94 MATTERS OF MONEY (2/2)

”I won't shoot you, but tell me how you take the bullets out,” asked Lirzod.

”O-Okay,” the bloody-nosed man croaked, for some blood rushed up into his mouth. He coughed a little and then explained from a few feet away while subconsciously standing in a knees-locked posture.

”I see,” Lirzod marveled, his eyes sparkling like the desert sand during the golden hour upon successfully removing six more bullets from the cylinder.

”I told you how to unload it, so please let me go,” the bloody-nosed man was walking backward with his heart in his mouth.

”You don't want your gun?” asked Lirzod, lifting his brows.

”What?” the bloody-nosed man puzzled and quivered in his shoes at the thought that he was getting teased.

”I already broke your nose for pointing a gun at me,” said Lirzod. ”Since you've explained to me how to take the bullets out, I don't want to tear you down anymore. Just do a thousand sit-ups, and I'll give the gun back.”

”Huh?” the bloody-nosed man gasped. (What's he talking about? Is he trying to make me stay here so others will gather here upon catching the echo of the shot I had fired? I'm not so foolish! I have to leave right away, but I can't go without the revolver either. It'll give away my identity.) As tension bloomed in his stomach, he crafted a painful and pitiful expression and said with his heart in his throat, ”T-Thousand sit-ups are too much, sir. I have knee pains. How about ten sit-ups?”

”If you have such a health issue,” Lirzod scratched his cheek with the muzzle of the gun, ”it can't be helped. Ten is enough.”

The bloody-nosed man's heart was beating even faster now. (What's with this guy? I can't guess what he's thinking. What is he up to?) He was so confused and doubtful that he wanted to scratch his own face, but given his current situation, there was nothing much he could do. Without wasting time, he quickly finished the ten sit-ups, and then acted as if his knees were already in significant pain. ”Can you hand over the revolver?” His gaze was gutless as he made eye-contact.

”Sure, but show me your pockets first,” Lirzod brazenly said, his arms spreading wide. ”After I make sure you're not hiding more bullets, I'll give you the gun.”

”Alright,” the bloody-nosed man pulled out his pockets while cold sweat filmed his body. There were only a few silver coins and some copper coins inside.

”Mm,” Lirzod then tossed the revolver into the distance, ”there you go.”

Both their heartbeats quickened at this moment.

As the bloody-nosed man hurried to pick up the revolver, Lirzod hastened away in the opposite direction.

The bloody-nosed man took the revolver and ran without looking back. He didn't stop even after crossing the street and kept going.

Lirzod, on the other hand, was still looking vigilant, even though he had covered a few hundred meters. He placed his hand on his waist. (It hurts. To think even the shirt has a hole in it… I'm sure I pushed his hand away, and the gun wasn't facing in my direction, yet I received some damage. Guns are pretty nasty.)

A few seconds passed as Lirzod looked for an empty room with a window to throw the bullets in, and he eventually found one.

After dropping the bullets through the window, he got going.

”Come to think of it... no one came even after the shot had fired. I didn't even see anyone yet. No wonder he attacked me in these empty streets. Things could have gotten dangerous, but luckily, nothing bad happened. Why was I even roaming there in the first place?” He pondered for a bit. ”Ah, I was thinking about earning coins to pay for Beren's treatment.”

Lirzod was lost in thought as he plodded through a corridor. His mind drifted to many things.

Mulyk had told him that it would cost ten silver pieces to attach a severed arm of a child. Another silver piece as a service fee. There was even a patient-membership fee, which was three silver per month. Those with a membership could freely enter the clinic and get treated for some common injuries without having to pay the service fee every single time. Normally, Mulyk wouldn't have taken Beren in until she got paid; however, after taking some fish meat from Lirzod and also recently receiving a watermelon delivered by a shopkeeper sent by Lirzod, she felt like she owed him a bit, so she agreed to get paid afterward.

Right now, Lirzod had just fifty copper pieces, and he didn't know where he could find eleven silver. The first person that came to his mind was Sariyu, but he didn't know where she was. Though he thought of going to the test hall to make a bet, he was also afraid of losing whatever he had. At that moment, he saw someone chasing after a cat, trying to catch it. Just then, Lirzod remembered that there was still five copper prize money for every cat caught. However, he frowned at the thought of taking away a cat's freedom and then thought of other ways.

As he roamed, he got tired and chose to sit on a rock bench. A small sharp stone made him jump onto his feet. He flicked the stone away and sat again. A few seconds of rubbing his butt on the bench made him settle down comfortably.

”I don't want to do anything,” he said aloud, but there was no one around to hear.

He was alone in the street. Dullness gradually stiffened his face, slumping his shoulders further.

