Chuckling slightly at my own idea, I continued to set up the ritual. I carefully placed three candles in the shape of a triangle. He placed a piece of fried meat in the center of the composition, from which a barely perceptible aroma of spices still rose, and placed a bowl of essential oil in front of him. One by one, the candles flared up at the touch of my spirituality, their soft light spreading across the room, giving it a touch of comfort, strangely contrasting with my studies. After finishing my preparations, I created a wall of spirituality, isolating the space, and began to recite a prayer.
The Radiance of the Sun;
Smile over the storms;
The voice of unbending freedom;
A flame that ignites hearts.
The Sun God Niko.
Accept my gift.
As expected, nothing happened. I looked at the candles, the flames of which were dancing, it seemed, mocking me. There could be many reasons: the lack of a mystical language, a nonexistent Honorific name, the mythical status of Niko, who so far was only an unincarnated beautiful story. Anyway, the ritual was pointless. But it doesn't matter — I don't have much to do on the liner anyway.
I spent an hour changing lines of text, rearranging candles, replacing oil with water and returning it back, sometimes just falling into reverie in front of the burning lights. These procedures had no purpose — it was a game, albeit with a taste of exploration. Making sure over and over again that there would be no result, I paused to eat the cold steak.
I decided to stretch my legs a bit and left my cabin.
The liner was impressive. Its impressive size made it possible to accommodate not only hundreds of passengers on board, but also several restaurants, shops, and even a small library. The sound of footsteps on the polished decks, the clink of glasses from the bars and the calm hum of the engines created an atmosphere of leisurely relaxation.
The route of the liner covered many islands. After each stop, he moved on, like a huge floating city. A week ago, in Nemea, I got on board unhindered, and since then I've been enjoying this temporary respite.
I didn't bother to think about where I was going. The liner lived its own life: passengers strolled, talked, laughed, and somewhere in the distance the muffled hum of entertainment machines could be heard.
I turned a corner and found myself in a spacious room with several slot machines. The soft light of the screens shimmered with colorful lights, the sounds of winnings rang almost continuously. One of the vending machines was free, and I walked over without hesitation. Inserting a coin, he started the game. At first everything went smoothly, but then the combinations got worse. "I lost," the thought flashed, but instead the last seconds of the game brought a modest gain. Several tokens fell out of the slot. "As a keepsake," I thought, and took them away.
After walking further, I went out onto the open deck, where the cool sea wind mixed with the scent of salt water. People were sitting at the sides, someone was reading a book, someone was looking into the distance. One child, leaning on the handrail, enthusiastically pointed to something in the water — dolphins, flashing in the distance, playing on the waves.
On the other deck, I came across a small zoo. A paddock with seabirds attracted attention. Seagulls, pelicans and even a couple of albatrosses behaved calmly, as if they did not notice the noise around them. A large lizard, most likely some kind of exotic iguana, was lazily moving in the neighboring enclosure. Her eyes, peering through the bars, reminded me of a dense jungle.
A family of monkeys was sitting in the center of the fenced area. One of them, noticing me, seemed to deliberately pause, and then began to defiantly twist her head and snap her teeth. People were laughing and taking pictures. I paused for a moment to watch them deftly move along the ropes, as if they knew they were being watched.
Realizing that it was time for a snack, I slowly headed towards the restaurant. On the way, I came across a small group of musicians. They were playing something jazzy, smooth, and light. Passersby stopped, nodding to the beat, someone clapped their hands, someone just stood next to them with their eyes closed. I stayed for a while, listened, and only then continued on my way.
When I entered the restaurant, I chose a table by the window with a view of the endless sea. I ordered two servings of food, waited until they were ready, and returned to my cabin.
One of the plates took its place on the table, while the other went with me to the servants' room. There, chained to the pipes, sat a guy with dirty-white hair and stubble. His dark eyes, circled by lack of sleep, seemed bottomless. His face is... an exact replica of mine, only less well-groomed.
"Don't worry,— I told my prisoner, putting a plate in front of him. — Tomorrow the liner will arrive at Water 7. I will leave the ship and you will be free.
He was silent, giving me a look full of hatred. A week ago, he was afraid that I would kill him. Now his fear was replaced by anger, albeit helplessly.
—Eat,— I ordered, picking up the bucket with his waste. — Today is the last day of your discomfort.
To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with this situation myself. It was exhausting to take care of him, as if I had taken a job as a nurse. Besides, I was constantly on the alert, fearing that he would somehow give us away. But killing him was a senseless act of cruelty. For me, all his actions were just a matter of a little risk and my convenience.
After cleaning up after his meal, I started the ritual again. In the center, I placed the second portion, which was a large steak.
I had an idea that the reason for the failure of the ritual was that Niko didn't exist yet, so it's worth contacting him.
A friend who laughs in the face of fear;
The heart that follows the wind;
The one who rushes over the horizon;
A child of boundless dreams.
Monkey D. Luffy
Accept my humble gift.
The world seemed to hold its breath. The room froze, the silence became almost tangible, and... the meat disappeared.
- Ah-ha-ha-ha... I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The ritual worked against the rules, which means that it adapted to the local rules. This is most likely how it will work, and it will always adapt to the rules of different worlds, simplifying or complicating the rules.
Well, if I manage to repeat the rituals of the Dancer's path, this day can be considered productive.
______________________________________________________________________________
On the other side of the world. East Blue, the Island of Dawn.
The destroyed forest resembled a battlefield: trees lay in a chaotic mess, trunks were twisted, as if they had been subjected to the onslaught of a giant. The dusty ground bore the marks of impacts—deep dents and streaks. A loud, youthful voice rang out in the silence of the forest:
—HOMU-HOMU-BUT... NOOOO!"!!
With a dull crack, the fist extended as if from a sling, slammed into another tree, instantly breaking it. The tree collapsed with a bang, and the fist, obeying strange laws, immediately returned to its owner. Its owner, a boy in a straw hat, red vest and blue shorts— landed on the ground with a crash. He was breathing heavily, brushing beads of sweat from his tanned face.
—Phew..." he breathed out with a wide, satisfied smile. — I've been practicing well. And now... IT'S TIME TO EAT!
No sooner had these words left his lips than a delicious-smelling steak, clearly freshly cooked, appeared in front of him with a soft "puff". The guy stared at him, blinked once, then twice, and then his eyes lit up like lamps.
— WOW! He shouted as if he had seen a mountain of gold. "I want more!" Twenty... no, thirty kilograms of meat!
He paused, as if waiting for an answer. But no one answered. His face took on a thoughtful expression for a moment, and then he shrugged his shoulders.:
— Okay.… And thanks for that!
The boy grabbed the steak with both hands, took a huge bite, and began to chew with such enthusiasm, as if he were participating in a battle. Even the fallen trees seemed to be looking at him reproachfully.