One-Eyed Monster

”Let’s carry on then,” Igor finally overcame his indecisiveness and made a decision.

Though the decision seemed to be nothing special, it had taken Igor quite an effort.

At least, he had been internally conflicted.

Logically, he felt he should seek stability: get a clear understanding of the situation, determine the correct direction, and then head straight to the destination. Although this would waste time initially, it would be very convenient later on.

However, emotionally, he was loath to waste any time. For an adventurer, time is life. An adventurer, even if unsure of their path, shouldn’t waste time, because incredible things might have happened in the world during any delay.

So, would you rather stay where you are and regret missing the surprises that could unfold, or would you prefer to laugh heartily while continuously observing the ever-changing scenery on the road?

I would surely prefer the latter, Igor thought, then said, raising his head, full of proud determination, ”Apparently, I’m not the only one who’s unwilling to spend the night here.”

”Of course,” Igor replied. ”People should always keep moving forward, or else they’re bound to miss a lot of things.”

”But we’re not even sure we can find the other side of Moonflow Stream. Isn’t that wasting time?” Kadi was still concerned about this issue.

”As long as we gain something during this time, it can’t be considered a waste,” Igor answered with certainty. Being an adventurer had always been his aspiration, and he consistently measured himself against an adventurer’s standards.

”What if we’re heading down the wrong path?” Kadi became the hesitant one again. Ironically, he had been eager to move forward just a while ago, but now that they were on the move, he was worried about heading in the wrong direction.

”How can one know if it’s right or wrong without taking a gamble? One has to take a step forward,” Igor said, taking large strides, seemingly unconcerned whether the path was right or wrong.

”Uh...”

”Besides, only by moving forward can we find out, right?”

Igor was right. Simply staying put and pondering would quickly bring the night. The arrival of night would cause people to lose much of their judgment. Not to mention other things, their range of vision would certainly shrink considerably due to the night’s arrival.

But by moving forward, whether they deviated from their course or drew closer to it, they would surely make some discovery after a certain distance. This was beyond doubt.

If we’re lucky, we might indeed have made the correct gamble.

Taking such a gamble wasn’t a bad idea, either. Although Igor didn’t particularly like this approach, he didn’t have a better alternative at that moment.

”So, is this what you people do down the mountain? In desperate times, you rely on luck and take a gamble?” Kadi had become interested in the habits of those people down the mountain. Igor’s arrival had opened a door for him. Although he couldn’t yet cross its threshold to see the specific situation, through the crack Igor had opened, he had still glimpsed some of what lay behind that door.

”Not exactly, but most of them do like gambling,” Igor thought for a moment before saying.

”People often make bets in taverns. They enjoy taking a chance.”

”But why? They might get nothing out of it!” Kadi couldn’t comprehend the mindset of those people down the mountain.

”Because the stakes for a gamble are quite low, and moreover, people always like shortcuts,” Igor replied with deep meaning.

”So gambling can provide a shortcut?”

”Yeah, for instance, our current situation. If we’ve chosen the right path, it means our gamble paid off. We will have found the way without any mental effort.”

”That does indeed sound like a shortcut.”

”Heh. Our requirements for shortcuts are beyond your imagination,” Igor said, deliberately whetting Kadi’s appetite.

Kadi was like an eager fish; the slightest bait would hook him, especially since Igor was dangling such a big lure.

”Go on, go on,” Kadi urged impatiently.

Igor chuckled softly. ”It reminds me of an unofficial festival in Luona, one that took place before the Chimney Festival.”

That festival could be called magical.

When the Chimney Festival arrived, people exchanged gifts, so beforehand, everyone had to busily prepare theirs.

The Dusk Market in Luona seized this business opportunity and used its crows and rats to spread a false legend everywhere.

The legend said that a demon, to celebrate its own birth, would grant people one wish for free. But later, too many people made wishes, and the demon, too busy to handle them all, passed the task to its pet, a large cat.

This large cat, however, was not as generous as the demon. He felt he shouldn’t grant wishes for free; he wanted to gain something from it. Acquiring a little Spirit Power seemed like a good choice.

So, before the Chimney Festival, numerous rats from the Dusk Market would go to each household’s door, presenting a box. The box might contain a gift worth many gold coins, or it might be empty. Regardless, the rats would always extract a bit of Spirit Power from each person in exchange.

For ordinary people, a little Spirit Power was barely perceptible; besides, many didn’t even know what Spirit Power was.

Later, this false legend spread to every household. Before the Chimney Festival, every family would quietly ring a bell in their home; it was said this was the way to summon that cat.

Once the bell was rung, someone holding a gift in a box would soon appear at their door, smiling broadly.

Due to this false legend, the Dusk Market in Luona expanded so much that it became comparable to the Daylight Market.

Gradually, people began to call this unestablished holiday the Big Cat Festival.

And since just a little Spirit Power could grant a chance to open a ”treasure box,” many people eagerly rolled up their sleeves to let those rats extract their Spirit Power multiple times.

Sometimes, Spirit Power was even more useful than gold coins...

After the Big Cat Festival, many of those who had previously clamored for the rats to take more Spirit Power then began to wail and howl.

Then, one by one, they’d swear to chop off their hands and feet, because they finally realized that once this Spirit Power thing was lost, it took a very, very long time to get it back.

The Big Cat Festival was deadly! That big cat, holding their Spirit Power, would be chuckling. And look at them—Spirit Power extracted, exhausted to death, and most importantly, the items from the boxes weren’t treasures at all, just ordinary, common goods.

Ultimately, the Big Cat Festival was appealing because it provided people with a shortcut.

To seek a shortcut, people felt they had no choice but to take a gamble.

After hearing Igor’s example, Kadi’s eyes widened.

These people down the mountain really know how to play! Gambling like this, so roundabout... How is that seeking a shortcut? It’s clearly just going in circles! Kadi thought, then told Igor his opinion.

”If it weren’t a bit roundabout, how would people accept it?” Igor laughed. Although he truly disliked gambling, sometimes, following the crowd to seek those ”shortcuts” wasn’t a bad approach either.