"Big Brother, wake up! It's morning," Brody said as he rubbed his eyes and started to get up.
"What... It's already morning?" Derek quickly sat up, startled by Brody's voice.
"Yes, Big Brother," Brody replied as he stood up and began heading outside the hut.
"Hey, Dylan, Blake, wake up! It's morning now," Derek called out to Dylan and Blake. Dylan quietly got up at Derek's call, but Blake was still very sleepy.
"Ahh... Just a little longer, Big Brother," Blake groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but Derek wasn't having it. He spoke again, this time with a warning.
"If you don't get up now, I'll take your share of the Heaven food," Derek threatened, referring to the potatoes.
"Nooo... No one can take my Heaven food from me!" Blake shouted as he jumped up quickly, fully awake now.
"Come on, we have a lot to do today. Let's get ready after a wash. Didn't you hear what Brother-in-law said last night when he came to our hut?" Derek reminded Blake of Victor's words.
"Yeah, I heard and remember," Blake replied, now serious, as he got up to head outside. Derek and Dylan followed him out.
When the three of them stepped outside, the peaceful atmosphere and the gentle sunlight fell upon them, making them feel a sense of calm and happiness.
"Grab your clothes, everyone. We'll head to the pond for a wash," Derek said.
Hearing Derek's suggestion, Dylan and Blake took their clothes and started walking towards the pond with him. Aunt Clara
( Their elder sister ), had mentioned yesterday that there was a pond a little distance away, so they headed in that direction.
After a short while, they reached the pond. Suddenly, they heard a voice calling out, "Big Brother Derek, come over here!"
It was Brody, who had left earlier and was already at the pond, waiting for them. Upon seeing them, he started calling out to them excitedly.
Hearing Brody's call, the three of them moved towards him. "Let's finish up quickly," Derek said, and they all began undressing to get into the pond.
They walked to the side of the pond and took turns diving in. After a short while, they emerged, dressed in their clothes, and headed back to their huts.
"Big Brother Derek, should we act like Brother-in-Law said?" Blake, who was following behind, asked Derek.
"Yes, Blake. We need to follow John's instructions quietly because Brother-in-Law believes that John will help us out of this tough life as Dregs," Derek explained, recalling the conversation from the night before.
The previous night...
"Let's go to sleep now. No more talking," Derek had told everyone, as the carriage was becoming noisy. At that moment, they heard a knock on the door.
Knock...knock...
Derek got up to open the door. "What's the matter, Brother-in-Law? Is something wrong?" Derek asked Victor, who was standing outside.
"No, there's nothing wrong. I just need to tell you something," Victor said, stepping inside.
Seeing Victor, the three brothers got up.
"What did you need to tell us, Brother-in-Law? We're listening," Derek asked, as he and his brothers sat down.
"What do you all think about John?" Victor asked, his expression serious.
Victor's serious demeanor made it clear he wasn't joking, and the brothers pondered for a moment. Finally, Derek spoke up, "In my opinion, John is more useful than us."
"Yes, that's true, but he seems very different," Victor said.
"How, Brother-in-Law?" Dylan asked quietly.
"When we first came here to find new food sources, we didn't know how to look for them. But John knew about potatoes and what they looked like. He also knew they were safe to eat. Yet, Patricians seem unaware of this food source. How did John know?" Victor explained seriously
"What... Do you mean that John already knew about this heaven food?" Dylan asked in shock.
"Yes, he knew about it beforehand, and I believe John knows a lot that we don't," Victor said, addressing everyone.
"So if that's the case, what should we do, brother-in-law?" Derek asked, trying to understand Victor's words.
"You all need to stay with John and do exactly as he says and Call him leader from tomorrow," Victor replied to Derek.
"Why, brother-in-law? He's the youngest among us," Blake asked, confused, as he saw John as too young to be a leader. He thought only Uncle Tom or Victor could be leaders, so Blake was puzzled when Victor suggested calling John a leader.
"Idiot... Don't ask questions. You'll understand the meaning of brother-in-law's words in time," Derek said angrily to Blake.
