Act ZERO, Thirty Silver Coins

[Part①·Fairy Tale QueendomFairy Tale Kingdom]

Where should we begin? Where should we start telling this story full of childlike wonder and fantasy?

We're handing the stage over to another pair of unfortunate people, but their lives will never be so hard again.

Let's turn back time, so that we can temporarily possess a little bit of the power of "Regret Pill."

Let the southern city walls of Taiye Prefecture rise again, and let the sorghum stalks in the suburban fields grow anew from the scorched coal soil.

Let's take our killer away from the stage for a bit, freeing up a camera. This story isn't long and won't take up much of the production team's resources.

Let the camera pan from the mudflats of Bodhisattva Valley back to Juju, and then back to Sendai.

Arriving at the fennel-lined streets of Xiantai Prefecture, at this urban rail station, and among the rickshaw queues...

--Mr. Leslie had just gotten out of the rickshaw. The Silver Bay lobbyist was covered in cold sweat and held a newspaper in his hand, with an important piece of information about an anonymous person tucked inside.

He then flew backward, following the power of the [Regret Pill] all the way back.

Board the tram and speed along Xiantai Prefecture's Third Ring Road, navigating this metropolis that blends East and West, until you finally arrive at Huacheng Bay Pier No. 1.

After getting off the tram, he started running as fast as he could, heading back to the post office at the port.

He took the photo out of the newspaper from the insert; it was a wrecked, stranded ship lying in the shallow waters near the East Horse Port Dadu, surrounded by dense jungle, and about four kilometers away was another bustling transshipment port of Great Xia.

This boat belongs to Quack--

--But don't worry, the brave Frog Captain didn't suffer any major life-or-death situations.

The photograph flew away from Leslie's hand, flew to the developing room, and then turned back into a negative.

It was slipped into the camera by a young reporter's hand, and then the reporter stepped out the door and boarded a steamship.

The ship emitted a long, drawn-out whistle, crossed hundreds of kilometers of strait and bay, and arrived at the southern coast of Great Xia, at Captain Quack's Homesick Ship.

It was completely grounded, unable to move on the shallows, as a storm had utterly destroyed its avionics system.

Her Majesty the Queen of the Fairy Tale Kingdom stood on the ship's railing. Flavia Cici Marcus, her skirt drenched in sweat, stood on the crooked deck, clutching her wet, seaweed-like black hair, watching everything with a look of frantic helplessness.

Alright! FE204863!

Thank you for the divine power you have given me; now the story can continue!

"Is there anything left?" Flavia grabbed Duran—

--The general manager's assistant, dressed as a waiter, was already quite delirious, spitting Barry several mouthfuls of salty, foul-smelling sewage.

"Gurgle... gurgle," Duran couldn't utter a word, raising his wet hands, his gloves even torn from being soaked.

The cargo containers bobbed up and down on the sea, carrying four and a half tons of goods that had been destined for the children of Xiantai Prefecture.

"Oh my god!~~~" When Flavia saw what was happening, she pinched Duran's face, trying to wake her assistant up. "Quick, think of something!"

Duran: "Ugh!~~~"

An octopus eighteen centimeters long sprang out of the White Snake's mouth, and after it ran back into the sea, it immediately became lively and energetic.

Flavia's little face immediately scrunched up. She stopped urging her assistant and decided that since pinching wouldn't wake her, she'd try stroking her.

She hugged her best friend's head and kissed her several times, trying to turn the pain of losing the candy into the sweetness of love.

But it wasn't very useful, since it wasn't four and a half pounds, it was four and a half tons. That was almost the entire production capacity of the Fairy Tale Kingdom for a quarter, or the output of the entire factory working overtime for a hundred days.

"My two little princesses!" Captain Quack climbed back onto the deck from beside the helm, his face full of apology.

--It looked very energetic, without the slightest sign of depression.

It emptied the water from its boots, released the fish from its hat, wrung out its triangular scarf, put it around its neck, and became a lively poet again.

"If you ask me, this is a good thing!"

Flavia: "Good news?!"

"Luckily, we changed course at the transit point and encountered the storm! If we had gone any further, the octopus inside Ms. Duran's belly wouldn't have had a chance to survive." Quack laughed loudly, "Quack quack quack! Quack quack quack quack! ~ Look at the sunset! Head in that direction, and we'll see the largest industrial port in southern Great Xia! It's not much different from Sendai!"

Flavia frowned, adopting a disdainful expression like a little old lady. "Huh?"

Ms. Duran vomited up another tuna, which was quite large, weighing at least 1.3 pounds—she had finally regained her senses, and her eyes had returned to light.

"Damn this God!"

