It had been only a few minutes since the four men of the Egg Diggers guild got charred in a similar fashion, yet the information spread faster than wildfire, and with each gossip, the rumors just distanced themselves from what happened in effect.
"Someone attacked the Egg Diggers and roasted them alive?”
“How did he defeat them? Using fire?"
"Given that they were roasted, he must have had some Buzzy Good[1] with him, or else, we have ourselves another serious fellow that stepped foot on the ship."
“He could have used some exrex, too. Who knows?”
“That’s possible.”
"In any case, all Egg Diggers are accomplished close combat fighters. For four of them to have gotten swept aside at once, whoever that person is, he's not ordinary. Are you sure this isn't breeze news?"
"No, I swear it. Didn't you hear that faint noise that came through the walls?"
"Yeah, I did. I guess it's true then."
"Where did the ship stop at just now? I don't even remember its name."
"It's something called Helen, I think. I'm not sure either."
"Some random town, huh... Any idea, how many got on?"
"Rumors say that there's three of 'em. Big and Bulky. As big as the Hardy Brothers."
"Then, we must be careful.”
“If possible, we must become friends with them before others do."
On the tenth deck, be it a small gang, or a big group, or an individual—almost everyone had heard the tittle-tattle about Lirzod— though not by his name—and the other two who boarded the ship with him.
On a certain deck of Extensive Voyage.
The silhouette of a sinewy man could be seen through the curtain. As he showered, he spoke, "When did someone last bother us on the tenth deck, Pikolai?”
“As far as I can remember, nobody has ever picked a fight with our men on the 10th deck itself, Master,” a man wearing a butler suit, stood right next to the curtain, folding one of his hands. Sporting a french beard and an entirely pulled back hairline, he appeared classy in both his dressing sense and posture.
“What do you think of this? Is this a result of confidence or arrogance?"
"I can't be sure, but since the incident happened on the tenth deck, we don't need to worry about it too much. However, we can't fully neglect the incident either."
"Mm, just to be sure... Dispatch the Black Batch."
"Sure, Master."
Meanwhile, on the tenth deck, Lirzod and 777 just reached a room.
777 pushed Lirzod inside and locked the door from the inside. He was sweating a bit, unlike the other person. "Do you have any idea of what you've done?"
"I just gave them a gift," Lirzod replied while checking out the room.
"A gift? That's a freaking bomb you gave them!"
"Not a bomb. Only crackers."
"Crackers, my ass,” 777’s face was filled with tension. “Now you've done it. There are many formidable guilds and gangs on this ship that you can mess with and still escape from the eyes of, but you just had to pick the wrong one. Those Egg Diggers may harass the newcomers, but they’re a friendly bunch that helps people in need. However, what they won't tolerate is the lack of face given to their members."
"They didn’t look as friendly as you say they are.”
“So, you will just burn them?”
“Relax,” Lirzod casually said. “Those crackers make a lot of noise, but they aren't life-threatening."
"That's not how it sounded." 777 ground his teeth. "And don't talk like you did a great thing. Does this move you took help you in any way?”
“I didn’t do it to help myself feel better, you know,” Lirzod said and grinned. “But I must say it felt good. Okay, I need to take a bath. Where’s the bathroom?” he looked around.
“Oi, you are worrying about bathing? You don’t get the weight of the situation you’re in, do you?”
“I smell like Cherry."
“Cherry or egg?”
“Cherry’s the name of a woman from my town.”
“Oh... Wait, that’s not the point!”
“Take it easy. It’s bath time. One should bath without a worry in the world. That’s what bathing is for.”
“Huh?” 777 didn’t know what to say. “I was thinking about being your offsider, but now, I'll have to rethink my options. Tagging along someone who itches to fight isn’t going to do any good."
"Itches to fight? You saw how those guys treated that baby horse," Lirzod narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, but who cares what happens to that damn foal? You got into a fight for it, but will that foal come and help you when those Egg Diggers come for your head?"
"Don’t be silly, and calm down, Triple Seven," Lirzod bounced the egg— one he fetched from the Egg Diggers—in his hands. "I'm the one who picked a fight with them. Not you."
"I am calm!” 777 stressed his words. “Aren't I?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Anyway, you are right. This is your problem. If I stick my nose where it doesn't belong, I can forget about ever matching a regnant one day. I’ll just unpack your luggage and be done with work for today," 777 finished arranging the luggage according to Lizard's wishes. Though the room was relatively small— a 750 x 500 cm room—there were quite many shelves of different sizes to arrange one's stuff in. "By the way, why so many packets of nuts? Are you thinking of raising a nut shop or what?"
