Kapitel 78: Golden Rebellion
Ru figured out what had happened when he found himself in one of the rooms of the Golden Palace.
"Oh, the fucker sorcerer must have put me to sleep," he muttered. And he started wandering around idly. He knew that no matter what, he had to stay away from the birdcage.
"What should I do? Can I dream while I'm already dreaming," he thought.
He sought a bed for himself. For some unknown reason instead of a luxurious chamber, he was searching for something more modest, perhaps a maid's room.
After wandering around for a while, he found stairs. He got down as far as he could. It's unclear what floor he was on, but he eventually found a kitchen.
The golden kitchen was like every room in the palace, a heavenly place. Of course, all the food and drink was made of gold. But the purpose was not to eat, but to curl up and sleep.
As Ru wandered through the golden kitchen, the gleaming surfaces seemed to mock his need for simplicity. The lavish palace was a reflection of everything he didn't want. He found a couch in the corner, its cushions gleaming like a throne, but he collapsed on it.
He closed his eyes, seeking refuge in a different time, a simpler place. His mind drifted.
In the dream, the golden glow of the palace faded, replaced by the dusty, narrow hallways of the Betelnut Youth Hostel. A much younger Ru darted between rooms, his frustration and anger palpable. The weight of the trays in his hands felt heavier than his anger.
"Screw the djinns," his teenage voice echoed through the corridor. He spat into the coffee cups, a defiant act that seemed to defy the invisible chains binding him. His friend, a boy about his age, stood nearby, watching him with the same tired eyes.
"One day, you'll get caught," the boy warned, his voice soft but firm. "Don't do such things anymore, my friend."
Ru's grin was wild, bitter. "I'll get caught and killed," he replied, "and then the torture will end."
"If you're lucky enough to come across a well-intentioned genie kid, you'll be punished with death," his friend said, leaving the coffee tray on the counter. "I'll pour these out and prepare new ones."
He handed another tray to his friend with a sharp "Pour these too," and turned away, the grim satisfaction lingering on his face.
Everyone around him was a young human, and the tamers, also humans, were training them to provide excellent service. Ru hoped that he was dreaming almost every day he stayed at the Betelnut Youth Hostel.
One day, Ru asked sarcastically, "Is it because they want their kids to have tanned skin that they let them drink coffee? Are they tired of having blue skin?"
"Believe me, my friend, they say, the red ones are the real dangers," his friend said, pouring imperfect coffees into the sink.
"Oh ifrits, I don't give a fuck," Ru grumbled. He thought for a moment and said, "Why not?" He immediately shared his idea with his friends. "Let's make a deal with the ifrits to defeat the genies."
"Even if six genie kingdoms and the shah of ifrits have united, it's still impossible for us humans to reach them," the new girl said entering the kitchen.
"Oh, we have a new smartass person," Ru muttered and turned around.
Ru's sharp tongue faltered momentarily as he looked at her. Even though he usually had a quick comeback for everything, something about the new girl caught him off guard. She had a certain presence—confident, sparkly, and just a little bit intimidating.
"I'm Hana," she said, glancing at him, unimpressed, as she washed her hands in the sink. "Making plans is easy. But making them work? That's where you'll need someone who knows something."
Ru's heart skipped a beat, though he'd never admit it. He rolled his eyes dramatically to mask the sudden nervousness stirring inside him. "And that someone's you, huh? Miss 'I-Know-Everything'?"
Hana raised an eyebrow, turning towards him with a sly smile, "You'll see."
Ru swallowed hard, feeling a flutter in his chest that was entirely new to him. For the first time, he found himself more drawn to someone's smile than the argument he was trying to win.
In that instant, another of his friends, who was busy making coffee, called out, proudly displaying the coffee she had poured into the golden cup. "This coffee is pretty special, Ru. Just don't spit in it, please."
"So your big plan was to poison the genies with your spit, Ru," Hana said with a grin and walked out of the kitchen without giving Ru a chance to speak.
"Why?" Ru asked, his eyes shining with newfound admiration as he stared after her.
As the bearer of the golden cup passed Ru, she smiled and said, "See you around, friend."
"Don't fall in love," his friend hissed, his voice low and menacing. "These girls belong to the genie aristocrats. Sooner or later, they will be taken as special maids or concubines."
"What love? What girl? What nonsense are you talking about?" Ru protested, his eyes twinkling with mischief. The foxes circling above his head were giggling, maybe one laughing more than the others.
"Aristocratic families bring their male children here to mature," his friend said, who takes care of the brazier fire.
"Well, what does coffee have to do with maturing?" Ru asked while mopping the floor.
"Don't you understand? Aristocratic genie families hire maids and even concubines from here for their children. And this thing called maturing is a kind of sex lesson," his friend explained.
"I wish someone could pick me up and catch the devil," Ru said with a grin.
"The coffee that just left was for a genie prince. I wish you did the service it," his other friend said mockingly.
"It isn't saliva-free, I don't care," Ru replied.
His friend approached him closely, whispering, "Believe me, Ru, this is the first time a prince has been brought here. If we treat him well, we might be able to move up in society."
"From now on, I will prepare his coffee, with a pinch of salt," Ru said, taking a shaker set from the shelf.
"Come on, let's make him feel welcome! Who knows, maybe the prince's pleasure will get us into the palace," his friend said, his eyes alight with possibility.
Meanwhile, there was a commotion in the corridor, and the tamer's urgent voice echoed through the halls, "Take her to the infirmary immediately!"
Ru rushed to the scene, his heart pounding in his chest. When he arrived, he saw his friend, her face badly burned from the coffee cup she had served. Whispers circulated among the others, speculating about how this terrible event had occurred.
"Could this be an accident?"
"I don't think so. She must have angered the prince somehow," someone whispered.
"But she's always been so kind," another maid interjected, her voice filled with disbelief.
Hana stormed into the kitchen, her face flushed with anger. She threw a nearby object, shattering it into pieces.
The tamer followed her, barking orders, "You, girl, prepare a cup of high-quality coffee and serve it to the prince."
As Hana was about to reach the closet, Ru blocked her way and said through gritted teeth, "Leave it to me."
Hana blew on a lock of hair hanging in front of her face and said, "This is my job. Back off."
"Alright," Ru said, backing away slowly. He watched Hana for a moment, his mind racing.
Another tamer burst into the kitchen, out of breath. "Ru, grab the mop and come with me right now," he barked.
"Okay," Ru said, but he didn't do as he was told. Instead, he quickly grabbed the tray of coffee Hana had made and ran out of the kitchen.
Hana called "Idiot" from behind him.
The tamer asked, "Where is Ru? Have you made the coffee yet?"
After a while, an angry voice echoed through the narrow corridors of Betelnut Youth Hostel, "Coffee with cyanide? For me? Who, how dare they?"
The kitchen staff knew the answer. "Ru!"
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein