Chapter 619: Glimmer in the Hole
John quietly ignited his blue flame, his eyes bright as he spoke.
“Why is this?”
Clyster asked with some confusion.
John glared, grabbed Clyster, and whispered in his ear: “Why were we chased after coming out of the pharmacy? One gold coin is worth a hundred acres of rough farmland; even for fertile land by the river, it’s thirty acres. Wealth moves people’s hearts. We’ll give Gale’s remaining salary of sixteen silver coins to his family first. As for that gold coin, we’ll slowly find another way to give it to them later.
“If we give them Gale’s salary, the people in the village will all think we are righteous. But if we hand over that gold coin, whether it brings fortune or disaster is hard to predict!”
Clyster also woke up as if from a dream, the scene of being chased right before his eyes. The entire village only had fifteen hundred acres of rough farmland and seventy acres of fertile land. Three gold coins could almost buy one-tenth of the fields; this was truly a huge sum of money.
“That’s true. Even in a relatively decent neighborhood like the Third District of Hall City, one gold coin is enough to buy a two-bedroom apartment in a four-story building. If it’s a more remote neighborhood, you could buy three or four rooms.”
Clyster couldn’t help but sigh. This was almost the income of a tracker working for over ten years without eating or drinking. Hall City was a large port, and trackers generally also moonlighted as cargo porters. It could be said to be one of the more lucrative lines of work among all manual labor jobs.
It’s just that the locals of Hall City didn’t quite look highly upon this kind of work. They preferred being government employees at the city hall, or doctors, lawyers, and teachers. These were considered the most respectable jobs.
If one was literate, they could also work as a clerk in major companies, or run a small business themselves. In short, they were all jobs that didn’t require manual labor.
Various service or physical labor jobs like bricklaying construction, odd jobs, and servants were all done by outsiders.
As for sailors, generally only experienced ones were wanted; it was too difficult to enter the trade. For the two of them to have this kind of opportunity again was almost impossible.
Even if a tracker lived frugally, it would take fifteen years to save up one gold coin. This kind of work was a standard “youth meal.” A strong young man in his twenties working until thirty-five would be riddled with illnesses and unable to work anymore.
People over forty weren’t accepted here at all.
If one saved up, they could buy three or four rooms in a remote neighborhood to rent out for their old age. If they squandered it all, they might freeze to death on the streets when they got old.
Having said so much, a tracker’s overall income was considered average in Hall City, while a sailor’s was standard upper-middle.
Clyster said to John: “Regardless, we were right to leave our hometown. Even if we had ten acres of fertile land here, we’d only earn three or four silver coins a year. Even a hundred acres of fertile land is no more than the money earned by three or four trackers.”
John nodded, then shook his head and said:
“It’s still different. Having land means having food to eat; you won’t necessarily starve to death. A tracker’s best way out is risking their life to make money and save up, buying three or four rooms in the Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth Districts—living in one and using the others for old age.
“But many people simply don’t have this foresight. They hustle and bustle, but ultimately starve to death on the streets.”
Clyster nodded with some empathy. He himself had been mediocre and incompetent like this in the past. If he hadn’t luckily picked up the ruby, his future would probably have been the same.
John continued very transparently: “Do you know why I chose to be a pharmacist’s apprentice?”
Clyster shook his head. He had no idea why John made that choice. In fact, if it weren’t for experiencing so much, Clyster wouldn’t have even thought about learning to read.
The two slowly approached the village. It was already noon, and the sun warmed them up nicely. This was one of the few warm times during winter.
“Because everyone gets sick. On the surface, a tracker’s income is not bad. Putting in a few years of manual labor, you can buy a bungalow in a somewhat rundown neighborhood like the Eighth District. But once you get sick, it’s a devastating blow; seeing a doctor is too expensive.
“Actually, what I wanted to be most was a physician. But entering the physician profession isn’t something you can do just by being literate. For respectable professions like senior city hall employees, lawyers, physicians, and teachers, which one doesn’t require going to university?
