One-Eyed Monster

The grocery store owner of Guru Village, Oha, looked nervous. He had returned to the place where he had set up his stall yesterday out of curiosity. After all, the words spoken by the stranger in the tavern last night kept echoing in his mind, compelling him to rush there first thing in the morning to investigate.

He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t looked, but one glance gave him a shock: the once ordinary road was now a ravaged eyesore.

For the first time, Oha had a chilling thought: This land is dead.

The land appeared as a gangrenous lump of flesh, swarming with flies and maggots. Its revolting appearance was made worse by the continuous emission of foul odors.

Upon seeing the devastation, Oha felt nauseous. It was as though something in his stomach was relentlessly churning, and before long, he had vomited his breakfast.

Despite his nausea, Oha hurried to the village chief’s house. This must be a major event for the village, Oha thought. The chief absolutely needs to be informed. The chief had once said that more and more people were coming to Guru Mountain to treasure hunt, and every villager should be wary of these newcomers. Ordinary strange behavior could be ignored, as these Treasure Hunters often had peculiar minds. However, unusual and rare occurrences had to be reported; otherwise, when disaster struck, they wouldn’t even know what was happening.

The villagers of Guru Village, after many years of such encounters, could distinguish between ordinary ”strangeness” and the truly exceptional kind. They had grown accustomed to individuals with peculiar behavior and odd speech. They could close their eyes and practically smell the scent of daydreams clinging to such groups. Those who came to Guru Mountain dreaming of striking it rich, no matter how bizarre their actions, didn’t leave a particularly strong impression because they reeked of copper. Only those like the ones from the Alchemy Workshop stood out; they were quiet, action-oriented, and rarely mingled with the villagers. This group often exuded an air of mystery, the kind of mystery the chief classified as a special and uncommon type of strangeness.

Oha recounted the incident in detail to the village chief, even taking out the gold coin from his pocket. This coin feels so ominous now, Oha thought. I’m even prepared to hand over all the money I earned last night.

The village chief was just finishing breakfast. His thin eyelids drooped under the weight of his white eyebrows. Upon hearing Oha’s narration, he first frowned, then wiped his face with a towel, and then gently tapped his head a few times with his withered arm before letting out a long sigh.

Outsiders might not have known the meaning of the village chief’s routine, but Oha, the grocery store owner, did. It meant the chief felt the matter was too overwhelming for him to process, that his thoughts were muddled and chaotic. Without washing his face and tapping his head, he would find it hard to think clearly.

”Chief...” Oha asked cautiously.

”Ah, it seems this extreme winter is going to be extraordinary,” the village chief shook his head with a sigh.

”What should we do then?” Oha asked a question everyone found difficult to answer.

”Let’s go and see it first, then decide what to do,” the village chief replied, though he was unsure himself.

Indeed, the incidents on Guru Mountain this year were unlike any in previous years. In the past, even major issues, when reported to the Lord Magistrate, would simply result in the county dispatching a few guards to resolve them. For instance, there was the time a third-rate Scholar was dodging his tavern bill, holed up in his room causing trouble. The villagers were helpless, so they reported it to the county. Elder Rostellum sent some tall, sturdy guards who, without a word, carried the Scholar away. As the Scholar was being hauled off in a carriage, he was still shouting useless things like, ”I haven’t figured out the shortest path up Guru Mountain yet! You can’t just kick me out like this!” After the matter was handled, Elder Rostellum even sent a letter criticizing the village chief for failing to take preventive measures, deeming it a dereliction of duty. Since then, the village chief had aged rapidly. There were too many worries in the village, and he couldn’t bother the Lord Magistrate with every single one. This constant stress quickly etched deep wrinkles onto the village chief’s face, a testament to his anxiety.

The village chief’s rapid aging only slowed somewhat with the arrival of Aliusan of Black Mountain. It wasn’t that Aliusan was particularly helpful, but rather that the village chief found he had one more option for solving problems. Sometimes, it was quite cost-effective for the village to hire Black Mountain to handle certain affairs.

This relief, however, didn’t last long. This year, one strange incident after another had befallen the village.

First, there was the young man asking about monsters everywhere.

Then, a group of mysterious and incredibly powerful individuals of unknown origin had taken over the Lubin Tavern without a word.

Next, there was the arrival of Elder Rostellum from Gaga County and Lord Babasha from Liuli City.

Finally, some Dark Wizard who brought the Aura of Death had appeared.

The village chief was utterly bewildered.

Fortunately, Elder Rostellum hasn’t left yet; he’s staying at Aliusan’s tavern, the village chief thought. I can report directly to him this time. That way, I can avoid being criticized again for not taking preventive measures.

As expected, after observing the dead land for a while, the village chief and Oha went to see Elder Rostellum.

”What’s even stranger is that only Oha can see the Aura of Death on that blighted land,” the village chief said, bowing as he reported to Elder Rostellum.

”Aura of Death?” Elder Rostellum tugged at his goatee. ”What do you mean?”

”Uh...” The village chief nudged the stupefied Oha with his elbow.

”Ah, it was like a large piece of rotting meat, covered in maggots and flies, and emitting a foul stench!” Oha quickly responded, having come to his senses.

SPURT! Elder Rostellum spat out the tea he had just sipped, a look of disgust on his face.

”What disgusting things to say so early in the morning!” Aliusan chided from the side. His standing with Elder Rostellum of Gaga County had clearly improved significantly, the reason obvious: that previous interrogation had been quite effective.

”But...” Oha was about to add more when Aliusan silenced him with an angry stare.

”A little withering and decay gave you such an impression? Are you that easily disgusted?” Elder Rostellum was clearly upset about his earlier loss of composure; he had failed to maintain the emotional control expected of a Politician. Losing face in front of his subordinates was something he resented as much as any obstacle to his pursuit of wealth and gold.

Oha dared not utter another word.

”You people are just making a fuss over nothing! Isn’t it normal for flowers to wilt and leaves to fall when winter arrives? And now this ’Aura of Death’—what nonsense!”

”My Lord! Look at this gold coin!” Aliusan suddenly exclaimed from the side.

The gold coin was the one Oha had presented. Ever since I saw that blighted land this morning, this coin has felt lifeless too, Oha thought. It’s like a long-dead fish—cold, foul-smelling, sticky...

However, to others, that gold coin, resting in Aliusan’s hand, still looked just as shiny and attractive—golden and glistening, with no trace of anything unusual.