Chapter 128

#128 Episode: The Scarecrow and the Sky Kingdom (2)

After spilling out a tale, the Old Scholar quietly gathered his breath.

His expression held a mix of relief and a hint of lament.

Sophia asked him, “What do you study in this city? Is it just calculating and verifying the formulas and theories that Elphaba demands?”

“Well, half yes and half no. Back when this old man was spry, I used to solve Elphaba’s spells and conduct other research in my spare time.”

As he reminisced, the Old Scholar’s gaze turned wistful.

“I experimented with turning useless mold into medicine, tried to make clothes from spider silk, and even studied the marital life of flies to suppress their breeding. Most of it was absurd and pointless. But it was fun.”

He sighed as he added, “But those kinds of things require both money and time. Right now, Laputa is too busy researching ‘immediately useful’ technology demanded by the surface, leaving no room for such interesting yet inconsequential research. What can I do when they threaten to drop the island if we don’t comply?”

At the Old Scholar’s lament, Sophia asked, “Wasn’t it Elphaba who handed the weapon to the inhabitants of the surface?”

“Indeed. It was a tower that had the ability to shoot a massive magic spear into the sky.”

“Has that weapon ever actually been used on this sky island?”

“Never. Perhaps it was meant as a threat, purposefully missing. But its power was sufficient to cause tremendous damage to this island.”

“So, every single city on the surface has such a weapon?”

“Precisely.”

“In that case, you can disregard the threats from the surface. They can’t shoot it anyway, and even if they could, it wouldn’t hurt you folks.”

“Hmmm, is that so? … Huh?”

The Old Scholar felt a delay in his understanding. Sophia’s tone and expression were so calm, almost assuring, that he unwittingly accepted the absurdity of her statement.

Before he fully regained his thoughts, Sophia spoke to him.

“I have something I want to convey to the scholars of Laputa. Could you gather a few people? The more, the merrier.”

***

Watching the people gradually gather in the outdoor lecture hall, Sophia suddenly felt nostalgic.

City-state. A societal atmosphere that highly values knowledge and reason. The sight of many scholars passionately discussing and immersing themselves in their theories.

Laputa resembled her old hometown remarkably.

Even to the point of being distorted and oppressed by powerful outsiders.

Perhaps the West Witch knew about Sophia’s hometown and used it as a motif for creating this place.

‘… The positions of the sky and the surface are opposite, though. Or maybe it’s the West Witch’s own kind of humor or sarcasm?’

Sophia suddenly envisioned a country somewhere above the continent, being threatened and struggling under the pressure from surface dwellers.

Indeed, that seemed like quite an amusing scene.

She felt a great regret over the time constraints.

Chit-chat with the city’s scholars about various fields of study, attempt to sow discord among the various cities on the surface, or delve into the Western Witch’s intentions or life through records in this city—all these potentially entertaining activities crossed her mind.

But it couldn’t be helped.

By breaking the golden thread, she avoided negatives, but to create positives for her allies, immediate action was necessary.

After all, if she was going to throw away a card and flaunt, her main duty would be to waste the opponent’s resources and attention extravagantly.

‘Moreover, I’d like to give the witch, who pretends to be heavenly, a run for her money.’

With that thought, the Scarecrow, who loved gods but not the heavens, opened his mouth.

“Thank you all for gathering today. I will never forget the warmth and kindness this city has provided to me, a mere outsider. Thus, I wish to offer you a small token of gratitude. However, before getting to the main point, I’d like to engage you in a light Q&A.”

The scholars had two main reactions.

Half were pleased to hear something nice, while the other half were puzzled by the slightly out-of-the-blue flow of conversation.

“A farmer raises a goose that lays golden eggs. The goose lays an egg every day, which is quite a strenuous process for her.

One day, after getting too tired, the goose complained to the farmer, who, instead of heeding her words, let dogs roam near the goose’s pen.

He then said to the goose, ‘I’ve handed the key that can open our pen to those dogs. If you don’t listen to me or the dogs, they will open the door, come in, and eat you.’

The goose, frightened by the farmer’s threat, continued laying golden eggs without stopping.”

Here, Sophia paused for a moment.

After confirming that the people were paying close attention, she asked, “Now, here’s the question. Can those dogs really eat the goose that lays golden eggs? Yes, you there, the scholar with glasses. Please answer.”

“I think it’s impossible.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because dogs lack the intelligence and wisdom to understand and use the key’s purpose, they can’t open our gate. And even if they had such capability, they wouldn’t harm the goose. A being of such cognitive ability would understand the farmer’s wrath if they harmed the goose.”

“I see. Any other opinions? Yes, you there, the red-haired scholar. Please respond.”

