3 EXTENSIVE VOYAGE (1/2)

Inside the kitchen room of Lirzod's house. It was an extravagant room that had a separate storage section embedded on one side of it.

”I don't want dried meat. It's stinkier than my sweat,” Lirzod tried to pursue Primera into not packing dried meat in his luggage for the imminent journey.

”Like it or not, Young Master, this lasts longer than your vapid fruits, and give lots more calories as well,” Primera forcibly stuffed the meat packets into his bag. ”These sorts of food will help you greatly in the journey. Who knows what kind of food will be available on that Extensive Voyage...” Despite her words, he pulled the packets out and put them aside. She stared at him in a bate, before grabbing them again, and put them back in the bag. Lirzod took them out of the bag, and she was forced to take it from him and put inside again. Lirzod did it again, but this time, he hid the packet behind him and didn't let her take it. Despite her glares, he didn't back down.

”Should I put Johr instead of that?” She glanced at the stack of bread packets lying nearby, at the wall.

”No, no, not that!” Lirzod put forward the meat packet in double-quick time before she picked up the Johr package.

”At least let him pack a hundred apples,” Duera barged into the room, carrying a cover full of freshly harvested apples. ”Journey at sea might be tougher than I can imagine.” Seeing the apples, Lirzod felt somewhat relieved.

He whispered in her ears, ”Did you get the groundnuts for me?” She almost got tickled by his lips.

”I'm sorry, Young Master. I sneaked in, but that Tigress was inside the home,” She replied in a low tone. ”All I could do was fetch a few kilos of these.” Her gaze shifted towards the tiny black cover that hanged at her waist. ”These will be a kilo at best.”

”Hmm, thanks,” After a quick inspection, he was somewhat relieved.

”No problem, Young Master. Though I couldn't get fresh stock, I still made my useless father buy a fifty-kilo package on yesterday's evening itself.”

”Oh, that's great!” Lirzod was elated. ”I'll be sure to bring you great stuff when I come back. Just wait.”

”He-he, I'll look forward to that,” She leaned closer and murmured to him. ”Just make sure to bring me an extra item than the number you bring to her.”

”Sure thing,” Lirzod nodded.

Primera who was packing the luggage coldly glanced at them both. (I can hear you both.) She sneakily put a Johr package in between two dresses and stuffed them in the luggage.

”And by the way, I asked Trirera, but she said she wanted nothing,” Duera exposed both of her palms.

”That's too bad. I guess I'll bring her something of my own choice then.”

”I'm not sure if she'll take it or not.”

”If she doesn't take it, I'll just irritate her until she takes it.”

”He-he, good plan.”

”Good plan?” Primera didn't know whether to laugh or cry. ”Have you both ever seen her give a damn about what you two do?”

”W-Well, we will do what we can.”

”Try your best then. I'm not wishing good luck though.”

”Hmph, who wants your luck?”

Sparks flew between Primera and Duera for a brief moment.

Duera was the second highest authorized among maids, only after Primera. These women were the clan's maids and standardly, they were as many as the number of primary families that made up the clan. Unlike Primera, Duera was even shorter and petite. Despite her looks, she was many years older than Lirzod.

Being the top maids of the clan, Primera, Duera, and Trirera only worked for the three clan heads' families.

”Also, add hundred Phoenix Fruits,” Lirzod pointed his finger at the package that contained the Phoenix Fruits.

”Hundred?” Primera startled. ”Our clan only buys a thousand of them per month, and you want ten percent of it? Stop dreaming, Young Master.”

”This is my order.”

”Politely rejected.”

”Please, please,” Lirzod came closer and rubbed her chin, and Duera also joined and pulled her cheeks.

”You two...” Primera, though initially showed resistance, later eventually sighed. ”Alright, fine. But, if someone asks, I won't cover up for any of you two.”

”Fine,” Lirzod laughed. (I will have left by that time anyway). He looked at the garden through the open windows. ”Where's Gouse? She didn't come for breakfast yet.”

”S-She probably went out to bring a gift for you,” Duera said, looking down with a blank expression.

”Geez, she's putting an unnecessary burden on herself. She knows I won't take her along for such a journey.”

