novelnext Chapter 341: Jarburg
Chapter 341: Jarburg
Bai Shi looked at the lopsided, crooked braid and almost laughed in exasperation at his own handiwork.
How did it turn out even worse than the last time?
Indeed, you couldn't expect much from someone who had only ever braided hair twice.
Wordlessly, Bai Shi could only undo the dreadful ponytail and try again.
This time, though it was still mediocre, it was at least presentable.
Seeing that he had managed a passable ponytail, Bai Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Most of the other women didn't braid their hair.
Aside from Millicent, the only one who wore braids, Irena, did her own, so Bai Shi never had a chance to practice.
“There.”
“This should be about the same as before.”
Millicent reached up to touch her tied-back hair and, with her back to Bai Shi, smiled faintly.
Such clumsy hands... but she was happy.
When Bai Shi saw Millicent still hadn't turned around and was constantly fiddling with her hair, he assumed she was unhappy with the result.
Now it was Bai Shi who didn't dare continue the topic of hair. He quickly turned his attention back to Alexander.
“Alexander, I've come to fulfill the promise we made last time.”
“I want to go to your hometown, Jarburg, and ask them if they're willing to move to Stormveil.”
“If they agree, I guarantee no poachers will ever harm the Living Jars again.”
“The relations between the different peoples in Stormveil are very harmonious. You won't have to worry about the Jars being bullied there.”
Stormveil had quite a few non-human residents.
Trolls, Misbegotten, Demi-Humans—they all lived together in peace. Adding Living Jars to the mix wouldn't be a problem at all.
If he could get in touch with Jarburg, that would be for the best.
Alexander, of course, agreed immediately without hesitation.
“Haha, thank you so much.”
He had been out adventuring all this time, and Jarburg had no other Warrior Jars to protect its people.
Their village's location was just that secluded; otherwise, Alexander would never have left with such peace of mind.
Bai Shi nodded and said to Alexander,
“Alright, let's set off then.”
However, Bai Shi noticed Alexander fidgeting, not moving or responding.
“Hm? What's wrong?”
Alexander awkwardly raised an arm and scratched the lid on his head.
Before he could speak, Millicent, who was standing beside them, answered for him:
“Because... Alexander has forgotten the way back to his hometown.”
“We were just trying to visit his village a moment ago.”
“But we ended up getting lost and came here instead.”
As she finished, Millicent couldn't help but glance at Alexander.
Hearing Millicent's explanation, the corner of Bai Shi's mouth twitched.
He knew Alexander had a serious problem with getting lost, but he never imagined it was so bad that he couldn't even find his own village.
In the game, at least he managed to find the cliff near Jarburg. He just got stuck in a hole again...
Thinking about it, getting stuck in holes repeatedly was pretty absurd.
Between constantly getting lost and repeatedly getting stuck in holes, which was stranger...
Bai Shi shook his head and said,
“No problem, I'll take you there.”
“I've found the place before anyway.”
With that, Bai Shi immediately used the storm to lift the two of them into the air.
Floating in the air, Alexander was clearly panicked.
He flailed his arms and legs, trying to find his balance.
Unfortunately, his frantic flailing only made him tumble over and over, completely unable to steady himself.
If his lid weren't on tight, his contents might have spilled out.
As a Warrior Jar—no, for any Living Jar—flying was an unprecedented experience.
For Jars, being in the air was far too dangerous.
Their bodies were in no way built to withstand a fall from a great height.
A short fall was perhaps survivable, but a high one was no different from suicide.
Millicent, on the other hand, was much more calm and composed.
Her nimble and flexible body allowed her to quickly find her footing, stabilizing herself as she curiously enjoyed this unique experience.
Bai Shi helped Alexander find a stable position, then carried them swiftly toward Jarburg.
—
Alexander lay sprawled on the grass, feeling as if his contents were still sloshing about.
“Ugh, now it's my turn to be dizzy.”
“Millicent, I think I know how you felt earlier.”