Derek, Brody, and Dylan understood Victor's point and said nothing more.
"Okay, I'm leaving now. You all should get some rest," Victor said and left.
Present.....
"Do you understand now, Blake?" Derek asked.
"Yes, Big Brother Derek," Blake replied, looking around for a moment.
The four brothers arrived at their hut.
"Good morning to all of you," John said as he came out of his hut and greeted the four brothers.
"Good morning, Leader," Derek, Dylan, Brody, and Blake responded.
"What... Leader? Who are you talking about?" John asked, surprised.
"You," Derek confirmed.
"How can I be the leader? I'm the youngest here," John said, still in shock.
"We've decided to make you our leader," Derek said clearly.
John stared at them in shock, not knowing what to say. After a moment, he said, "We'll discuss this in the evening. For now, finish your tasks." He noticed the wet clothes they were holding, with drops of water falling to the ground.
"Alright, Leader," Derek said, and he, along with Brody, Blake, and Dylan, went into their hut.
"Leader... again," John muttered to himself. He had never imagined being called a leader, especially given his age.
[ Host they view you as a leader because you are the right person for the role.] Info explained
John, shocked by the information, stepped outside to ask.
"How is that possible?" John asked, confused. He couldn't understand why they were considering the youngest person as their leader.
[ You have reduced their struggle by finding a new food source with your knowledge. That's why they consider you their leader.]
After hearing Info's explanation, John understood a bit more but still felt uneasy. It felt strange to be called a leader by people older than him. He decided to discuss this later.
He took his clothes and went to bathe in the same pond where the others had bathed earlier.
Upon reaching the pond, he removed his clothes and entered the water.
As John waded into the pond, John didn't know how to swim, and neither did any of the Dregs, as swimming was something only the Patricians knew. The Dregs never went deeper than waist-high water when bathing, so John was unfamiliar with this depth.
Then suddenly John felt something smooth under his feet and began to feel nervous, he reached down into the water to check what it was. As he lifted the object, it began to wriggle. When John saw that it was a living creature, he let go in fear.
"What was that...?" John asked, startled, as he moved away from the pond and stood at a distance.
"Info, what was that thing I touched?" John asked, panting.
[Host, that is also a food source.]
John's eyes widened and his mouth dropped in shock. "What... It's a food source? Definitely not , it's Poisonous…"
[ No, Host, it is not poisonous. It is actually very good to eat ]
"No, it must be poisonous. Uncle Tom wouldn't lie about it," John insisted, still in disbelief.
[If you don't trust me, you can use the Analyze skill to verify whether it is poisonous or not.]
Following Info's suggestion, John said, "Analyze," and the details of the creature appeared before him.
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| Name: Glowfin Snapper
|
| Vitamin class : B++
|.
| Benefits: Eating this increases vitality and
|. Improves physical endurance
|.
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"What... it's not poisonous... but Uncle Tom and everyone else always said it was. But you can actually eat it?" As John said this, something clicked in his mind.
"Those... bastards... Patricians... how deeply they've planted fear in the minds of the Dregs." John realized after reading this that it was all a scheme by the Patricians, a lie that had been spreading for years among the Dregs—that anything found in water was poisonous, and the Dregs believed it.
This realization only fueled John's anger and hatred towards the Patricians even more.
John clenched his fists, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge and change. The lies of the Patricians had held them down for too long. But now, he knew the truth. He wouldn't let this knowledge go to waste.
John was slowly beginning to understand everything, especially about the Patricians. Earlier, he thought that this was just a normal struggle-filled life, but now his eyes were opened.
Every word spoken by the Patricians could be a lie, meant to keep the Dregs under their control so that they would serve them for life. There might even be other reasons that John hadn't grasped yet.
"I need to fight them, but I don't have the strength right now. But I promise, I'll become so powerful that I'll show the world what a Dreg is truly capable of." Saying this, John found a purpose that he hadn't had before.
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Next Chapter
[ Unveiling the Truth- 2 ]