Duera stayed silent.

”You know her persistence,” Primera said and gave a duping smile.

”You're right. She was already in a temper last night, for not bringing her to the party. If I refuse her request again, she'll look for a different owner.”

Tears leaked out of Duera's eyes, while she hid her face and wiped off the tears.

”Maybe she's sulking in some street,” Primera said, coming in between those two.

”You may be right. I'll go and check for her once,” He was about to go, but then he saw Duera taking the luggage out. He came and plucked the luggage off her shoulders and carried it all by himself. Though Duera tried to get the luggage back, he simply refused to let her win. They both headed out into the streets quarreling like a cat and mouse.

At Pudota's family house, a crest of golden crab could be seen on their dresses worn by workers that were doing their daily chores. The location of their home in the entire street was where the business thrived. Businesses of all sorts from food products to fabrics and all sorts of infrastructure could be seen in the street, all of which kept it busy for the entire day.

On the lawn of his house, not just humans, but also squirrels could be seen working together with them. They helped break different sorts of nuts from their shells and stacked them in basins. The other workers poured the nuts from the basins into woven cover packages.

Experienced squirrels worked together and carried packages in groups. If an outsider who visited the town for the first time, watched this incident, it would be weird if he wasn't left in wonderment.

Allda Pudota was resting sideways on his swinging bed with Pentera blowing a worn-out fan for him. ”There's no movement in the winds today.” He removed a couple of his shirt buttons and tried to welcome as much air onto skin as possible. ”I guess I'll smoke once the winds cool down a bit. I can't feel much air coming from your side, Pentera... Blow it harder!”

”I'm sorry, Master. But I'm already doing my best,” Pentera raised her eyebrows. Having just had a shower, her long orange hair danced in the wind and glowed as bright as the morning sun, and made her appear a lot more beguiling. Her hand movements appeared so refined, which only showcased her experience. Her presence alone brought sunshine to the lawn. She was such a stunner. ”This fan is twenty-three years old. So it's four years older than me. It's time, we —”

”Enough! That fan is not just any fan. It's my lucky fan. Other than my family, you are the only person I gave the privilege to hold onto it. So, stop sulking over it and do as I say.”

”Yes,” she pouted. Every day, most people passing by the house would chuckle at her for using such a fan as that. Even a poor person of the clan would be using a better fan than the one she held in her hand. (Twenty three years... Not even marriages are lasting that long these days. When will I get to hold another fan other than this awful one?) Wearing homely clothes, she appeared appealing, thanks to her transparent eyes and a round face. She was the only clan maid who was known for her stylish nails, which she looks after with great care. She might not comb her hair every day, but she wouldn't forget to polish her nails, not even a single day. Even though Allda himself ordered her to change that habit of hers, but it wasn't effective in the long run of things.

A fat boy holding a bag full of sweet potatoes walked in, ”Father, is it true that the Scarface dared to take the test?”

”Yes. In which hole were you living all this while?” Allda shook his head in distress. ”Both of you are only one year apart in age, and you are more intelligent than that brat, but because of your piggy appearance, I couldn't even ask the clan leaders to consider a ticket for you.”

”I-I was just playing with Sasha.” (I just got this physique from your genes, father. If you want to blame someone, first blame yourself.)

”That hooker again? She's twice as old as you,” Allda knitted his brows, ”Don't waste your time with her.”

”I'm not stupid enough to listen to her requests, father. I'm just enthralled by her charm, that's all.”

”That charm itself can swallow all of our assets if you aren't careful,” Allda lit up a cigar using the burning end of a ripe, He took a couple whiffs, before resuming, ”Since you're my only son, all of my wealth will be yours one day. But if you keep buying things for hookers, there will come a time when I'll kick you out myself.”

”I won't let that situation befall to me,” He knelt, with a frown on his face. ”I, Tarqa promises that I will become the martial child of our clan.”

”Oh, is that a baseless claim, or..”

”I recently met with a member of Hollowford clan,” He pulled out a green card from inside the gaps between his shirt buttons.