“If I were that farmer, I wouldn’t have given the real key to those dogs in the first place. I’d have handed them a plausible fake to intimidate the goose.”

“Do you have a basis for thinking that way?”

“If the dogs really did eat the goose, I wouldn’t be able to bear the loss. If a goose that lays golden eggs truly exists, its value far exceeds that of a few dogs, so why would I risk it being reduced to mere dog food?”

After that, Sophia posed questions to several more scholars, but the responses were mostly similar.

“If what you’re saying is true, then a goose that lays golden eggs is an invaluable existence, and even if it whines or slacks, the farmer cannot harm the goose. Rather, it’s concluded that if dogs try to harm the goose, the farmer must protect her.”

“Indeed. So, I would like to hear this main point soon.”

“Oh, right.”

Sophia smiled brightly.

“This Laputa is that goose that lays golden eggs. That is my main point, as well as the gift in return for your kindness. I hope you find it satisfactory!”

Silence ensued.

Most were fully focused on understanding what they had just heard, while those who had sensed something amiss during the story were shocked to realize that their suspicions were indeed true.

And the wave of enlightenment swept over them mercilessly.

One young man, who had asked Sophia for her main point, hesitated and stammered, “So, Sophia, you’re saying… those down below are referred to as dogs? That the weapon they’re threatening us with is a key?”

“Yes. And the reason that key is useless is that you have just stated it yourself.”

She stared at the scholars’ faces, their eyes now tinged with perplexity.

“If the surface dwellers were wise, they would never be able to use their weapon beyond mere threats. Even if they were foolish, it wouldn’t matter. After all, Elphaba would never give them proper weapons.”

“But the weapons actually existed! I even saw the scene where they were used!”

“In a situation led by Elphaba, any credible ‘show’ can be staged at will. To instill fear in you, she had to show you the real thing first, after which she could set up a fake and you would instinctively shrink back.”

“Your words are all mere speculation. Do you have any concrete evidence?”

“No. As you said, it’s all conjecture and just wordplay. But isn’t it your job to uncover the truth hidden within that wordplay?”

The scholars murmured among themselves.

“Does that make sense?”

“But logically, it’s not wrong. Ultimately, if something were to happen to us, it would be Elphaba who would incur the loss.”

“It sounds too much like a risky gamble.”

“I wish what she’s saying is true. If we no longer need to bend to the surface dwellers’ tyranny.”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem plausible.”

“Damn it, why did it take me so long to realize this simple thing? I knew all the theories but didn’t recognize that this was my own story; how is this any different from being blind?!”

“Isn’t Elphaba merely a trading partner? Is there really a need to think of her as a villain?”

“A trading partner. But what have we received from her?”

The uproar quickly escalated.

If Sophia had led the story from the beginning, it would have been one thing, but what she had done was merely pose the question, and it was the scholars themselves who provided the answer.

Like a puzzle that had seemed impossible to unravel, suddenly and effortlessly piecing together with just one hint from a bystander. Where the party involved wondered, ‘Why didn’t I realize this?’

Once the previously blocked thoughts were cleared, they unfurled their logic, countered points, and further substantiated their arguments without restraint.

“Well, there’s only one goose, but there are many of us. Even if it’s impossible to harm us all, there’s a good chance some of us could be made examples.”

“To prevent that, we must unite. If everyone acts selfishly with the thought of ‘as long as I’m fine,’ we’ll all be exploited, but united, Elphaba won’t easily touch us.”

Observing that scene, the Old Scholar asked Sophia, “Miss, who on earth are you? The explanation I heard was—”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. It was all a lie from start to finish.”

As Sophia readily acknowledged it, the Old Scholar was rather taken aback.

The woman he merely thought of as his granddaughter now felt like an unfamiliar, enigmatic being.

“Who I am isn’t a significant issue on this island. The spark has already spread, and the rest will be managed by those remaining. If I had a bit more time, we could try a variety of things, but for now, this is my limit.”

“…Miss, you should escape while you still can. Elphaba won’t forgive you.”

“Don’t worry about me. In fact, please sell me out. Trying to protect me will only complicate matters.”

Imagining the people who would hide among the murmuring scholars, Sophia felt like a fisherman who had thrown in a grand bait.

Having stirred up a peculiar commotion in a place that must have been quite significant for the West Witch, she must have been in quite a mess.

Still, to ensure that even more search parties would gather here in Laputa rather than elsewhere, Sophia spoke once more.

“Ah, everyone, I have one more gift! It’s a story about an event from thirty years ago and your ancestors—please listen closely!”

Sophia’s cheerful speech, which had been flowing smoothly, only came to an end after an incredible number of Golden Monkeys forcibly barged in.

It was truly according to plan.