Straitened Circumstances! Twilight Rainforest

Straitened Circumstances! Twilight Rainforest

This was the commoners' district of Carlos City. Every city could broadly be divided into three areas: the nobles' district, the commoners' district, and the slums.

The names were self-explanatory. Fifteen years ago, after Fu Ka left the imperial capital, Tax, with a bag of gold coins and came to Carlos City, he spent some of those coins to buy a courtyard in this commoners' district.

Somewhat crumbling earthen walls separated the courtyard from the path outside. In the twenty-square-meter front yard, near the left corner, stood an ancient stone bench, mottled with age. Before it sat a square table of the same color.

Diya slowly walked over to the bench, braced himself against its backrest, and sat down—

"Uncle Fu, I'll rest here for a while," Diya said with a faint smile.

"Alright, alright. Young master, rest first. I'll bring the food over," Fu Ka immediately replied, nodding quickly as he headed into the house. Watching his slightly stooped back, Diya felt as if something in his heart had been stirred.

Fifteen years. For a full fifteen years, Diya had grown up under Fu Ka's care. Diya had grown day by day, while Fu Ka had aged day by day. On the Brahma Continent, the air was extremely pure, and ordinary people could live to an average age of a hundred. Yet Uncle Fu, who was only in his early fifties, looked like a man in his sixties.

It was all because he had devoted himself to caring for Diya over the past fifteen years. Diya seemed to recall that Uncle Fu had a son who had supposedly left many years ago, though Diya had never asked what exactly had happened.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Diya leaned back slightly against the chair and looked up at the sky. The sky, already dimming as the sun set behind the mountains, was utterly silent. His heart was filled with tangled emotions. In the end, it was all because he could not cultivate and possessed no strength whatsoever.

Suddenly, a red streak flashed across the sky and vanished in an instant, yet it stirred towering waves in Diya's heart. Although his strength was pitifully weak, his theoretical knowledge was beyond anyone else's reach.

Of course, he understood what he had just seen: an extraordinarily powerful cultivator. Only wind-element mages who had reached Master Rank could fly through the air, while mages of other elements needed to reach King Rank. But judging by the speed of that streak, Diya felt that person's strength was certainly beyond King Rank, perhaps even Emperor Rank or higher.

As for other professions, legend said they needed Imperial Rank strength to gain the ability to fly. Saint Rank, meanwhile, had already surpassed all boundaries and was impossible to comprehend.

But whether it was Master Rank or the legendary Saint Rank, to Diya, they were insurmountable mountains and vast oceans that could never be crossed. Perhaps they would remain so for his entire life. A trace of dejection inevitably rose in his heart.

"Young master, what's wrong?" Uncle Fu's voice suddenly rang out. He was holding a square wooden tray in both hands. On it were two small dishes, a large bowl, a plate, two spoons, and two pairs of chopsticks.

Uncle Fu quickly walked to the square stone table and set down the wooden tray. Concern appeared on his aged face as he stared at Diya with a complicated gaze—regret, heartache, and more. Diya was such a diligent and hardworking child. If he had possessed the same talent as ordinary people, then with his effort, their lives would not have been so difficult.

"I'm fine, Uncle Fu. Sit down and eat," Diya said. He hid the sudden trace of dejection on his face and showed a calm smile, pulling Uncle Fu down to sit. Looking at the food before him, Diya felt bitter inside, but that dejection was swept away and replaced by an even firmer resolve. No matter what, no matter the price, he had to become strong. Only then could he let Uncle Fu live a good life.

"Uncle Fu, dinner is really lavish today," Diya said in pleasant surprise. In truth, dinner consisted of two dark gray slices of coarse wheat bread in each small dish, a plate of plain greens, and a large bowl of soup. Several tiny chunks of fatty Pig-Beast meat floated on the surface, with droplets of oil glistening atop the broth.

"Young master, I'm useless. I've made you suffer with me," Uncle Fu sighed, his eyes reddening. He felt that as an old man, he probably did not have many years left and could endure poorer food without issue. But Diya was a frail young man still growing and should have eaten better. Yet they were now facing hardship.

"Uncle Fu, what are you saying? If not for your care over these fifteen years, I might have died long ago. I'm the useless one, unable to give you a good life," Diya said, forcing himself to stay calm, though his voice still choked slightly.

