Mo Yingui was washing the dishes while having a conversation with the two men sitting at the counter decorated with food and glasses within 'The Million Drinks.'
It was about a trending topic in the city of Wàn Shān Chéng, the place where The Million Drinks is located.
"The Orosian Empire is slowly losing." A man sighed, twirling the glass of red wine held by his scarred hand.
"I agree, the new head of the Werian forces has shown astonishing commanding power." The man sitting beside him added.
"Well, someone had to finally rise up against the Orosian empire's tyrannical regime."
"I don't think so. It's just another power-hungry nation trying to replace them."
"How is it a power-hungry nation? They had to start the war due to the Orosian Empire's dam."
"Well, the great red river Sanguis starts in their own country. They can do whatever they want with it."
"The river also flows down to the kingdom of Werian. Millions of people rely on that river for survival. It's very obvious that the pesky country is trying to weaken the Werian kingdom to then wage war… like they've always done."
"How can you be so sure? How is it right to start a war due to an assumption?"
"Of course, it isn't. Don't you think they've already tried to negotiate? King Adnyeus is not the type who goes to a war for no reason. They are not a war-mongering nation. So much so that they would have lost if it weren't for the new general."
Amamuren sat on a crooked chair a bit farther from the two, slowly sipping his glass of milk. Though his clothes were flashy, the hobo stick greatly enhanced his image of a beggar.
The conversation was of great interest to Amamuren as he hailed from this very city, which is located directly between the clashing forces. Or, at the very least, this is where he first woke up.
"I'm telling you, the Orosians are evil!"
"And I said I somewhat agree with you! I can think that they're kind of bad and also think that they're entitled to the river!"
"How could you say that when people will die because of it!"
"You will never know until something happens! They might not have done it on purpose!"
"Aiyah~! You are repeating the same sentences that the pro-Orosians are saying! What they're doing is literally how they've expanded to this point!"
"That was decades ago! They stopped doing it, did they not?!"
"I can't even deal with you!"
The two looked over at the man beside them, who was calmly sipping his glass of milk. They slid a bowl of meat and turned the heat of rage towards him, along with the food.
"Hey, what do you think, Amamuren?!"
"Umm… I don't really know…?"
"Tsk task, this new generation will be the end of our autonomous city!"
Amamuren chuckled at the fellow's joke.
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The lush greenery of the mountains and plains surrounding Wàn Shān Chéng was diverse. All kinds of tropical and subtropical plants could be found here. They were quite dense as well.
However, as you keep going east, you will slowly notice how the plants start to thin out, until you reach a barren land devoid of many greens. Only a couple of trees can be spotted, barely grasping the couple of droplets left by the great river deep beneath the surface.
A group of warriors was clashing among each other in such a brutal landscape. Dying the place in red once again. However, unlike the Sanguis River's red water, this red can hardly be called so.
Two very eye-catching clothing styles can be seen amidst all the chaos. One of red and white, and the other of gold and silver colors.
Every single one of the warriors paid close attention to a berserker in red and white that left death in their footsteps. The ones in gold and silver were especially cautious of this walking catastrophe.
"Werian's general!" Someone in gold yelled.
The others quickly surrounded a person who held a spear covered in blood and grime.
"Bastar-" was what one of the people in gold tried to say before immediately being decapitated by the spearman. A great sense of terror washed over the masses.
In a breath of time, everyone around the general lay motionless.
"I heard you were a beautiful woman, General Paloma. Also very powerful from the looks of it." The man clashed with the spearman in red and white armor.
"How about you leave this losing battlefield and come join my family. We are nobility, and my son will take good care of you-"
General Paloma, the berserker, noticed an arrow coming straight at her. She quickly used her spear as a hook and pulled the man towards the arrow's trajectory, which impaled him as a result.
She glanced at the motionless man for a brief second and then yelled out to everyone on the field.
"Do not let trivial thoughts distract you! It will only lead to death on the battlefield! Do not falter, soldiers! This battle is as good as won! Their leader has fallen!"