"And what's more!" Captain Quack leaned against the foremast, the sails gone, "We've also informed Mr. Leslie about our shipwreck. Someone will come to take over the Nameless One's scattered equipment. If you don't mind, how about Captain Quack be your guide?"

Flavia hadn't had a chance to answer—

--The mast that Captain Quack was leaning against immediately broke off, and it rolled into the sea with the captain down a seventy-degree slope.

Duran cried out in alarm, "Hey!--"

Flavia covered her face. "Why am I so unlucky?!"

After a while, Quack poked his head out from the side of the boat and picked up a lute.

"Ha! Not entirely! Lady Luck is always with us!"

It jumped back onto the deck, struggling to maintain its balance, and swayed as it climbed up, reaching the edge of the crew quarters corridor, where it found a relatively sturdy handrail that hadn't yet been ruined by the seawater.

"Ladies! Would you like some music?"

Duran's mind wasn't fully activated yet; all he wanted was to get back to land as quickly as possible.

Let's not.

"Don't be shy! This is a process of opening your hearts!" With that, Captain Quack began to play the piano. "I haven't introduced my crew to you yet! Over the next ten days or so, we'll share joys and sorrows as we head to East Horse Port!"

"Music, like candy, can bring happiness! Listen! Listen! Listen carefully!"

The strings plucked out light and cheerful notes. This nylon instrument, unaffected by seawater corrosion, began to radiate an astonishing aura—emitting a tide of psionic energy—as Captain Quack's nimble eight fingers moved.

"It's Duran who's staring at her pocket and sighing! She always has some unjust debt to settle!"

"We crossed the boundless ocean! ~ Cici transformed from a princess into a queen!~"

"I'm your reliable guide, Captain Quack! ~ Follow me, and we'll sing together!"

There was a kind of Magic Power emanating from the frog's mouth, from the deep, resonant resonance of its head, Quack, or croaking cheeks—it seemed to be the innate spiritual power of this hybrid monster, possessing strength comparable to that of a soul.

Flavia wanted to explain something more, and wanted to express her resentment and hatred.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was captivated by the enchanting sound of the lute!

"Your wrecked boat has been torn to shreds by the wind and waves!"

"Oh my god! Why is my mouth suddenly not obeying my commands?!"

"Quack Quack!~" Captain Quack chuckled contentedly, gently tapping his harp as a drumbeat. "Let's start a new verse!~"

A first mate with a pointed snout and monkey-like face emerged from the sailors' quarters, carrying two suitcases.

Upon seeing the two distinguished guests, the first mate immediately began singing along to the rhythm of the Quack.

"Relax! Follow me! The reliable Sepp Ethan is right beside you!"

The boiler operator, a plump, fair-skinned man, jumped out from behind carrying two buckets of rum.

"--After exchanging the silver and obtaining the travel permit, I arrived at Fu Gui Wan in East Horse Port!"

"You are still the queen of the Fairy Tale Kingdom!"

One after another, one after another.

Until the shooting star climbed from the kitchen onto the deck.

No one sang anymore.

--Because the meteor shouldn't be here; it should be in Taino, or at least in Sendai.

Duran asked in a low voice, but due to Captain Quack's special psychic abilities, it turned into a singing voice.

"Oh my god, what's wrong with this guy's head?"

Flavia: "I'm just as clueless as you are."

Duran: "Leslie explained the battle plan to him; his older brother must be furious if he knew about it."

Flavia: "Now at least there's one good thing: we don't have to be afraid of strange, bad things."

When Meteor got up, he already knew he had missed his stop. He didn't disembark with the containers carrying materialism, but instead followed Flavia and Duran to East Horse Port, intending to take another detour—because his face, like the gunsmith's, was too conspicuous to pass security.

At this point, Captain Quack's piano music also became warm and gentle.

The meteor, influenced by psychic energy, also began to sing.

"Don't worry, I'm your good brother in the Nameless Ones."

"I opened my pocket; there were thirty silver coins left."

"With this much money, we can get back home safely."

[Part②·Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone]

Quack is about to continue playing--

--A strange, inexplicable noise suddenly filled Flavia's mind.

This powerful mind control and the constant clash of psychic powers from [Hell Highway] seem to be a program that cannot be communicated in two languages.

In an instant, her eyes became bloodshot, and she felt a splitting headache!

She heard a murmur deep within her own heart, a wicked thought speaking to her from the depths of her soul.

[What are you doing, Flavia!?]

What were you doing just now? Singing with these idiots?

Aren't you ashamed? Your face is burning up!

Kill them! Poison them!

[At least poison this ugly frog to death! I can't stand it anymore!]

Why do you feel happy? Why? Why do you even have the nerve to laugh?

