章 285: Chapter 285: The Boy Who Stabbed a Badger Under the Moonlight
Chapter 285: The Boy Who Stabbed a Badger Under the Moonlight
According to the calculation of one pair of eyes per spider, there were hundreds of spiders densely packed in front of him.
After these spiders found nothing, they crawled back into the cave, and the cave returned to its calm state.
By dawn, when the blazing sun brought golden light, the cave, which was nearly ten meters in diameter last night, had disappeared, replaced by solid ground.
Stepping on it felt no different from ordinary soil. Hastur jumped twice, but nothing changed.
He found a piece of broken stone and dug a small pit about half a meter deep. The bottom was still soil, with no trace of the cave.
Hastur was glad he hadn't left immediately last night but stayed to watch. Sure enough, he saw something different.
He was puzzled as to how such a large cave on the mountaintop could go unnoticed.
It turned out that this cave, like an owl, was active at night and dormant during the day.
"This is a bit tricky to deal with."
Hastur decided to leave and come back at night to investigate with the Star Container. For now, he chose to stay away to avoid being found by the human-faced spider.
In the small town, at Old Jeff's house.
Early in the morning, people from the mayor's house returned the 50 gold pounds he had paid for a spot and subtly hinted that there might be changes in this year's Harvest Festival.
This made him frown deeply, regretting his greed. If he had known, he wouldn't have let his daughter get involved. Now, she was in trouble.
Earlier that morning, before the mayor's people came to return the money, his daughter had secretly told him about a strange dream she had the previous night.
In the dream, she felt like a transparent ghost, unable to move, watching her own body move and speak words that weren't hers.
A young man with a blurred face appeared, talking to her about the Goddess of Spring's Breath, but she couldn't remember the details.
Old Jeff initially comforted his daughter, saying it was just a dream and she was overthinking things. He even teased her about thinking of men at such a young age.
But the mayor's people clearly indicated that there was an unexpected event at the Harvest Festival, and his daughter, as the priestess presiding over the ceremony, would be implicated.
Should he quickly find a suitable person to marry off his daughter?
Preferably an outsider, far away from here, and bring her back after a few years.
This was Old Jeff's best solution.
But where could he find a suitable outsider?
Old Jeff was worried, his already wrinkled face now deeply furrowed like a plowed field.
He went to the tavern and ordered a large mug of ginger beer for 2 pence.
It was just past nine, and the tavern was already crowded. Someone greeted Old Jeff with a smile, noticing his worried look, and joked, "Old Jeff, is your daughter insisting on leaving with a handsome outsider against your wishes?"
Outsider?
Hearing the keyword, Old Jeff looked up sharply, raising his voice, "What outsider?"
"Yesterday, an outsider came here asking about many things, including your family. I thought he had already gone to your house to propose and got chased away by you with a broom, hahaha..."
Everyone laughed. Old Jeff took a sip of ginger beer and said nonchalantly, "Outsiders are not bad, at least they are generous, unlike our people who can't save 100 gold pounds in a lifetime."
"Then go to Old Peter's inn to find your outsider son-in-law. If you're late, someone else's daughter might snatch him away."
Someone joked that he was so eager to be a grandfather that he wanted to marry off his daughter quickly.
Hey, what do they know, a bunch of poor guys who haven't even left the town.
Old Jeff finished his ginger beer, laid out 2 pence on the table, and left with his head slightly raised.
After Old Jeff left, the tavern erupted in laughter again.
Old Peter's inn was the best place to stay in this small town, favored by wealthy outsiders.
Although he hadn't seen the outsider yet, Old Jeff felt a bit more confident. He exchanged a glance with Old Peter on the first floor of the inn, and they went to the back kitchen to talk.
Old Jeff paid a 1 shilling consultation fee, then hummed a tune as he went upstairs to the outsider's room.
He didn't knock immediately but first tidied his somewhat worn brown coat and adjusted his coffee-colored soft hat.