The general yelled, like a lion roaring to establish its territory. Her words greatly boosted the men's morale, who kept pushing through as a result.
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Amamuren watched as the two men kept bickering. He was certain that both of them had forgotten what they were arguing about in the first place. The conversation shifted from a normal talk to a debate, and then to a battle of pride.
However, the shift in the conversation was not the only change he noticed. The dim floating balls outside slowly started to get brighter and brighter.
The air started to freeze, the trees stopped soughing, and the local wildlife went silent.
It happened gradually; the others didn't notice until it became rather obvious.
A chime of a bell attached to the front door rang throughout the pub.
"It's so annoying, I dropped to gold rank… AGAIN!"
9 people who looked to be in their early 20s walked in. The person complaining had long black hair with a black cloth around his head. His pale skin complemented his choice of long brown robes as his clothing.
"Hopefully we won't go up against those godforsaken fake-rankers again…" A hunched-over man grunted a reply.
"You two have been playing that game for a million years!" a man in a pink woven shirt and blue jeans exclaimed. "How are you still stuck on gold?!" he taunted while adjusting his glasses.
The words stabbed deep in the minds of the two; they were speechless.
"Do you see this diamond badge?" Another jumped into the conversation. His whole body was covered with black robes and a long hood, masking his presence just like the mysterious dark side of the moon. "This is 7 years of work you're seeing."
"The other immortals pulled your whole body with the table in all games, year 2,000,000!" The man in pink held out a fist and shook it around, mocking them.
One of the two girls within the group held the room's collective gaze. A portion of her raven hair was loosely pinned behind, while the rest tumbled down her shoulders and light brown robes like a dark waterfall.
The warm glow of the lanterns gently reflected through her elegant, dark brown eyes. Her skin was as flawless as polished jade, and in a posture of effortless grace, she grabbed the attention of both male and female alike, as if her presence completely drowned out the surrounding clamor.
The girl gave a slight frown before changing to a smile towards the taunting man's remarks.
A sharp clink of adjusted spectacles preceded the taunt, followed by a gentle nudge towards the man in pink. "Harald, stop with your loud taunts, people can hear you!" A man with light brown hair, a white t-shirt, and grey sports exclaimed. "We need to find a seat first."
Amamuren took notice of the other woman within the group. Long black hair flowed like a river during a storm, flowing down her long, deep rose dress.
She gently scanned from corner to corner with her sharp hazel eyes, which settled towards a huge round table.
"How about that table over there?" she asked, with a bubbly tone. "I'd say it can hold all of us."
A silhouette in fully black robes and brown-silver hair stood with his hands crossed. "It doesn't matter. Let's just sit." Annoyance flashed between his eyebrows.
They quickly surrounded the table.
Harald flashed his gaze through all the wooden chairs that were laced with small crumbs and wine stains, eventually landing on a clean stool. The others just patted the leftovers away from the chairs and sat down. They all ordered simple food with drinks.
One of the men in the group kept glancing around. Short black hair, dark gray robes, and a coquettish gaze.
"There are no pretty ladies in the pub, calm down." The light-skinned man tried to get under his skin.
The two women at the table glanced at the pale boy.
"Ugh, look at this guy! Go and look after your imaginary girlfriend with that mouth of yours!" The short-haired man replied.
Everyone giggled except the recipient of the joke.
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A cool lunar frost of the moon shone through an open window of a house. It gently illuminated the room in which a man and a woman held one another tightly while sleeping.
One of them opened their eyes. He looked up at the moon as a cool breeze came from the window. The moon's light stared back at the man, revealing him to be Peter.
Roughly a month had passed since he and Mary first confessed their feelings to each other.
He was deep in thought, with a slight frown even. Peter looked down at the sleeping girl he held in his arms – Mary. The frown quickly turned into a smile, a smile so bright it would put the sun to shame.
Peter gently brushed Mary's messy hair with his bandaged hands. To which she woke up.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He whispered.
The girl slowly shifted her arms around him and hugged Peter tighter, burrowing her face in his chest.