Are you really happy singing those nonsensical boat songs with these people?!

[No, no, no! Flavia!]

[This shouldn't be happening! This shouldn't be!]

[At least]

"Stop playing!!!"

Flavia took three steps at a time, and almost tripped when she reached Captain Quack.

She grabbed a lute and slammed it against the ship's railing; even the flexible nylon could be broken!

At that moment, Captain Quack's heart was breaking.

He instinctively placed his hands in front of his thighs, not daring to say anything.

He didn't understand why Cici would do this. This warm and generous girl, this lovely and clever boss, was just singing loudly and smiling along with the music!

She once said that candy is a tool that brings happiness.

Quack thought so too. Ever since he started working on the ship, he had always wanted to bring happiness to the crew. Music was his magical tool and his talent.

"Huff, huff, huff." Flavia had been panting heavily since smashing the violin. She felt like she was being controlled by something—she didn't know why.

It feels like there's a stranger inside my body.

Something seems off!

Only Duran knew the reason; this was Cici's true nature.

This is her true nature. Although seven years have passed, the psychological treatment at [Hell Highway] seems to have had little effect. The Black Serpent still lives deep within Flavia's heart. She is not some mischievous little sister, but a criminal who can poison innocent people at will, a Blood-giving Monster without morality or conscience.

"I'm sorry." Flavia's makeup was ruined; her eyeshadow and eyeliner had turned into two dark teardrops. She wasn't crying, but her face seemed to be crying for her. She looked at Guagua with a pitiful Quack and returned the lute to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know."

She gripped the neck of the violin and lifted the broken body.

"I don't know what happened. Just now, it seemed like that was the case. I think I was really happy."

"But... but all of a sudden..."

"I"

Duran hugs his employer--

--She is now Flavia's servant, and the marriage certificate was personally issued by Ming De.

She pulled Flavia into her arms, slowly backed away, walked down the ship's railing, and jumped onto the beach.

The dozen or so crew members took turns carrying the luggage ashore. Meteor found two donkeys at the bottom of the cargo hold, carried one in each hand, and jumped ashore.

Once Flavia and Duran were feeling better, Captain Quack also emerged from his low spirits.

The reason is simple: he had two violins in his luggage.

"Ladies! Let's get going! Captain Quack accepts your apology!"

Flavia was still immersed in the terrifying evil thoughts she had just experienced. Although she could no longer hear the voice of those thoughts, she was still afraid—as if a stranger had suddenly come to control her body and dictate her actions.

Captain Quack's words cheered her up again. When she saw the second lute, the sun had just sunk into the sea, and the sky and earth were darkening.

Fireworks lit up the distant East Horse Port, and the city lights shimmered on the sea, creating layers of iridescent light, as if nothing had happened! Only the songs and the journey mattered!

Duran then asked, "Where to begin?"

"Let's start with thirty silver coins!" Quack tightened the strings with one hand and plucked the strings to tune the instrument with the other. "Thirty silver coins! Our knight! Our General of Tears is just about to sing this part!"

"I only have thirty silver coins left in my pocket!" Duran lifted Cici onto the donkey, completely abandoning his shame, and sang along with the music. "Believe in Cici from the Fairy Tale Kingdom! ~ Her skill in bringing happiness with candy!"

Meteor, leading another donkey, helped Captain Quack Frog onto its back and strode towards East Horse Port.

"I have to work like crazy to make ends meet; the baby's still in my wife's belly!"

Upon arrival at the post station, travelers must exchange travel documents.

--The original inhabitants of Great Xia saw these strange foreigners singing and dancing all the way.

Cici, pulling at her skirt, saw a mother and child fleeing from another town who couldn't afford the travel expenses. She took out two silver coins and gave them to them. Duran tried to stop her, but couldn't.

"Besides this wet dress, which is somewhat valuable, and this amount of money, I can't afford anything else."

"It encapsulates my clean image and youthful spirit; kindness must be given away along with the silver coins."

Duran stopped trying to stop him.

When they arrived at East Horse Port, Flavia sang the whole way and spent the whole journey.

Of the thirty silver coins, only two remained. Most of them were given to the poor people at the post station. These people had come to East Horse Port to escape disaster, and most of them had come from places where their hometowns had been ravaged by "gods".

In addition, she bought the first mate a new pair of shoes, bought Quack a new hat, and got a set of stamps for Mr. Meteor so that the General of Tears could find the post office and write to the Nine Realms as soon as possible.

Flavia rummaged through the pockets of her wet skirt; she had two silver coins left, which she intended to keep for the inn in front of her.

She hummed softly, holding Duran's hand—

"--At least I still have two chocolates, and you and the little donkey."