"Ah, well, if not for the weight restriction, I would’ve brought more cocoa beans, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa nibs..." Lirzod started to name some of the stuff that's in 777's hand at the time.
"Cocoa? You mean the ones they make chocolate from?" 777 sniffed the packets, and his eyes automatically closed. For a couple of seconds, his thoughts drifted about in daydreams. I have tasted so many of these types of delicacies. Ah... I miss those days. "This aroma..." With a surprised look, he glanced at Lirzod. "Will you sell some of these to me for a discount?"
"Eh?” Lirzod heavily shook his head. “No, they aren't for sale. Though I don’t quite like the strong chocolate flavor, most of my friends do, so I brought some cocoa along. If you want, you can grab a bite."
777 was disheartened a bit but then resumed his work. This time he took out packets full of cashews, almonds, groundnuts, and whatnot. "Whoa, how many more of these nuts do you have?"
"Aside from a few dresses, fruits, and meat, everything else is some form of nuts," Lirzod proudly said and giggled.
"You get fat from eating all these. Why don't I help you with—”
"No thanks," Lirzod bluntly replied.
777 was piqued a bit. He beautifully arranged the packets as he was experienced in doing that.
"You’ve done a decent job." Lirzod asked out of intrigue, “How much do you get paid for this work?”
"Nothing."
"What? Nothing? Stop joking."
"I'm not exactly a worker. Everyone on this ship is either one is a hollow like me or is an entry like you, except maybe some guests or the sect members themselves. And I’m a hollow."
"Hmm?” Lirzod raised one of his brows. “Didn't the Snow White say she's the navigator of this ship?"
"Snow White? Navigator?" His eyes slowly enlarged. "You mean 'Madam Stussy'?"
"Yeah, Snow White Stussy." Lirzod rubbed his nose. If I can take her home, I can shrink the noses of all the other girls in the town. Just wait... hehe.
Chills spread across 777's spine. "You idiot. Don't say this in front of others.”
“I-Idiot?” Lirzod was taken by surprise.
“Who do you think she is?” 777 barked. “She can slice your skeleton into several scraps before you can blink once."
"Oh,” Lirzod looked impressed. “I expect no less from my future wife candidate."
"Y-Y-Your future, WHAT?" 777 almost fainted. Lirzod held him from falling to the side. After blinking twice, he said. "The rushing blood of teenagers. I can understand the itching it brings. I wish I had your childhood. Not only did your parents send you so much food, they still let you dream about whom you want to marry like the elves." He stood straight and took a deep breath. "Not everybody gets to live a life like yours."
"What sort of childhood did you have?" Lirzod couldn’t help but pity him after seeing his sad countenance.
"Not as pleasant as yours. Definitely."
"You talk like you know my childhood went, but you don’t. On the contrary, given your greediness, I can kind of imagine what yours would be like even without you telling me."
"You can imagine all you want," 777 resumed laying out the luggage.
"Hey, I’ve been wondering about something.”
“About what?”
“How did Snow White made a staircase out of thin air? She’s the one who did it, right?" Lirzod remembered the scene from back when he's at the shore. He asked 777 for more than five times, but 777 told him to wait until his work was done. "That was crazy but cool. Can all martials do that?"
"All Martials can't. But..."
"But?"
"I think she was able to do it with her music.”
“Music? How?”
“A swordsman aims to cut everything in the world. So, a musician probably aims to please everything in the world. Now, pleasing is a fashionable word for affecting or controlling."
“I got it,” Lirzod folded his arms. “You are joking.”
"I’m not. Don’t you know of the saying ‘A sword that doesn’t cut and a nose that doesn’t breathe are one and the same’”?
“Never heard of it, but what does that have to do with music?”
“Well, every creation is meant to do its work. Music can melt our hearts, can make us fall in love, can make us dream, and can do much more."
"Oi, you are talking metaphorically when I asked you to answer literally."
"I’m not the first to do this. Since long ago, martials made sense of their powers to the masses through the usage of metaphors. "
"Are you a martial?"
"No, I told you, I'm just a hollow... like you are." he took out a small pocketbook. "Take this guide. It will help you understand the rules of the ship and will clear most of your doubts. It’s freely distributed on this ship, so you don’t have to pay me or anything."
"Whoa, this is small, but it’s—thrice as thick as my hands. You’re hiding deep pockets!" Lirzod slid his thumb across the book, flipping all of its pages. "Wait, do I have to read all of this?"
"That's completely up to you," saying that 777 began to walk out of the room. "If you need anything, come to the staff dorms and find me. That’s the only place on the deck where you can expect to find help for free."
"Yeah, sure," Lirzod put the book on the bed and walked behind 777. Just as they opened the door, an almost six feet tall majestic figure happened to pass by in the corridor. Thinner than Trirera, she was, without a doubt, the slimmest stunner Lirzod ever laid his eyes on. Her long black hair reached all the way to her knees. Her thick eyelashes and black lipstick, in contrast to her whitish skin, made her look like a bright brunette—like a creamy chocolate that any man would want to have a bite. Her beauteousness was further enhanced by the sparkling deep-red silk dress. Lirzod was left slack-jawed. "T-T-That's... who's that?"
"She's..." 777 blinked twice and paused a moment before speaking. "She's the Miss World 4212, Clarenda Gazelle."
"M-Miss World?" Lirzod was at a loss for words, but tears instantly appeared in his eyes.
What's a figure like her doing here? 777 made a weary expression. "Hmm?" Just then, Lirzod ran straight at her. What is he... "Hey, wait!"
Before 777 could do anything, Lirzod ended up reaching her and stopped right beside her. She halted and glanced to the side.
"W-Wow, look at these arms... They are so slender and long." Lirzod murmured to himself as he fixedly stared at her arms with awe. “I’ve never seen a woman with arms this long.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “You’ve got a nice, unique scent as well.”
"You need something?" Her voice was a bit deeper than a usual woman, but it fit the sharp features of her face in a congruous manner. Her scent reminded him of fresh grapes, a layered fragrance that would enrich in its essence—the more attention one paid. Her presence alone sped up his heartbeat. The black rose studded to her cloth at the chest region, further contrasted her skin.
"C-C-Can I touch them?" Lirzod's eyes locked on to her eyes while his arms were shaking.
Clarenda stared down at him with a blank expression, but her eyes alone subtly spoke in her stead that she wasn't pleased with what she heard.
That fool... He's gone! 777 stopped in his tracks and wanted to run away without looking back; however, he held back his fright and stayed still after turning halfway.
"Touch what?" Her voice was as calm as before.
"Your hands," Lirzod said with excitement written all over his face. "I've always wanted to touch a model's arm. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that they look so fragile, but they look delightful as well."
Her brows raised a little. "Are you praising or criticizing me?"
Lirzod was startled. "W-Why would I criticize? The one who raised me was a model, but she's not as lean anymore as you are now."
"I'm not a model anymore, either."
"You mean, you quit?" Lirzod was surprised to hear that. But she looks so slim.
"I sure did."
"Why?" Lirzod helplessly asked. "Don't you like being a model? Don't men swoon all over you just from knowing your profession?"
A corner of her lips curled up just a little, and she looked ahead at the distant end of that corridor. "Maybe, that's also one of the main reasons why I quit the job."
"What?” Lirzod was perplexed. “I don't get it."
She observed Lirzod’s face for a long few seconds. "The scar on your face looks real."
"Because it is.” Lirzod hurriedly said. “Can you tell me why you quit?"
She raised her naily finger and ran it along the scar on his face, and his face flushed. “T-That tickles. W-What are you doing?”
She put her hand down. "Can you tell me why you didn't get that scar healed? Is it because of poorness or…”
Lirzod’s eyes widened a little, but he looked away for a moment. "That's…” However, he looked back at her and hardly smiled. “I have my reasons."
What the hell are they talking about? 777, who was watching from a distance, scratched his head. He doesn't look that happy. Is she ordering him to be his slave? I knew it. Something like this was bound to happen.
"I'm the same,” Clarenda replied, looking into the distance. “In all my days of the modeling career, I never once smiled from the bottom of my heart. I never once truly liked how I looked. I never once attended a party because I wanted to. I never met a man whose smile didn’t bite me. My life wasn’t in my hands back then.” She placed her hand on Lirzod’s shoulder and uttered her words with care. “I don't recommend a modeling career for any young boy or woman, no matter how beautiful the person is.” From her words, it was clear to him that she was warning him to not think of becoming a model. “It's not worth it to be judged only by how you look. It took me a career to realize that we are beautiful just the way God made us. It is too easy to feel the need to compare yourself to other people. As long as we don't get caught up in the comparison trap, we'll be fine and won't end up like flies that get trapped in a spider web. You look okay. You don’t seem to be in that trap. Don’t ever fall in it."
