Chapter 31 Infrastructure: The Bard Xiao Yun

In this era, even in Guangming City, which was known as the capital of knowledge, the illiteracy rate among civilians was as high as 80%. In the border villages mainly composed of settlers, learning to read and write like the nobles was generally recognized as a daydream.

The magical stories that happened in the unimaginably distant Eastern Continent told by the occasional Eastern caravans passing through here, and the ancient love songs that happened in an unknown era sung by the rare bards, are the highest level of spiritual entertainment that the locals can get on a daily basis.

Therefore, whenever a bard passed by the Kas River, the villagers would pay him to stay in the village for a few more days to sing the latest love songs and epics for them and tell them about what was happening outside.

If the bard is handsome and healthy, young girls who are just beginning to fall in love and widows without husbands will pay him to spend the night with them, hoping to get pregnant with his child. Although most people in border villages are illiterate, they also know that inbreeding will easily produce weak and stupid offspring.

For example, at this moment, in the house of the village chief of Red Mushroom Village, about three miles away from Rydburg, the ragged villagers - regardless of gender, age or status, have all stopped their work and surrounded the young bard who occasionally passed by here, staring at his handsome face like a fairy tale prince and listening to his beautiful singing like the sound of nature.

"...Don't speak, just be silent in this sweet moment, the young heart has fallen in love.

The black hair fluttering in the wind turned into a veil to block the coldness of the world.

Love is like hell, so far away yet so close.

Kiss me, while your lips are still red,

Wait silently while fate is still in the dark.

Close to you, falling into your deep eyes, holding your untouched hand,

Ignoring the worldly troubles, I will stay with you in the night before dawn."

“The feeling of first love gradually becomes a thing of the past, but the passion of the past is hard to be extinguished.

The strings of the harp, the pen of the poet,

That affectionate heart still tells you its true feelings.

Kiss me, while your lips are still red,

Wait silently while fate is still in the dark.

Close to you, falling into your deep eyes, holding your untouched hand,

Ignoring the worldly troubles, I will linger with you in the night where dawn will never come..."

After the song "While Your Lips Are Still Red" was finished, the women who were immersed in the plaintive singing looked at the bard with tears in their eyes, as if he was the poor prince in the song who was crazy and tormented by his fleeting forbidden first love.

(If I could have a lover as affectionate as him, I would be willing to die with him!)

(His clothes were shabby, but his face was handsome. I guess he was the illegitimate son of some nobleman.)

How much would it cost to buy such a handsome man to spend the night with me?

(It would be great if I could give birth to a child with him~)

(……)

The women were all thinking about their own things.

The bard paused, removed his tricorn hat, revealing his shimmering brown curls, briefly plucked the strings, and began his next song.

"Are you going to the Capital of Light?

Give my regards to the spirit there who was once my favorite...

He lives in the palace of the moon, for a reason I have forgotten.

He made me a linen shirt, without a seam or a stitch,

Wash in a distant dry well and dry in the flowerless thorns.

He is the love of my life.

I have cleared a piece of land for Him, between salt water and fresh water,

Harvest golden rosamaria with a sickle, tie them into bunches with bird feathers

He is the love of my life.

Are you going to the Capital of Light?

Give my regards to the spirit there who is the one and only true love of my life.

He lives on the silvery moon, for a reason I have forgotten..."

The affectionate and sad melody echoed in the air, hitting everyone's heart like a tide.

At this moment, not only the women were sobbing secretly, but the men's tears were also falling uncontrollably, as if they were travelers whose way was blocked by the dead, and they were listening to the dead man telling about his sad love with his elf lover, which was tortured by fate and could not be together even after death.

Even Lance, who was leaning against the door frame with his hands clasped together, was moved by the singing of Lucien, who was disguised as a minstrel. He secretly felt that Lucien was worthy of the perfect throat praised by the Holy Grand Duke as "kissed by the god of music". His singing was as clear and sweet as the song of a nightingale, and the melody and lyrics were even more affectionate and gentle, which brought tears to people's eyes.

(——Speaking of which, if such handsome brothers were born into ordinary families, they would surely have been raised and played with by nobles before they even grew up.)

Lance, who had been living with darkness since childhood, looked at the clear and handsome Lucien, and felt a subtle feeling of jealousy and relief in his heart.

…

…

A melody played. Inspired by Count Bruno, Xiao Yun, who had appeared in Red Mushroom Village as a bard, put down his harp and said to the village chief, "We brothers plan to stay here for about ten days. I will sing and tell you about the outside world, and he will go hunting in the forest with you and protect the village. If you are willing to pay a good price, we can stay longer."

"We have just heard your singing, it is indeed beautiful, but your brother——"

The village chief was a little hesitant.

The village chief's eldest son, who was as tall and strong as an iron tower, showed disdain: "Are you sure your brother is worth our high price?"

