giants, I don’t believe she wouldn’t have a trace of fear. Moreover, whenever we ask her anything, she obediently answers, going along with our intentions and never daring to cross the line. It appears to be gentle innocence, but in reality, it’s timid submission, only portrayed through acting.”
“Perfectly so that I couldn’t find any excuse to discipline her, tell me, if this isn’t fake, what is?”
Angel nodded noncommittally: “However, at least what she says should be true.”
Shadow sneered: “If she dared to lie, she would have already become a crippled body.”
“Do you have such disrespect for women?”
“I only show respect to those with blonde hair and blue eyes, regardless of their gender, race, or age,” Shadow hinted ambiguously.
“Pervert.” After evaluating Angel, he returned his thoughts to Babaya. To be honest, he admired Babaya quite a bit. Initially, he had not intended to let Babaya go, but in order to escape, she had deliberately performed an extraordinary and impressively mesmerizing hymn.
After the performance, taking advantage of their immersion in the lingering sounds, she requested to leave, and her reasoning was gentle and unprovocative.
Angel admired her acting skills, mentality, and adaptability.
Therefore, he let her go.
However, this did not mean Angel let his guard down with her. When Babaya left, Angel left a trace of nightmare energy between her eyebrows, just in case.
At the same time, Angel found another dark and familiar energy fluctuation in Babaya’s shadow. Without a doubt, this energy fluctuation belonged to Shadow.
Angel and Shadow exchanged knowing glances, and then, with a gust of mountain wind, they concealed their presence.
The two headed down the mountain.
“What do you think of the hymn she sang earlier?” Through their mental connection, Shadow asked Angel.
Angel was silent for a long time: “Are you asking about the content or the melody?”
“Is there any doubt about the melody?” Shadow’s laughter came through.
“Though called an epic, I think it’s more of a narrative poem. It chronicles some of the experiences of the Kulakuka tribe. The second and third stanzas obviously discuss the war from a thousand years ago, as well as their later salvation by the wizards of Black Castle. However, it seems a bit overly romanticized; if there really was such a heroic figure bearing humiliation and heavy burdens, they wouldn’t have been driven to the brink of extinction by unarmed villagers.” Angel paused: “As for the other two stanzas, I don’t know. But the fourth stanza might refer to something within Black Castle.”
“You’re probably right, the fourth stanza is indeed worth noting.”
Both of them were currently concealing their figures, so Angel did not see the profound curiosity in Shadow’s eyes.
Shadow had hidden thoughts, and so did Angel. However, instead of keeping them buried, Angel chose to casually express his doubts through seemingly idle conversation.
“Do you remember the second stanza she sang? I remember her poem mentioned the ‘realm of the giant serpent.’ At that time, they should have been living in the predecessor of Watthelmgrass – Siporak. Why would they say it was the realm of the giant serpent?”
“Are you also interested in the history of mortals?” Shadow asked.
Angel: “I’m simply curious.”
Shadow didn’t doubt him, after all, it was just the history of mortals: “That’s understandable if you didn’t know. The Whiskas Royal Court destroyed everything about that nation, forbidding anyone from mentioning it or discussing it under any circumstances.” Shadow continued: “Actually, before the Whiskas Royal Court took over this region, about a thousand years ago, this land was ruled by another country called Akesacresia.”
Akesacresia? Angel felt a jolt in his heart; he remembered the serpent in the waters near Hippocrates was called Akeso!
Shadow went on: “This country was peculiar, as they worshipped a giant serpent as their sacred beast. So, the ‘realm of the giant serpent’ in Babaya’s poem probably refers to Akesacresia.”
Angel inquired: “What was the name of the giant serpent?”
“The name of the giant serpent? I don’t know that, but it was probably just a totem, right? A spiritual symbol; would they have given it a specific name?”
Chapter 376 Thumb-sized Girl Babaya <TOC> Chapter 378 Worshiping the Source