Chapter 621

Chapter 6 Mayor Mese

Coming out of the secret room, climbing the long and ascending stone steps, lifting the cover above my head, I arrived at the simple earthen house. It was only then that I suddenly realized that the place I had just been in was actually a cellar inside a house.

The little girl who led the way pushed the door open and ran out first. I followed her, walking to the outside of the earthen house. The sunlight hanging overhead shone down, and its brightness made me unable to open my eyes for a long time.

“Mm…”

I closed my eyes, hearing the wind whistling by my ears.

Dry wind blew towards me, scorching heat baked my face, warm and invigorating.

A feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Rebirth…

For some reason, this thought emerged from the depths of my consciousness at this moment.

I’m not dead…

I’ve come back to life.

Ha…

“Grandpa—”

Tap, tap, the little girl’s wet shoes made sounds as she hurriedly called out. Her clear footsteps grew farther away. After a while, when I gradually adapted to the brightness of the sunlight, I raised my hand to shield my eyes and half-opened one eye—the desolate town, with its withered yellow buildings, slowly took shape in my field of vision.

It seemed to be nearing dusk.

Crimson sunlight was about to be swallowed by the distant mountains, yet it remained incredibly splendid. Orange light spilled from the west onto the yellow earth, fulfilling its last duty of the day. The yellow earth stretched endlessly before my eyes, illuminated by the light, with almost no trace of green vegetation. Even the distant mountain peaks were bald and yellow.

Occasionally, a few purple, twisted trees stood straight on this barren land, looking like the masterful strokes of a painter, adding a strange beauty to the lifeless scenery.

This was a poor land.

And on such land, a series of simple, earthen houses were scattered haphazardly, standing close by. Some of these houses had walls made of mud, forming courtyards, but much of the mud had fallen off. Sunlight shone through the uneven depressions, revealing wooden racks in the courtyards and coarse cloth clothes hanging on them.

Closer to me was a winding earthen road in front of me. The road was noisy, with people constantly appearing on both sides. An old man sitting in front of a house, smoking a pipe, struggled to his feet, holding his granddaughter who ran past him. He bent over, his cloudy eyes looking at me, filled with shock and helplessness.

“You, you…”

The old man didn’t seem to know what to say. Several men wrapped in long robes and wearing headscarves gathered around him, calling him “Mayor” in dialect. Someone called the little girl over, while another waved at the woman across the road to move away. The rest cast wary glances at me, a mix of wariness and something akin to reverence.

These people looked like residents of this town…

I furrowed my brows deeply.

A… town in the midst of the yellow desert?

This old man was sitting in front of the earthen house earlier, seemingly guarding me. But he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let me out so easily… Or did they think I was some kind of man-eating ghost and were too afraid to do anything?

I couldn’t figure out the current situation…

So I won’t speak for now.

My thoughts raced, and I deliberately furrowed my brows even deeper, keeping a stern expression. My gaze swept over the crowd, finally resting on the old man’s face, staring silently without saying a word.

I’ll wait for them to speak first…

Then I’ll judge the situation.

“Um…”

But everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say. The atmosphere stiffened for a moment, until finally, the old man lowered his guard. He glanced back at the little girl and signaled the others to step back. Then, limping slowly, he approached me.

“Miss… Lady… Miss…”

The old man stopped a few steps away from me, his pipe tucked into his waistband. He hesitated with his words, changing his address to me several times, intending to bow but instead ending up with his right fist on his chest. This made him look neither like a bow nor a salute, standing there awkwardly and uncertainly.

“I am

Cough, cough, Mayor Robert Pallison of Meissner Town has been waiting for your awakening… Uh… We have all been waiting for your awakening. You have slept for too long. Do you need food? If there’s anything you need, please tell me, this old man here. We will try our best to meet your needs… Oh yes, the one who led you here just now is my granddaughter Betty. She is timid. If she has offended you in any way, please forgive her… I will punish her, I will punish her.”

Mayor Robert, named Robert, spoke with a slightly trembling voice, as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat. It was unclear whether it was due to his age or because he was afraid.

While speaking, he kept glancing at me, observing my expression. Seeing that I showed no unusual emotions and seemed expressionless, he felt somewhat relieved, straightened his back, and his weathered old face had a smile, though it looked rather stiff.

“Um… Do you need anything?”

I want delicious food. Bring me all the best food you have!

I wanted to say this, but held back. Quickly going over the old man’s words in my mind, I pretended to be profound and asked him, “Jie li wu…”

Just as I opened my mouth, I immediately closed it again.

Damn it!

Why did I bite my tongue again!?

It might be because I’ve slept for too long and haven’t spoken for a long time. Since I woke up, I didn’t feel like this tongue was mine. It felt like I had just learned to speak, and it was particularly difficult to articulate words.

Even my spirit seemed to have dissipated.

“…Jie li wu?”

Robert the Elder looked bewildered. His helpless eyes turned behind him, hoping someone would understand what I said. They naturally didn’t realize I bit my tongue; they thought it was some demonic language or Abyssal Language. They whispered among themselves for a while, but ultimately all shook their heads slowly.

“Cough, cough!”

I cleared my throat, regaining their attention.

“Jie, li, x… Is this Meissner Town?”

I enunciated each word slowly, trying to keep my voice low—though it still sounded quite childish.

I felt embarrassed and forced a stern look, but the old mayor clearly didn’t dare show any reaction.

He answered honestly, “Yes, Miss, this is Meissner Town in East Continent, Epalista, near the Sand Valley…”

…This really is Meissner Town.

So, this means—

“Who brought me… here?”

I guessed some things in my heart, but still wanted to confirm with the old man.

“It was Miss Eluna.”

As expected, the old man’s answer matched my guess.

The one who could bring me here and had the ability to do so was probably only that woman—how did she escape from the land of dragons!?

No, wait…

That divine body tore open the crack again at the last moment. When the explosion happened, the crack hadn’t completely closed yet…

Robert paused, seeing I wasn’t responding, and continued, “Miss Eluna instructed us to take care of you… Ah, no, she told us to look after you well. She said if you wake up, we should try our best to meet your requests… Of course, you can see, the town’s conditions are limited. Our lives aren’t wealthy. If you want gold, I’m afraid we don’t have much to offer…”

Gold?

What do I need that for?

“She, where?” I interrupted the old man.

“Uh…”

The old man pondered for a moment.

“Miss Eluna… will return soon. She asked me to tell you that she hopes you can stay here and wait for her. When she returns, she will fulfill her promise to you. Also… uh…”

He seemed to be carefully choosing his words, fearing that any phrase might touch on my emotions, speaking with great trepidation, “She said… she should have an unreserved conversation with you. She hopes you can wait for her. When she returns, she will tell you everything… Before then, you can go to the cellar she mentioned, yes… the place you came out of earlier. That’s Miss Eluna’s cellar. She keeps important books and documents there. She hopes you will review them carefully.”