"Lance!"

"I?"

(What do you want me to do?)

Lance, who was standing near the door frame and hadn't heard the conversation in the room at all, looked confused.

But the children had already gathered around, looking at Lance, who was dressed as a wandering mercenary, with curiosity. They wanted to touch his muscles and snatch his heavy sword. Some of the particularly naughty ones even wanted to climb onto Lance's back.

(These kids——)

Lance was speechless.

The village chief's eldest son also came over, stretched out his calloused hand, and said provocatively: "Brother, let's shake hands."

"good--"

Lance sensed his intention, grasped the extended hand, and tightened his fingers before the other party could exert any force.

"ah!"

The strongest man in the village suddenly felt as if he was clamped by an iron clamp. His face turned red and he was unable to pull his hand back.

“You, you…”

"Lance is an excellent mercenary with extensive combat experience and excellent credit. He is worth your considerable expense."

Xiao Yun said with a smile.

(Is this also the gift of the Holy Family? Relying on a beautiful and holy face, she speaks inhuman words!)

Lance muttered inwardly, forcing a mercenary smile that looked desperate for work. "Hire me, you're guaranteed to make a profit."

"——Let go of my hand first!"

The eldest son was worried that if he continued to hold the hand like that, his hand would be crippled.

"Let go of his hand."

Xiao Yun ordered.

Lance decisively let go.

The eldest son looked at his right hand, which was bruised and bruised, and said to his father, the village chief, "He's right. This thing is worth a high price."

"Then I..."

The village chief looked at Xiao Yun - from their previous conversation, he could tell that the tall mercenary obeyed the slender bard's orders.

"There's something in our village that needs the help of mercenaries to solve."

"What a coincidence?"

Following King Wen Jichang's Zhouyi divination, Xiao Yun, who had brought Lance to Red Mushroom Village, feigned surprise, "What's going on?"

"Let's talk inside."

…

…

The village chief took out the key and carefully opened a room with a locked iron door.

The room was empty except for a pile of hay in the corner, on which lay a sleeping figure.

"who is he?"

Xiao Yun asked.

After studying hard in the Magic Tower and receiving private lessons from Yaris, he has acquired the ability of a junior magician and can determine the health status and gender of humanoid life forms within a five-meter radius by their breath.

"I picked up this young barbarian by accident while hunting in the forest two days ago."

The village chief spoke in distress as he led Xiao Yun and Lance to a barbarian boy with tan skin, animal skin wrapped around his waist, a slender and muscular body, and an animal bone ornament on his neck. He knocked the wall hard several times with a stick.

Boom boom boom!

The boy opened his eyes alertly, grinned at the village chief and others, and let out a roar similar to that of an animal but with more complex syllables.

[Who are you! Stay away from me!]

"We couldn't understand him and didn't know what to do with him."

The village chief explained the situation to Xiao Yun and Lance.

"Judging from his attire, he should be a Sioux, and of high status. If the Sioux knew their people were in Red Mushroom Village, the village would be in danger of being wiped out."

"Why did you bring him back to the village when leaving him there would risk the destruction of the village?"

Xiao Yun noticed that the boy had an iron chain on his left foot.

"because……"

The village chief hesitated to speak.

The boy roared at them again.

[What are you talking about! Don’t communicate in a language I don’t understand!]

"Hey! What's he saying?"

Lance asked the village chief.

The village chief smiled bitterly: "We all moved here in the last ten years, we..."

"You don't understand what they're saying?"

"right."

"I can't understand what they're saying, and there's a danger of the village being wiped out, yet I still want to take this young man away..."

Lance couldn't understand.

"because……"

The village chief steeled himself and said bluntly, "I heard that barbarians are very popular in Kukuchia, the Happy City. If you can take him there, you'll definitely be able to fetch a good price."

"What did you say!"

Lance was furious.

"You want to sell this boy to Kukuchia through us?"

"He's young, healthy, and a rare barbarian. And... and my price isn't high at all, just ten silver coins... If we take this fresh stock to Kukuchia, whether we sell it in the red-light district or to the arena, we'll make a lot of money! And gold coins! Gold coins!"

"you--"

Lance tried hard to suppress the urge to hit someone.

He was sold to Kucukia to be a gladiator when he was young. He gained his freedom after countless life-and-death battles. He hated the Kucukia who were so cruel.

"Claude (Xiao Yun's alias), what do you think?"

"I need to think carefully about it."

Xiao Yun turned around and looked at the Sioux boy who still knew nothing.

"What's your name? Can you understand me?"

[——Your words? Who are you? Why should I understand what you say? Wait!]

The Sioux boy was shocked when he suddenly realized that he could understand the meaning of the words even though he could not understand what the shining guy in front of him said.

[Why! You don't speak our language! But I know what you are saying!]