Chapter 87

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Chapter 087: Coastal Fishing Village

In the afternoon, Jesse left the farm and continued north on the road. After crossing the high slope and walking for a while, he saw the sea level far below the cliff.

After walking for about two to three hours, the sun was setting over the sea, and he finally saw the fishing village that Furlbrow had mentioned.

This place was even more deserted than Furlbrow had guessed. It looked completely abandoned, with not a soul in sight.

Only the fish-drying racks were still there, left untouched, with no signs of damage.

This so-called fishing village only had four or five sturdy wooden houses, with even a two-story building in the middle. After being abandoned for a few years, they looked old and damp. Jesse wandered around the village for a while but didn’t see a single person.

It seemed that the mission from the old soldier would have to be postponed. Perhaps he could go back to ask for specific names later.

Furlbrow had mentioned that the people here had all moved to Stormwind. Maybe he could find some clues by going back there and asking around?

Thinking about this, Jesse was starting to feel less interested in getting involved. The soldier had seemed odd from the beginning, and he didn’t want to get mixed up in strange affairs.

Standing in the open space between the houses, which seemed to have been used for drying fish in the past, there was still a strong salty smell lingering. The cold sea breeze blew over, making Jesse shiver, feeling like the dampness had seeped into his bones. Thinking about these houses enduring many more years of harsh weather, he doubted they would last much longer.

Since there was nobody around, he could do as he pleased here.

Walking into the largest house, there were some big furniture inside, even a bed, but the bedding on top was already damp.

The floor was covered in slippery algae and wet mud, the walls were crawling with various unnamed green plants, even though the sun hadn’t set yet, the house was already dark. But no matter what, this was still a shelter from the wind and rain, a slightly warm place.

Jesse opened his warlock robe and said, "Come out, Saenor."

The imp jumped out from it and appeared, shouting, "I thought you had forgotten me!"

As soon as this fiery imp appeared, it cast a pale emerald green light throughout the house. Jesse said with some concern, "Can you tone down the fire coming from you a bit?"

"This is the manifestation of my fiery heart, master," Saenor said. "Are you asking me to suppress my nature?"

"Suppress as much as you can," Jesse said. "If you set this place on fire and burn me alive, what will happen?"

"If you burn me alive, I’ll be free!" Jesse and the imp said this at the same time. After speaking, Jesse glared at him and said, "Say it again and I’ll crush you."

"Haha, I got it! I must obey the master’s command!" Jesse went upstairs to find a relatively dry spot, shook off the dust from a cloth-like object, wiped the table and chairs, sat down, took out a book on Language Orcish pronunciation that he had brought, and began to study it.

Since Furlbrow suggested it would be safer to go find something at night, he decided to listen to him this time. The thought of being chased by Murlocs in broad daylight and having to run a half-hour marathon made him feel a bit worried.

"Is the master planning to read here until night?"

"Shut up."

As evening approached and the sky grew darker, Jesse, holding the cookies he brought, found it difficult to read. He told Saenor, "Jump on the table."

"Yes!" Saenor, who had been standing silently for two hours, jumped up and asked, "Is there a task?"

"Keep your emotions stable," Jesse said. "Don’t let there be any fluctuations. Let the fire on you slowly emit out, bit by bit."

"Though I don’t know why… but, I need to obey the master’s orders!"

Instead of moving around, imp sat quietly on the table, looking into Jesse’s eyes. Indeed, the flames on him were not flickering as much.

"Very good, excellent," Jesse moved the book closer to imp a bit and resumed reading.

After talking with the Shaman by the lake, Jesse realized that stressing the tone is very important for the Orcish language. Although it was important in many other languages he had learned before, it seemed like the students learning Orcish in Stormwind didn’t pay much attention to it.

Maybe because they didn’t have the chance to hear an Orc speak directly like Jesse did, and they learned from teachers. Maybe they didn’t really grasp its importance.

Anyway, he started to pay attention to how tones were represented in Orcish symbols, which parts of a symbol represented tones. Gradually, he also began to notice some patterns.

An Orcish symbol is made up of different small symbols, some represent pronunciation, some represent tense, some indicate meaning, and some show context. It looks rough and heavy, but it’s actually quite complex.

Slowly, Jesse also found some enjoyment in it. After all, pictures are always more interesting than plain letters, and sometimes you can even see aspects of Orc culture in the shapes of the symbols, some specific things from Draenor.

For example, the symbol representing a sheep. Humans translate it simply as a sheep in books, but as a traveler familiar with Draenor’s appearance, Jesse knows that this sheep drawing actually represents the long-legged high-horned Tawny Ram, a specialty of Draenor.

The sky was getting darker, and Jesse felt like he could faintly hear some sounds.

Like singing.

"Quiet," he commanded the imp.

Looking out the window, there seemed to be something on the beach. I blinked and it disappeared.

The flames coming from the imp in front of me were stable enough, but in the dark night, they still cast a flickering reflection on the window. Jesse said, "Please step back a bit."

The imp obediently jumped off the table. Jesse pressed his face against the intact glass, peering outside carefully. He noticed something crouching on the beach within reach of the sea.

Could it be a Murloc?

Jesse observed for a while. The figure remained motionless, not resembling a Murloc from its silhouette. It looked more like a real person, hunched or seated, gazing out at the sea without moving.

Didn’t Furlbrow say that no one lived here anymore? When did that person appear there?

"Can you see that person?" Jesse asked Saenor.

"I can see, I can see!" the imp excitedly pressed against the glass and asked, "Why does the master ask about that?"

Could it be a fisherman returning from the sea?

Jesse felt unsure as all the houses here seemed abandoned for a long time. Life must be tough for anyone still living here.

But considering it was at least a house, cleaning it up a bit would be much better than the Stormwind refugee camp, which couldn’t even withstand the rain. It wasn’t difficult to understand.

Jesse decided to go out and see, perhaps that person knew where the soldier’s wife had gone.

"You should hide in the bag first, don’t show yourself. I’ll go down and see what’s going on," he instructed Saenor.

The night sea was pitch black, nothing could be seen except the sound of the waves constantly hitting the beach. Everything seemed to be engulfed in black.

Jesse stood on the beach and looked around, making sure there were no traces of Murlocs or other monsters appearing, then turned his gaze to the blurry figure in the distance.

The sky was darker now than when he was in the house. Only an unclear silhouette under the moonlight could be seen.

The shadow was especially thin, with long hair and a figure resembling that of a young woman.

At that moment, he also heard the singing.

The beauty of the night,

Witnessed by the twin moons.

The beauty of the sea,

Calm or turbulent,

Witnessed by you and me.

Because I have heard,

The sea brings your whispers. May it carry this longing far away, letting you know.