John put on his clothes and headed towards the hut with a very serious expression. After reaching his hut, he dried his wet clothes and then went outside to sit in the same spot where he had been sitting yesterday.
Victor had made separate wooden benches for conversations while building the hut, and these benches were placed in an open area on one side.
Victor and Uncle Tom's side:
"This is a very good place and very big too," Uncle Tom said to Victor as they walked together.
"Yes, Brother Tom. I didn't pay much attention back then, but today, after exploring, this place is very good. Finding this place would make Patricians and other Dregs people sweat," Victor said, laughing about the location.
"So, how did you find it? Did you get lost?" Uncle Tom asked.
"It was a very difficult day in my life because I was late for work. I took another route through the mountains, but I got lost in these very mountains. I just kept walking and found this place. Look, there's a tree on the right side. I rested under it for a while and then kept walking straight until the mountain ended. After two days, I came out of the mountain and didn't even tell Clara about it," Victor explained how he found the place, including the fact that he hadn't even told his wife about it by mistake.
"What... You... found this place suddenly?" Uncle Tom asked in shock.
"Yes, it was a bad day for me," Victor replied, feeling disappointed.
"Why 'bad'? It was a very lucky day," Uncle Tom said, pointing out to Victor.
"Why, lucky day?" Victor asked, confused.
"If you hadn't gotten lost, how would you have found this place? And when John mentioned this type of place, you were the one who brought us here, and now we are eating to our fill," Uncle Tom explained to the disappointed Victor.
"Oh... I hadn't thought of it that way..." Victor said and started laughing, along with Uncle Tom.
"Victor, have you told the Patricians or the Dregs about this place?" Uncle Tom asked seriously.
Seeing Uncle Tom's serious face, Victor stopped and said, "Brother Tom, I wanted to forget the incident of getting lost, and I thought that if I told others, it would always be remembered. So, I didn't tell anyone. Don't worry, no one knows about this land. It's situated between the mountains, so others won't be able to find it without a guide."
Victor said this to ease Uncle Tom's tension
"Let's go, everyone must be up by now," Uncle Tom said, looking ahead.
"Yes, let's go," Victor agreed, and they started walking towards the hut.
After some time, they returned from their morning walk, and Uncle Tom, noticing John sitting seriously, asked, "What's the matter, John? You look serious this early in the morning."
John, who was contemplating the wooden benches and waiting for everyone to arrive, stepped out of his thoughts and replied, "Uncle Tom, I need to discuss something with everyone, so I'm waiting for them all."
"Alright, I'll call everyone," Victor said, noticing John's serious expression and understanding that it might be something important.
Uncle Tom, who was waiting, sat down on one of the benches and watched John.
After a while, Victor brought everyone and they began to sit down on the benches, one by one, while observing John, who seemed deep in thought.
"John, everyone is here now. What is it that you want to discuss?" Uncle Tom, who was seated calmly, asked as he looked at the assembled group.
"Uncle Tom, what did you tell me about the creatures in the water?" John asked very seriously.
Everyone started looking at each other's faces, knowing about the creatures in the water as described by their ancestors, and they were a bit scared.
"The creatures in the water here are very poisonous. Just touching them could be fatal. My father told me this from a young age, and I've repeatedly told you the same. Why are you suddenly asking about this, John?" Uncle Tom asked, a bit scared.
"If the poison from the water creature entered John's body while bathing, it could be dangerous for his life. If that's the case, we need to go to the capital immediately for treatment," Uncle Tom thought, worrying about John.
"And what do all of you think about this?" John asked, turning to the others after listening to Uncle Tom.
"My father also said the same thing that Brother Tom mentioned—creatures in the water are very dangerous and poisonous," Victor replied to John.
"Yes, my mother also said the same, and she told us that our father passed away because of one of those water creatures," Derek added, looking at John.
Hearing the same response from everyone, John was now sure that these were lies spread by the Patricians.
"My guess was right; this is all a Patricians' plot. But how could such a big lie be spread among the Dregs? What exactly did they do to deceive our ancestors, who believed this, and how long has this lie been going on?" John was calculating all this in his mind with a sense of calm.
The others just looked at John, silent, and did not say anything.
After a while, everyone waited for John to speak, curious about why he had asked all these questions and what his intentions were. There was also a concern that John might have been affected by the poison from the water creatures, as Uncle Tom feared.
"John, can you tell us what's going on? We're worried because you suddenly asked about this. Is there a chance that the poison from the water creatures entered your body while you were bathing?" Uncle Tom, who knew John well, asked with concern.
"Nothing like that has happened to me. Don't worry, Uncle Tom," John, who had been deep in thought, reassured him, clearing the doubt.
"Then why did you suddenly ask us about the water creatures?" Victor asked, looking at John seriously.
"And one last thing—how much do you all trust me and my words?" John asked, as he was about to reveal more. He wanted to know if they would still trust him if he disproved what their ancestors had taught them about the poisonous nature of the water creatures. He was concerned that contradicting their beliefs might lead to their anger.
Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to respond to John's unusual question. Then Uncle Tom spoke.
"John, I've known you since you were six years old when you came to Oakville village. I trust you more than anyone else," Uncle Tom simply answered John's tough question.
"If you had asked this five days ago, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But now, I trust you completely and everything you say," Victor said, holding Clara's hand.
Seeing Victor's confidence, Clara also spoke up, "John, I completely trust you."
Finally, it was the turn of the four brothers. Derek spoke on behalf of them,
"If Brother -in-law(Victor) and Big Sister (Clara) trust you, then we also trust you completely. Leader " Derek said confidently, as their older sister and brother-in-law trusted John, so they did too.
John felt very pleased and happy hearing this. He was shocked by their support, as it was surprising that people older than him had such trust in him.
"You've all got your answers now, so can you tell us why you asked about the water creatures?" Uncle Tom asked, as his patience was wearing thin.
"The water creatures are not poisonous; it's all a lie," John said seriously, looking at everyone. As they heard this, they struggled to believe it and started clearing their ears, unsure if they had heard him correctly.
"What did you say, John? Please repeat it; I didn't hear it clearly," Aunt Clara asked John seriously.
"It's true, Aunt Clara. The belief that water creatures are poisonous is a lie. It's all false," John repeated firmly, looking at everyone.
The group fell into shocked silence, staring at John, unsure of how to react.
"Are you suggesting that our ancestors lied to us about the water creatures being poisonous?" Victor broke the silence, his tone serious.
"Yes, the ancestors of the Dregs lied," John confirmed.
"Why would the ancestors lie about this? What did they gain from it?" Victor asked, his voice carrying a heavy tone, as the atmosphere became very tense.
If John made a mistake here, it could lead to conflict. Victor's calm but serious tone indicated that this was a crucial moment. John, however, answered calmly and without hesitation.
"I don't know what they gained from lying, but I am certain that this belief is entirely false."
"How can you be so sure that our ancestors lied?" Blake, visibly angry and standing up, demanded an explanation. Since their father had died due to the supposed poison .
"Blake, sit down right now," Derek said angrily to Blake.
"No, Big Brother Derek, this man is calling our ancestors liars and saying our mother is lying too. He is even claiming that our father's death was not caused by the poison from these water creatures. I won't stay silent," Blake shouted, pointing angrily at
John.
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Next Chapter
[ Capturing the Glowfin Snapper ]