After a high-speed flight, they quickly arrived at the cliff edge where Jarburg was hidden.
Millicent and Bai Shi stood beside Alexander and shared a smile.
Ignoring the resting Alexander, the two stood at the cliff's edge, their gazes cast down upon Jarburg below.
On a platform jutting out from the cliff face, a small village stood quietly.
All sorts of flowers and herbs, perfect for crafting materials, grew in abundance under the care of the Jars, making the place look like a sea of blossoms.
Most of the Jars, however, were not outside; only a few were spotted standing before their homes, gazing into the distance.
Looking at Jarburg, Millicent couldn't help but exclaim,
“This place hardly seems like it belongs in the Lands Between.”
Jar settlements were often built in extremely hidden locations to prevent poachers from finding them.
And among the many jar settlements, Alexander's hometown was one of the most secluded of all.
Because of this, the Jars living here led a far more peaceful life than those elsewhere, even having the leisure time to cultivate flowers and herbs.
After a short while, Alexander finally stood up, his vigor restored.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Alexander looked down at the hometown he hadn't seen in so long and let out a long sigh.
“Hah... Home.”
“It's been so long since I've been back, and I never forgot it, but...”
“I never thought that upon actually returning, I'd suddenly feel a little... scared.”
Alexander gazed at the tranquil village below, feeling a surge of emotion.
In a way, he had abandoned his duty to protect the village to pursue his own dream.
Even though none of his kin blamed him—in fact, they encouraged him to follow his dream—he sometimes still felt uneasy.
Alexander had often wondered what a horrifying thing it would be if poachers came while he was away.
A Jarburg without a Warrior Jar had defenses that were purely nominal.
But thankfully, he would no longer have to worry about his hometown being threatened.
Gauging the distance, Alexander was the first to leap from the cliff's edge.
Although there was still a considerable height between the cliff and Jarburg—it was no short drop.
But for him, Alexander, this height was within an acceptable range. It wasn't enough to shatter him.
“Boom—”
Alexander's body slammed into the ground, carving a deep crater in the soft earth.
“Hahaha, I'm back!”
The heavy thud of his landing startled all the Jars in the village. They rushed out of their homes, looking toward Alexander in the center of the village.
Upon recognizing the newcomer, the Living Jars let out a collective gasp of surprise.
“It's Alexander!”
“So Alexander came back!”
“Haha, what an entrance. That's his style, alright.”
Among them, a single Jar-Bairn was the first to scramble forward, his two short legs carrying him in a mad dash toward Alexander.
“Uncle Alexander!”
Shouting Alexander's name, the Jar-Bairn crashed into him with a *thump*.
Alexander laughed heartily, pulled himself out of the crater, and reached out to pat the little jar's lid.
“Antico, you've grown quite a bit.”
The Jar-Bairn named Antico grabbed Alexander's hand and shook it vigorously.
“Yup! I've been training hard!”
“Uncle Alexander, you're back! Does this mean you've become a hero?!”
Antico stared up at Alexander with great excitement.
When Uncle Alexander had left the village, he had said he wouldn't be back.
He said that home was a distant place meant for reminiscence, and that heroes were solitary beings who didn't return.
Most Warrior Jars took on roles like bodyguards and protectors.
But among the many Warrior Jars, there was one anomaly:
One with a soaring battle spirit, who yearned for combat, who longed to become a hero in the body of a jar.
Carrying the dying wishes of the warriors within him, he threw himself into battle after battle, walking the path of a hero.
That odd jar was none other than Alexander.
And he was, and had always been, the Jar-Bairn Antico's idol.
A long time ago, he had secretly vowed to walk the same hero's path as his Uncle Alexander.
He wanted to become a hero and change how the world saw the Living Jars.
Hearing Antico's question, Alexander fell silent for a moment.
Had he become a hero?
Perhaps he could be considered one, but maybe not quite.
If he had to say so himself, Alexander didn't think he was a hero just yet.
The current Alexander was not yet satisfied. He didn't think he was worthy of being this child's idol.
