Chapter 4: Silence of the Tornado
(East Coast of Givnu Island, Samuh Kingdom)
In the restaurant, Vibho was sitting and chatting with Mira after finishing breakfast, while Hina was preparing lunch boxes.
"But Mira, I still don't understand why you go to the other side of the island by sea. Why not just take the road straight through?" Vibho asked.
"Well, there are many reasons, but three main ones," Mira replied.
"First, Timini is faster, bigger, and stronger than any vehicle we have, so we can finish our work faster.
"Second, there's a small forest we need to pass, and it has monsters. I can defeat one or two, but they always hunt in groups of four or five. It's dangerous, and it takes around two hours to cross," Mira said with a helpless gesture.
"But didn't you say you pay the Kingdom tax for protection and security?" Vibho asked in a questioning tone.
"Yes, we do, but they don't care about an island that only pays 200,000 Kaudi—that's just 0.2 million—a month. They'd rather help hunters make our island their base," Mira said with a helpless and slightly angry tone.
"And third, even if we manage to cross the forest, we still need to pay a road tax and an entry tax for entering the south side. Ugh, it's like we need to pay tax for everything!"
"But isn't 200,000 Kaudi too much for a whole island?" Vibho asked, unaware that it might be a sensitive topic.
Mira was taken aback by his question and went silent for a moment. "Yes, it is—and that's why we're so weak. We barely manage to pay the Kingdom tax, and on top of that, we need to pay hunters for protection from bandits!" Her tone grew louder with every word, until she finally burst like a volcano. "And both of them are useless when we need them! Now we don't even have any hunters we can rely on!" She slammed her hand on the table.
"Hey, now calm down," Hina said in a soft voice. "Don't be angry in the morning. We'll find another way to protect ourselves. You don't need to get so worked up—and we're still better off than dead." She tapped Mira's shoulder, calming her down.
"Anyway, did you see Karnol anywhere? He was missing last night, and he wasn't here for breakfast either," Hina asked.
"No, I haven't seen him. He must still be on the south side or maybe returned late last night," Mira replied.
"Who is Karnol?" Vibho asked.
"He's a Kingdom knight who collects tax and does guard duty," Mira said with slight hesitation.
"But anyway, what are you going to do today?" Hina asked quickly, changing the subject.
"I need to deliver food supplies to Madam D, then take Grandma and Valmo to the main market so they can buy extra boats. Nothing much today," Mira said in a cheerful tone and smiled brightly.
"Are you not going to the Travel Post today?" Hina asked, finishing her packing.
"No, we don't need extra money. After all, we don't have to pay taxes to the hunters anymore. What about you? What are you doing today?" Mira asked with a grin.
"Let me think... I need to tell Grandpa and the villagers about the hunters, then buy some ingredients and prepare dinner. Overall, nothing extra. We'll eat dinner together, so return home early, okay?" Hina said, then looked at Vibho. "What about you? Wanna go see the village?"
Vibho's face lit up for a moment, but then he hesitated. "I'll wait for Shunya here. If I go anywhere else, he'll scold me. I don't want that."
"Okay. I'm going to deliver the lunch boxes, so wait for me here," Hina said as she left the restaurant, carrying a big box full of lunch packs.
Mira and Hina both left, leaving Vibho alone in the restaurant. He sat for a while, thinking about something, but soon got bored. He stood up, looked around the restaurant, got bored again, sat back down, and fell asleep.
(At the Association Office)
Inside a large room, four men were talking. One was the black-rose-eyed man, and the others were association members, each wearing a headband labeled ZE0567, 0986, 1023, and 0097.
"Sir, the Kingdom of Samuh wants Serbhij back from our custody," ZE0567 said.
"Why? Weren't they the ones who didn't want to meddle in island matters—especially those who can't even pay their tax every month?" the black-rose-eyed man asked.
"Yes, sir, but they're saying Nuva is missing, and they need Serbhij to find him. They'll pay 1,000,000 Kaudi if we return him," ZE0567 explained.
"Demand 1,500,000 Kaudi. If they agree, hand him over. We don't have any use for him anyway," the black-rose-eyed man said and left the room.