”That is...” Allda's eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed hold of the card and took a closer look. After reading what's painted on it, his eyes turned rounder as well. ”The entrance card of the Shatterfist Sect. Wasn't it ranked around two thousand and five hundred?” He looked up at Tarqa in bewilderment.

”A little below that.”

”How in the world you get your hands on this thing?”

”Through a friend.”

”Is he trustworthy?”

”For now, yes.”

A capricious smile occupied Allda's face as he lifted his son up by his shoulders. ”Why didn't you tell me this sooner? So you were on the money all this time... Ha-ha-ha!”

”I was just waiting for the right time,” Tarqa said and showered a similar smile.

”You've done great, Young Master. I'm really proud of you,” Pentera was in a frenzy of delight. ”Now, you will climb far too high for that Bare Butt to ever reach you. You will become the most popular guy in the clan. There will be no looking back for you.”

”Hm-hu, you are absolutely spot on, Pentera,” Tarqa's nose appeared to have grown twice as big in the past few seconds.

”But aside from all that... When's the party, Young Master?”

Tarqa's shoulders jerked. He glanced at her and sighed. ”You and your fetish for parties... When will stop lusting over them?”

”Please, Young Master. This is the biggest occasion of your life. How do you think our family will look if we didn't throw at least half as grand a party as the one the clan heads threw last night?”

Tarqa's heart skipped a beat for a moment. He slowly turned his head and looked at his father.

”Ha-ha, fine. I'm in a good mood,” Allda appeared to be in the seventh heaven, and he even forgot to take a whiff from the cigar, since he heard the news. ”Let's have it tomorrow night.”

Pentera almost blissed out from hearing that.

Tarqa looked into the distance. ”I can't wait to see the Scarface react when he hears the news of me getting an entrance ticket to such a high ranked sect...”

The beam on Allda's face instantly vanished. ”Son...”

”Hmm?” Tarqa just became conscious of the fact that something was off. His father who should be so satisfied and be walking on air after hearing the news, instead, he acted a lot more reservedly than he was looking forward to. And he couldn't get his head around the reason that could realize such a thing.

”Regarding the chosen sect of this year... Do you not know what it is?”

”Oh yeah,” Tarqa startled. ”I totally forgot about that. But, no. I was busy with, you know. So... Which sect did they announce? I'm sure it's a little lower than three thousand in the rankings. Is it the Bronzebow Sect, or the Eyeslinger Sect?”

”Son, that is... How should I say it...”?

”C'mon father, what are you taking this long for? Don't tell me, you don't even remember the name they announced?” Tarqa chortled, which only deepened Allda's frown. ”Have they chosen such a 'bottom of the pile' sect this time?” Placing his hands on his waist, he laughed in a gleeful way, a second time.

”No, son,” Allda turned away, unable to show his face to his son. ”They chose something that the likes of us can never choose.” His face grew solemn, while Tarqa's expression turned weary, ”This year's chosen sect is Shambala Sect.”

Tarqa's face froze, and the parcel that's full of potatoes, which hanged by his fingers, slipped and fell. Pentera handed the fan to Tarqa and stopped down to put the potatoes back in the parcel and picked them up at full speed. ”W-What... Say that again!”

”You heard it right, son.”

”You mean, the... THE SHAMBALA SECT? The illustrious sect that spreads across hell, earth and the heavens?”

”... Yes.” In recent years, Allda's face never turned ashen to such an extent, as it did at the moment. His throat almost couldn't spew out that single word, that held the weight of an immeasurable act behind it.

”C'mon, don't joke with me, father!”

Allda didn't speak, rather, he couldn't. Tarqa took a look at Pentera and she nodded. ”What master said is true, Young Master.”

”That... That can't be true. How... H-How can they?” He almost pulled his hair. All his efforts seemed worth less than the worthless, after everything he heard.

Allda who's still turned away placed his arms on his back. ”It is true and we must digest it all by ourselves.”

”This...” Tarqa's eyes enlarged further, to the point they began to throb. ”This is partiality!” The burning sensation in his stomach twisted his intestines, which made his hands make a separating move, that tore apart the fan in his hands. ”Who don't I get such partiality and preference shown by the clan heads?” He almost lost his balance and fell sideways.