It pained him to have to shatter the boy's beautiful image and admit that he had yet to become a hero.
But lying for the sake of vanity was not what a hero should do.
Just as he was about to speak, however, Bai Shi's voice suddenly rang out:
“Yes, your Uncle Alexander is a true hero in every sense of the word.”
“In the battle against the true mythological hero, General Radahn, Alexander fought with immense bravery. The glory of the festival of combat belongs to him as well.”
Bai Shi, holding Millicent's hand, floated down gently from the cliff.
The other Jars panicked for a moment upon seeing human outsiders.
This was a place humans were absolutely not supposed to know about. If word got out, poachers would come for them.
But upon realizing the two were friends of Alexander, the Living Jars calmed down a little, though they continued to whisper among themselves.
Antico paid no mind to the implications of humans appearing in their village.
He just held Alexander's hand, full of admiration.
He didn't know who Bai Shi was, nor did he understand the meaning of his words.
But he understood that it was all about how brave and strong his Uncle Alexander was.
Alexander swayed slightly, a warmth spreading through him.
He was just a useless jar, cracked and battered as he was during the festival...
But since Bai Shi had said it, he might as well let the child keep his image of a hero.
If there were other young Jars who wanted to become the next Alexander, then he would do his best to be a worthy role model.
Alexander proudly puffed out his chest and patted Antico's small lid.
“The path of a hero is endless.”
“I must continue walking this path, so I'll have to leave again in a little while.”
“Alright now, I have some business to attend to on this visit.”
“Once I'm done, I'll tell you all about my thrilling adventures.”
Antico was disappointed to hear that his uncle would be leaving again.
But the promise of hearing heroic tales cheered him up, and he looked forward to it eagerly.
“Okay!”
“I'll train hard and catch up to you, Uncle!”
—
Although still wary of humans, with Alexander vouching for them, the Jars of the village had accepted them.
A friend of Alexander's couldn't possibly be a bad person.
If they were, Alexander would have already smashed them to bits.
Alexander greeted his kinsmen whom he hadn't seen in a long time as he made his way to one of the houses.
Jarburg had no ruler, but it still needed someone to make decisions.
Thus, matters concerning the entire village were handled by the experienced elder Jars.
Alexander led Bai Shi and Millicent to the most respected elder in Jarburg.
It was an enormous jar, several sizes larger than Alexander himself.
But compared to Alexander, a Warrior Jar, its body seemed much thinner and more fragile.
Bai Shi dispensed with the pleasantries and quickly stated his purpose for being there.
After listening to Bai Shi, the elder jar was dubious, mulling over the proposition.
What Bai Shi described sounded wonderful, seemingly without any downsides for the Living Jars...
But that, in itself, was the strange part.
It wasn't as if the Living Jars had anything to offer him in return.
To just be sitting in the village one day and suddenly have a powerful protector? It was too good to be true.
The elder, who had once witnessed the slaughter carried out by poachers, knew that the Jars themselves were valuable commodities to humans.
This couldn't help but make him wonder if Alexander had been deceived by Bai Shi.
The elder thought for a moment, then, casting courtesy aside, pulled Alexander to one side.
“Alexander, you haven't been tricked, have you?”
“I don't mean to slander your friend, but... these terms are a little unbelievable for us Jars.”
“You should know what I mean if you think about it.”
Alexander folded his arms across his chest and had a moment of realization.
Now that he thought about it, it did seem like Bai Shi had nothing to gain from this.
But Alexander knew Bai Shi wasn't that kind of person.
He had a noble ideal that far surpassed any hero's.
Understanding what the elder was worried about, Alexander gave the old jar a rather familiar pat.
“Haha, I was wondering why you didn't agree to such a great offer right away. So this is what was worrying you.”
“Don't worry. I, Alexander, stake my honor on it. Bai Shi is completely trustworthy.”
“In the Lands Between, there will always be those who fight for a better tomorrow.”
Done with writing, time to start studying. Got a final exam tomorrow, just a quick one~