1 The tale of Khasa: Let me tell you, a legend or a lore.

📝 [ARC-1]

The Kai country was popular for two things. One of them was its deadly and unrival millitary power and other was its one in a kind tea shop.

Yeah~ It is actually a tea shop.

This tea shop was called "Warm Frost". And it was also famous for further two things. First was for its mysterious yet delicious tea recipe that once tasted cannot be forget till last breath and second was for its gossipy air.

Lost your cow then visit Warm Frost, henceafter your lost cattle will be found the next day.

Want to back-talk about your neighbors then with joy visit Warm Frost. Interested in marrying certain household's beauty then with confident visit Warm Frost. From the poor farmer's family matter to the schemes within inner royal palace, from the minister's office to the soldier lurking at the border, everything fresh and exclusive gossips are traded within Warm Frost.

Being a Landlord's first born son might not be consider as noble as being a gossip master/storyteller in Warm Frost is consider to be. Fame and fortune will eventually kiss your toes. Thus, everyone can easily conclude how much of a respected persona was old Dan within the entire capital of Kai.

Old Dan was quite skilful although being in his late fifties.

What?

Selling gossips isn't a skill?

FOOL !!

To collect gossips from vast lands and deep seas it can be life threatening alright. And storytelling is also a kind of skill. To grab the heart and mind of masses, tell me about it, how many can exactly do so, huh. I doubt there are only few.

/~

The main hall of "Warm Frost" similar to any other day was crowded today as well. The clink clanks from colliding wine and tea glasses echoed overall the tea shop. The main hall overflowed with strange mixed aroma of alcohol and tea. The numbers of idlers were waiting for the show to start.

"Hey. Ol' Bei~ what do you think today's gossip is about."

"It is sure about the third lady of Hizi household. Ah~Such a beautiful and gentle beauty. Who knows she will be married off to. Tch."

"Whoever~ the groom definitely would not be womanizer such as you. Tsk. Tsk. Days and nights talking about beauties. Let me tell you, it will be about the merchant family who bought 50 pigs not long ago. Ai~ How rich!"

" Shut it up. Bickering about women and riches. One need to learn books and pick up pen and brushes as well. Today's topic is certainly about the literary competition from a week ago."

People started to argue and soon started to throw few punches and kicks here and there. The commotion and debate grew louder which made the main hall of the tea shop even more livelier than ever before. But to their disappointment none of their interests were picked as the topics for storytelling.

Opposite to the shop counter was a wooden stage veiled by blue silk curtains as if it were the sky itself. Slowly the curtains parted into two halves unmasking the scene behind, where appear an old man seated in an unruly position unlike his elderly age.

The old man's head was covered by a gigantic bamboo hat leaving his long white hair untied that reach till his waist. His lower face was covered with thick white beard that flowed upto his abdomen. This old man was certainly the gossip master and storyteller, Dan.

Dan held a purple lotus bud between five fingers of his right palm and his left hand was leisurely placed over the small size wide and rectangular book holder. Dressed in an elegant manner the old man carried noble demeanor. Clear eyes, well carved nose bridge and thin lips, although being old his quite artistic features decreased his actual age by ten years so that he looked like a man in his early forties.

Dan stretched out his thin lips in a wide smile- "Greetings~~People."

Old Dan changed his legs former position so that it shaped like a "_|" ( mirrored L) and put down the lotus bud picking up the wine jar nearby.

" This old man here has brought you people a fresh story. Some say it is a legend and some say it is only a folkore. So people what exactly is the truth, huh."

Old Dan gulped down the wine from its jar till the red liquid overflowed from his mouth to further below his chin staining his neat white garments.

"Ahh~~ Yo! People ever heard about Khasa tribe."

Old Dan deliberately paused here to give his story a suspenseful start and then continued his biwitching and skilful storytelling.

/~

Thousand miles away from Kai country there is a barren and rocky mountain. The black and grey colour of the mountain give off an ominous vibe. According to the stories which are famous around the Kai Kingdom, although the outward appearance of the mountain seems deserted the insides of it is actually hollow and full of life and vitality. The inside is packed with lushful green. The dense forests, flowing water sources and abundant resources are hiding behind the barren cover of the mountain well protected by the spirit of this particular mountain.

These stories also depicts that the barren mountain inhabitates one of the most mysterious and ancient tribe, Khasa people.

Mysterious due to the fact that no one has ever met or even seen one of these people and ancient because it is believed that this tribe existed from during the mythical era where there used to be supernatural powers.

But what is the exact truth only the five elements ( air, water, earth, fire and wood) that had seen the wheel of time moving forward can know. Legends will forever remain as legends. How much of it is truth and how much of it is false, there is no other way to verify.

Though there are many conflicts regarding the existence of Khasa tribe but their homeland which is the barren mountain as stated above, its existence in mortal world without a doubt is a topic no one can debate about.

In past, Kai country including other small and big nations had sent their group of researchers to uncover the truth behind the barren mountain but the outcome they got was something that shook the roots of their soul. Among the people that were sent for once , twice and thrice none of them returned and the people who were dispatched in search of their comrades they too vanished into thin air.

Just like that, every one of them disappeared without a trace. And the most scary thing was that not only humans but all other living things who knowingly or unknowingly trespass the border were equally affected by the law of disappearance. Thus, after these horrific events people named the mountain as "Mountain of Dead" and then after no one ever tried to near this hellish of a mountain.

The Mountain of Dead stood alone in the heart of a desert. Beside the mountain and the crimson colour sand the desert seems almost empty. The desert was named after its unique feature that is the blood like crimson sand. Thus people began to call it

"Blood-Devil desert".

This Blood-Devil desert also serves as the border for the Mountain of Dead.

Of course, there is also a tale about Blood-Devil desert, as such why it is the only desert in the living world that has crimson-red sand unlike other normal deserts.

To understand further about it one need to know the legend about Khasa tribe.

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