Outside the chief's large, majestic tent, on the dark, earthy ground covered with strange, damp grass that gave off a strong scent—refreshing and pleasant—the feast mats were spread out, laden with many strange foods. The tribe members sat around them: women on their own mats, men on theirs.
Sol sat at the head of the men's mat. To his right was Arisu, to his left the old man who had confronted Arisu earlier. The old man's smile never left his face as he piled food in front of Sol.
The blue and gray meats were large. Bowls of stew with chunks of meat sat beside fruits of various colors and strange shapes. There were many types of food unfamiliar to Sol.
"I don't think you'll have any trouble reaching the food."
Arisu said, a slightly sarcastic smile on his face, before rolling his eyes toward the smiling old man on the opposite side of the mat.
"Yeah, you're right."
Sol understood what Arisu meant by his words and his glance.
[He's more than right. That old man is taking food plates from in front of others and putting them in front of you and himself.]
The system's voice was harsh, carrying anger and annoyance.
"He's hiding his greed and malice behind false generosity and kindness... I didn't expect to see this type of person outside Earth."
Sol's gloomy expression didn't change, his tone calm as if he wasn't surprised at all.
[They must have been the worst and most hated on your planet.]
When Arisu heard Sol say this, he looked at the food piled high in front of the old man, and let out a quiet, low laugh—barely noticeable next to the laughter and chatter of the others around the food.
The old man noticed him as he kept piling food, leaving no empty space in front of himself. He turned his gaze toward Arisu, wiped the big smile off his face, and said in a rough voice, his tone carrying a hint of hidden hatred and anger:
"Hey... Arisu, introduce me to His Excellency instead of laughing in that disrespectful manner."
[That shameless old man... We don't want to know you, you greedy thing.]
Arisu took a somewhat deep breath, trying to suppress something inside him, then gestured toward the old man, who looked at Sol with a big smile.
"This old man here is named Yous. He's one of our tribe's elders, head of the Artisan Clan responsible for making our tools and weapons."
When Sol looked at him, old man Yous smiled broadly, deepening the wrinkles on his face. His black beard was large, his eyebrows thick, with a big bald spot on top of his blue head. He had long hair tied back neatly like the rest of the tribe. All of them had long black hair—except Arisu, whose hair was short.
Sol nodded to him. Old man Yous responded by bowing his head many times in a ridiculous manner, making the system's voice laugh loudly at the blue bald spot going up and down. But Sol didn't laugh—he just kept looking with his rigid, gloomy face.
Suddenly, a deep silence fell. Everyone around the food looked at Sol with reverence, happiness, joy, and big smiles, waiting.
"Now, start eating so everyone else can follow."
Arisu said, pouring a green drink into a decorated wooden cup.
Sol looked at the blue tribe, then at the food. He picked a piece of fruit—the purple fruit, the only thing he recognized—so he started with it. He bit, chewed, and swallowed.
"Dirt..."
He thought to himself.
The tribe members began eating.
Old man Yous placed a large plate of blue meat in front of him. When Sol looked at the dark blue meat, he remembered the blue blood he'd seen at the tribe's border when he arrived, and then he remembered Azure. He looked around the women's mat, searching, but didn't find her.
Sol looked at Arisu, who seemed to be eating little, slowly, without hurry, taking food from in front of himself and throwing it to those whose food old man Yous had taken.
"Where's Azure? Why isn't she here?"
Arisu's expression changed. He said:
"Azu... the nameless one... isn't here. She's not allowed to eat at such gatherings."
His tone made it clear he was suppressing sadness.
"Don't talk about that girl now, Arisu—you'll make us lose our appetite."
Old man Yous was struggling to speak, food almost falling from his mouth, his hands dipping into meat, stew, and fruit in an appetite-killing manner.
[Ugh... Believe me, I've already lost my appetite.]
The system's voice made retching sounds.
"Elder Yous, you speak of her as if she's filth? She's my older brother's daughter... the daughter of the former chief. I hope you haven't forgotten that."
Arisu's eyes concealed intense anger.
Old man Yous smacked his lips with his tongue, then said—his cheeks bulging from the food inside, making them the size of baseballs:
"I haven't forgotten. But it seems you've forgotten that she deserves it, young man."
There was a big, sarcastic, food-stained smile on old man Yous's face as he looked at Arisu with arrogance and cunning. Food juices dripped down his curly black beard.
The anger was clear on Arisu's face from that calm stare—like a predator watching its prey strut unable to pounce on it.
[Do you see his beard? Oh my God, look at all that fluid in it... I think I'm going to throw up.]
Old man Yous swallowed the mashed food mixture in his mouth, then said in a mocking, hidden-sarcasm tone:
"No need to get angry about this, young man... She really is the daughter of that brave leader Arsoi."
Old man Yous's tone was strange, as if he were mockery.
"But don't forget—she's the 'prophecy of disaster.' And here you are scolding me for an word I said."
Old man Yous paused, then his malicious gaze intensified, and he said:
"Don't tell me you're defending her, Chief, just because she's your relative... Wouldn't that be wrong?"
