Volume 6 Chapter 63
by Golden DragonVolume 6 + Chapter 63: Guidance of The Wind
Xia Yi took out gold coins and placed them on the counter in front of the bartender, indicating that she would treat Balan.
“Miss, I advise you not to do this,” the bartender warned Xia Yi. “This drunken poet doesn’t have a single coin to his name. Don’t expect to get anything out of him!”
“That’s fine. I consider it making a new friend. Besides, I truly enjoy the music he plays. Paying for beautiful music is well worth it in my opinion.” Xia Yi insisted.
“Very well…”
Seeing that someone was willing to foot the bill, the bartender had no choice but to agree and began mixing a green apple wine for Balan.
“Oh, my lady, so beautiful and kind-hearted~ I’m so touched!”
Balan plucked his harp and played a short tune.
“May the Goddess of Nature bless you!”
“The Goddess of Nature?”
“Indeed. The Goddess of Nature is the deity of us elves. In the distant past, the Elven Kingdom was a barren wasteland devoid of life. The Goddess of Nature used her divine power to create lush, vast forests out of nothing, carving out a beautiful homeland suitable for the elves to thrive.”
Balan briefly introduced Xia Yi to the myths and legends of the elves.
In truth, such myths varied from nation to nation. The divine beings, each in their own territory, created suitable homelands for their respective peoples.
In dragon mythology, the Dragon Kingdom was once a mountain range plagued by thunderstorms and fierce winds. The Dragon God used his divine power to dispel those terrifying natural disasters, allowing the dragons to survive in the mountains.
For the fox clan, the Fox God helped them drive away powerful monsters…
However, after everything she had experienced, Xia Yi had gained a new understanding. She knew that in the mythical age, the kings of the higher races had used their divine authorities to protect their people, acquire faith, and strengthen themselves.
But as ages passed and myths were embellished, these kings of the higher races became omnipotent gods in the eyes of believers.
“You drunkard, here’s your green apple wine.”
The bartender placed the green apple wine in front of Balan.
Balan’s eyes lit up, and he downed it in one gulp.
“Bartender, another round!”
“You good-for-nothing drunkard sure got lucky, running into a benefactor!” the bartender jeered.
Balan didn’t seem to mind.
The other patrons in the tavern knew that Xia Yi and Atiya were dragons, but they didn’t flee. They felt that these two weren’t as brutal as the evil dragons of legend. Driven by curiosity, they gathered around to observe.
Bear One had calmed down. He realized the gap in strength between himself and the dragons, knew that picking another fight would only lead to more beatings, and that he might even lose his bear hide. He had no choice but to swallow his pride.
Full of resentment, he returned to his original seat and drank his liquor in sullen silence.
“Green apple wine is truly a fine drink!”
Balan couldn’t stop smiling.
“If only I could drink it every day. Also, drinking alone feels a bit lacking…”
“Atiya.”
Xia Yi glanced at Atiya and yielded her spot beside herself.
“Understood, Milady!”
Atiya quickly realized that Xia Yi wanted her to do something, so she promptly sat down next to Balan.
“Balan, you’ve never drunk with a dragon before, have you?”
“Indeed, I haven’t. I’ve traveled to many countries as a minstrel, but this is my first time encountering dragons,” Balan said. “You two are different from the dragons in the stories. You’ve piqued my interest greatly.”
“Drinking alone is so boring. Come, I’ll drink with you!”
“What an honor. If I drink with a dragon, I’ll be able to hold my head high in front of my companions.”
“Drink up, drink up! No rest until we’re drunk!”
“No rest until we’re drunk!”
Balan raised his glass and clinked it with Atiya’s.
The two began drinking.
Xia Yi knew her own capacity was no match for Atiya’s, so she entrusted this task to her wise blue dragon maid.
If she could get Balan drunk on alcohol, she could extract useful information from him.
However…
Even though she had some expectations, Xia Yi was still astonished by Atiya’s tolerance. How could she drink so much?
As the drinking continued, Atiya abandoned her glass and went straight for a barrel, hoisting it up and guzzling fiercely without showing any sign of falling over.
“Now this is drinking! Awesome!”
“Miss Atiya, this is a bit…”
“Come on, drink! No cowardice! Whoever cowers is a turtle’s grandchild!”
Atiya finished one barrel, grabbed another, and shoved it against Balan’s mouth, force-feeding him.
Xia Yi was dumbfounded.
Was this drinking or torture?
The others were equally stunned. They figured that Atiya alone could drink every single person in the tavern under the table.
“Ugh… aaaah!! I-I can’t take it…!”
Balan collapsed to the floor like a pile of mud.
“Can’t drink another drop…”
“Haha, this Balan is so weak! Just a few barrels and he’s done!” Atiya laughed foolishly.
“My… allowance…”
Xia Yi looked at the coins she had taken out earlier. They were almost all spent.
Her frog-wallet was about to fall flat again.
“Balan, you still haven’t told me why you elves have all disappeared!”
Atiya’s face was flushed red, and she swayed unsteadily, but her mind remained clear.
She hadn’t forgotten the purpose of drinking with Balan.
“Shh… that’s a secret, Miss Atiya. Come closer, and I’ll whisper it to you…” Balan made a gesture.
“Oh.” Atiya leaned in.
“The elves haven’t disappeared. They’ve heard a summons and have all returned to their homeland.”
“A summons?”
“Yes. On the wind, we heard the call of our homeland. That made us set down everything we were doing and return to the Elven Kingdom…”
Balan played his harp.
“It is the ‘wind’ that guides us back to our homeland. This is an instinct that elves cannot defy.”
Xia Yi, sitting nearby, heard every word clearly. So this was the reason the elves had vanished from the land overnight?
They had all gone back to the Elven Kingdom.
“I, too, must return to my homeland. I cannot stay outside for too long…” Balan murmured to himself.
“Is something happening in the Elven Kingdom? This has never happened before,” Atiya pressed further.
“…”
Balan closed his eyes, stopped playing, and sat on the floor with his head lowered, as if asleep.
Xia Yi thought she had gleaned all the information she could.
Then suddenly, Balan spoke in a low voice, uttering a quite unexpected statement.
“In the ‘wind,’ we have received new tidings, the old king has passed, a new king has ascended, and the world will be utterly transformed…”
[Translator’s Note: Please join the Gravity Tales’ Discord Server, if you want to hang out.]
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