I woke up the next day, still feeling a little tired. The strange events from yesterday kept replaying over and over in my mind.
Getting off the bed, I stretched a little before walking over to the window. A gentle breeze greeted me, brushing against my face.
"Man, out of all the weird things, this is the only thing so far that I really enjoyed."
As I looked outside, I noticed that the village was unusually decorated. Something about it felt different. Curious, I quickly washed my face and hurried downstairs to see what was going on.
On the way, I spotted the inn’s manager busily cleaning the floor. Nearby, a few alley boys were also hard at work.
"Thank you, ma’am, for your kindness. I will be leaving now."
She muttered a slight "Hmm..." without looking up, still focused on her task.
I paused for a moment. Huh, did she even hear me?
Shrugging it off, I continued toward the exit, ignoring her just as she had ignored me.
I exited the building to see the entire village bustling with small prep. Everyone was busy doing their thing. The villagers decorated with ropes of fabric bunting, particularly in shades of orange, yellow, and lilac. Every house and shop had a decorative item like boxes, large paper bows, wind chimes, etc.
I felt a mixture of amazement and confusion. In the distance, I saw Margret again. I ran towards her.
"Hey Margret!" I called out. She showed me a warm smile as I reached her."Hey, Neww. Did you sleep well?" she replied as I panted."Yeah, I think I did... I was kinda... By the way, what's going on around here?"
She replied, "OH! Oh, you didn't know? It's the Festival of Guiding Lights!"I listened in carefully, a sense of wonder lighting up inside me."It's your first time hearing it," she nodded."It's alright, maybe you were too young when it happened last time. So this is the Festival of Guiding Lights. It happens every 10 years. This festival helps the wandering souls of our ancestors to find the way to their homeland & be together with their descendants again."I nodded, amazed by the culture of this village. She added,"And you know what, Neww? The festival is organized every 10 years by Hop's family. It's his honor. So you should go meet him too when you become free!"
My eyes sparkled. "Ooh, really, it's so cool!"
I added, "I will. But before that, I have some business with the elder."
She stared at me and said,"The elder, you said? I'm afraid he is not present here at the moment. He had to leave the village to see the preparations of today's festival. Maybe you could discuss your business later," she paused for a moment and said,"Oh yeah. About the job—I talked to my friend in the handicrafts center. You should go see her, you could be very useful to her at this hour."
As we were just discussing this, a loud stomping sound came from behind me.
Margret looked at it and said,"Oh well, speak of the devil, isn't it?"
I turned my head to find a huge dog-like riding vehicle. The face of that dog thing was just inches away from my foot. I jumped with fear and, bumping into Margret, I stammered,"Bro... What the heck is that!"
Moments later, a bunny lady jumped off of the doggy and growled at Margret,"Hey Meg! You'll never change, will you? It's been 12 years and you still call me by weird names, you silly."
Margret chuckled,"Hahaha... No no, I just enjoy teasing you, that's all... By the way, why are you wandering around? Don’t you have work to do today?"She replied annoyingly,"Hey, excuse me? Today is a very important day for my business too. The amount of work I have to do today is equal to ten of my normal days of work. I just visited you because you told me yesterday that you have a talented craftsman searching for a job."
Margret laughed and said,"Ah yes, we were just discussing the same."
Margret put her hand behind my back and said,"It is him."
She looked at my face, which had a tinge of fear because of the presence of the large doggy. He said,"What's up, little guy? Is it really you? You made something?"
I stood there still, thinking how wrongly they interrupted me, