Chapter 56 |
Montoya’s inward voice, filled with grievance and longing, was something Kyle felt clearly.
However, he could not make any response.
Originally, his consciousness should have been completely asleep until he woke up. But he had not expected to enter a bizarre, dreamlike-yet-not-dreamlike state, where he could still sense the changes in the outside world through the talent’s causal lines.
It was just that his talent at this moment was completely beyond his control, and the scenes before his eyes kept changing nonstop. The sense of disjunction between reality and illusion made him suffer intensely.
This was perhaps the aftereffect of overusing his talent.
The only thing he could do now was do his best to sort through the chaotic information and images before him, and find a way to stop his out-of-control talent, so as to avoid affecting his body’s recovery.
Otherwise, if he kept recovering while also consuming energy, then he was afraid he could forget about waking up at all!
Sigh! I really should take it easy when using my talent in the future. Sure enough, being too greedy was not a good thing!
***
Having not gone out for an entire month, he felt that there were far more pedestrians on the road than usual, and at a glance, most of them were clearly unfamiliar faces from elsewhere.
Whether it was their accents, their clothing, or even their looks and appearances, all of them were full of distinct characteristics, not to mention those rarely seen non-human races.
Originally, Coral Thorn City already had quite a few non-human races, but now they were even denser, dazzling to the eye.
The air was filled with the smells of spices, sweat, magical beast mounts, and all kinds of unfamiliar foods, so rich it was almost suffocating.
The originally open square, once used for rest and play, had now turned into an incomparably noisy temporary market, with peddlers’ cries and bargaining voices rising endlessly.
“Sir… do you need a guide? I-I only charge two copper coins! I know all the cheap and good inns and the tasty food stalls!”
A timid voice came from beside him.
Dean lowered his head and saw a little boy of about seven or eight years old. Though his clothes were old, they had been washed clean. He was looking up at him with an expression of hope mixed with nervousness.
There were also many other children around doing the same thing, asking passing merchants and adventurers one after another, trying hard to bring in business.
Dean was somewhat surprised. These children were obviously just ordinary people, yet they still dared to come out and do guide work for others. One should know that these merchant travelers were basically all professionals. Even he, an Apprentice warrior, felt no small amount of pressure walking among them.
“Answer one question for me, and this will be yours.” Dean took out a bright copper coin and placed it in his palm.
The little boy’s eyes lit up. He had not expected the first customer of the day to be so generous!
“Please ask, Kabu will definitely tell you everything he knows!” Kabu straightened his skinny little chest and patted it as he spoke.
Seeing the boy like this, Dean found that he really resembled him when he was young.
“Aren’t you afraid of these merchant travelers?”
“Afraid… of course I’m afraid.” Kabu blinked, revealing an innocent smile. “But even if I’m afraid, I still have to eat. Although some grown-ups really are pretty scary, as long as I’m careful, once I get used to it, it’s not too bad~”
He paused, and his eyes dimmed again, while his voice also dropped a little:
“And besides, these past few months, Mom and Dad haven’t rested for a long time because of big brother’s medical fees. I want to help share some of their burden.”
Dean’s heart trembled.
His teacher had also told him about the hospital stopping its blood purchases. And when encountering this kind of problem, how one should think and act in the identity of a paladin.
His teacher had even used himself once as a counterexample. The suffering of the world would never disappear because of one person’s good deed. Ill-timed emotional actions would instead bring even more and greater trouble. What they had to do was recognize reality clearly, do what they themselves could do, and that would be enough as long as they could face their conscience without shame.
“Sir?”
Kabu looked at the suddenly distracted Dean in confusion. “Do you want to ask anything else? I know lots of things! For example, the new circus in the eastern district, the merfolk seafood snack street at the port…”
Dean came back to himself, looked at the boy’s little face smeared by sweat, crouched down, and stuffed the copper coin into Kabu’s hand. “Take me to see those fun and interesting places.”
Kabu clenched the copper coin in delight and skipped ahead like a nimble little rabbit to lead the way:
“Alright! Please follow me, sir. I know a newly opened shop that’s especially popular. There are lots of things inside that nobody’s seen before. I guarantee it’ll open your eyes!”
When the two of them passed through an alley hung with colorful banners, Dean noticed several disabled children and elderly people in ragged clothes and pale faces curled up in the shadow at the street corner.
