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"Ahem, my wife is calling me. Higante and Stephen, why don't you help Mr. Yan locate his new house? I'm off." Frank, the village head, said this all in one breath with an embarrassed expression and then left the room.
"Don't forget to lock the door before you leave," he added, leaving these words behind before heading to the next room. This place was, after all, his house, and the room they were in was attached to it, serving as a reception room for official village business.
Blam–
Frank was not gentle at all when closing the door behind him.
She saw the gathering ground when he turned around after closing the door.
"Perfect, almost everyone is here!" he shouted with a wide grin. His voice was loud enough to reach the other side of the village. Despite his small stature and hunched back, no one ever underestimated the village head.
Frank puffed out his chest and cleared his throat. "Everyone, you saw the man who walked in here with a small child. His name is Kabun Yan, and his son is named Lucy Yan. From now on, Mr. Yan and his son will be residents of this village, and I expect each of you to extend to them the same respect and hospitality that we show each other."
The people at the back of the crowd couldn't see the speaker, but they all knew the village head was making an announcement. The murmurs and whispers increased, but nobody opposed the village head's decision.
The village head and the elders accepted anyone and everyone who could pay the fee.
Living in the village would be a different story. Whether they could stomach staying would be up to them, and they could leave whenever they wished. Of course, they would have to pay the fee again if they decided to return.
The same went for merchants, travelers, visitors, and the like. However, the price they had to pay seemed lower, as they were only staying temporarily.
The crowd started dispersing. They would have more opportunities to get to know the newcomers. Their village was small anyway, with a population of less than a thousand.
Back inside the village head's reception room, Bassit got up from his chair and walked closer to Kabun. "Mr. Yan, if you need any tools or equipment, my shop is open twelve hours a day. Just ask anyone in the village, and you will be able to find my shop. If you pay the right price, I will make you anything—well, as long as I know how to make what you request."
He bowed slightly and then left the room.
"Since I am not needed here, I will also take my leave," Luta spoke next. She got up and walked past Kabun. Pausing, she said, "Since we all told you our occupations, you know who to ask when you need any potions, especially healing ones."
"If you need someone to warm your bed at night, I am also open only for you," Luta added with a wink. She had a beautiful and voluptuous body but a sweet, aunt-like face. It felt almost sinful to think anything unholy with a face like that.
One look at her face would remind you of the sweet grandma who gave you candy when you cried as a kid.
One look at her face would remind you of your sweet mom, who cooked for you every meal and cleaned your room and the house every weekend.
One look at her face would remind you of all the flying objects hurled at you when you did something wrong as a kid, especially the footwear hitting your buttocks.
"Luta!" Stephen shouted immediately.
"What? We are all adults here. He can always say no." She shifted her gaze from Stephen to Kabun.
"I will get your answer next time," she told Kabun.
She looked at Stephen, harrumphed, and left.
Sigh—
Stephen got up as well, looking apologetically towards Kabun. "Mr. Yan, Higante, I will show you your new house now."
He opened the door while Kabun and Higante followed, and Higante remembered to lock it. For convenience, he and the other elders had keys to the reception room.
On the way to the back of the village, a few people were walking about. They sneaked a peek in their direction but did not come closer to bother them.
"What are those flags for?" Kabun pointed at the different colored flags erected over farmlands surrounded by strings.
"They serve as markers indicating that the village head acknowledges the land has an owner. If you decide to cultivate land, you must inform me, any of the elders, or the village head. We will give you a flag. If there is no progress after four to eight seasons, we will remove the flag and declare the land unclaimed," Higante explained.
"What if I want to own a whole mountain?" Kabun asked again.
"Our land ownership system only applies to the village territory. The village may be small, but the territory is large. The surrounding area is part of the village because we, especially the village head, protect it from disasters like beasts, monsters, invaders, bandits, etc. If you want to claim an entire mountain, you can, but outside the village territory.
"If something happens to you or your land outside the village's territory, it will be up to you to protect it and your life. I am sure you don't need our help, given your rank, but let us know if you claim an entire mountain. We expand the territory of our village occasionally, and since you and your son have a long lifespan, I'm letting you know."
"It's not something to worry about since land expansion happens after a century or longer anyway. The village's population barely increases," Stephen added.
"I didn't know we expand the village's territory!" Higante exclaimed in surprise.
"It's recorded in the Void Village's Records Book kept in the Church. Only the village head and I knew about it, but it's not a secret. Anybody can read the book, but I know you don't like reading history," Stephen explained reasonably to his co-elder.
"That's true. I like reading but not history books," Higante admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"When was the last time the territory was expanded?" Kabun asked again.
"The village has been standing for less than a thousand years and has only been expanded twice. The last time was more than three hundred years ago."
"Hmmm," Kabun hummed in understanding.
"I've been meaning to ask. Why hasn't your child woken up or cried out since this morning? Is he okay? Can I check him?" Stephen looked closely at Lucy, who was sleeping like an angel bundled up in Kabun's arms.
"Lucy is fine. His soul just took a long time to adjust to his body. He is now resting to regain his energy." This explanation left the two elders staring at Kabun in shock.
Kabun also stopped and looked back. "What is it now?" His amicable face was stiffening.
Stephen snapped out of his stupor and walked closely to Kabun, focusing his eyes on the child without touching him. His sky-blue eyes glowed as he scanned Lucy. Within seconds, he shouted and fell to his knees, closing his eyes and holding his head.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Stephen!" Higante rushed over to check his condition.
He looked at Kabun and angrily questioned, "What did you do?"
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YOU ARE READING
The Strange God
FantasíaThere was once a being revered as a god in a universe with a trillion stars. How many of these stars could sustain life was unknown, but this universe no longer exists. When that universe disappeared, another took its place. It sprouted many new sta...
