While the elders left, the village chief and accepter, Garut, remained seated in their seats.
"I want to know what you are thinking about this." The village chief decided to ask first. He knew Accepter Garut the most, other than his parents. That's why he trusted him, not just because of his ability to see the future.
It wasn't because he was the village chief who grew up with him, but because they were father and son. "Father?"
Accepter Garut nodded as he explained, "Viridescent Nai, I suspect that he passed his acceptance phenomenon from the moon."
"Moon?" The village chief widened his eyes in disbelief. "I thought we could only do so via the sun?"
"That's what I thought too, but I saw his acceptance proof. It's different from mine and our past predecessors."
Accepter Garut paused before he continued, "If that was all there was to it, I wouldn't have come to that conclusion or guess."
The village chief nodded as he waited for his father to continue.
"The thing is, he was asking that. Where do we get our strength from? When I told him from the sun, a fleeting look of surprise appeared in his eyes."
"Now then, with my long years of being alive, how can I not notice what that means?" Accepter Garut expressionlessly spoke.
"...just that?" The village chief was appalled. Just this, and you were guessing that his strength came from the moon? "Anymore father?"
Sigh.
Accepter Garut shook his head and then paused. He said, "It came from my gut feeling. He's different from us, who got our nurturing as well as getting stronger because of the sun.".
Isn't that the same as not having any proof at all? The village chief was speechless in his heart.
It was too tiring to be a village chief; maybe I should just retire early now.
"Alright, I know what you're thinking. I prefer to avoid unnecessary killing. You should know what I mean." Accepter Garut said it meaningfully.
The village chief nodded, "I know. The village population has always been the problem of every village chief from generations to generations."
"But what can we do when we're like this? There's always a disaster everywhere. There's no way those children can survive them all, even with your ability."
That's right, Agah Village has always been strange for them. But as time went by, it became the norm.
Disasters would strike from time to time, including diseases and all kinds of misfortune.
If not for Accepter Garut, who can see the future and avoid them if they can. The whole village might have already been done for.
Of course they tried to relocate, unfortunately. Misfortune seems to follow them everywhere.
And this misfortune started when Accepter Garut was in her teens.
At the time of the first disaster, he passed through the acceptance phenomenon and gained immense strength from the sun.
He wasn't the only one; there are others who passed through the acceptance phenomenon too. Unfortunately, they weren't blessed with luck and have long since died young.
"What do you have in mind, father?" The village chief asked softly. He seems to have an inkling of what his father has on his mind. Also, only at this time would he call him 'father'.
As expected, Accepter Garut faintly smiled on his wrinkly old face. "Well, have him increase the population for us and break the curse that plagued our village."
The village chief widened his eyes, and his mouth opened in disbelief. "You mean we do that?".
"Yes."
"..."
"Don't worry, they will be happy." Accepter Garut's smile widened as time went by.
He seems to see a future where he's planned to work both ways. "It's for the sake of the village."
What can a village chief say? "I'll follow my father's instructions."
"Prepare the next exchange then. Preferably, those he needs if we were to guess he was all alone." Accepter Garut thought and said.
Back to his usual expressionless face, before leaving the place.
When Accepter Garut returned to his hut, he immediately fell asleep, feeling tired.
Even with being an accepter, I still can't fight against nature. He sighed in his heart, knowing that he was declining year after year. He didn't have much time to live.
At least, let me see the curse of this village broken before I leave this life.
With that thought in his heart, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
It was a nice day for everyone in the village. The mysterious diseases were purged out, and all the sick were cured and healed.
Even the gloomy air around the village seems to recede, like smoke dissipating after meeting the sun.
Everyone felt happy and hopeful for their future after surviving the disaster.
"Hey, have you heard?"
"Have you heard what?"
"So you don't, huh?"
"What is it?"
"Nah, better ask someone. I'm also trying my luck by asking."
"So you were just as ignorant as I am?
"Alright, on the other topic then. Have you heard of Accepter Garut?"
"That one I know. I remember that he was a mysterious old man. Everyone in the village respects him. "What do you want to talk to him about?"
"He's the one who journeys into the far unknown to find the cure. Heard of it?"
"Tsk, and here I thought you knew more than me. Have you heard that he has the ability to see the future?"
"What?! How's that possible? The only way to see the future is to wake up the next day!"
"Idiot!"
At the same time, news suddenly spread around the village.
"Everyone! Everyone! Everyone! I've got news for you!" Everyone immediately gathered around a young man, waiting for his news.
This is one of the habits and joys of the villagers: waiting for news to color their dull lives.
"Tell us immediately what it is!"
"Right, right, don't keep us waiting!"
Soon, all the villagers in the vicinity gathered. It was also at this time that the young man shouted out the news.
"The Village Chief and the Elders have decided to create the village's first caravan." Looking at the villagers confused expression, the young messenger smiled.
"What's caravan?" Someone said.
He was like that at first, so he didn't mind the little chatter. "It's a group of individuals who will travel far to exchange goods and things from another place. Just like how our heroes trade our goods for the cure,"
Woah!
The whole area was in an uproar upon hearing that. Their heroes, who saved their lives by traversing the vast grassland, actually get the cure in exchange for their village goods.
"It's called a caravan? I want to be one of them!"
"Doesn't that mean there are other people out there? Like us?"
"Can I live there?"
"I want to be one! I want to sign up!"
"Wow, did you hear that? How about it, son? Want to be a man?"
"I'll go, father."
The young man is very pleased to see the villagers enthusiasm. With this mood, he thinks that it was just right to move on to the next stage, as the higher-ups have told him to do.
"The number is limited." The young messenger paused. And as he expected, everyone immediately had a change of expression.
After all, this is an opportunity to leave the village and get away from this cursed place.
How could they let this opportunity slip through their fingers? "No way! Are there any requirements?"
This is it. "However, it's not that you won't be part of it."
The villagers know that they won't be able to survive outside the village alone if they ever want to escape this place; that's why they didn't leave, even if they knew disaster would strike them from time to time. "Tell us what to do!"
It's better to die in the village than be eaten in agony by an animal outside. "Everyone, you don't need to worry. Everyone will be given their own chance to be part of the caravan. It's not for one-time use only."
"Alright, I won't beat around the bush. Cut down the trees! Those who cut the most will be given the spot! Those ten people who have the highest logs submitted can not only be part of the caravan but can also take one person with them."
"Wooah!!!"
"Can I ask?" "Can we support the others?"
The young messenger smiled and said, "You can," as expected of those old men. They even predicted this situation, he thought.
After saying that, he immediately left to get his stone axe. Naturally, he wanted to be part of the caravan and leave this place behind.
"How about it?" The village chief asked an elder on the scene just now.
"It's done beautifully." The elder replied.
Everyone in the room nodded with a relaxed smile. An elder at the side said, "In the vast grassland, wood is scarce. We can surely use it to our advantage when we do exchange once again.".
"Indeed." The others nodded with a smile. At the same time, They were very relaxed.
Let the villagers do the work while they sit down and think ahead.
That's how the higher-ups work all the time. "Hahahahaha." Everyone laughed.