"I-I’m not trying to become a model, but is modeling career really that frustrating?" Lirzod couldn't believe her words. He held a very high opinion of models right from his childhood, but after hearing the words, it confused him. How can women who weren't happy on the inside still manage to appear so alluring on the outside? He just couldn't get his mind around it. “I thought it’s a path full of roses.”
"Every rose has its thorn," Clarenda poked her index finger on Lirzod's forearm. Her sharp nail dug a little into this skin and made a red blood droplet surface out. "Even the brightest being at night—the moon—has dark spots on her. Regardless of how others may see us, models, I've never met a model who ever thought they were perfect... including myself. We never feel perfect enough about our appearance. That’s a model’s curse. We go to any lengths to keep our external appearance going." She turned to the side, which made her snake earrings swing like a pendulum for a couple of seconds. "A lifestyle like that makes us believe we are nothing without our looks. It makes it easy to break our self-esteem. But, lucky you, the scar on your face keeps you away from such things. In my case, it’s not so easy. The shadows from the past still keep haunting me even in my sleep," the corners of her mouth were downturned. “I don’t know if I can ever go back to how I was before I swam through all the crap I did.” She helplessly smiled. “It just feels like an empty dream now.” Saying that she started walking.
"W-Wait," Lirzod hesitantly said.
"Mm?" she glanced over her shoulder.
“U-Um…” Lirzod paused and said nothing as they exchanged stares.
"What is it?"
"Thank you very much for your advice,” Lirzod couldn't look straight into her eyes. "You are… you are really ravishing like a rose, through and through. Don’t believe it if anyone says otherwise! Even the nicest of flowers have to fall one day, and we mortals are no exception. The higher the fear, the sooner the fall.” Lirzod bowed a little. “So please don’t lose sleep over things you’ve turned away from."
Clarenda stayed silent. 777 just happened to the last sentence that came out of Lirzod's mouth as he got close enough, and it made him freeze.
"Uh…” Lirzod raised his head and scratched his chin. “W-Will you give me a chance to at least shake your hand?" Lirzod hesitantly asked. “I won’t take more than two, no, one second.”
Clarenda began to walk without saying anything. It left Lirzod with a puzzled expression that contained an expectation hidden underneath. "You aren’t a terrible liar, but you aren’t far from it either."
Her last few words turned Lirzod's face into a dismal dog that had just missed out fetching its favorite bone. I was just telling how she really looked. Why did she think I was lying?
Clarenda looked at her hands. No man has ever given me a handshake that lasted only two seconds or less. This boy seems a little bit honest, but he’s no different. All men turn into liars the moment they smell a female from afar. How troublesome. She slightly sighed.
As Lirzod stood still, Clarenda’s image gradually made the distance until it turned into nothing.
"The mystique, the money, and the magic of a model's life in the West is truly a celebrated thing," 777 mumbled to himself. "Dare I say, better than even some of the royalty in the East." He walked up to Lirzod, who was still in a daze. "She's long gone. I must say you are lucky."
"Luck has nothing to do with this. We meet everyone for a reason,” Lirzod told to himself. “But whom should I start knowing now? Stussy or Clarenda? Snow White or Dark Rose? I'm so confused. Both have the air of adults, but Stussy has a childlike face similar to Primera. Clarenda, on the other hand, looks scary like my mom when she’s angry, but she doesn't talk like her. Why does God always put me in so much trouble? This is tantalizing me!"
"I'd say, forget them both," 777 was no longer surprised by Lirzod's words. "That Clarenda is a woman from the upper belts. We, the members of the lowest belt, don't have the right to look at them straight in the eyes."
"No right?” Lirzod was surprised. “What would happen if I look and that person didn't like it?"
"Then, they are free to punish you as they please."
"That's… too much!" Lirzod paused for a moment.
"Just kidding, but it will get you in trouble. Many fights broke out in the past because of such simple reasons," 777 rested his palm on top of Lirzod's shoulder. "It's hard to digest after knowing you've barely escaped death."
"S-She didn't do anything to me," a smile broke out of Lirzod's face, and his eyes showed great expectations. "Maybe she likes me!"
