Chapter 69: Books
Dawn. The Forgotten Forest.
Little Can stood on a tree branch, its ice-blue eyes gleaming strangely in the darkness.
It surveyed the surrounding swaying leaves and branches, silently calculating the effects of the current wind speed, wind force, and branch flexibility…
Of course, this entire calculation process took less than half a second.
The moment the wind stopped, Little Can pushed off with its hind legs, leaping out like a streak of light.
This black flash skimmed across the canopies of dozens of towering trees nearby.
The wind picked up again.
From the wind stopping to the wind starting, the time elapsed was often imperceptible even to humans.
But for Little Can, it was long enough.
It landed back on the original branch.
It half-closed its eyes, quietly watching the branches it had just traversed.
One second, two seconds, three seconds later, some trees crashed in half, some remained unscathed, and some had branches cleanly sliced off…
All the results were consistent with Little Can’s initial calculations.
Little Can licked its paw.
Very good. Its mastery of “scratching” had become even more proficient.
If it continued to practice, it could become stronger.
Little Can flicked its tail and started running towards the Pioneer’s Cabin.
If Chu Jiu woke up in the middle of the night and found it wasn’t there, he would worry.
Little Can had learned about its “special connection” with Lu Qingyan on the last snowy night.
It turned out that this black-clad man it had never met, this human with ice-blue eyes like its own, this ability user who occasionally made Chu Jiu look sad, was actually someone it summoned.
…He seemed very strong.
But what if it couldn’t summon him one day?
And Chu Jiu also said that Lu Qingyan’s ability had limitations and couldn’t appear for long periods.
Instead of hoping for that human to protect Chu Jiu, it was better to hone its own skills.
…Letting anyone else protect Chu Jiu wasn’t as reliable as doing it itself.
Little Can thought to itself.
*
Morning.
The snow in Bean Village had already melted.
The diligent villagers all came out of their houses.
Those who repaired farm tools repaired farm tools, those who turned the soil turned the soil, those who repaired irrigation ditches repaired irrigation ditches…
Spring plowing was coming soon, a very busy season that couldn’t be neglected in the slightest.
The old Village Chief walked to the window, looking at the neighbors whose faces were filled with smiles and whose whole bodies exuded joy, and let out a soft breath.
He returned to the inner room, took out a set of formal clothes he hadn’t worn for many years from the large wooden cabinet, and put them on piece by piece.
There was no mirror in the house.
The old Village Chief, having changed his clothes, walked to the water tank and looked at his reflection in the water:
Sigh, he was truly an old man now.
His face was full of wrinkles, and he had lost two teeth.
However, these clothes were quite good.
After so many years, apart from the shoulders being a bit tight and the buttons on his stomach not fastening, the rest fit well.
The old Village Chief cleared his throat twice and readjusted his bow tie in front of the reflection.
Having tidied everything up, the old Village Chief touched the inner pocket of his chest, confirmed that the “key” was safely tucked away, nodded subconsciously, and said to himself, “It’s time…”
*
The old Village Chief found Aman again and gave him instructions one by one, from “ask Uncle Reg for help if anything happens” and “go to Grandpa Du’s house for meals” to “don’t forget to practice writing on the wooden board” and “you are the oldest among these kids now, you have to urge them to practice writing.”
After nagging everything once, he leaned on his cane and, supported by Aman, slowly walked towards the village entrance.
He met several villagers along the way.
When everyone saw the old Village Chief dressed so formally, they were first puzzled, then asked questions—
After they learned that the old Village Chief was going to “hand over the key,” they either exclaimed “Ah!” or nodded repeatedly.
Finally, everyone silently followed behind the old Village Chief until they saw him off to the carriage at the village entrance.
Chu Jiu, Douglas, and the current ability user patrol team leader, Lauren, were already waiting in the carriage.
Chu Jiu and Lauren helped the old Village Chief into the carriage, and Douglas drove the carriage out of the village.
*
This time, Chu Jiu was going to Sea Moon City to return books.
The two volumes of the “Compilation of Laws” he had borrowed from Old He were supposed to be returned within six months, and six months had already passed.
Chu Jiu had originally planned to return the books together when the “sugarcane” was cultivated and he took the mass-produced sugar to the “Gem Sugar Shop.”
But Douglas found him that day and asked him to produce another 50 bottles of “cough syrup,” saying they were to be sent to Sea Moon City.
