Chapter 917 Speculations <TOC> Chapter 919 Decay
Translator: SumTLMan
In the ancient language of the Sea Wave Dynasty, “Siyi Juesa” translated as “The Swell of the Visiting Winter.”
However, since the advent of a widely-used common language on the continent, the local dialect of the Sea Wave Dynasty began to decline. Nowadays, few people are proficient in this old Sea Wave vernacular. However, certain towns and islands in the Sea Wave Dynasty retain their native names.
Siyi Juesa is one such city, located in the outer island chain of the Sea Wave Dynasty.
Although the formal moniker remains ‘Siyi Juesa’, the local folk are more inclined to refer to their city as ‘Winter Tide City’ – a less cumbersome title that is more resonant with the hearts of the inhabitants.
Blue Wave Bay, a bustling commercial port adjacent to the ocean in Winter Tide City, was conscripted into military use following the initiation of hostilities between the Sea Wave Dynasty and Goldfinch Empire. This military conversion dealt a heavy blow to the commercial health of the Bay. But the thought of the prosperous days ahead once they set foot on the Old Land Continent and captured the Goldfinch Empire’s territories gave the people of Winter Tide City some solace. They resolved to endure this cold spell in commerce.
However, what they never anticipated was the turning tide of the war. Initially, the Sea Wave Dynasty’s advantage was unequivocal, and they continually seized provinces of the Goldfinch Empire, expanding their continental territories. Yet, somehow, within just a few months, signs of decline began to surface in the Sea Wave Dynasty, and now, defeat seems imminent.
The Sea Wave royal family couldn’t possibly withdraw at this juncture; let alone the damage it would inflict on morale, the draining of the nation’s internal resources over nearly a year demanded replenishment from external assets.
Therefore, they had no choice but to continue their entanglement with the Goldfinch Empire.
War, however, requires abundant funding and a steady flow of reserve supplies. With the national treasury under strain, the Sea Wave royal family was forced to turn its attention to the common populace.
The sudden imposition of extra taxes plunged Winter Tide City, already in a precarious economic situation, into a veritable deep freeze.
Long oppressed by harsh taxation, and now confronted with the grim prospect of impending defeat, the residents of Winter Tide City are on edge. The streets are rife with bankrupt vagrants, and incidents of thievery, deceit, and robbery are on the rise, leading to an all-time low in interpersonal trust within the city.
Nestled within a bakery at Blue Wave Bay, two ragamuffin children fixed their pleading gazes on the matronly woman who ran the establishment.
The woman in charge was a robust middle-aged dame, her stern countenance giving off an intimidating aura.
“Please, kind lady, we haven’t eaten in a while, and my little sister is ill…” The plea came from the marginally plumper boy among the two, named Chira.
By his side, a somewhat pallid and frail boy also stared at the woman, his eyes brimming with hope.
The middle-aged woman snorted coldly, scolding Chira, “Have you looked at yourself? You’re chubbier than my Nini, and yet you dare cry hunger to me? I bet you two are just trying to scam a meal. Begone! You’re getting in the way of my business!”
A fleeting shadow passed through Chira’s eyes. However, hunger gnawed at him mercilessly. The sight of the aromatic bread behind the glass display case made him involuntarily swallow his saliva.
“We’re not here to scam a meal; we’re genuinely starving. My brother Aniga is mute, and my sister has been… injured by someone. Please, have some mercy on us,” Chira managed to say, his voice choked with sobs.
Yet, the middle-aged woman still did not yield to Chira’s pleas. Instead, she called forth her ferocious dog, chasing Chira and Aniga out of the bakery.
Watching Chira and Aniga’s retreating figures, the stern expression on the woman’s face softened slightly. She could discern their dire state. If it were in ordinary times, she wouldn’t mind lending a helping hand, but current circumstances left no room for such charity. Sighing, she shook her head, picked up a loaf of rye bread, and started walking towards the back room, mumbling to herself, “No matter how hungry, I can’t let my own Nini starve.”
Elsewhere, Chira and Aniga, after a brief escape, had finally managed to evade the vicious dog.
Panting heavily, Chira stood by the coast of the harbor, spitting into the sea with an angry glint in his eyes.
Aniga, with his frail body and hunger gnawing at his stomach, felt somewhat dizzy and collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing this, a pang of pain flashed through Chira’s eyes. He rushed to Aniga’s side, helping him up. “Are you okay? It doesn’t matter if we couldn’t get the bread.”
Hesitation crept onto Chira’s face. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said, “If it comes to it, I’ll dive into the sea and catch some fish to grill.”
Upon hearing this, Aniga immediately shook his head vigorously at Chira. Since Blue Wave Bay’s port had been converted into a military base, the first mandate was that no one was allowed to enter the sea.
In the event of exposure, immediate ruin awaits.
Although Aniga was ravenous, he was not willing to risk Chira’s life. He gestured relentlessly, his mouth agape, but words eluded him.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize that Aniga’s tongue was nowhere to be found.
Observing Aniga’s desperate attempts to communicate, Chira was heartbroken. However, recalling Guina’s injury, his suppressed fury surged upwards.
“Damn that Vonman! If it weren’t for him, you and Guina would never have ended up in the hands of that old witch, Kusha! You would not have… would not have…” Chira gritted his teeth, as tears streaked down his dirt-streaked face.
Aniga looked perturbed, shaking his head incessantly and gesturing rapidly.
“You’re still defending him even now?” Chira wished he could snap Aniga out of it, but he knew it was futile. He couldn’t fathom what spell Vonman had cast on Aniga and Guina that even in such dire straits, they bore no resentment towards him.
