62 NOT FOR ALL (1/2)

”I almost forgot about that,” Lirzod gave a thankful smile to Sean before continuing to speak tenderly, ”Is it possible to create a law that allows us to transfer a small share from the profits betters make from the deck tests to the funds of Cat Home?”

Clear stupor registered on both Sean and Jehez's face before they could hide it, and then they exchanged looks of wonder.

Holding back his breath, Lirzod hesitantly stated, ”If the percentage is low, like maybe ten, it should be all right.”

”No, it's not!” Jehez blurted out while uncertainty still washed Sean's face white. Having irritation infect his mind, Jehez's eyes made it clear that he could no longer stand the sound of Lirzod's voice. ”You think the greedy betters would willingly give away their money for the cats? How naive! Even people with mental issues won't easily agree to that.”

Lirzod still looked at Sean as if waiting for an answer. Seconds passed, but only an awkward silence responded. A pinched expression crept on Lirzod's face, and the corners of his mouth turned down, ”Is it too much to ask for?”

”I'm sorry,” Sean's face appeared to have lost some amount of honor. ”You are not the first one who has wished to help the cats, but you are the first who've proposed to enforce a rule like this. In all honesty, I would be pleased to help you, but it won't be easy to bring this rule into action.” He stared downward for a moment before casting a glance on Lirzod. ”Since this matter concerns both the hollows and the entries, we'll also have to implement a voting poll to see how many are in favor of the change.”

”Voting?” Lirzod was confounded. ”Can anyone take part in it?”

”Anyone on or above the twelfth deck,” Sean put up a bright smile. ”If the required minimum number of votes are cast and more than fifty percent of those votes are in your favor, it's likely that the new rule gets enforced.”

”But…” Lirzod bit his lower lip, ”Bettors will certainly vote against this rule.” He slammed his hand on his thigh, for he now understood the meaning behind Jehez's words and cast a glance at him, but Jehez had a broad grin on his face that exposed every single tooth. Lirzod's face lost a bit of color in consequence. ”I don't get it. Why is there a need for voting?All it does best is complicate things.” His voice already sounded somewhat hopeless.

”Yes,” Sean nodded and then sighed. ”That's why I say you don't put much hope on it.”

”Hmph,” Jehez softly snorted and continued playing the grin on his bristle. ”I'd say it's useless even to try, commander. Besides, no one on this deck or the higher decks even know this guy, except for maybe the ones in this hall right now.”

Lirzod couldn't suspend the chagrin off his face. Though he was trying to have a conversation with Sean, Jehez always kept on intervening, and it eventually got on Lirzod's nerves. He exchanged cold stares with Jehez for a moment before suddenly pointing his finger at his face, ”Oh look, there's something on your face.”

”Mm?” Jehez searched his face with the hand, ”Where?”

”Under the nose.”

”Is it the snot?”

”No, it looks like... blackgrass, I think.”

”Blackgrass?” Jehez's brows drew together as he placed his finger on his mustache. ”You mean this?”

”Oh yeah, that's the one,” Lirzod's voice contained exhilaration. ”Just rip that grass out.”

Traces of anger surged within Jehez's eyes as his fingers slid over the mustache, ”Don't call this grass. Call this mustache!”

”It's a mustache?” Lirzod turned his head away abruptly as if he was unimpressed. ”It looked so weird I thought it was something else.”

”You little…” Jehez felt the rage rising in the chest.

”Just kidding.” Lirzod giggled. ”But for real, yours is uncool, unlike the commander's mustache. Compared to his mustache, your grass-stricken one is just...”

Jehez's stomach grew in sourness. ”Such insolence when you don't even have a mustache!”

”Yeah, but when I grow up, I'll have the manliest mustache in the world. Every woman would slap you to touch it.”

”Hmph, a baseless statement. Not that I was expecting anything else.”

Sean, meanwhile, brushed his mustache with fingers in a lofty manner and spoke graciously, ”If you don'thave any plans, you can come to my room for lunch today.”

”Oh, no, it's all right,” Lirzod replied almost immediately.

”Why?” Sean raised his brows. ”Do you not want to say on this deck for at least a few more days until you explore it all?”

”I do want to stay here a bit longer, but I have to keep climbing,” Lirzod said and stretched his lips.

”You are right,” Sean nodded and stroked his beard. His cat also imitated him and tried to stroke its beard. ”By the way, how was the twelfth deck so far? Did you find anything to your liking?”

Lirzod's eyes broadened a bit, and he briskly stated, ”One girl was good.”

