Prison Star Chronicle
May 5th, 187
12:58 PM
*
"Could this lad possibly belong to a race from another continent?"
"However, his clothing seems to be from our region."
"Enough chatter; let's first help him up. He doesn't look like a bad person."
"Indeed, our village just suffered a calamity, and we need all the help we can get..."
Tyler listened to the villagers' conversation, deeming the timing suitable, feigned painful spasms, and began to showcase his acting skills.
Donning a mask and playing a role was his forte.
"Water... water..."
The disheveled youth struggled on the ground, his voice barely audible. As the villagers noticed the stranger awakening, some approached while others retreated, each reacting differently. All of this was clearly observed by the youth under his messy hair. Unnoticeably, he assessed the basic information and mental activities of all the villagers present, already formulating his next course of action.
"He's asking for water! Whose house still has water?"
"All the water in my house was used to put out the fire..."
"Damn my water was all evaporated by the fire!"
"I... I have some at home! I'll go get water!"
A petite young girl blocked by the crowd turned and dashed away. Meanwhile, two men stepped forward to help Tyler sit up.
"Young man, water is on its way. I am the village chief, Woodall. What's your name, and where are you from?"
The village chief's voice was as rugged as his appearance. Tyler feebly responded in a weak and slow tone.
"I... I'm called... Banning..."
"I... I escaped... from... Luca Village..."
The name Banning was fabricated by Tyler, as using his real name might expose his identity as a "Deathbound." This was something he absolutely needed to avoid. If his identity were revealed, he might once again be killed instantly by enemies descending from the sky. Furthermore, through the appraisal ability of the Divine Eye of Transcendence, Tyler discovered that these villagers had only given names and no surnames. Consequently, he deduced that ordinary people in this world likely did not have surnames, so he followed suit by adopting a simple name.
In order to "blend in" with the village, it was essential to establish a connection as close to them as possible.
The name "Luca Village" was actually "heard" by Tyler through the mental activities of the surrounding villagers. One villager had thought to himself, wondering if the young man was from Luca Village, as he had heard that it had been plundered by bandits, leaving the people scattered and the village in a tragic state.
"So you're from Luca Village... You've had a rough time, lad," said the village chief, Woodall, patting Tyler's back heavily before draping an arm over his shoulder like an older brother.
"Banning, although our village is small and modest, if you're willing to stay, everyone will treat you like family."
Tyler glanced at Woodall, whose thoughts were: Damn those Crimson Cloud Bandits! If only I were twenty years younger... No, even ten years younger, I would have led a group to wipe them out! They shouldn't be allowed to run rampant like this!
"Thank... thank you, Chief... thank you all... for taking... taking me in."
Tyler lowered his head and bowed deeply to the villagers.
·
Half an hour later, the "feeble" Tyler had eaten something at the village chief's house and was lying in a room to rest. However, in broad daylight, Tyler could not afford to waste his precious time resting; his mind was rapidly formulating his next strategy.
(Silly Nissen: Not bad-o! You managed to blend-o in with the village so quickly, but everyone else is busy rebuilding their homes, and here you are, just lying around-o. Doesn't your conscience hurt?)
(Tyler: Conscience? What's that?)
(Silly Nissen: Tsk, I wonder how the Benevolent-o Deity ended up choosing someone like you.)
The loli appeared less and less like a deity, possibly due to Tyler constantly calling her Silly Nissen.
(Tyler: Lady Nissen, I have a question for you. When we travelers enter parallel worlds, are our landing locations random?)
(Silly Nissen: Hmph! Do you think I'd fall into the same trap-o twice? NONONO, I won't tell you!)
(Tyler: It's okay, even if you don't tell me, I know that our starting locations are just random spots within a safe area.)
(Silly Nissen: Eh? How did-o you know?)
(Tyler: I guessed it, thank you for helping me confirm it, Silly Nissen.)
(Silly Nissen: Tyler, you, you, you, you, you despicable person!!!)
In just a few exchanges, the loli was once again angered by Tyler's teasing. Nevertheless, she still had to discuss serious matters with him.
Priscilla Nissen wouldn't forget her mission.
(Silly Nissen: Speaking of which...aren't you afraid-o that the "enemy" will find-o out you're not dead-o and come back to attack the village?)
(Tyler: It's been two and a half hours since the "enemy" left. The chances of them coming back are slim.)
(Silly Nissen: Oh, I get-o it! The most dangerous place is the safest place, right-o?)
(Tyler: You're overthinking it. I just don't have anywhere better to go.)
Thanks to the loli's "blessings," Tyler had become proficient at multitasking, like having a conversation with her while blocking her out to focus on his own thoughts. Tyler could now be sure that the enemy could only track his location when he first entered the parallel world and not afterward. That's why they were so eager to kill him at first. Besides considering the "enemy," Tyler's plan to win over "someone" in the village was also taking shape.
(Tyler: Alright, time for action.)
(Silly Nissen: Eh? So sudden? What-o are you going to do? Wait-o, I know! You're going to harass the village girls, right-o?! You only have 30 days left-o, so you better work hard-o, little virgin!)
(Tyler: I would really appreciate it if you could keep quiet, Silly Nissen.)
Although Tyler was indeed a virgin, such low-level provocation wouldn't make him angry. Moreover, Tyler didn't tell Silly Nissen that he wasn't planning on taking the full 30 days to complete his conquest.
Given Tyler's current situation, if the "enemy" was still searching for him, he would have a hard time surviving for 30 days. Without the ability to "foresee death scenes," Tyler was in fact in constant danger.
Therefore, Tyler set a time limit of 6 days for himself. Within 6 days at most, he had to receive a sincere confession in this Ira Village.
·
After saying goodbye to the village chief's wife, Tyler left the village chief's house.
In the village, everyone was working hard. Tyler pretended to be unsteady on his feet and deliberately chose lighter tasks to help with, and the villagers were grateful that he was helping out even though he hadn't fully recovered yet. With this cunning approach, Tyler quickly raised his favorability in the eyes of the villagers.
However, this was just the surface goal of Tyler's actions. His true purpose was to make his upcoming "operation" not seem deliberate or artificial.
"Watch out! The pillar is falling!"
As he passed by a burnt house, Tyler suddenly rushed forward and pulled a petite girl into his arms. Then, the sound of a wooden pillar crashing to the ground and shattering could be heard, with a loud "crash!" It was quite frightening.
"Eh... Ah..."
The girl was first stunned, and then realized that she was in the arms of a stranger. She immediately blushed and lowered her head, not knowing what to say, whimpering softly.
Tyler looked down at the girl, her downcast eyes clear and bright, her thick brown hair loosely draped over her shoulders, and her petite figure delicate and lovely. At this moment, she seemed like a gentle little dog nestled in his arms.