All Present
Bangier glanced back at his sister Korandi, who was in the crowd. The old village chief stood beside her, looking at him with a malicious smile, which reminded him of the old village chief's words before they scouted the area.
"Bangier, go scout ahead now. Don't even think about running away or going to the Candy House to make a wish beforehand. If you don't come back for too long, we'll have no choice but to use your sister as a spy or kill her," the old village chief said with a smile. He understood that people always have some hidden thoughts and needed constant reminders.
Bangier jumped into the river and swam underwater toward the back of the falls. At the bottom of the river were some rotten logs, probably sacrificial boats from the past. And beyond the falls, there was indeed a cave, pitch black inside.
Bangier groped his way forward for a while, then bumped into something. A hissing sound came from the air, and suddenly a ball of blue will-o'-the-wisp ignited. In the blurry light of the will-o'-the-wisp, Bangier was able to see his surroundings.
This is a small cave with a hole that extends diagonally upwards. Inside this cave are human bones, and just now Bangier kicked a skull, which sparked a burst of phosphorescent light.
Looking at the bones scattered on the ground and the clothes they were wearing, Bangier confirmed their identities. They were the sacrifices that were sent every year for decades. Every other year, seven sacrifices were sent. In this small cave, apart from a sloping path leading upwards, both sides were piled with bones.
Just standing here, Bangier could feel the wails of the dead. The only consolation was that there were only bones here, no fresh corpses yet, so it seemed that Kor and the others were still safe.
The phosphorescent light gradually dimmed, and Bangier turned back via the waterway. Just as he emerged from the water, someone grabbed him and asked urgently, "How is it? Is there a path leading up the cliff?"
"Cough cough cough, there's a way." Having just emerged from the water and struggling to breathe, Bangier was pulled back, causing him to cough again as he recounted the situation inside.
The old village chief suppressed his surprise and glanced at the people around him. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly this time. In the past, after he performed the sacrifice, he would organize people to search for the missing people. They would usually travel by boat along the waterway, but after reaching a certain point, black fog would rise from that section of the waterway, making him afraid to continue by water and forcing him to take a detour.
Various unexpected events always occurred along the way, hindering him. He had been to this cliff area before, but seven days had passed by then, the Candy House had already left this world, and Wendigo was nearby, forcing him to give up his pursuit.
This time, however, everything went smoothly, and even the Wendigo, who were supposed to appear, didn't show up. It was as if they had all been killed by that young man and turned into robes.
"Let's go, the Candy House is ours now." The old village chief smiled, but in his heart he was thinking that once they entered the cave and found the way, he would summon three big dogs and kill them. He had no virtue of sharing.
"Hehehe, you soldier, you really are my lucky star! Is that the Candy House? It's so beautiful! I think I'll take it back to the castle and make it my palace." An unpleasant voice came from afar behind me.
The hunters drew their bows, wary of the suddenly appearing soldiers and the sedan chair. The curtain of the sedan chair was pulled open, and a richly dressed middle-aged woman stepped out. However, with each step she took, the slight tremor caused a large amount of white powder to fall from her face.
The middle-aged woman paid no attention, her eyes gazing dreamily at the Candy House on the cliff. But her appearance darkened the old village chief's face. "What are you doing here, you old witch? Haven't you taken everything from me enough?"
"Everything you have, everything you have, wasn't it all picked up from the ground? Since that's the case, what if I took it?" The middle-aged woman laughed so hard her face shook, the powder on her face falling wildly, revealing her deep contempt and mockery of the old village chief.
"And I did nothing wrong. It was your outrageous behavior that made all the citizens lose faith in you, allowing me to easily obtain the power in this country."
The old witch's words deeply affected the old village chief. Back then, he was just a deserter who, by chance, acquired a large fortune and Tinderbox that could summon three large dogs.
He was never stingy with money for the sake of fame, and gained many good friends and the support of the people. Later, he heard that the princess was very beautiful, so he ordered the big dog to take the princess out of the palace and meet her in secret.
Looking back now, it was the biggest and worst decision he ever made. Perhaps it was because of his secret rendezvous with the princess, or perhaps it was because of his constant spending of money, which made the king uneasy. In any case, he was arrested and was to be executed in public.
However, afterwards, he summoned a giant dog and killed all the king, queen, and ministers. With the support of the people, he married the princess and became the new king.
But his good fortune didn't last long. He was just a nobody with no knowledge of governing a country. In just a few months, he made a mess of the entire country and was abandoned. Even his three big dogs, on whom he depended for survival, were found to be controlled.
His wife, the country's former princess and later queen, took his place, ascended the throne, and sent men to drive him away, leading him into the forest from another direction. She had thought he was long dead, but recently she received news that both the Candy House that could grant wishes and the Tinderbox in his hands were worth the trip.
Deeply agitated by the revelation of the truth, the old village chief rubbed the Tinderbox in his hand. With the first strike, a bronze dog with eyes the size of teacups appeared before him. With the second strike, a large silver dog with eyes like waterwheels appeared before him. With the third strike, a giant golden dog with eyes like round towers appeared before everyone.
Over the years, the old village chief has been constantly researching the Tinderbox. When summoning, the size can be controlled by thought. So in the past, he could only summon three dogs of similar size. But this time, he unleashed the full power of the Tinderbox and summoned three large dogs.
"You're really getting senile. I dared to come looking for you, so naturally I brought a way to control you." The old witch pulled out a tattered checkered apron from somewhere. Upon seeing the apron, the three large dogs instantly squatted down and remained motionless.
"I am the ruler of this country. Hunters over there, put down your bows and arrows, and bring me that Tinderbox from that old man. I can grant you a life of luxury," the old witch said, with a touch of queenly authority. "Otherwise, ho ho ho..."
The soldiers beside the old witch all raised their much better bows and arrows, aiming them at the people opposite them.
This is the second update. Please vote for this story and give me your monthly tickets. The Tinderbox is based on a fairy tale of the same name; you can check it out if you're interested.