”Girl?” Sean was surprised. He saw Lirzod wander into daydreams while still standing. ”Ahem,” he cleared his throat, bringing Lirzod out of his phantom world. ”Okay, son of man, Lirzod, I can only wish you luck in your journey. Things are only going to get nasty up there. Be prepared for anything, so you might not regret no matter what happens.”

”I'll keep that in mind,” Lirzod said, leaning closer to murmur, ”so you too keep my requests in your mind, got it?”

Sean's brows raised a little, and a smile followed. He then assuredly said, ”As for your requests, leave them to me.”

”Great. Then I guess I'll come back at the time of voting,” Lirzod shook hands with Sean and then walked away.

As Lirzod made the distance, Jehez made a hard face, ”Commander,” he voiced his mind softly, ”why are you giving him such preference when he just won against Lord Bruiser just by fluke?”

”Fluke?” Sean didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he flicked a tiny meatball at Jehez's face, and the cat sprang toward the meatball and ended up biting his face. ”A win of this magnitude bears no resemblance to a fluke.” Sean leaked out a knowing smile. ”He was off to a bad start, but there was hardly a grunt and nary a shriek as he fought that Bruiser. He may not be showing the pain, but those scars on his hand must feel like a furnace as winds brush over even during walking.”

Jehez, though bitten by the cat, had a startled look on his face. (So he was watching the test.)

”As for you…” Sean cast a firm gaze on Jehez, and his eyes had the bitterness of the winter, ”Even though you weren't qualified enough to publicly address the events of the day, I've made you the referee because of your persistence, but your inept handling of winners has always been a thorn in my ass. You better change that side of yours, or I'll change you.”

”Y-Yes, commander,” Jehez choked on his own breath as he deeply bowed in haste.

”Take this to the inventory,” Sean tossed the coin sacks to Jehez, maintaining the firm look on his face, ”I'll take care of the counter.”

As they both parted ways and Sean entered the betting counter from the back door, every man waiting in the line got quite taken aback. Most of them had been waiting for Jehez, probably to tease him further, but now, they couldn't dare run their mouths in front of the man who had dominion over the all living things on the twelfth deck.

”Oh, it's Commander Sean!” Some men chatted with extra liveliness in their voices. ”How lucky are we to have the author of the fiction 'Cats in the Kitchen!' take care of our bettings!”

”And that cat must be Gray! The only cat on this deck which can stand its ground against that big bully, Bruiser! It would have been great if he was here earlier. We wouldn't have suffered all these scars.”

”Worries are part of everyone's life, brothers,” Sean cackled as he stroked his beard. Gray imitated him, ”And they usually include scars for wannabe martials.”

Though Sean's speech was like a salt rubbing over the wounds of others, none of the men thick-enough tongues to speak back. Nevertheless, the betting counter became a bustling spot, for more men were drawn toward it like vultures to remains. Some even showed great concern for Sean's wellbeing, hoping to acquaint themselves with him. After all, it wasn't an unusual thing for the commander to sit at the counter and shit on the silly fellows, for they believe he can do whatever he wants but can do no wrong. At the same time, in the other spots of the hall, jabbering of all sorts sprang to life as men boasted how they'd win the test or become rich through bettings.

Meanwhile, not too far away from the test hall.

Sariyu was strolling in the street with two men who walked on either side while keeping their distance. ”Where's this shop you've spoken of?” she asked in a friendly manner.

”It's right ahead, miss,” they replied together, speaking considerately and uttering every word with care, ”just a few more steps.”

”I hope they have something I'll like,” Sariyu mused to herself while a few possibilities ran in her mind.

The three arrived at a corner of the street, and when they took the left turn, there was a big turtle stranded upside down in the middle of the street.

”What the hell is that?” the two men immediately made fists out of their hands and went into a self-protective mode.

”Easy. It's flat on its back,” Sariyu said, and her eyes had a once over at the turtle's frame. ”Surely, it can't attack us when it's like that.”

”Haha, you're right, miss. We were just surprised by its sheer size,” the two men loosened their fists and postures, ”but what's this thing doing here? Can we even cook this thing?”

”It's better if we just walk past it,” the second man said, having felt his quickening pulse.

”We don't even know if it's alive or not. Let's check it first,” Sariyu said, startling those two.

”What? How are you going to check that out?” the two of them had accelerated heart rates. ” If it's alive, it will bite us before we know it.”

”We don't know that,” Sariyu casually said.

”How can you look so comfortable saying that!” The two men had their hearts sink into their stomachs and swim through the gastric juices, which rose a sour and smoldering feeling into their tongues. ”Can't you see its size? It can seriously wound us if it wants to.”