Moreover, not only was Douglas going, but even the old Village Chief, who hadn’t left Bean Village for a long time, was also going to Sea Moon City to “handle an important matter.”
Chu Jiu thought that the old Village Chief might need help on the way, and his infinite backpack could be useful, so he took the initiative to go along.
The carriage hadn’t gone far when Lauren, who was more talkative than Douglas, asked the old Village Chief with a smile, “Old sir…”
Old Village Chief: “Please speak.”
Lauren: “It’s like this, my sister’s child is nine years old this year.”
“This kid is quite naughty…”
“When he was little, my sister wanted to teach him to read, but he was lazy and couldn’t sit still for even a minute.”
“As a result, he’s nine years old now and still can’t write his own name…”
“Actually, my sister and her family are all quite capable, but they’re a bit worried about this child…”
“I told them that the old Village Chief of Bean Village has taught several children to read in his spare time. For example, our former captain Douglas’s child is now learning to read with the old Village Chief.”
“My sister wanted to ask, if they moved to the village… would you mind if the nine-year-old is too old, and could you also teach him…”
The old Village Chief’s expression was very calm: “Nine years old isn’t old at all.”
“Just send him over when the time comes.”
“I don’t teach very formally—just help them recognize a few characters.”
Lauren’s eyes lit up with joy, just like the day he got the dwarf beastman’s octopus ink, his face radiant, and he kept repeating, “Good, good, good,” “Sorry for the trouble…”
Chu Jiu listened with some curiosity.
The old Village Chief teaching children to read in the village was something he had always known.
Like Aman, Grandpa Du had sent Aman over because he hoped the old Village Chief could teach him.
Like Mary and the others, Irene had said before that Mary could learn to read with the old Village Chief, so they had to stay in Bean Village longer.
…How come it sounded like “teaching to read” was a very scarce and rare thing? As rare as the dwarf beastman’s octopus ink?
*
Considering there was an elderly person in the carriage, Douglas deliberately slowed down.
Despite this, after being jostled in the carriage for a whole morning, fatigue was evident on the old Village Chief’s face.
Douglas and Lauren simply found a safe area with few monsters, stopped the carriage, and helped the old Village Chief down to eat some dry food and rest for a while.
Looking at the old man’s obvious struggle to keep up, Chu Jiu couldn’t help but secretly ask Douglas what important matter the old Village Chief had that required such a strenuous trip to Sea Moon City.
Douglas said, “The old Village Chief is going to ‘deliver the key’.”
Chu Jiu: “…Key?”
Because this word was so unfamiliar, Chu Jiu was stunned for a few seconds before he remembered:
Right, last year when he had just arrived in Bean Village and encountered the merchant tearing up the agreement, the old Village Chief had said, “If there’s really no other way, we’ll give the key to the City Lord of Sea Moon City.”
At that time, the villagers seemed to say… “There’s no need,” “Maybe we can get through this.”
Chu Jiu hadn’t known what the “key” was then, and he still didn’t know now.
Douglas explained, “This key is indeed a key. Made of brass, with the City Lord of Sea Moon City’s private seal engraved on it.”
“Actually, the material and shape of this key aren’t important—what’s important is that the City Lord promised the old Village Chief that as long as he brought the key to the City Lord in the future, the City Lord would give him a sum of ‘funds sufficient to cope with the current difficulties’.”
Chu Jiu: “Difficulties?”
Douglas said seriously, “Little Jiu, about ten new households have recently come to the village. Some of these families have some savings and want to do business in the village, while others are so poor they can’t afford to eat and moved here after hearing that the village provides seeds, land, and farm tools without taxes.”
“The old Village Chief and I can only ask the patrol team to verify that they are all honest and upright people, but we can’t conjure up so much resettlement money.”
Chu Jiu said anxiously, “I have some…”
Douglas directly interrupted him, “Little Jiu, you’ve already put in a lot of effort and done enough. You’re young, and you’ll need money for many things in the future. We can’t let you pay for the village.”
“Spring plowing is about to begin. Just like we planned before, if this spring plowing goes smoothly and ensures the soybean yield, and if we plant the cotton and sugarcane you mentioned, Bean Village won’t have to worry this year, and this foundation will be laid.”
“So no matter what, we must hold onto this spring plowing.”
“That’s what the old Village Chief thinks. He plans to use this key that he’s kept for so many years.”