Following his gaze, Kabu let out a sigh like a little grown-up. “They’re people who couldn’t pay back their debts, or… people who’ve completely lost hope.”
“Before… I heard that some of them could still exchange a little blood for something to eat. But now they can’t.”
The boy’s voice dropped, carrying a heaviness that did not belong to his age. “Now they can only rely on other people’s kindness, picking up leftover food…”
Dean felt a great discomfort in his chest. Healthy children could still find some work to do on their own like Kabu, but these disabled children probably could not manage even the simplest jobs.
Seeing Dean lose himself in thought again, Kabu’s mind turned once and he immediately knew what he was thinking. After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed Dean and started walking away into the distance.
“Sir, you must be a good person. But this kind of thing is beyond us. The first time I saw them, I secretly broke off half a piece of bread and gave it to a little sister with no legs. But before I had gone very far, I saw the other elderly people and children snatch it from her, and she even got beaten.”
Kabu held onto Dean’s wrist and did not stop moving. “And you definitely can’t give them money. Back when there were gangs, that money would end up in the gangs’ hands, but the gangs would at least give them a little food. But now, if you give them money, they’ll fight even harder till their heads are broken and blood flows.”
Seeing that Dean still looked somewhat muddleheaded, Kabu tugged at his sleeve again. “Sir, you don’t need to worry too much either. When those shops close up each day, they leave some leftovers for them.”
After hearing this, Dean felt even more mixed emotions, and he could not help but think of his sister Caitlin again. If not for his sister, he and those orphaned older brothers and sisters of his probably would have frozen to death long ago in some corner.
And now, when he saw these suffering children, there was not even a single thing he could do.
***
Time slowly passed, and very quickly it was night.
Dean had not been happy this day, but in front of Kabu, he still tried his best to act as if he was very satisfied. He even gave Kabu several extra copper coins and treated him to lunch.
After making a large round through the urban district, Dean returned to the blacksmith shop carrying a heavy heart and a large bag of carefully selected specialty snacks from various races.
“Teacher! I’m back! I brought lots of delicious food, hurry and try some!” He tried hard to make his voice sound lighter.
“Mm… put it on the table first. I’m finishing up here.”
O’Brien’s voice came from the workshop inside.
……
At dinner, Dean did not hide anything, but carefully told O’Brien everything he had seen and heard that day, along with all his thoughts.
“…Teacher, is there really nothing at all I can do?”
O’Brien did not answer immediately.
He picked up a skewer of fragrant, charred meatballs sprinkled with unusual spices from the dazzling spread of snacks on the table and carefully tasted them. The flavor truly was unique, making him think of the taste he had once tried many years ago at Leia Bay.
“Dean,” he put down the bamboo skewer and looked at his disciple with a gentle and candid gaze, “let me tell you a secret. Your teacher was once as lost as you were, and even… worse.”
“I once tried to use my own personal strength to help a village crushed by famine and a greedy lord. At first, what I received was endless gratitude.”
“But when I could no longer continuously satisfy all of their needs, and when I had to leave to fulfill other duties, gratitude turned into incomprehension, and then into resentment and curses.”
“They did not dare protest to the lord who oppressed them, yet they naturally took it for granted that my help was an obligation, and even made endless demands.”
“During that period, I suffered greatly. So I threw myself completely into battling dark creatures and cultists, wanting to numb myself with endless combat, to escape from these complex and unsolvable problems.”
O’Brien laughed at himself, and the smile was full of bitterness. “Even now, in order to find a way that might help more people more effectively, I’ve even cooperated with a vampire.”
He picked up a chilled, crystal-clear crab meat stick that looked like a work of art, handed one to Dean, and took one for himself as well.
“If you really want to do something, then first do the things right in front of you well, and work hard to improve yourself. If you want to change the world, then first you need the ability to make others willing to sit down and listen to what you have to say.”
“Just like that vampire, his ideals are even crazier than a paladin’s! But he still convinced me, didn’t he?”
After saying that, O’Brien raised the crab meat stick, waved it slightly, and then bit down on it in one bite!
“Mm! This one’s delicious!”
It should have been made from deep-sea snow crab meat, fresh and tender, cold and refreshing. In this city of everlasting heat, it was simply the highest enjoyment.
Seeing that Dean was still in a daze, O’Brien reached out and knocked him on the head.
“Don’t think too much, kid. Focus on the present, feel life, and build up your strength. Pointless anxiety can’t change anything. It will only drain your mind for nothing!”