I did not know what to do. I had no way to confirm whether they would be friendly or not. The only option was to reveal myself, but that meant that I'd be in grave danger if they turned out to be enemies.
I did not think I had the ability to defend myself against a group of more than five people, nor could I possibly run away due to my lack of information about this place.
What to do… What to do?!
I could feel myself getting old as I stressed about the situation before me. I had to come up with a solid plan before they would finish eating! Because once they are done, more variables might appear, which might just make the situation even more difficult for me. I couldn't figure out the perfect strategy, unfortunately.
But, I did come to an enlightenment. I realized that I shouldn't be satisfied with the information I have. I should always try to gather as much information as possible before trying to come up with a solution or conclusion. All of my experiences in this world so far have been begging me to do so, after all.
So I waited and no longer cared about the unlucky variables that might show up, because even unlucky variables could end up as valuable knowledge to me.
To ease my boredom while having to wait in an environment that kept my hunger in action, I began to make some small essential ideas and thought of turning them into reality. I looked around and after confirming a few things, I began to move towards where I wanted to reposition myself.
My gaze locked into a two-story building that wasn't too far away from the center of the town. This is where I had decided to reposition myself, behind a gap where I could easily see all people without having to expose myself to them.
As of now, nothing out of the place was happening except the food continued to cook, and the scene remained unchanged with them engaging in conversation.
After approximately five minutes, the boiling ceased, indicating that the food might be ready to be eaten. It must be that, or the cauldron had run out of magic power to continue…
Anyway, I guessed it was time for the nine to share the food between themselves. However, contrary to my expectations none of the nine figures did anything. Instead, they all seemed to have decided to just stare at the food that had its liquids leaking out of the cauldron.
The more I watched the more I frowned and as time passed by, it only deepened further.
The people were just staring, and only after what seemed to be more than a few minutes, did they change their actions.
All of them directed their gaze toward a specific individual among them. That person trembled under the scrutiny, and from their body language, it seemed like a 'You do it' scenario was unfolding.
The next thing I saw was the individual accepting his fate with his head down. He walked towards the cauldron with a somber expression, his right arm pressed tightly against his body.
It's highly likely that he had a traumatic experience with the cauldron…
When the man arrived and faced the cauldron that was right in front of him, he slowly stretched his right arm towards it. His body displayed a notable sense of caution, and he appeared hesitant, visibly afraid to bring his index finger closer to the food.
But why was he only bringing his finger towards the food?! I guessed that he was trying to get a feel of the heat.
But, why? Isn't it obvious that the thing in there would still be hot? Do none of them know the simple logic of waiting to cool it down or distributing the food into small portions and then blowing some air on it to cool it down?!
This is when the idea of them all being clueless children struck me! Well, maybe they weren't all exactly children, but they were as clueless as children, or better said, as the type of people that have been living under a rock!
At this moment I somehow guessed that those near the cauldron were no allies of the soldiers, but the victims. This meant that I could approach them. In fact, I wanted to approach them so badly after witnessing the way they handled good warm food! It annoyed me, after all!
'But what if it's all a facade…?' I wondered. 'What if it's a trap?!' I thought warily.
I felt like hating this world more and more, all because of the amount of things that I had put into my mind!
May as well call it karma for not having calculated the risks well back then in the gym I guess!
'Sigh…'
Eventually I decided to risk it. I wasn't going to go up to them without a plan to at least back me up, of course.
Before going up to them to correct their behaviors, I planned to gather the things that were needed for demonstration, such as bowls or plates.
While having to do so anyway, I figured, why not look for a weapon that could give me the higher advantage against a number of fists?!
Ahahaha!