For some reason, he remembered Allda's words once spoken in public in the market after Allda refused to help pay for someone who didn't have enough money to buy a good. ”Call me complacent or whatever, but to my ears, the cries of the poor sound like a chicken giving birth. Life is simple for those who have deep pockets. After all, most situations in life are matters of money. If you have wealth, then you automatically have the upper hand. You rarely ever bow before others. That's the sort of simple life those with wisdom seek.”

Lirzod touched his head and contemplated things. Because he didn't have enough money, he was out on the street, not knowing what to do to earn some coins quickly. On the one hand, he was thinking about meeting up with Sariyu soon. On the other hand, he had to help Beren. Then again, he was worried if he would be able to calm the boy's heart or not. The bruise on his waist also affected his thinking a bit, but the fact that someone pointed a revolver at him only minutes ago also significantly swayed his mood. Currently, life felt a bit complicated for him. So he just sat there, not wanting to do anything.

Just then, his stomach grumbled. A pause. His eyes soon widened in surprise.

”Uncle Allda, you're somewhat right.”

At that moment, he understood that Allda's words had some truth in them, but then he believed that money alone couldn't solve all things. Even if Big Nick were to give a bunch of coins to Beren, it wouldn't make the boy feel any better about his own situation, let alone change the impression on his father.

”Life is simple, but it's much simpler than you've put it. The problem isn't just about money. I'm feeling stressed because I didn't even remember my body's condition and forgot that I'm hungry. I'm not sure if my aid will really help Beren or not. Not feeling okay with what I'm doing is why I feel strange right now. But life isn't strange. It's simple.” He rubbed his belly, ”You are hungry, or you're not.” He put his hand on his waist at the wounded spot, ”You're healthy, or you're not.” He pulled out his pockets, ”You're wealthy, or you're not.” With his head tilted down, he put his hands on his thighs and clenched them into fists, ”You're happy, or you're not. You're good, or you're not. You're loving, or you're not. The chain goes on. But it's not easy to choose between these two extremes, so most of the time, we take refuge in between, in the shades of gray, like someone sitting on the fence. It's ourselves who are making our lives harder, and then we complain about it. Quite thick and tentative brains we have. If not for that, our lives would be a lot more beautiful.”

He then slapped himself for sitting and wishing to do nothing, even though it was only for a few seconds. After all, the action he took to save Beren wouldn't mean much if he withdrew his help midway.

He took a deep breath. ”Let's keep things simple. Beren's only a child, and since I admitted him into the clinic, I will take responsibility. His father might not appreciate it, but it can't be helped. My father said it's important to do what's right. That's all I'm trying to do.” He then pouted a little. ”Why wouldn't the elf girl take some responsibility, though? What if Beren was her brother?” He briefly paused and then sighed. ”Come to think of it... she charged for my treatment, too. That girl is so ungenerous. I bet she took the healer profession for stacking coins through to heaven[1].”

He let out a breath and then wandered through his thought-garden, hoping to chance on a fruitful encounter.

Time passed, but Lirzod couldn't think of anything that could make him earn such an amount in so short of a time. It made him remember the time when his mother sent him to Deadwell town on a mission to earn a silver coin in six hours. Though he had that experience under his belt, it didn't give him any substantial confidence.

Just then, he overheard the conversation of passersby who just entered the street.

”Hey, how much did you profit from this trip?”

”I converted ten copper pieces to thirty-two.”

”Oh, not bad.”

”What about you?”

”I only converted four copper to forty copper.”

”Eh? What did you win?”

”The deca-ring contest.”

”That's why you've earned so much. I better improve my archery skills before I hit Heat Street again.”

”Hehe, I'm gonna do the same, but I wish you good luck.”

Upon overhearing their conversation, Lirzod's eyes lit up. ”I totally forgot about that place!” He stood quickly, albeit with some effort, and headed straight to Heat Street.

A few minutes later. Lirzod somehow arrived at the Heat Street after getting confused with the routes a couple of times. As usual, the neighborhood was hotter and smelled like sweat from people exerting themselves day and night. He asked around and didn't take long to find out where the deca-ring contest was taking place. To his surprise, this event wasn't happening inside a small shop, but outside in free space with ten large metallic rings placed three meters apart from each other, their sizes in descending order, with the smallest ring being the farthest one from the archer. Each ring had a different color than the other. The white-colored one was the closest; the gold-colored one being the farthest, with black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet in between.

Tens of contestants were already waiting in line for their turn, so Lirzod joined the line without further thought. Afterward, he patiently observed other contestants. The distance between the contestant and the first ring was twenty meters. From where Lirzod stood in the line, even the first ring itself didn't look that big. As time went by, he somehow understood the rules.

The contestant could bet anywhere from one to ten copper coins. If they managed to shoot through the first ring, then their money would be returned. If they managed to shoot through both the first and the second ring, then their money would be doubled. If their arrow went through all the ten rings, then they would receive ten times what they had bet.

