Chapter 117 - CHAPTER 117 - The Silent Night Storytelling

Silence. In Underground City, every household's doors and windows are tightly closed; even those with unfinished tasks move quietly, and no one makes loud noises. On his way back to the safe house, Rosen saw a child who was walking too fast—his foot had been pierced by a discarded piece of iron, yet he gritted his teeth and did not cry out. All the soldiers near the city wall were mobilized and placed on high alert. "What is happening here?" Back in the safe house with its walls of copper and iron, Rosen couldn't help but ask. It was too eerie, like a silent city. "Is this your first time on Lantis Island?" Lisa asked, with Natalie by her side. Natalie was especially interested in these two outsiders, and the anger she had previously felt toward Rosen vanished after he mentioned a few details about the outside world. Moreover, after learning that pirates are the sworn enemies of the Marines, she began clamoring to become a pirate—even though Rosen had explained that pirates are nothing but murderous looters, her mind was made up. "Yes." Rosen nodded. There was nothing to hide. "On Lantis Island at night, monsters spread out in large numbers from the cracks. It is their active, foraging time; by keeping noise to a minimum, you can lower the chances of an encounter," Lisa said coolly. For them, this way of life was long accustomed. "Has your life always been like this?" Pitas couldn't help but ask. How can one bear living every day in constant fear and uncertainty? "This is the Lantis world. Most outsiders don't know this; tonight, many more people will likely die. The Marines know, but they won't fare any better. Rest well, and if tomorrow you insist on coming with us to the demon lands to gather food, I hope you won't cause any trouble. We will stick to our agreement and help you find that person while collecting food..." Lisa stood up; she had other things to do. She had come mainly to confirm that the terms of the agreement had not changed due to Alice's recent actions. However, she did not approve of Rosen joining them in the demon lands, but since he was insistent, she had no choice but to include him. His strength was indeed impressive, but in the demon lands power alone wouldn't solve everything; tomorrow they might have to send a few warriors to take care of him. Fortunately, Alice had returned, and the city's combat strength was now sufficient. "Tell me another story about pirates or adventures," Natalie said, swinging her little short legs on the chair, unafraid of Rosen. Pitas found this strange, because by all accounts, this Shichibukai did not appear to be a good person—and judging by his actions on Frans Island, he would unquestionably be a villain. Does this talkative little brat not fear being slapped away? Anyway, Pitas hardly dared to speak to Rosen; ever since he arrived on the island, apart from serving as a guide at the beginning, he had become nothing more than a mascot, merely for display and utterly useless. "That's enough, go rest," Rosen immediately replied. "You haven't eaten yet, right? I'll give you some dried fish if you tell me a story," Natalie said, her face full of tender affection as she took out a piece of salted dried fish wrapped in beast hide. The small dried fish was not large, but it was a rare treat. Last year, it was still possible to occasionally catch some sea fish or seafood by the shore. But ever since humanoid sea monsters began appearing in the ocean, marine life near the island had sharply declined. This dried fish was something she had caught during a reconnaissance mission over half a month ago. Not wanting to eat it all, she dried it out and saved it, only tearing off a little piece now and then to appease her craving, because fish was her favorite food—and it was also her final rations. In Underground City, food was strictly controlled; each day, only a small portion was allotted. Today, they received only a tiny piece of beast meat; tomorrow, there might be nothing at all. Seeing Natalie like this, Rosen glanced at her and felt too guilty to look any longer, a sense of guilt arising. Gazing into her tender, reluctant little eyes, he felt both amused and a bit sorrowful. He was not one to become sentimental easily—after all, as someone accustomed to life-and-death battles, his heart was usually hardened. But at this moment, he found himself contemplating many things. The darkness in this world far exceeded his imagination; there were too many tragedies, not only from the great age of pirates but also caused by those in power. To the nobles, countless lives and deaths were nothing more than an after-dinner amusement. He had once believed that the Celestial Dragons seen in the Sabaody Archipelago epitomized evil and tyranny, but in comparison, his own misdeeds were trivial; what now existed was true, great evil. And right before him was an entire nation, its darkness even seeping into the next generation, casting an oppressive gloom. It cannot be denied that everyone yearns for a prosperous and beautiful life—even the adventurous pirates. When they arrived in a new place, they preferred living in busy cities rather than struggling on an island akin to an end-of-the-world scenario. "Keep the dried fish for yourself. Eat fish every day until you're sick of it—I'll tell you only one story, and when it's finished, get out. For the next ten hours, I don't want to hear your voice, got it?" Rosen pulled out a cigar, hesitated for a moment, then put it back. Natalie's independent behavior almost made Rosen forget that she was just an eight-year-old. "Absolutely fine." Not speaking to him for ten hours would be easy enough. Because soon, she would have to get ready to patrol the city walls—and without her own sensing ability, her older siblings found it very inconvenient. She was the town's informant; everyone relied on Natalie. How nice, hehe. Thinking this, she carefully rewrapped the dried fish and stored it away. But before wrapping it, she tore off a small piece, divided it into three tiny portions, then ran out to get a few cups of water—one for each—and then sat upright with a sense of solemnity, just like an exemplary student, her ears perked up. "This is a story about the Golden Land..." Rosen had tried to get rid of Natalie before, but she just wouldn't listen; if you scolded her, she'd fight you as if she didn't care about dying. Rosen still couldn't bring himself to do it. After a moment's thought, he realized he didn't really dislike her, so he let it be; it was harmless. Besides being talkative, Natalie was quite endearing—clever, sensible, and she even knew that Rosen sometimes got information from what she said. She didn't deliberately withhold anything, which made Rosen feel somewhat embarrassed. His urge to send her away was largely due to this reason. Rosen didn't know many stories, especially about this world; upon reflection, the only one that truly sparked the imagination was Shandora's Land of Gold story. It was originally a story collection, but it seemed Natalie didn't know that. Once the story was underway, Natalie eagerly asked, "So where did the Golden Land end up? You said that the descendants of that man are searching for the Golden Land on Gaia Island—will they find it? Has it sunk to the bottom of the sea?" Pitas had once read that story in a collection, though its protagonist was considered a fraud. But from what Rosen implied, it seemed that the Golden Land might actually exist. Could that be possible? If it truly exists, who knows how many people would go mad over it. (End of Chapter) ========================================================= DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).