“People like us have long lost the opportunity to go to university. Being able to read and write, and then attending an adult primary school, is already considered not bad.”
John sighed. The two had already reached the entrance of the village. A few children were chasing each other, and old people were leaning against the rocks at the village entrance, resting in the shade of the trees.
“It’s John and Clyster, they’re back.”
“They completely changed, even their clothes are different.”
“Where’s my brother? Where’s my brother Gale?”
…
The old people and children exclaimed. John and Clyster looked at each other, looking at that little boy who somewhat resembled Gale, their expressions serious and pained.
“Let’s go to Gale’s house first.”
Gale’s younger brother kept asking, but the two just remained silent. The village had plenty of people watching the commotion, following them to Gale’s house together. Some people had already had a premonition of something.
Seeing John take out a gray clay pot from his back, Gale’s mother’s lips trembled.
Clyster said in a low voice: “Auntie Carrie, Gale is dead. We went to be sailors together, and he died on New Aberdovey Island. This is Gale’s remaining salary, a total of seventeen silver coins, all here.”
Gale’s mother took it tremblingly and collapsed to the ground. His father’s eyes were red and swollen, and his younger brother stopped smiling.
Gale’s mother sobbed for a while, hugging the ash pot, and asked weakly: “How did my Gale die?”
Just as Clyster was about to speak, John interjected: “Gale got sick. You know sailors have always had an illness like a curse, called scurvy…”
Listening to John’s description, Clyster’s mouth involuntarily opened wide, then quickly closed, very confused but not daring to speak.
It wasn’t until the two left Gale’s house and dealt with the enthusiastically inquiring villagers that Clyster pulled John into a room in his own house and closed the door.
“John, why did you say that at Gale’s house just now? You know Gale was killed by monsters.”
John glared at him, sat on the edge of the bed, and said weakly: “Yes, but if we told the truth, wouldn’t we also have to explain about the ruby? Explain about the black ginseng?
“I said that entirely considering the safety of the two of us. As for Gale’s gold coin, keep it with you. When we are capable in the future, we’ll give it to his family.”
Saying this, John took out that gold coin and handed it to Clyster.
The freckles on Clyster’s face faintly turned red. He waved his hand and said: “That’s not what I meant. You thought things through thoroughly, John; it’s better if you keep it. What do you say we should do next?”
John leaned forward, pressing his elbows on his thighs, and said in a low voice: “We have to find a way to enter the dream again, that pure white dream, and try hard to pass the gem’s trial. Hall City has entered winter, and there are no coming and going ships, which means it has entered the off-season. We’ll wait until next spring to go back; I estimate the matter of the dead gang members will have faded by then.
“Just taking advantage of this period of time, I will teach you how to read. I brought two books with me here, exactly suitable for learning to read.”
John took out two somewhat tattered paper books from his bundle. According to Ace’s observation, the development level of the True Name World was roughly equivalent to the early Renaissance in Western Europe of His past life. They already had papermaking and lead movable-type printing, so it wasn’t unusual for John to get his hands on two books.
“These are old books I bought for one silver coin. One is Chronicles of the Io Continent, and the other is Biographies of Figures of the Io Continent. The former focuses on timelines and major events, while the latter focuses on heroic figures.
“Using these two books to learn to read will not only teach you characters but also broaden your horizons.”
Clyster looked at these two books with some reverence and longing. This represented a realm he had never been to: history and wisdom.
And so, the two began a process of one teaching and one learning.
Their return to the village also brought many changes to this small village. Discussions among the people about seafaring and diseases increased.
“If you ask me, this sailor job truly makes money. Twenty silver coins at once, equal to me farming for five years.”
“Who’s saying it isn’t? But firstly, this job is very hard to get into, and secondly, you have to have your life to make the money. Didn’t you see Gale died so miserably? This is money bought with life.”
“According to me, it’s still best to work as a tracker. According to John, among jobs that sell strength, trackers make the most money. Pulling towropes and transporting goods, you can almost make close to a silver coin in a month!
“At least seven or eight silver coins a year. If you’re strong and work a lot, you can even have ten silver coins.”