Also, any contestant could bet three times consecutively even if they failed to shoot through the first ring. However, if they succeed in an attempt, they would get three more chances, so they wouldn't need to go back and stand in line again for another try. Overall, the rules were pretty simple for Lirzod to understand.

On average, one of five contestants succeeded in shooting through at least one ring, but only a handful triumphed in shooting through both the first and the second ring. As for shooting through more rings at a time, nobody had succeeded. Whenever Lirzod got bored, he looked to his left at another archery event that was happening next to this event, where the target was to hit a strawberry placed on the crown of a deer doll. It was a male deer, and the antlers were blocking the target, so it wasn't easy, and everybody kept failing, so he was glad that he hadn't participated in that event.

As Lirzod's turn neared, he couldn't help but be excited and, at the same time, tensed. The image of Trirera flashed in his mind. (I wish Little Arrow is here.) Trirera was an excellent archer. On mornings, she often hunted the boars, rats, snakes, and such wild beasts that destroyed the farming lands. Over the years, she came to be known as Little Arrow. Unlike her, Lirzod rarely touched a bow, so he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, even though he wasn't an outright newbie. Still, it didn't help that he also didn't have gadgets like finger tabs or gloves that some others had brought along. So he prepared himself for some pain.

Eventually, his turn came. He walked up to the mark, a line on the floor. He bet one copper coin, and then the event manager handed him a bow and arrow. It was a basic bow, but it was surprisingly weighty, and the string was rather rough. Lirzod right away understood that it was a wise move from the event manager, for a heavy bow would be hard for most beginners to use. Also, rough strings increased the chances of archers hurting themselves. However, ignoring all the negative thoughts, he sucked in a breath and took aim.

The event manager was a little surprised by seeing the way Lirzod had nocked the arrow and gripped the string. (Nocking wasn't bad, but a three-fingered grip, huh. Such a traditional thing.) He subtly smirked. (Let's see how he loses.) Just then, his eyes drew in more light upon looking at Lirzod's gaze, which seemed to be focused not on the first ring but the tenth ring. (This boy—don't tell me, he's a professional!) As seconds passed, a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. (If so, why did he bet only one copper piece? Is he trying to warm up first?)

Lirzod let go of the string, and the arrow whistled through the air; however, to the event manager's surprise, it didn't even go into the first ring but went at least a meter away on the right side.

(Never mind.) The event manager felt like slapping himself. (I was worried over nothing!)

Lirzod pursed his lips. (I thought that aiming at the center would be the right thing to do, and I put some extra strength in the pull, hoping it'd reach the tenth ring, but my balance went through the window as I let go of the string. Even the bow shook a little.) He sighed. (Geez, it's been too long since I touched a bow, and I don't remember much of what was taught. I hope some of the knowledge will come back before I go broke.) He could only hope to recollect some memories soon, so he could try shooting arrows better.

”Do you want to continue?” as the event manager was asking, Lirzod flicked a copper coin, and then he was allowed to pick another arrow.

Lirzod aimed again.

This time the event manager effortlessly saw through Lirzod's flaws. (His feet aren't wide apart. They should be shoulder-width apart. He didn't even align the body properly to keep it perpendicular to the target, and his chin is nowhere near the shoulder. His left hand looks kind of stiff even though the elbow was bent a little.) He let out an audible breath. (All he did correctly was raise the bow to where he's looking down the arrow. But that isn't enough to get the job done. And wait, he doesn't even know how to anchor. He brought it almost to the level of his eyes!) He screamed on the inside. (I can't believe I mistook this idiot for a pro! He's a total noob!)

Lirzod let go of the string, and the arrow whooshed through the wind and hit the ring, fell on the other side, surprising the event manager, for the arrow went through the ring before crashing on the floor.

”Hehe,” like an excited child trying hard to fake his excitement, Lirzod picked up another arrow without even asking the event manager for confirmation and aimed once more.

The event manager secretly gnashed his teeth a little, but then openly smiled and clapped before he moved from Lirzod's right side to the left side to collect some arrows. After amassing the arrows into the bucket, he then folded his arms and stood straight. His gaze turned a bit cold again as he observed Lirzod's stance. (Hmph! His posture is still as poor. You were lucky last time, even though your release was a bit too sudden. But miracles don't happen in a row!)

This time, Lirzod looked calmer than the previous two times. His full focus was on keeping the bow stable during the release. However, just as he was about to let go of the string, a fly toured his nose and came out immediately, but it left an itching in the nose. Something stirred inside. Even though he wanted to hold it in, it was too late. It all happened so quickly.

ACHOO~~!!

He didn't know what had happened as he sneezed, but his fingers were no longer holding on to the string.

......

[1] Stacking coins through to heaven: A saying meant for those who likely wish they can take their earthly wealth into heaven if they stack coins up to heaven. This saying was created by Surya Chand and was often used in his works.