Ethereal Life, Chapter 26: Fish, The Usual Night

"The caravan troupe is just a small episode of my life. Everyone of them cannot be trusted; must be cautious at all times."

"Since I already decided to be adaptable in this place, I should do it till the end. No matter what my decisions are, I will play it till the end."

And with that said, he was already standing near the creek that Garut's fellow had told him about.

The two carts beside him will be used to transport the gravel and stones back to the territory. "But before that, I should...fish!"

Right, fish. He found fish swimming along the creek. "It seems where there is water, there are rive....fish."

The fish on the pond are too small to enter his palate. Not to mention he can't catch them at all without tools in hand.

Even if he catches one, it is an unnecessary effort.

To catch this fish in the creek, Nai decided to go back to the shelter, not far away.

Just a kilometer away, he returned to the creek with the materials on hand.

Since he got timber, he would use it instead of lumber. Using wool to make a net. In just two hours of hard work, he made his own fish traps.

"Now, I will get to taste another long-lost dish." Just imagining the long-lost taste his tongue has long forgotten made him salivate. Drools hanged around his lips.

"Just wait for a while. It won't take long." After putting the fish trap in a suitable place, he deemed it to be.

He moved the cart a little distance away to start the real work.

Using the wooden shovel in hand, gravel and stones were easily piled inside the cart. When the two carts he had were filled to the brim.

It was time to pull them back to his territory and throw them to the side, waiting to become the foundation of his future castle.

"HAH! Even a lazy person can work very hard too!" Don't mind him; he was just shouting to motivate himself.

His desires and wishes were all flashing in his mind, acting as some kind of reactor that provided him with strength to continue moving.

When sunset arrived, several hills of stones and gravel stood tall to witness the scene of looking down on earth.

It's their glorious days they haven't seen and felt before. "So this is how it feels to stand on top of the world."

Nai murmured between joke and nostalgia. "If I can really obtain immortality, Then that day where modern technology will arrive won't be long with my guidance."

"I miss how easy the work will be with those construction vehicles."

"Orange glow. It's time to rest, I guess." After a day of exhaustion, he decided that it was time to rest.

Nai threw the shovel on the walls, returned to his shelter, and started the fire.

"Today I'll take rice with fried fish as my dinner meal." Anticipation appeared on his sweaty face.

...

Night came.

Outside the shelter beside the pond. A bonfire blazed the darkness away.

Sitting beside it is a lone man, cooking his fish with nothing but oil from the meat he had smoked until now. "This should be enough."

Nai opened the lid of the pot on his side. Hot vapor like white smoke flew up as they thought they had been released from their tight cages.

"Rice, although not the best in quality, is still rice."

He took out a wooden bowl from somewhere and a wooden spoon he made.

He started scooping the rice into his bowl, filling it, before picking a bit of cooked fried fish from the pot to add to the top of his bowl.

Just looking at this aromatizing fragrance, Nai just couldn't wait anymore, so he started digging in. "Hmmmmmn~!" 

So yummy!  Damn it! 

Just when he was savoring the taste of his own hard work. He remembered that he had lived here for more than three years.

Three years! 

Yet it was only when the Garut fellow told him about this place that he got to taste fish again. "Ah, a failure of a hunter I am."

Although he was having some misgivings in his heart. "It doesn't matter, since I already have it now. Past is past, never discussed."

That's right, since he already had it. Why bother with the past?

Under the best fantasy starry night. He alone was eating his fill of the long-lost taste of his fish.

Alone in the vast, dark grassland, he enjoyed dinner beside the only warmth of his fire.

"But I won't be lonely next time anymore." His eyes are filled with longing and expectations for his soon-to-be wife.

Although he had grown accustomed to being alone and was happy at first, However, it isn't that good in the long term.

Although it was kind of forced to be a transaction, According to what he heard after asking those people, it seems their village only saw the strong and the skilled as the ideal men.

Here, it doesn't matter if you're handsome or ugly. Only those who have the ability to provide for the family will be deemed good husbands.

"I have meat!" And wooosh like that. Women would flock to get your attention.

"Hmm. I love this world." Nai snickered, as expected of him. Feeling happy from the way of these times.

Although he was thinking of that, he didn't let it get to his mind.

"In the past, I was a coward. I don't have the ability to be responsible for a relationship. All my thoughts are on the future."

"Like what? Ah, this relationship is just a fleeting emotion. It won't last long, so of course I gave up."

"I don't have money or a house to provide. What can I do? Increase the problem of society?" Nai smiled faintly, his heart somehow bitter today.

Remembering those sour things from the past. It made him feel a little lost. "If I had grasped those hands..."

"Those opportunities...."

"If I told her...." He shook his head. "There's no if; all the choices I made that day weren't wrong."

"It's just that I'm already searching for a lifetime while others are still playing with feelings." That's why he can't decide.

"Somehow, I got emotional today." He even had some tears falling down his cheeks.

"Ah, what a weak man I am." He wiped the tears from his face and finished his meal. "It taste salty tears. Hahah."

Amidst his lonely laughter, the bonfire swayed. He cleaned up and put the fire out before entering the shelter in preparation to go to sleep.

Tomorrow, he'll eventually forget this upsetting feeling in his heart.

Because he had enough wood, he made a wooden door, which is now installed in his shelter.

As he closed the door, moonlight shone down from the glass above. Bringing light enough for Nai to walk around the room unhindered by darkness.

"Home sweet home." He didn't bother changing; he dove directly through the bed and fell asleep.

The moonlight shone on his face.

Like usual, the moon's blessing vibrated in his chest and started sucking the dim silver luster around from nowhere that had slowly appeared.

It was a quiet night, as usual. The grass around the walls swayed with the slow wind.

Browny, the underground land dragon, peeked out from its shelter to see the outside. It looked at its surroundings with great curiosity, as always.

To its little brain, the night is like home. It liked the cold night because it would let it see the heat of the sun more easily.

The moon seemed to look different from its eyes, though. Some kind of attraction or charm made it difficult for itself to look at another place anymore.

It was mysterious and at some point. It even thought of worshipping the moon instead. Though it really did.

It wasn't the only one in the vast grassland.

Eyes that reflect the figure of the moon bloom everywhere. All of them seem to show obedience and respect. It was as though the moon itself had become their faith.

Silence.

Even the frogs at night dare not croak for fear that something creepy lurking around might bite them to death.

Fireflies flew around as though moats were trying to become stars instead around of that the moon.

Far away, the place where the caravan rested

Garut sat cross-legged beside the cart. Looking at the picturesque night. "There is more mystery in the land to see, yet here I was."

"Accepter, is that melancholy or something?" A young man asked carefully beside the bonfire, a step away from him.

Accepter glances at the young man, whose father helped him chop logs back then to help him get in this ride. He felt amused and said, "Yes, it's melancholy if it is.".

He paused, then he continued, "The land is so big, yet only our village took a curse. Why not the forest or the land not far away? Why us?" 

The old man mumbled for a bit before he lifted up his coat correctly and leant comfortably before saying, "You're young; you can still thread the uncovered land someday."

"But for now, sleep well." Then the sounds of snoring rang immediately from the old man.

The young man looked at the old man a bit before turning his gaze to the dimly lit grassland and saying, "Someday.".