Old man Yous picked up his cup, filled to the brim with emerald-colored liquid, and downed it in one go—as if it were sweet, delicious honey.
Sol watched the sparks of anger and hostility in silence. He knew exactly what was happening before him. Then he noticed something—someone watching from behind the tents. It was Azure.
That sad look, watching from afar, alone, wearing the same clothes she'd had on when the monster attacked. When Sol looked at her, she immediately hid behind the tents.
[Isn't that Azure? She seemed to be staring intently at you.]
When Azure disappeared behind the tents, a scene appeared in Sol's mind—a memory. A boy, maybe ten years old, with hair not very long, barely reaching the nape of his neck, sitting alone at a desk that seemed to belong to some school.
While the boy sat in the back right corner of the classroom, the other students were far away in their seats, as if this quiet boy was a pile of foul-smelling filth.
[She looks hungry... I don't think you can give her some food, right?]
The system's voice asked Sol. He remained silent for a few seconds before answering:
"Yeah..."
Sol's current status was very important to the tribe—as if he were their absolute ruler. This wasn't Sol's first time as a ruler—he had ruled Earth and all of humanity, and he knew well that any action he took would have consequences, good or bad.
[What a poor girl.]
"fake authority."
Sol's tone was cold. The words caught Arisu's attention.
"To have authority and the power to command—that's tremendous strength. With it, you can shatter mountains, dry up seas, create your own apocalypse... but you're unable to move all of it to feed a small child or even help them."
"Don't be surprised. This is ordinary. Things like this exist everywhere. After all, that's life."
Sol finished speaking and picked up a piece of gray meat, putting it in his mouth, trying to ignore the image of that boy that had appeared in his mind moments ago.
"Dirt."
On the other side, sadness and regret filled Arisu's face for a few seconds. Then his expression shifted. He forced himself to smile and said:
"Please, eat as much as you like, and enjoy the company of the sacred Sky Dweller."
Arisu turned and walked away from the crowd toward his large tent.
[It seems your words have hit him hard..]
"As long as he is influenced by that, he doesn't truly understand reality; he is just another dreamer.."
Sol thought internally
[While on the other side, there's that fat greedy one.]
Old man Yous was eating ravenously after Arisu left, as if the food might escape him.
***
After the feast ended Aresu left a little while ago, the women, some men, and children began cleaning the place, taking away the dishes, fur cushions, and long food mats—washing and packing them away.
"The sky is getting dark."
[Are you going back to the big tent?]
"I think so."
[I think that's a good idea.]
Sol headed directly to the large tent, walking between the silent tents. The feast laughter faded behind him.he seen men carrying small torches, which they used to light large torches on the tribal border.
"Look at them, lighting torches even on such a blessed day...This is completely unacceptable"
A woman who was watching whispered, and another woman beside her nodded in agreement. Sol ignored them and continued on his way towards the tent.
Inside the tent, Arisu was waiting, sitting on one of the seats. Before him were two cups and a small decorated pitcher, beside it a not-too-large bucket.
"What do you think? Will you drink a little with me?"
Arisu said, seeming slightly drunk.
Sol sat beside him and He refused the cup that Aresu poured for him. Sol also did not drink at the feast.
"I didn't see you drink any of it at the feast either...it seems you don't drink..This is really good"
"You know something, Sol? I hate that damn drink."
He said, his half-drunk eyes staring at the green liquid swaying with his hand's movement.
[Yeah, you really look like you hate it.]
"This drink has an amazing taste and effect, but it also has negative effects... it negatively affects everyone who drinks it...."
"My brother—the former chief—was a very skilled hunter. An unmatched hunter. When he took the position of chief and had to attend the elders' meetings, he started drinking this... Even though he hated it intensely, he started drinking it... And of course, his physical condition declined. His speed, agility, and strength weakened."
He paused for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on the cup, then said:
"You know what he told me when I told him to quit? He said: 'The drink is the only cure for pain without wounds.' To be honest, I didn't understand what he meant by that—I even mocked him for it... But I understood it. And I understood it in a painful, harsh way. Despite the pain and harshness, I'm still the guilty one... I'm the one who deserves it. No one else but me."
Arisu downed the cup in one go, then set it down. The strong taste's effect was clear on his face.
For some reason, Sol saw himself in Arisu in this drunken state—when he had clung to life desperately. He also felt he didn't want to stay with him in this state.
"I'm tired and want to sleep. Could you lend me a place to sleep?"
Surprise was clear on Arisu's face. At this time of day—the sun had just set—and he wanted to sleep. He knew what it meant.
Arisu smiled, then gestured:
"Yes... that room is specially prepared for you. You can stay there as you wish."
Sol stood and headed to the room without a word, closing the thick curtains behind him.
[Why did you leave him like that?]
The system's voice asked, but Sol didn't answer.
Arisu picked up the pitcher, poured from the bucket, and filled the cup only halfway. Then he picked up the cup and took small sips, his features tightening—as if he were drinking poison of some kind.
"Fake authority, huh...."