"I-It's okay…" She mumbled hesitantly.
"Mary, are you alright?"
"We grew up together, I've seen you train while your hands bled… Peter… I know how much freedom means to you…"
"What are you-" Peter slowly rose up.
"Even today, you kept swinging your sword. I know leaving the village to explore would make you achieve your dreams. I've been… holding you back…"
"No, you are wrong, Mary!" He quickly squished her cheeks and looked her in the eyes.
"Mary... You… are my dream. Yes, as a child, I've always wanted to go out and explore."
The words of Peter made Mary start tearing up.
"However! When I see you smile, I feel like I have conquered the world! So what if I could become all-powerful? I could probably conquer the world, or maybe… just maybe, I could become an immortal. But that is nothing in comparison to you, Mary."
The worried girl could no longer keep the tiny droplets from forming; they welled up and overflowed from her eyes like a small stream of water.
"I'm sorry, Peter…" She started to cry.
"Silly girl, what are you sorry for?" He quickly hugged her. "You are my reason for living."
He then added, "There is no Peter!" Which confused the girl. "And I'm sorry for being selfish, but there is no Mary! There is only Peter and Mary!"
The young maiden's mouth slowly curled upwards.
"Then, let's escape and explore the world together!" She said.
"Mary, the world is a dangerous pla-"
"I know, I know… You are worried about me. But we can do this."
"Listen to me, I'm not sure I can even survive if I were to go!"
Mary quickly put her index finger on his lips to hush him.
"There is only Peter and Mary, right? You want to see the outside, but you want to stay with me more… so what if I come outside with you?"
"This is no joking mat-"
"How about this? Let's make a bet. If I beat you in a fight in the morning, we will go outside. If not, I will give up."
He looked at the woman in his arms. He recognized the current expression she had on her face. The one Peter had always seen. The look of unwavering will that Mary had displayed many times over the course of their lives.
"Alright, someone should make you see the bigger picture…"
Hearing Peter's words, Mary's face beamed with happiness. She slowly leaned into him.
"But for now, let's fight here~" She whispered.
She forced him down. Sheets slowly hid their silhouette as they embraced in the blissful night.
A few days later in the morning, Marcus went to wake the two lovebirds up. After a while of waiting and contemplating whether or not to go into the room, he saw that the room was empty with a tidy bed.
He decided to take the 2-3 minute route to Peter's house. It was a house fully decorated in flowers, moss clung to the walls, and flowers bloomed with dignity in the yard surrounding the place.
After knocking on the door for a while, he opened the crooked wooden door with a key hidden in the nearby cracks of the building.
Marcus saw a pot of sunflowers with folded white sheets and a note on top. He put on the glasses that hung on his neck to read the paper.
While picking it up, he noticed that the note covered up a red stain on the sheets.
The note read: "Uncle Marcus, I will take care of your flower. So please take care of my flowers…
-Peter and Mary.
P.S. I almost forgot. This is the sheet we 'washed' a month ago. Please put it in a safe place as it has a lot of sentimental value for us."
"Ugh, these brats!" He threw the paper down.
He could only slowly walk outside the sunny flower field. "Well, Peter is talented, much more than me when I was the commander of the royal guards. He will easily take care of my daughter."
Two people walked down the road, a few hours' walk away from Peter's house. The taller of the two had many bags to carry, while the other wore a straw hat and was enjoying the calm wind.
"I'm sorry, I should have held back a little, huh?" The one in the hat squinted her eyes.
"Look at your smug smile." He slowly felt the bump on his head. "OUCH! How did you surpass me so quickly?"
"This is the power of your wife~."
"So it is! Hahaha!"
Peter chuckled at Mary's sarcastic tone. They kept walking arm-in-arm towards the horizon.
"Will Mary and Peter conquer the world? How many children should they have?" Mary held out her fist to the sky. "Find out next time on Peter and Mary's adventures!"
"Hahaha! Yeah!"
"By the way, we will have at least 4." She quickly added.
"… Wait, what?"
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