"Yes, sir," ZE0567 replied and followed him out.
"Is ZE1708 going to inform Vibho about the rewards?" ZE0097 asked.
"No, sir. He refused. He said he'd rather go fight the Golden Lion than go back to Vibho, so we sent ZE1526 instead. Hopefully, he can handle him," ZE0986 said.
"ZE1708 is the sixth member who refused to talk to Vibho. Why would they make him leader? I don't get it. Well, they're all unpredictable. But they were all unreachable for three weeks. Give me the full report. Do we have any update from Shunya? How long until he reaches Givnu?" ZE0097 asked.
"Yes, sir. It'll take Shunya three more days to reach Givnu Island," ZE1023 said, handing a document to ZE0986.
"Sir, it looks like all four of them got separated during the tornados three weeks ago. We were only able to contact Shunya through his VAD, and Vibho because of the fight. The other two seem to have lost theirs. We can still track them if they fight any certified hunters, but for now, they're unreachable," ZE0986 read aloud.
"Alright. If you find any new information, report to me," ZE0097 said and left.
The remaining members resumed their work.
(At the Restaurant)
Hina was returning from her delivery. It was nearly lunchtime, but as she entered, she saw a man in black clothes with a headband marked ZE1526 trying desperately to wake Vibho—without actually touching him.
"Wake up! Hey, wake up! Can't you hear me?" he shouted.
Hina approached calmly and asked in a polite, steady voice, "Who are you?"
The man turned and saw Hina holding a big box. "I'm an Association Messenger. I need to give him some information, but he won't wake up," he said, glancing at Vibho.
"Oh, let me wake him. Please, have a seat," she said with a kind smile.
The man sat down at the table across from Vibho, taking a brief rest while Hina leaned close to Vibho's ear and whispered softly,
"Lunch is almost ready. Wake up and eat."
Then she quietly walked to the kitchen at the back of the restaurant.
"Food!" Vibho suddenly shot up, looking around eagerly. "Where's the food?" He scanned left and right, only to find the man staring at him. "Are you the one who's going to give me food?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I give you food?" the messenger replied, irritated.
"I don't know—you said food is ready," Vibho said with a confused face.
"I didn't say it! That girl did! Anyway, listen—Shunya will reach here in three more days. He told us to give you a new card, and all your rewards have been transferred to your account. Now, I just need to know how much tax the island villagers pay to the Kingdom, and who collects it," the messenger said quickly.
"Oh, okay. Wait—Mira told me about that, but I can't remember who collects it…" Vibho said, scratching his head.
"We pay 200,000 a month and 2,400,000 per year, and it's Karnol who collects it. But why are you asking?" said an elderly woman's voice from behind.
The messenger turned to see an old lady entering the room. He spoke politely, "Nothing serious, ma'am. We just need to include it in the report. Could you tell me where to find him?"
"Oh, you can find him at the South Gate from morning to noon. He sleeps in a house near the gate at night, and in the evening, he takes his rounds—so it'll be hard to find him then. He wears old knight armor and carries a sword," she said as she sat down.
"Oh, he was here some time ago but ran off as soon as he saw me," the messenger said, sounding doubtful.
"He must have remembered some work. He's very kind and helpful. He even protected us from a bandit attack fifteen years ago, all by himself. Since then, he's helped us in many ways," she said with a trusting smile.
"Okay," the messenger replied, then turned to Vibho and handed him a card. "Here's your card. If you lose this one again, just double-tap your badge so we can make another in advance. I've got work to do, so I'm heading out."
He turned to leave—but Vibho grabbed his hand.
"But you still didn't give me food, though," Vibho said seriously.
"I never said I'd give you food! Now let go!" the messenger snapped, yanking his hand free and bolting out of the restaurant.
Hina peeked from the kitchen with a small smile. "You really are impossible, Vibho."
Outside, the warm coastal breeze carried the scent of salt and faint thunder from afar. Far out at sea, clouds gathered over the horizon — a quiet reminder that Shunya's arrival might not be the only storm coming toward Givnu Island.