"Leader... Leader..." Brody approached and started shaking John, who opened his eyes and looked up.
"Umm... Ohh.. Brody, what's the matter?" John said, coming out of his deep thoughts, looking at Brody.
"Leader, I've been calling you for a while, but you didn't respond. Even when I started shaking you, you didn't reply. What were you thinking about so seriously?" Brody asked, looking at John, because despite calling out to him, John didn't respond, forcing Brody to shake him awake.
"Nothing, Brody, I was just lost while looking at the sky," John said, getting up.
"???" Brody didn't understand and thought, 'What is Leader talking about? How can someone get lost while looking at the sky?' Though he had his doubts, he didn't ask.
"Brody, do you know which country we live in?" John asked while getting up.
"No, Leader. I've never heard about it, and no one has ever told me the name of this country," Brody said, following John.
"Hmm... Is that so? But haven't you ever wondered about the country we live in or what its name is, or how the world works?" John asked in a slightly serious tone.
"Yes, Leader. I did wonder once when I heard the Patricians talking at the factory. They were discussing a country called ELDORIA. That's the only name I've heard, and since then, I started thinking whether we live in ELDORIA or not. But after a few days, I stopped thinking about it, as it didn't seem that important," Brody explained in response to John's question.
"Why did you stop, Brody? If you had tried a little harder, you could have confirmed which country we are in," John asked angrily because Dregs people are believed to think only about earning and nothing else in life. They don't pay attention to anything else; this is their state. No one wants to make an effort—they just care about how to fill their stomachs each day.
"Haha, Leader, what are you talking about? Would finding out the answer have filled our stomachs? I felt it was pointless to think about it," Brody said, lightly scratching his head and laughing.
"Sigh... The ability to think is dead among the Dregs," John thought to himself and sighed.
"Umm... Leader, what's wrong?" Seeing John sigh, Brody felt a bit nervous, wondering if he had made a mistake.
"Brody, if someone stops thinking, they're nothing more than a living corpse—they're alive, but of no use," John said, explaining in a somewhat puzzled tone.
"What do you mean, Leader? I don't understand," Brody asked, confused by John's words.
"When you start thinking, you'll understand what I mean," John said as he moved closer to the place where everyone was sitting. Looking at them, it seemed like they had all been waiting for John.
"John, why did it take so long? Were you sleeping?" Uncle Tom asked when he saw John approaching.
"No, Uncle Tom. The Leader was lost while looking at the sky. I had to shake him out of it, and then I brought him here," Brody replied, coming up behind John and answering Uncle Tom.
"Ehhh?" Everyone let out a confused sound, as they didn't understand what Brody meant.
Seeing everyone confused, John said, "Forget all this. Uncle, hasn't Victor returned yet?" John asked as he sat down near the spot where they all usually sit at night.
"No, John, we were just talking about that," Uncle Tom replied.
"He should have been back by now," John said, glancing around at everyone.
"Yes, Leader. Brother-in-law usually doesn't take this long. The way he left here, excited, he should have returned by noon," Derek said in a worried tone.
"I'm starting to worry. What if brother-in-law got into some trouble?" Dylan spoke after thinking deeply. He knew that for people like them, this place was a dream come true—a place where they could fill their stomachs. They couldn't stay away from it for long. Victor also belonged to the same group, so unless he got into some trouble, he wouldn't have stayed away from this 'heaven' for too long. This was the conclusion Dylan reached after much thought.
"Victor is always careful, observing everything around him and taking action only after understanding the situation, unless...?" Uncle Tom also voiced his concern, echoing Dylan's thoughts.
"Unless what, Uncle Tom?" Derek asked, looking at him.
"Unless a wild animal attacked him in the mountains, and he got injured and is now resting. That's just my guess," Uncle Tom said, worried and serious.
"Then we need to go find Brother-in-law," Blake, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke up. When Uncle Tom mentioned the possibility of an attack, Blake immediately felt that Victor might be in danger and expressed his concern.