“Indeed. How can farming compare to working in the city? Why don’t we go together too?”
“It’s hard. Without a travel pass issued by Baron Roger, we fundamentally cannot leave Roger Town. If things go wrong, we’ll even have to serve sixty days of corvée labor.”
“In the end, families like John’s are still better off. Freeman households are still different from farming households like ours.”
The vast majority of villagers in the villages of Roger Town were farming households. As long as they didn’t have a travel pass, they couldn’t think of leaving here for their entire lives.
As for John and the others, they were among the few impoverished households from Roger Town who migrated here. As possessing freeman household registration, they possessed the right to migrate at will.
Three days later, a heavy snowfall turned the entire village a vast expanse of white. John and Clyster were roasting by a charcoal fire in Clyster’s home, reading the Chronicles of the Io Continent.
“John, are we really going to Roger Town when the snow stops?”
Taking advantage of his parents being busy cooking in the kitchen, Clyster lowered his voice and said.
John nodded and said: “Right. We haven’t been able to enter the illusory dream all this time. I want to get something to make it easier for us to enter the illusory dream.”
Clyster nodded, squeezed the ruby through his clothes, and continued reading the Chronicles of the Io Continent.
Within the gem, the consciousness of Ace’s clone was also observing the two. After obtaining the two abilities of toxin-removing treatment and mental agility, they hadn’t rushed to use their abilities. Several times Clyster almost exposed his ability, but was stopped by John.
This made Ace even more satisfied with John. Only cautious people have the possibility of surviving, and only by surviving is there a possibility for the future.
As for the illusory dream, the dreams of Clyster and John seemed to have become too active and difficult to link. Ace’s power was suppressed too severely, failing several times and consuming excessive power, so He also planned to ease off for a bit.
Another two days passed. The snow had long stopped, but the accumulated snow on the road hadn’t melted. It was a vast expanse of white, and very few people went out.
John and Clyster had prepared four wooden boards with smooth bottoms early in the morning. Wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, they stepped on the snowboards and headed in the direction of Roger Town.
The weather was too cold; even ox carts and donkey carts rarely went out. In this environment of accumulated snow turning into ice, snowboards were instead the best choice.
Speechless all the way. In Roger Town in winter, not only were there fewer pedestrians, but wild beasts were also much fewer. Skiing along the dirt road to Roger Town, the sun hadn’t even reached the middle of the sky.
Although Roger Town was called a town, it was actually just a cross street intersecting north and south, not very bustling. John was very familiar with this place. He pulled Clyster around in circles and bought the thing they wanted at the only pharmacy.
“This is dried Cow-Orchid Tongue Flower Stalk. It’s generally used to soothe the nerves; nobles like to take it before bed. But actually, if this thing is burned, the smoke fragrance it produces is even more effective.”
John tied up the Cow-Orchid Tongue Flower Stalks and said softly.
“This thing can let us enter the dream again?”
Clyster asked in a low voice.
John nodded, and the two skied back to the village.
At night, in Clyster’s room, John slept head-to-toe with him.
A clay saucer was placed by the bed, faintly showing sparks. Curling blue smoke spread through the room. Smelling this exotic fragrance, the two gradually fell into deep sleep.
The ruby on Clyster’s chest flickered, and suddenly burst with brilliant light.
“Pure white, bleach the bedsheets, whitewash the walls, dye my hair white, paint my skin white.”
John muttered with unclear meaning. Suddenly, the pure white shattered, and he and Clyster just like that entered the woodland late at night.
John wore a white shirt and metal-rimmed round glasses, looking gentle and refined. Clyster wore thick armor, fully armed, holding a heavy sword in his hand.
Above the heads of the two, two gem fragments emerged: one azure blue, one fiery red.
Clyster touched his body somewhat astonishedly, patting his armor, making a thump thump sound.
“Why am I wearing armor? How strange.”
John shook his head; he wasn’t clear about these things either, looking up at the sky where a silver moon hung high.