”Maybe, but we can't just leave it like that now, can we?” Sariyu said, but the two men looked frozen. ”Well, if you aren't willing, I'll do it myself.”

”Do it yourself?” one of the two lightly snorted as she walked ahead. ”I doubt if even the three of us can move that turtle. Just look at that damn thing, it easily weighs over a ton. Someone should stop trying to show off. They will only make themselves look bad.”

Sariyu didn't even pay attention to their words, for nothing but the turtle was in her eyes. ”With all that shell, it should weigh a lot,” she mumbled to herself, ”If I can apply enough force at the right spot, I will be able to move it.” She narrowed her eyes as she got closer to the turtle. ”A minute of pain should do…” She suddenly put a spring in her step and lunged like a wolf, ”Oras Paw Flash!” Her toe struck at the tail-end of the shell and flipped its whole body into the air and took a half rotation.

The mouths of the two men fell open. ”I-Impossible.” Those two could barely follow her leg movement, for it seemed as swift as the eagle flight. The impact sound was also not as loud as it should be.

The turtle landed on its belly in a loud thud. It brought out its head and limbs and jerked its head a bit, causing the two men to take a few steps back in fright.

”There, it's done,” Sariyu said, placing her arms on her waist and looked at the two men, who had amazement written all over their faces. Her expression slowly changed as she seemed to have realized something. She lowered her head and laid her eyes on her toes, and one of her fingernails was missing. Her expression froze. She remembered the time when Duera had told her to wear shoes as she mostly used her legs to fight, but Sariyu didn't listen to Duera's advice and chose to wear high-heeled sandals that exhibited her colored, polished fingernails. Now, upon seeing one of the nails go missing, Sariyu's eyes glistened with tears, and her lower lip buried her upper lip. Though it was blurry, her eyes searched the floor for the lost nail, puzzling the men who had no idea what she was doing.

”I'm in your debt,” A voice sounded out from Sariyu's rear, surprising her and the two men. Sariyu didn't move but unhesitatingly glanced over her shoulders at the wall behind her where a bald woman was butt-resting against a windowsill. It was Everna. She gently pushed herself forward with the help of her hands and noiselessly landed on the wooden floor. ”He likes flipping over whenever he's sleepy. If you hadn't woken him up, I might have stayed here for a while.”

Sariyu squinted her eyes. (I didn't see her at all. Is it because her clothes matched the walls?) Given that Everna didn't even have hair, none of those three noticed her presence by the wall.

”T-T-That's…” the two men stuttered as Everna came closer. They turned to face the other side and began to walk away in long but quick strides, not daring to look back.

”Hey, little brothers,” Everna's voice stopped them in their tracks. ”Aren't you the same guys who once tried to trick me? It looks like you two still haven't learned your lesson.”

(Crap!) The men's shoulders jerked. (She remembered! We are doomed.)

”I guess my looks eventually made you give up midway,” Everna said and walked over to them. ”It looks like you two still haven't learned your lesson.” She placed her arms around their shoulders and brought them to Sariyu, and even though they didn't say a word, they already had crying faces. ”How should I fix you two this time for better?”

”Please, forgive us, sister,” they pleaded in low tones. ”We will never try to trick anyone ever again.”

”Wait, you guys were trying to trick me, too?” Sariyu had a surprised look on her face. Because of losing a nail, she wasn't able to think straight, so it took her a while to realize what was going on.

”No, no, miss! We were not,” As the two men were saying, Everna made chopping movements and struck the back of their necks, causing them to collapse.

”Get some sleep, little brothers,” Everna said and then looked at Sariyu. ”The debt is paid.”

”Y-You didn't have to pay it back this quick,” Sariyu said and then gently blew air through her nose. ”I was hoping to get some items cheaply from whichever shop they took me to. However, it happens to be another tough day in disguise.” She folded her arms and stared down at the two men, ”These fellows—they looked so innocent I couldn't see the wool they put over my eyes.”

”There are no innocent adults, only good or bad,” said Everna, moving closer to the turtle. She silently pulled out the nail that had been stuck in the turtle's shell and balled her hand.

”I guess you are right,” Sariyu's gaze was elsewhere. ”Thanks for saving my time anyway.” Surprise flashed in her eyes, ”Wait, I guess I owe you one now.”

”If you feel that way, help someone else in need and consider this debt paid,” Everna jumped and soundlessly landed atop the turtle.