"You're right, Blake. We all need to go search for Brother-in-law," Brody said, agreeing with Blake and looking around at everyone.
"Where are you all planning to go? Will someone tell me?" Clara asked from behind, holding a large pot filled with the aroma of boiled potatoes. She had overheard part of Brody's conversation and spoke as she began to set the big earthen pot down.
Everyone turned to look at Clara, who was busy serving the boiled potatoes to everyone.
"Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Clara asked.
"Nothing, Clara. We were just talking about Victor, who hasn't returned yet," Uncle Tom replied.
"Oh, so that's what the discussion was about," Clara said, finishing serving everyone and then sitting down herself.
The moonlight from above illuminated the area, and they had lit a fire with wood for extra light, making everyone's faces visible, along with the worry on them.
"We're worried that Uncle Victor might have gotten into some trouble, which is why he's late. We were talking about going to Oakville Village to check," John said, noticing the concern on Aunt Clara's face.
"It's also possible that he decided to stay in the village due to the late hour and will return in the morning," Clara said, trying to shake off her worry and reassure herself with a positive outlook.
"Oh yeah, why didn't we think of that? Maybe he got delayed and decided to stay in the village," Derek said loudly.
"Hmm... You might be right, Clara," Uncle Tom said, calming down. He had been worried, but Clara's words brought him some relief, and he felt reassured.
"Alright, let's eat," Clara said, looking at everyone.
Hearing Clara's words, everyone picked up the potatoes from their plates and began eating quietly. Unlike before, now they knew they could eat as much as they wanted, so they savored each bite, enjoying the taste and taking their time.
After a while...
Once everyone had finished their meals, Clara collected and cleaned the plates, then sat back down. Looking at John, she asked excitedly, "So, John, what will we be discussing today?"
Everyone turned their attention to John, waiting for him to speak.
"Today's discussion will be a question and answer session," John said, glancing at everyone. He wanted to understand how much they knew about this world, and by asking questions and hearing their answers, he hoped to grasp their way of thinking.
"What do you mean? We don't quite understand," Uncle Tom asked, voicing everyone's confusion.
"I'll ask some questions, and you'll give me your answers. That's all," John explained to everyone.
"Ohh... Alright, ask away then," Clara understood what John meant and replied.
John looked around at everyone and realized they were ready. Turning to Uncle Tom, he asked, "Uncle Tom, do you know where exactly you are in this world right now?"
"What... Where I am? What kind of question is that? Of course, I know! I'm between Oakville and Milltown, in a hidden valley that no one can find," Uncle Tom answered confidently.
John realized that Uncle Tom wasn't aware of the larger context of the country they were in. So, he turned to the four brothers and asked them the same question, "Do you all know where you are in this world?"
Uncle Tom suddenly seemed puzzled, as if a question mark had appeared over his head. He didn't quite understand what kind of answer John was looking for and felt a bit disappointed.
"Same as Uncle Tom said," Brody, Blake, and Derek responded together. However, Dylan remained silent.
Noticing that Dylan didn't answer, John looked at him and asked the same question, "Dylan, where do you think you are in this world?"
Calmly and confidently, Dylan replied, "I'm in the country of Eldoria, within its capital Serica's jurisdiction, right now in the valley between Oakville Village and Milltown."
Hearing Dylan's answer, John smiled and said, "Ah... Finally, someone who has thought about it." He started laughing, looking at everyone.
Uncle Tom, Derek, Brody, Blake, and Clara were all shocked, staring at Dylan after hearing John's strange laughter and the way he posed the question.
"Dylan, how do you know the name of this country?" Uncle Tom asked in shock. But before Dylan could respond, a noise came from a distance.
*Thud... Thud...*
Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound, and then they heard a voice crying.
"Father , wake up... Arghh... Ahhh..."
They all started moving towards the source of the crying voice. Each one grabbed a stick, and Uncle Tom lit a torch for light as they cautiously advanced.
Just then, John shouted loudly,
"Who's there!?"
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Next Chapter. [ What Happened!!? ]