"Young master, the master saved my whole family back then. Being able to care for you is my blessing," Uncle Fu said, and as he spoke, he was on the verge of wiping away tears.

"Alright, eat. What's the use of talking about all that?" Diya said in a low voice. Then he smiled. "Here, Uncle Fu. You eat this piece of meat."

"Young master, that won't do. You should eat it," Uncle Fu said anxiously. He had specifically brought back those few pieces of Pig-Beast meat for Diya. How could he eat them himself?

But Diya shifted away to the side. "Enough. I'll eat the rest. By the way, Uncle Fu, have we run out of money again?"

"Not yet. We still have ten copper coins left. If we save carefully, they can last another five or six days. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the market and see if there's any work I can do," Uncle Fu answered. He understood the boy's temperament very well. Once Diya made up his mind, he would not change it, so Uncle Fu did not argue.

"That won't do. I'll find a way to get money," Diya immediately said. The bag of gold coins his cheap father had entrusted to Fu Ka had long been spent after all these years—on the house, daily living, and Diya's schooling. Several years ago, it had already run dry. After that, Fu Ka had begun taking temporary jobs outside.

As mentioned before, Carlos City was built against mountains and water. At one waterside section of the city stood a dock where many merchant ships moored. A few years ago, Fu Ka had found work there carrying cargo, all for the meager wages of a few copper coins a day.

But one day, the cargo had been too heavy, and an accident occurred during transport. Uncle Fu's legs were both crushed. Though the merchant had given him several dozen copper coins for treatment, the coins were all spent after he recovered, and Uncle Fu's legs never worked as well as before.

On the surface, he looked no different from a normal person. But in truth, that accident had greatly weakened Fu Ka's body. Now, he could not walk very far, let alone carry cargo.

The market Fu Ka spoke of was a market in the commoners' district, one that specialized in selling vegetables, fruit, Pig-Beast meat, fish, and similar goods.

"Young master, you still need to attend school. Learning is important. Besides, there's no heavy work at the market, just simple tasks. I can handle them," Uncle Fu explained. He knew Diya was worried about his health, but he secretly regarded Diya as his second child and did not want him to suffer in the slightest.

"The academy doesn't matter. It makes no difference whether I go or not," Diya said. He had already learned nearly all the theoretical knowledge he needed to know, so missing a few days was no problem. The instructors at the academy would not care about him. To them, it would be better if he did not attend at all, so he would not hold everyone back.

"Then it's settled, Uncle Fu. The other day, I saw a potion shop recruiting apprentices. Once I become an apprentice, I can receive twenty copper coins upfront, and after that, I can earn one silver coin every month," Diya said immediately before Uncle Fu could say anything.

"Really, young master? One silver coin a month?" Uncle Fu said excitedly. One silver coin was nothing to the wealthy—not even enough for a meal—but for an ordinary family of three, it could support a month of living if spent carefully.

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you? Besides, becoming a potion apprentice means learning a trade," Diya said.

"That's wonderful. I knew you were extraordinary, young master," Uncle Fu said, his old face blooming with a smile. At once, he felt as though the food before him was a grand feast.

Extraordinary my ass, Diya cursed inwardly with a smile on his face. He was not cursing Uncle Fu. Other than having a soul that did not belong to this world, he was inferior in every way to the ordinary humans of this world. The knowledge he possessed had no place here—or rather, he had not yet found a place where it could be used.

In reality, the potion shop recruiting apprentices was true, but it had happened several months ago. They had only recruited one apprentice, and the position was long gone. But to keep Uncle Fu from going out and suffering again, Diya had no choice but to lie.

Naturally, he had a plan. He was not speaking without reason. Otherwise, if he stopped Uncle Fu from taking temporary work, then once their ten copper coins ran out, the two of them would have nothing to do but starve to death.

"Uncle Fu, I'm full," Diya said as he put down his chopsticks. His dish was spotless, as though it had been washed. There was still a little soup in the large bowl and some greens on the plate. Diya stood up. "Uncle Fu, eat slowly. I'm going outside for a walk."