In this agriculture-based town, his attire was considered wealthy, but Old Peter mentioned that the outsider was not only young and handsome but also wore clothes worth dozens of gold pounds.
His daughter was also good-looking and the priestess for this year's ceremony, so she was a good match.
Gathering his courage, Old Jeff knocked on the door.
After a while, the door opened.
Seeing the outsider in person, Old Jeff felt the 1 shilling consultation fee was worth it.
Even without mentioning his superior looks, his attire alone showed he was from a big city.
Old Jeff was satisfied but also more uncertain.
"Can I help you?"
The gentle tone brought Old Jeff back to his senses. He rubbed his hands and forced a smile, "Sir, I heard you are looking for a suitable girl to marry?"
"??"
Hastur looked puzzled but quickly recovered, smiling warmly, "You misunderstood. I'm just interested in the local customs and have no plans to marry."
I knew it. How could someone like him come here to find a bride?
Old Jeff's face changed, and he regretted the 1 shilling consultation fee.
"I misunderstood, I misunderstood..."
Old Jeff apologized repeatedly and left after the door closed.
Inside the room, Hastur stood by the window, shaking his head with a smile at Old Jeff's intentions.
He could guess that the mayor's people had found Old Jeff, prompting him to marry off his daughter to an outsider quickly. But how did they find him?
Could it be because he entered his daughter's dream last night and left some information?
She said they would meet again... strange.
...
At night, the crimson moon hung high, emitting a redder glow than the previous night.
The flat farmland was empty, with only a few scattered lights flickering.
These were the field guards living near the fields, responsible for watching over the crops.
They usually guarded against people and sometimes against animals like wild boars, badgers, and field mice that stole crops.
Each guard had a musket, and some preferred a steel fork to patrol and drive away animals. If conditions allowed, they could stab a badger under the moonlight, adding some wild flavor to the peaceful night.
Bass, an 18-year-old professional field guard, worked for his employer during the day and lived near the fields at night, earning two wages.
He earned 10 pence a day and 4 pence at night, with a weekly salary of over 8 shillings, higher than some factory workers in the city.
It was hard work, but the pay was good.
If his employer allowed, he would take on more fields and patrol for another employer, earning an extra 2 shillings a week.
Looking at the lush green crops, he was full of envy.
His biggest dream was to have his own land, where he could grow whatever he liked and sell the surplus at the market.
Thinking of his future, Bass was filled with energy again. He carried his musket and quickly threw his steel fork at a badger stealing a watermelon.
This was a bonus, as the wealthy in town would pay 5 pence for a whole badger.
As he walked over joyfully, he saw the badger, originally plump from eating watermelon, rapidly deflate, leaving only a thin skin and terrified eyes.
Bass thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes and checked again with his steel fork. The badger was indeed just a skin.
The skin moved slightly, as if something was underneath.
Bass bravely used the fork to lift the skin, revealing countless small spiders crawling out of the ground and up the fork.
Terrified, Bass threw the fork and stepped back several steps.
He accidentally sat on a tomato plant, his hands in the soil, watching in horror as more spiders emerged from the ground.
Suddenly, he felt his palms itch. Under the moonlight, he saw small spiders crawling up his hands.
He quickly stood up, brushing and rubbing his hands to remove the spiders.
Standing up, he saw under the crimson moonlight that the fields were filled with countless spiders, spinning webs around the crops.
His scalp tingled, and he ran to his hut.
On the way, he stepped on many spiders, and several crawled on him.
Fortunately, his hut was close. He shut the doors and windows and cleaned off the spiders.
After shaking off the spiders and killing them, he sighed in relief and drank several gulps of cold water, calming his nerves.
But before he could relax, spiders started crawling through every crack in the hut.
From the roof, corners, and door, they swarmed towards him under the dim light.
There was no place to hide; the room was filled with spiders.
(End of Chapter)
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