“He said, ‘In the past, when I thought about using this key to exchange for money, I always felt it was “helping the poor” and worried that it would be gone after using it. But this time it’s “emergency relief.” As long as we use it well, we won’t be poor forever.'”
After listening, Chu Jiu was silent for a long while and said with emotion, “Indeed…”
“The old Village Chief thinks far ahead…”
Speaking of this, a bit of curiosity rose in his heart again: Did this old Village Chief have dealings with the City Lord of Sea Moon City?
And he had been a little puzzled before: why in such a dilapidated, remote, and materially scarce village, would the Village Chief be such a kind, upright idealist who would even be bullied by unscrupulous merchants?
This was a rare type even on Earth…
Chu Jiu voiced his doubts.
Douglas sighed softly, “Little Jiu, did you know that the old Village Chief used to live in Sea Moon City?”
Chu Jiu shook his head repeatedly.
Even Little Can on his shoulder tilted its head curiously.
Douglas whispered, “The old Village Chief, Chang Sheng, used to work at the church academy in Sea Moon City in his early years.”
“Ah, Little Jiu, you might be young and haven’t heard the word ‘academy’ before?”
Chu Jiu quickly said, “I’ve heard of it.” He had heard too much about it on Earth. What, in this world, was “academy” also a rare word?
Douglas: “At that time, the Village Chief wasn’t this old. Besides preaching the teachings, he would teach the children of Sea Moon City to read and do arithmetic for free.”
“Because he taught so well, many people, even those who didn’t believe in the church or didn’t care about the church’s constant preaching, wanted to send their children to the academy.”
“But after a while… the association issued a decree in the name of the royal family, saying that these academies, whether run by the church or privately, were not conducive to ‘benefiting the people’ and should be abolished and absolutely prohibited.”
“The old Village Chief said that if the academies were abolished, how would the children even understand the teachings? The association said it didn’t matter if they couldn’t read, as long as they could understand the teachings and the association’s miracles.”
“The old Village Chief disagreed and had a conflict with the association because of this…”
“At that time, the City Lord of Sea Moon City mediated and settled the matter.”
“After things calmed down, the City Lord of Sea Moon City hoped that the old Village Chief would stay and work under him as a scribe or something similar, so he wouldn’t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.”
“But the old Village Chief didn’t want to live his life like that.”
“He, along with a few of his good friends, decided to leave Sea Moon City and go to the most remote place, where even the association was too lazy to interfere.”
“And so… he became the Village Chief of Bean Village, and Bean Village slowly became what it is today.”
Chu Jiu couldn’t help but exclaim “Ah.”
Douglas didn’t embellish anything, only simply saying “didn’t want to” and “had a conflict.”
But Chu Jiu could imagine how this kind, honest gentleman, without a burly physique or shocking abilities, had stood alone against that group of black robes back then.
He lowered his head, thinking about all the big and small events in Bean Village that made him feel admiration or surprise…
Although the village was poor, everyone was exceptionally friendly and helped each other;
Even though there weren’t many people in the village, they had specially designed a “square market” mechanism to encourage everyone to actively exchange goods;
And those orphans picked up from other villages, those children who went to the old Village Chief’s house every day to learn arithmetic starting from one plus two equals three…
All of this now had an explanation.
Chu Jiu turned his face away.
Little Can quietly snuggled up to him and gently pressed away the tears on Chu Jiu’s face with its small paw.
Chu Jiu said in a voice only he and Little Can could hear, “Little Can…”
“For the first time, I’m glad I came here, to Bean Village.”
“They… will definitely get better.”
*
On the second day after arriving in Sea Moon City, the old Village Chief, dressed neatly and leaning on his cane, went to see the City Lord, accompanied by Douglas.
Chu Jiu brought Little Can to Old He’s residence again—the lonely lighthouse by the sea.
Just like last time, he slipped the parchment letter through the crack in the door, explaining the purpose of this visit inside.
After a while, the door opened.
There was only a letter on the steps, not the other books Chu Jiu wanted to borrow this time.
Chu Jiu opened the letter.
There were only three words in the letter: [Come to the top floor]
Chu Jiu puzzledly put away the letter and stepped onto the stairs.
*
These spiral stairs, built who knew how many years ago, were made of gray-black granite, narrow and steep.
Every few steps, there was an arched stone window facing directly towards the gray-blue sea. White seabirds could be seen flying among the waves, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore and seabirds calling could be heard.
Although the deep winter had passed, the sea breeze was still cold and piercing, making one’s cheeks ache.