With that, Diya slowly headed toward the courtyard gate. Uncle Fu watched his back, not knowing what to say. How could a young man still growing be full after just one small bowl of food? Uncle Fu held his chopsticks in his right hand, yet did not know what to say. In fact, chopsticks were not native to this world; Diya had made them himself. He was simply more used to using them, though using chopsticks to eat bread was rather strange.

"Young master, be careful. Come back early. You still have to go to the potion shop tomorrow."

At the center of Carlos City stood the city lord's residence, surrounded by the nobles' district. Beyond that lay the commoners' district. The concept of commoners was quite broad: those who were not nobles, held no titles, but had their own work and could live relatively normal lives were considered commoners.

Beyond that, at the edges of Carlos City, lay the slums. The poor there were only slightly better off than slaves.

Diya's courtyard was located in a relatively remote part of the commoners' district, not especially far from the slums. As such, it was not too far from outside Carlos City either.

Early the next morning, Diya crawled out from beneath his blankets. Dawn had only just broken, and everything was hazy. After getting dressed in his usual black robe, Diya left home and headed outside.

"Young master, why are you up so early?" Uncle Fu also came out of the house.

"Uncle Fu, why didn't you sleep a little longer?" Hearing him, Diya turned around and said with a smile, "Look, it isn't even light yet."

"I'm old. Early to bed, early to rise," Uncle Fu replied with a smile. "Young master, be careful."

"Don't worry, Uncle Fu. I know," Diya replied with a smile. Then he turned and walked toward the courtyard gate. "Uncle Fu, I'm leaving now. I'll be back tonight."

"Young master, if you can't become a potion apprentice, then forget it. Come back early, and we'll think of another way," Uncle Fu called after Diya's departing back.

"Alright," Diya's voice drifted back from afar, sounding faint. Today was supposedly the day he would apply to be an apprentice at a potion shop in the city, but that was merely something he had said to placate Uncle Fu. In truth, Diya was leaving the city to see whether he could find something useful.

Carlos City was built against mountains and water. To the east stood a thousand-meter mountain—Crouching Dragon Ridge. It had received this name because, long, long ago, a giant dragon had once lived upon it. At the foot of the mountain was a forest—Twilight Rainforest.

Carlos was a city in the southern part of the Empire, where the climate was warm and moist year-round and rainfall was abundant. The trees in that forest towered into the sky, and the interior was exceedingly dim, much like dusk after the setting sun. That was why it was called Twilight Rainforest.

And Twilight Rainforest was where Diya intended to go.

It was still dim at dawn. Most people remained curled up in their beds. Only a small number of commoners and many poor people got up so early to work, rising before dawn and returning after dark just to scrape together a meal.

As Diya slowly walked toward the eastern city gate, he watched those people beginning their labor and sighed inwardly. If he could not find an effective solution or some fortunate encounter capable of changing his fate, then perhaps he would become like them in the future.

Shaking his head, Diya stopped himself from thinking about such depressing matters. He looked ahead and strode onward. It took him roughly twice as long as an ordinary person—an hour and a half—but he finally reached the city gate. By then, he was panting heavily and covered in cold sweat.

The two guards standing on either side of the gate were yawning. They glanced at Diya, then ignored him and let him walk out. A broad road immediately stretched out before him.

Following that road straight ahead would lead to the next city, provided one had enough time and ability. To reach Twilight Rainforest, however, he had to take the small path beside it. Diya followed the main road for about half an hour, then stopped to rest briefly. By then, the sky had fully brightened. The rising sun illuminated the heavens, and the warm sunlight fell over him, making him feel pleasantly warm.

Once his breathing had completely settled, Diya straightened up, turned, and headed east. There was a narrow path about two meters wide, twisting and winding toward some unknown destination. Yet Diya knew that if he kept walking forward, he would reach Twilight Rainforest.

Fields stretched along both sides of the path. Usually, only poor people and a few commoners rented and cultivated them to produce grain. Thus, quite a few people were already working in the fields, but none paid any attention to Diya, the unfamiliar passerby.

Diya merely walked and watched. Whenever he grew tired, he stopped to sit and rest on the grass beside the road. Once he had recovered a little strength, he continued onward, repeating the process again and again—

"Grrr."