Allda turned back at full tilt and grabbed hold of his son. ”Tarqa! I know it hurts, but worry not.” He made his falling son, to stand stiff and straight. ”Be calm and think for once. It's impossible for those three to pass the Sect Test of the Shamabala Sect. If they don't return, the clan head position is likely to change heads. Then it will either come to me or to Syam, hoping that Fidelis wouldn't get in our way. If you did something worth noting in the Sect Test of the Shatterfist Sect, then I will without a doubt become a Clan Head, if not the Clan Head.”

”That's right,” Tarqa tried to reassure himself. ”There's no way that he can come back from such a top-level test. His doom is certain. Everything is progressing quite faster than like how I wanted.”

”It is, but trust me, only good days are ahead of us!” Allda began to laugh out loud.

Pentera came closer to give the potatoes to Tarqa when her eyes laid on the torn fan. Her entire heart felt like escaping out through her throat, as her gaze locked at Tarqa, who also was in a fright after noticing what had happened, and hid the fan behind his back in a haste.

”Hmm?” That sudden movement of Tarqa attracted Allda's attention. ”Is everything on the money?”

”Y-Yes, father.” (Shit, I'm done for.) ”E-everything's on the money. Everything's just fine.”

”Yes, Master Allda,” Pentera also voiced from her end.

”Everything... Really?”

”Yes, father!”

”What are you hiding behind your back?” Allda's eyes darted straight towards his hand that concealed something out of Allda's view.

”T-They are potatoes!”

”Potatoes?” Allda shot a glance at Pentera, who was still holding the potato packet. ”She's holding those. Ha-ha, what are you hiding there? Enough of this 'keeping me off the money' thing, and show me that stuff you are trying so hard to put out of my sight.”

”T-That's...” Sweat had long soaked the skin on Tarqa's face and neck.

”Master, it's time for breakfast,” Pentera's stepped closer. ”The food might go cold.”

Allda raised his hand, stopping her. ”The food can wait” His stare didn't turn away a degree from where Tarqa was. ”First, let me see what he's holding.” (It better be something not related to that swine, Silver Pin Sasha.)Controlling his welling aggravation, he came to Tarqa and put his hand behind him, and softly pulled what's in his hand. And what came out — the fan, which almost got split in two and suspended in air as such — shook him to the core, and spread the pain which sunk his heart all the way to the stomach and forced its way down further through the intestines, and beyond. All the pleasantness in his face evaporated and he glared at Tarqa with whitened visage. ”You imbecile!” With a wave of his hand, he slapped him so hard that Tarqa's head twisted and even his neck muscles made popping sounds. Allda himself felt significant pain in his hand, but the gushing anger brought forth by the raging blood, blinded him from all that he would be bothered with if he was in a quotidian mood.

That slap made every worker in the house stop in their tracks. The squirrels, however, just continued their work as if nothing worth noticing happened.

When Tarqa looked back at his father, tears appeared in his eyes and his cheek turned blood red. ”I'm sorry, father.”

”Get lost from my face, you good-for-nothing fathead!” Allda shouted out of his lungs.

Tarqa's tears only intensified as he turned back and ran out of the home, his heart becoming heavier and heavier by the second.

”My precious fan...” Allda wasted no time and he began to walk into the house, ”I hope this can be stitched to make it look new.”

Pentera followed him inside, at her own pace. (Thank god... That worthless fan finally got its expiry date fixed. Or should say, Thank Tarqa?) She began to laugh on the inside.

At Yerram's family house.

Syam was fuming from indignation. ”They didn't pay heed to my advice. Those three fools think they can win the Sect Test? That thought itself would be the joke of the millennium.”

A fifteen-year-old pink haired girl walked into the room. Though she wore clothes that were easy on the eyes and didn't stand out, she looked as salubrious as the Spring itself. She was so healthy that the pinkish glow subtly appeared everywhere over her pale skin — face, hands, legs, chest, neck, and shoulders. Even rabbits would envy the natural sheen her skin had. ”Father, I don't get why you stay in this clan when you don't like its ways.”

”Megha...” Syam glanced at his daughter who sat beside him. ”You are too young to know the ways of the world.”