A sudden chill crawled down 777's spine, and he almost fainted and stumbled. "You think you're a king or what? Why would she like you? Besides, how can you have your eyes on two girls at the same time? And girls of such reputation, nonetheless. Each one is leagues above you."
"What's wrong with that? You never know with whom you’ll end up connecting with the most. For now, I just like them both, that's all."
"Oh? Then can you give one valid reason as to why you like them? Don't give me stupid answers saying, 'they are beautiful, that's why I like them'."
Lirzod simply smiled.
"What's that cheeky smile for?"
"Can you tell me why you like your mother?"
"Huh? I'm the one who asked you a question first!"
"Just answer me."
"Well, because she's my mother."
"You don't have any specific reasons?"
"No. I like her for who she is." He said and mumbled to himself. That said, I don’t even know who my mother is, though.
"See, it's the same for me,” Lirzod confidently and excitedly said. “I like girls for who they are. I try not to look for reasons to love them, though I end up doing it most of the time. When my heart reacts to the guise of a girl, I ask it no further questions. Knowing about the girl comes later."
777 tried his best to control his anger. "Why are you comparing the love for mother to the love for a stranger?"
"Well, you don’t know which stranger will become your wife, Triple Seven," Lirzod patted him twice.
"That's horse-shit."
Meanwhile, on a certain deck.
An oval-shaped face weighing down a seven-feet tall torso exposed itself as the curtain was pulled aside, and a weighty man stepped out of the bathtub. His head was entirely shaved, and he didn't have a single strand of hair on his face. Every vein under his skin was as evident as day. Water droplets slid on his muscles and got stuck in the valleys of his burliness. Wearing nothing but a towel that had designs of different types of eggs that had varied expressions, he raised his left arm a little, and Pikolai slid an orange file in between the index finger and thumb of that man.
On the cover of the file, the words 'Black Batch', were painted in a shadowy ink, with two flowers on either side of it.
The man opened the file, and there was but a single black page inside, which had some information written on it.
BLACK BATCH
Trial Report
Subject(s)
Lirzod Basha(14), Sariyu Basuvu(17), Burton Vesta(24)
Hometown
Helenia
Clan
Faceless (beta-ranked clan)
Specifics
The perpetrator was Lirzod. He used decorated paper blasts and took care of the four victims. He's known to be a mouth breather.
Threat Level
First Petal
Seeker
River Wind (Ghost in Lily)
Total Report will be delivered within the next twenty-four hours.
"A member of the beta-ranked clan..." The man gave the file back to Pikolai. "These low ranking clans and guilds can get a lot greedier for power than one can imagine, but they can also be just as vacuous like an empty eggshell. Either way, we can never be sure if we are against a house cat or a holt cat unless we see it with our own eyes..." He cast a sideways glance at Pikolai. "Who's this River Wind?"
"This is my first time hearing his name too, Master, but I heard that he was never wrong with his research, not once in all of his twenty-eight subjects to date. That's why he's become a 'Ghost in Lily' in a matter of a few months." Pikolai said and smiled. “He offered us a deal of bringing a limb or two of that boy, Lirzod, but I couldn’t take up on that offer as it seemed to have come out of blue.”
“You did well. It’s better to take things slow with those you don’t know much about,” he said. “These members of Black Batch… They work in teams, don’t they? What of this River Wind’s teammate?”
Pikolai squeezed his lips tight. “I’m afraid we have nothing on his partner.”
"Hmm…” he narrowed his eyes. “This private intelligence service is unlike any other we've made use of. They’ve been on this ship for a while, yet we know nothing about their roots. Be extra careful when dealing with them from here on."
"Sure, Master." For him to advise us to be careful, Master doesn’t want to make enemies out of potential allies, huh. The file in Pikolai's hand vanished into thin air. "What did you decide on that boy of the Faceless clan?"
"Since he's the only one from his clan who did more than just show his teeth to us, I can't yet come to a decision yet."
"Shall we wait until we receive the total report?"
"No. Four of our members are hurt. We can't stay silent for an entire day."
"Then what do you suggest, Master?"
"Benign Boil."
Pikolai bowed his head just a little. "As per your wishes, the bad egg will be duly dealt with." He then put forward an egg soup made from wispy whisked eggs boiled in chicken broth. It was swallowed in haste by that man while still standing in a towel. His oval face looked like an egg in itself.
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