”Uh…” Sariyu had a surprised look on her face. The turtle turned around and began to move at a leisure pace. Sariyu just stood right where she was for more than ten seconds. Afterward, she started to walk, and in a matter of seconds she easily caught up with the turtle, and as she's passing the turtle, her smile contained both cheekiness and awkwardness. Rubbing her cheek with a finger, she said, ”I'm also going this way, so...”

”Want a ride?” Everna asked with her usual calm look.

”Uh…” She had already overtaken the turtle, so she didn't know how to respond. ”I think I'm good, but thanks for asking.”

”Okay, I'll be off then, see you later,” Everna made a series of soft sounds with her mouth, and the turtle picked up its speed and dashed through the street, totally taking Sariyu by surprise. Right before her eyes, the turtle covered a hundred-meter distance in less than ten seconds, and its speed only seemed to be increasing. As it arrived at a junction, the turtle pulled its head and limbs into the shell and slid and rotated on the ground by its belly. When its shell was aligned with the direction of the next street, it brought out its head and limbs and continued to run almost with the same speed.

Even though the turtle had long disappeared out of her sight, Sariyu still had her mouth agape. ”My ride...”

Elsewhere on the twelfth deck, at a six-street junction.

Having searched the entire bread booth, Burton felt a bit tired, for he failed to find anything that pleased his eyes let alone give rise to liquids in his mouth. In the end, he picked a small bun. ”Looks like there really is nothing but bread that we can get for free on these decks. I was hoping to quench my thirst, but—what should I do now? This bread might heighten the thirst.”

As he was in a dilemma whether or not to eat the bun, a dog hesitantly approached the bread booth with its head and neck lowered quite a bit.

Burton stared at it for a moment and then stuffed half the bun into his mouth. The dog kept moving to his left and to his right. Burton tossed the other half bun onto the ground. The dog slowly got to the bun, but it quickly fetched the food and bolted away in a hurry. ”So it does eat bread. Mm, it seems bread doesn't often go to waste. No wonder there are multiple booths left unattended by their owners. Now then,” he looked around at the different streets, ” let's see how my luck is...” he walked toward a random street that had a small sign which read 'Bachelor's Street.'

For a few hundreds of meters, all he came across was empty, open rooms which made him think he chose the wrong street, and just as he was thinking to turn back, he caught merry shouts coming from afar to his front. His feet moved on their own before he could decide to continue walking ahead.

As he got closer, dozens of men were on the street, gathered around a podium upon which a man was selling something that looked like a painting. He wasn't using any tool to enhance his voice, for it was naturally loud. ”Listen you piss poor folks!” the man on the podium said with authority as he showcased a revealing painting of a woman, ”This lady right here is a daughter of the desert and no ordinary one at that. Just look at her, look at her well. Only a man with trained eyes can tell that she washes her body routinely with a swim through the oasis, whitens her skin by sucking all the shine from the wet sands of the night, and magnetizes men's eyes toward her navel by adorning it with the rarest of jewels. And on top of it all, she possesses a smile that can enslave the pain of even the deadliest scorpion bites.”

By this point, most men were completely salivating, their hearts throbbing from prurience.

”I want her!”

”No, the desert's daughter is mine. I want her on my wall.”

”Shut up! She's your sister for heaven's sake.”

”No, she's your sister, you fool.”

As men quarreled among themselves, the man on the podium shouted, ”Enough, punks! It's time, to decide the luckiest one among us who can escort this beauty into his room and endeavor to understand her further. With a silver coin as the base price for this maiden of merit, the bidding starts now!”

”101 copper.”

”111 copper.”

”122 copper.”

”143 copper.”

”160 copper.”

The bidding didn't go on for long, and it was eventually sold at two silver. The man on the stage carefully folded the painting and handed it to the winner after taking the money. ”Treasure her like you do every other sweetheart in your room.”

”With all my heart, I shall admire her.”

”That's all for today, pimps,” the man on the stage shouted. ”When we find another worthy woman, we'll bring her here.”

”Yeah!” Many men roared. ”Next time bring someone from the snowy mountains, or the volcanic lands maybe.”

Meanwhile, Burton who had been watching all this from a distance had a weird look on his face. He had looked at the signboard before entering the street, but he didn't expect to come across what he did. ”Am I still on the ship?” he felt doubtful and looked around.

”Oh,” the man on the podium noticed Burton, ”look there, everyone! We've got a new brother willing to stay single for a lifetime.”

”Eh? Where, where?” Everyone immediately turned around toward Burton, who was wearing a frozen expression.

”Ow, isn't he handsome?”

”I can't believe such a first-class face couldn't get a woman. Women have become too cruel.”

”He must've suffered a lot for him to come here. A truly pitiful soul.”