"Komoro, why are you the only one who came back? Where are Dax and the others?" The man guarding the village entrance was a handsome, imposing thirty-year-old. In Wang Yuan's old world, with his good looks and muscular build, he could have charmed a whole crowd of young girls.
Komoro looked at the man before him. He knew him: Jacques, captain of the village guards and something of a village official. He was popular with everyone, and people said he had already been chosen as the next village chief. He was also close friends with Dax, who belonged to the hunting party.
Thinking this, Komoro sneered. "Dax? Ha. He offended the great Negary and died in agony from the plague."
"Komoro, what are you talking about? Stop joking around," Jacques said sternly, narrowing his eyes.
"How is that a joke?" Komoro said defiantly. "Dax ignored the taboos and shot the great Negary's messenger, bringing down the plague. If I hadn't prayed to Negary in time and begged for forgiveness, the plague would already have spread through the village!"
"Komoro, you..." Jacques began, but then he saw Komoro loudly repeating those words to the villagers who had gathered because of their argument.
"Enough! Don't spout nonsense without proof!" Jacques cut him off. He couldn't accept that his friend had died for no reason, and he didn't believe in this so-called Negary.
Komoro looked at Jacques, his face set in anger, and swallowed. Jacques was tall and burly, a head taller than him. In the past, if Jacques had come up to him this furious, Komoro would probably have been too intimidated to speak.
But things were different now. The great Negary stood behind him. Remembering Negary's many wonders, Komoro straightened his back and called out respectfully, "You want proof? I call upon the two divine messengers!"
"Not bad." Watching from afar, Wang Yuan thought Komoro's performance was passable. He sent the two crows flying from their branches to circle overhead, their black eyes fixed on the villagers.
"These two are the great Negary's divine messengers. I've come to read the will they've brought. Jacques, if you dare interfere, it's no matter if you die of the plague yourself—but don't drag our village down with you!"
Seeing the two black crows circling above them, the villagers felt a surge of fear. The idea of Negary was woven into every aspect of their lives. They might not have thought much about it normally, but when something happened, they still believed.
Now two of Negary's followers were circling overhead. Combined with Komoro's words, how could anyone not believe him? The villagers began looking at Jacques differently. Better safe than sorry—what if he really did bring the plague upon them?
Jacques looked at the two crows too. He could feel the villagers' eyes on him. He wanted to shoot the crows down with his bow, but he was sure that if he so much as reached for it, someone would step in to stop him.
"Dax and the others shot Negary's followers and angered the great Negary. He was going to unleash a plague upon the village, leaving not a blade of grass standing and killing everyone in agony. But the great Negary spared us. In exchange, we must offer up our foreheads and help him raise new messengers."
Among the Kexi People, offering one's forehead meant submitting and giving up everything one had.
"Komoro, are you sure what you're saying is true?" a voice suddenly asked. A stern-faced old man approached, leaning on a cane and supported by a young girl.
"Village chief." Komoro's expression shifted. He still dared to talk back defiantly to Jacques, but he was less willing to lie to the village chief, who commanded great respect. Long habit had made that instinctive.
"Everything I said is true. If we don't offer up our foreheads to Negary and help the great Negary raise his messengers, the plague will surely descend on the village. I'm doing this for the village. It's all true," Komoro insisted.
"I understand. But we can't decide something like this on the spot. We need some time to discuss it," the village chief said, narrowing his eyes. With his life experience, it was easy to see that Komoro's words must contain some exaggeration.
But there was no faking Negary's messengers. They had to handle this carefully. After a moment's thought, the village chief said, "How about this? We'll hold a meeting later to discuss it. You and the two divine messengers can join us."
"Uh..." Komoro was stunned. He was only fifteen, after all. The village chief was treating him so kindly that he couldn't think of anything to say in response.
Wang Yuan shook his head from the sidelines. Komoro was still too young, too easily bluffed. If he dutifully brought the crows to that meeting, he'd lose all his momentum. Even if Negary truly existed, Komoro would be completely outmaneuvered. He'd gain very little power—perhaps enough to help raise some crows, but offering sacrifices would be out of the question.
So Wang Yuan stepped in. Several rat-like creatures rushed out. Their skin was rotting, exposing raw flesh, and they let out shrill, horrible cries as they charged at the old village chief. Komoro suddenly felt a sharp pain and dropped to his knees.
The rats leaped onto the village chief and began gnawing at him. His aged, frail body collapsed to the ground as he screamed. Though he held power and authority over the whole village, he was no different from an ordinary person when attacked like this—if anything, he was even weaker.
"Grandpa! Somebody, help!" The girl beside him hurried to swat the rats away, but cried out and jerked her hand back. A bright red wound marked her hand, and she called to the people nearby.
"Don't go near them." Komoro lay on the ground, crying out in pain. "Those Nal Beasts carry Negary's curse. If they bite you, you'll catch the plague. The village chief offended the great Negary with his words and was punished. If you try to help, you'll only offend Negary further."
Watching the once-imposing village chief die so horribly before him, Komoro finally understood. Before the great Negary, even a village chief was insignificant.
The people who had been about to help immediately stopped and backed away, keeping their distance from the village chief and the bitten girl.
"The first step worked!" Wang Yuan said with a smile. Fortunately, he had prepared a backup plan. After being infected with the pathogens, the rats had been completely unable to resist the signals from Wang Yuan's consciousness. Unlike the crows, they were disposable; they would probably die of the disease within half a day.
But that was enough. After this show of force, few people in the village would dare oppose him—except Jacques.
Thinking this, Wang Yuan looked at the man clenching his fists.
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