Diya suddenly stopped, lowered his head helplessly to look at his stomach, then raised his head to look at the sky. It was already noon. The blazing sun hung high overhead, casting dazzling halos of light. Diya wiped the sweat from his face. Though his constitution was poor, he was still a young man with a normal appetite. He had only eaten two small slices of bread and a few bites of vegetables the previous evening, then risen too early to eat breakfast. Lasting until now already made him seem as tough as a cockroach.

But Diya had not brought anything edible with him. Aside from grass, there was nothing along the path. And he had no intention of turning into a cow, so he could only endure his hunger and continue onward.

He tightened his belt to lessen the feeling of hunger, then continued forward. About another half hour later, just as Diya felt he truly could not walk any farther, a patch of deep green finally appeared ahead. The outline of Twilight Rainforest came into view.

As though encouraged, Diya felt strength suddenly return to his body. Like a final burst before death, he strode toward that lush green patch. As the saying went, a mountain may look near but take a horse to death to reach. Though the greenery did not seem far away, it still took Diya another half hour to arrive.

Towering trees more than ten meters high stood before him, lush and verdant. This place was like a primeval forest. Standing before the giant trees, Diya felt an ancient, primal aura, while dampness washed over his face.

The sky above was completely blocked by branches and dense leaves, preventing sunlight from entering. Thus, even at the very edge of Twilight Rainforest, it appeared extremely dim, as though dusk was about to fall.

Feeling the silence around him, a silence so deep it chilled the heart, Diya took a deep breath. Damp air entered his body, and he slowly exhaled the stale air. A refreshing coolness spread through him as he stood there resting. Twilight Rainforest did not contain any particularly powerful magical beasts, but with Diya's body and strength, even encountering an ordinary beast would mean certain death.

Twilight Rainforest covered around forty square kilometers—not large, but not small either. Snakes, insects, and wild beasts were everywhere. As for magical beasts, people had reportedly encountered low-level magical beasts within the forest, but that had been deep in its interior, not near the edges.

Diya had no intention of venturing into the center. Besides, if he did, he would not be able to return to the city before nightfall. He took a step forward and entered Twilight Rainforest.

His steps were exceedingly slow. Few people came here normally, and the rustling chirps of insects added an air of mystery to Twilight Rainforest. This was Diya's first time here, though he had heard that some commoners occasionally came to this place and, through sheer luck, found something valuable. After bringing it back to the city and selling it to Treasure Hunting House, they could usually earn a few copper coins.

Diya had come to test his luck. Perhaps his fortune would finally explode for the first time in fifteen years and he might find something valuable. That way, he would at least not need to worry about living expenses for a while and would have more time to think of a solution.

Suddenly, a faint white flash flickered, and a strange object appeared in Diya's hand. It was around ten centimeters long, broader at the top and about as thick as a ring finger, ending in a sharp point. It gradually narrowed downward until it was about as thick as a little finger. It looked like a miniature sword blade without a hilt.

The entire little sword was silvery white, extremely thin, and only about as thick as a fingernail. It was Diya's only weapon, as well as an ability he had accidentally mastered after years of fruitlessly training his body. It was not powerful, but at least it gave him some courage.

The little sword was very light and of poor quality. Diya knew that it could not even cut through a branch as thick as his little finger. The little sword itself would probably snap first.

But he had no choice. He wanted something better, but he had no money, and his body was too weak. Anything heavier would only hinder him. Left with no alternative, he could only use such a thing as a weapon. It was basically disposable equipment.

Pinching the end of the little sword between his thumb and forefinger, Diya noted that its tip did look incredibly sharp. He breathed slowly and deeply, keeping alert for movements around him. His feet stepped on dead branches and fallen leaves scattered across the floor of Twilight Rainforest, producing "creak" and "rustle" sounds that were exceptionally conspicuous in the silent rainforest.

The deeper he went, the thicker and taller the trees became. After walking roughly two hundred meters into the forest, Diya had seen nothing but trees and yellowed leaves. Alone in this dusk-like rainforest, he could not help feeling a little creeped out.

"Grrr."

His stomach protested again. Diya chuckled helplessly and looked around, hoping to find a fruit tree. The climate here was warm, and this season was when many fruit trees bore fruit.

Hard work did not disappoint.

Diya discovered a patch of low shrubs to his right. The shrubs were exceptionally dense, their dark green leaves no larger than fingernails, filling the bushes thickly. Among those leaves were quite a few red fruits.