“I know this dream. A road coiling on the top of the mountain ridge, a bright silver atmosphere. Let’s go, my brother, may the gem protect us.”
After speaking, he parted the bushes, closed his eyes, and stepped forward, stumbling along the way, constantly scraping his feet and knees.
Clyster followed behind John, looking around vigilantly. A buzzing roar sounded beside him; shadowy figures seemed to be baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Walking faster and faster, occasionally a shadowy figure would pounce, and the gem fragments above Clyster and John’s heads would bloom with radiance, dispelling the shadowy figures.
Finally, Clyster saw a faint light. It was a tall building, towering like a church spire, its windows emitting a faint light.
Black lichens, painted with the symbol of an eye.
“Are we going in?”
Clyster bumped John in front of him and asked in a low voice.
“No, bypass it. This is the legendary Church of the Turning Wheel. We can obtain some things here, but it is absolutely impossible to pass the test. The test must inevitably be at the Pure White Door.”
John said with certainty.
Ace quietly spied on them. During this process, there was a very miraculous feeling, as if the dream was intersecting with some kind of reality of this True Name World.
Ace did not interfere. He realized for the first time that John’s dream might not be completely a fantasy; it might truly be a mapping of a certain mystical location.
“At this time, the Law of Dreams seems extremely vast. I can feel that if I can truly annex and master the Law of Dreams of the True Name World…”
Endless reveries also arose in Ace’s heart at this moment. He did not interfere with the dream, letting John map that mystical location, spying a little bit on the profound mysteries within.
John closed his eyes, the azure gem hanging high, his heart as clear as a mirror. Following that unknown guidance, he stepped out step by step, slowly walking out of the woodland.
From Ace’s top-down perspective, the edges of the dream began to expand, and the resonance mapping with the mystical location strengthened. The woodland had passed, the sky’s sun was located right in the center, and warm sunlight spilled down. John, who had closed his eyes, opened his pupils, looked at the majestic white door not far away, and slowly knelt on both knees.
This was a vast expanse of white land, or rather a desert. There was no wind; the ground was extremely fine white sand. Clyster followed suit and knelt together with John.
“Great gem, from here we step into the pure white desert, treading on snow-white bones, walking with the dead. Please have mercy, and bestow upon us true names before the Gate of Ivory.”
The mapping with the mystical location grew stronger and stronger, like a projection. Traces of chilling air, the figures of the dead faintly discernible, mist rising.
The two took a deep breath, supported each other, and stood up. Clyster looked at the figures of the dead; even his thick armor couldn’t resist the cold in his heart.
“Is this a part of the test?”
Shivering, Clyster said with some fear.
John inhaled sharply and said composedly: “Yes, do not fear. I have read from The Locksmith’s Dream: Glimmer in the Hole that this place should be a mapping of the Mansus. We are not yet qualified to enter the true Mansus; this is merely a mapping, a test for us from the great existences residing in the Mansus.
“Use our courage and the healthy bodies of the living to overcome all this.”
As he spoke, flames rose above his head. Ace observed with keen interest. As an outsider native “god,” Ace didn’t know much more than John.
At this moment, Ace was very interested in the book The Locksmith’s Dream: Glimmer in the Hole that John always mentioned, and was even more curious about Morton’s Bookstore, which sold the book. The mystical power of this world formed its own system, very miraculous.
And the fact that dreams played an important role in it made Ace even more excited. He was very clear on what this meant.
Possessing the authority of Universal Comprehension, Ace keenly discovered that these dead were actually all phantoms, merely mapping traces of the mystical location. As long as the passerby was physically healthy and not overly fearful, there was basically no problem.
The two shivered, continuously reciting “Gem protect,” and finally passed through layers of mist, arriving before the Pure White Door full of corpses and bones.
The entire door was carved from pure white ivory, looking noble and gorgeous. The dead swarmed and howled, surging into it. A massive number of corpses had already lost their flesh and blood, leaving only pure white bones.
“John, it’s so cold, so cold. Are we still going forward?”
Clyster’s teeth chattered, his heavy armor creaking.
(Chapter finished)
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