Fortunately, Little Can protectively shielded Chu Jiu without a word, using its small body to block the wind blowing head-on.
Knowing he couldn’t pull Little Can away, Chu Jiu could only quicken his pace and quickly climb to the top floor.
The windows on the top floor were closed.
Heavy wooden shutters and thick curtains blocked the sound of the wind and waves outside, as well as the ceaselessly howling cold sea breeze.
But this place could definitely not be considered warm or fresh-smelling.
Although there was no longer the salty, fishy smell of the sea air, there was a strong scent of parchment and ink.
This circular room was lined with bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling on all sides, filled with thick parchment books.
A few candles were sparsely lit on an old-fashioned chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
This dim light was the only source of light in the room.
Beneath the chandelier, a hunchbacked old man wrapped in a woolen robe, his beard almost as long as the robe itself, asked with his hands behind his back, “You are Chu Jiu from Bean Village?”
Chu Jiu hurriedly bowed respectfully: “Greetings, Elder He. Yes, I am indeed a pioneer from Bean Village, Chu Jiu.”
Elder He: “Your village is the one that had Bahart buy the honey, right?”
Chu Jiu had heard Marco mention that the name of the wealthy merchant who had signed the agreement to buy 100 portions of honey was “Bahart.”
Therefore, Chu Jiu still replied respectfully, “Yes.”
Elder He: “And your village is the one that embarrassed the association, right?”
Chu Jiu: “…”
Elder He ignored Chu Jiu’s silence and continued to ask, “I heard you set up a dwarf beastman blacksmith shop?”
Chu Jiu: “Yes, it’s in our village.”
Elder He: “I heard that your village now houses the Feathered Folk?”
Chu Jiu: “Yes.”
Wasn’t it said that this old gentleman had a strange temperament and didn’t see strangers, staying in the lighthouse all day long without going out? How did he know so much?
Elder He changed the subject: “You said you wanted to return the books…”
Chu Jiu: “Yes, yes.”
Elder He: “Have you memorized all the contents of the books?”
Chu Jiu thought for a moment and said, “I don’t remember them well. Precisely because I don’t remember them well, I asked someone to make a fair copy of these two books and left them in Bean Village.”
Elder He suddenly raised his voice: “What? A fair copy?”
“How many people touched my books?”
“Let me tell you, if you damaged even a corner, you wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for it!”
Chu Jiu hurriedly said, “Don’t worry! We were extremely careful and wore gloves when we made the copies. We absolutely did not damage the original books!”
Indeed. Chu Jiu had intentionally asked Marco to find an experienced person in Emerald Town who knew how to protect parchment books. It cost a full 10 silver coins to copy both books, and absolutely not a single drop of ink had spilled on the originals.
Elder He said, “Bring them out and let me see.”
Chu Jiu hurriedly took the books out of his backpack.
Because the books were too heavy, he could only take out one first, and then with great effort, like lifting weights, he held it up for Elder He to inspect.
Elder He only glanced at the cover and didn’t even open it, simply saying, “Put it over there.”
Chu Jiu did as he was told.
Elder He said again, “You said you wanted to borrow books, and they were fairy tales, arithmetic books, and the like.”
Chu Jiu: “Yes…”
Ever since he had heard about the old Village Chief on the way here, Chu Jiu couldn’t help but want to do something more.
Borrowing a few such books suitable for children to take back would make it easier for the old Village Chief to teach, right?
Elder He’s lips stretched into a smile, as if he had recalled something: “I do have such books here.” “Not only do I have them, but I have quite a few.”
“You can borrow them if you want.”
Chu Jiu’s eyes lit up, and he was about to thank the old gentleman when he heard a drawn-out “However…”
However?
Elder He snorted coldly, “I wouldn’t dare lend them to you just like that!”
“You probably want to borrow these books for those dirty, snot-nosed brats.”
“Let them touch my precious books? Absolutely impossible!”
Chu Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. He was about to explain that he could also find someone to make copies and would definitely not damage the books when he heard Elder He say again: “Unless…”
Unless?
Elder He: “Unless you can find a way, a way that allows every child to hold the book themselves to read without damaging my parchment books.”
Chu Jiu: “…Huh?”
Elder He didn’t even bother to explain further and simply made a gesture to see him off:
“You come back to me with your method next time, and I might lend you the books!”
“Until then, don’t even think about it!”
*
Even after leaving the lighthouse, Chu Jiu still felt dazed.