With pent-up resentment, Chira could only spit out: “He won’t be back. He’s nothing more than a coward!”
Upon hearing this, Aniga held back his tears, his body racked with silent sobs.
Seeing Aniga in this state made Chira both sympathetic and frustrated, as if an indescribable wave of pent-up energy was trapped within him, yearning for release in a massive roar.
Chira let out a loud roar towards the heavens, three times in succession.
Chira’s bellowing temporarily diverted Aniga’s attention. Meanwhile, a chubby-faced girl dressed in a princess gown, located near the shore, was attracted by his cries.
Chira noticed the girl at this moment, and upon recognizing her features, his eyes flashed with revulsion.
Cautiously scanning his surroundings, seeing no one was watching him, he lunged forward and shoved the girl into the sea. As he watched her struggle in the water, the pent-up frustration within him seemed to dissipate significantly…
Observing this scene, Aniga looked at Chira with astonishment.
“That girl is the daughter of the bakery owner who had her dog attack us. Her mother dared to set a dog on us, she deserved this!” Chira said venomously.
A momentary silence settled over Aniga as he gazed at the girl on the horizon, fighting against the roiling sea. Ultimately, he only shook his head, taking Chira by the hand, and departed from the scene.
Chira and Aniga vacated the bay’s cerulean embrace, setting their course towards the outskirts of Winter Tide City.
Throughout their journey, Aniga remained quiet, an unspoken anger clinging to his silence. Chira knew.
Chira saw no wrong in his actions. Vonman had killed, and so had Guina. They both had a far greater tally than him. In this merciless world, where killing was as common as breathing, why shouldn’t he be allowed to kill?
The unease between them lingered, as silence filled their journey back to their temporary dwelling—a dilapidated, makeshift shelter.
Even before setting foot inside their humble abode, they were greeted by the overpowering stench of fresh blood.
Inside the ramshackle shelter, there was little else besides a broken bed, an unlit campfire, and a tattered baby cradle.
The scent of blood had its roots in the cradle. As the gruesome aroma wafted through the air, an ear-piercing, shrill voice echoed, “Who’s there?”
“Guina, it’s us.”
“So, you’ve returned…no catch today either?” Guina’s voice, peculiar and sharp, resonated once more from within the cradle.
“The townsfolk avoid us like the plague. No one has any sympathy for us. Today, we were even chased by a vicious dog near the bakery at the bay…” Chira paused, then broke into a sudden grin, “But, it wasn’t all a loss, I shoved the baker’s daughter into the sea! Even if the patrol troops find her, she’ll be as good as dead!”
Guina seemed to have pieced something together, “The girl you pushed…was it Nini?”
“Wait, you know her?” A sudden look of panic crossed Chira’s face. Among their motley crew of wanderers, loyalty was the lifeblood that bound them. If Guina knew the girl, wouldn’t that make his actions a betrayal of their code?
“Sigh, Nini was once a friend of mine.” Guina paused, a faint rustling sound coming from the cradle, “But, it doesn’t matter now. As I am, apart from you, I have no need for friends.”
The timbre of Guina’s voice dipped inexplicably. After some contemplation, Chira said, “Our journey wasn’t entirely fruitless. We’ve gathered a handful of tattoo fruits on our way. Although slightly sour, they serve well to quell hunger. I’ll mash them up and steep them in water for you.”
Guina merely responded with a quiet hum of acknowledgment.
While Chira prepared the tattoo fruit purée, Aniga approached the cradle, his gaze brimming with concealed sorrow as he peered into it.
Within the cradle lay a golden-haired girl of around seven or eight years, her arms and legs grotesquely amputated, her torso all that remained to fit into the cradle. The scent of blood they had smelled earlier emanated from the bandages on her wounds.
This was Guina.
Beyond her mutilated limbs, more than half of Guina’s mouth was tightly stitched shut with a swarm of black threads.
At the position of Guina’s right shoulder, a round-headed, thin-bodied ragdoll rested, its mouth gaping wide enough to open and close.
Guina used to perform ventriloquism with this ragdoll for fun with Vonman. Now, her ability to speak owed much to her previous practice of ventriloquism.
“Aniga, there’s no need for sorrow. I’m not dead yet. Save your grief for after my death, alright?” Guina’s peculiar voice emanated from the ragdoll.
With a mournful expression, Aniga nodded.
“That’s it, I don’t want to see your desolate face anymore. Remember your promise, to learn ventriloquism before my demise. While I still have time, I’ll continue teaching you…”
Before Aniga could respond, Chira returned, cradling a broken bowl brimming with a greenish liquid: “You won’t die. You will persist, just like us.”
“Ho ho ho…” Guina’s laugh echoed from the ragdoll, suffused with an inexplicable eeriness, “I can feel my life slipping away, but I’ll strive to hold on. I wish to see Vonman once more before my end.”
At the mention of Vonman, Chira’s countenance darkened abruptly: “Just what spell did Vonman cast on you two? The poison of the white foot tide spider? He’s the one who harmed you. Have you forgotten that?”
Aniga protested silently, but Guina simply stated in a composed manner: “He did not harm us. He himself is a victim too.”
“A completely unscathed victim?” Chira scoffed, “Give up on him. He’s not coming back.”
“If he returns, I’d like to see him once. If not… it’s all the same.” Guina’s gaze fell slightly as if she had succumbed to her memories.
A palpable silence filled the air. Suddenly, a clutter of footsteps sounded from outside their makeshift shelter.