This old gentleman’s temper… was indeed a bit eccentric.
Actually, being careful not to damage these parchment books and finding someone to make copies beforehand would have been enough.
But to achieve “allowing every child to hold them themselves to read”…
Even new copies would still be genuine parchment books.
One had to know that parchment books were all thick and heavy, making it difficult even for adults to turn the pages.
Plus the high cost of parchment…
This wasn’t Earth, where three-year-olds could hold a picture book and look at it while drooling.
Eh, wait…
Reg had said before that the reason why all the books circulating on the market now were parchment books was because “no one knew how ‘paper’ was made anymore.”
It wasn’t that they didn’t want light books that children could hold themselves to read; they just didn’t have the method.
Tsk…
Speaking of which, why didn’t he try to make paper and make books? Wouldn’t that perfectly solve Elder He’s problem?
Yes, he could!
Chu Jiu clenched his fist.
*
Top floor of the lighthouse.
The hunchbacked old man slowly moved to the reclining chair, sat down with some difficulty, and pulled the blanket over himself.
The light in the room dimmed further.
Just as the last remaining candle on the chandelier was about to burn out, a small, almost translucent, round dumpling-like creature poked out from the bookshelf, floated to the chandelier, and lit another candle.
The room immediately brightened up a lot.
The little dumpling floated down and landed on the old man’s lap.
The old man’s thin, bony hand gently stroked the little dumpling and murmured, “Don’t be afraid…”
“Before I go… I will definitely find a new home for you…”
“A new place where you ‘book spirits’ can settle down…”
*
Chu Jiu returned to the inn and waited for a while before the old Village Chief and the others also returned.
The old Village Chief was radiant, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have been ironed out: “Got it, got it!”
“Seeds, farm tools, irrigation ditches, chicken coops… everything is enough!”
It seemed that the City Lord of Sea Moon City was a man of his word and had given the old Village Chief a considerable amount of financial assistance.
Douglas said: “After the old Village Chief told the City Lord about Bean Village’s plans and the recent major events, the City Lord readily gave the money, and even doubled the amount.”
“The only thing is, the City Lord said that if Bean Village successfully produces that kind of sugar, they will take 5% of the profits every year.”
Chu Jiu thought that the City Lord was actually making an investment. For the current stage of Bean Village, it was indeed mutually beneficial.
In any case, this was a big and happy event!
No wonder even Douglas was so excited.
However, besides being excited, Douglas also seemed a bit… nervous?
Perhaps it was the nervousness that came with suddenly receiving a large sum of money.
If three million suddenly appeared in my account, I’d probably be even more nervous than him.
*
After resting for another night in Sea Moon City and Chu Jiu buying some ingredients that Emerald Town didn’t have in the commercial district, the group drove their carriage towards Bean Village.
On the way back, the old Village Chief’s spirit and energy visibly improved.
Even the bumps of the carriage no longer made him so tired.
Clearly, the old man now had only one thing on his mind: protect the spring plowing! Protect the spring plowing!
Although the old Village Chief was eager to return to Bean Village as soon as possible, Douglas and Lauren were afraid of tiring the old man too much, so they chose a place to rest along the way.
The place they chose this time was a “crossroads.”
The crossroads wasn’t a village or a town, but it had a small “road sign” pointing to different forks in the road leading to various villages and towns.
Generally speaking, there wouldn’t be monsters within a ten-meter radius of such a small road sign.
For travelers who hadn’t hired ability users but had to travel, the area around these small road signs was the only place they could stop and rest safely.
Chu Jiu stood under the small road sign, looking up at the blurred words on it:
“Emerald Town…”
“Amber Town…Sea Moon City”
“Black Wheat Village and Bean Village?”
“Huh, this village and ours are in the same direction.”
Lauren came over to explain, “Yes, they’re both south after passing Emerald Town.”
“But that Black Wheat Village hasn’t had any residents for several years. It’s a completely abandoned village now. The weeds inside are probably a meter tall.”
“Not all villages are as resilient as our Bean Village, able to survive various natural disasters and man-made troubles.”
Chu Jiu nodded thoughtfully.
At this moment.
In Black Wheat Village, which Lauren called a “completely abandoned village,” there weren’t any meter-tall weeds.
Instead, soft black soil covered the ashes and ruins.
The surface of the black soil inexplicably had many small holes.
Tiny, green objects crawled out of these holes one after another.
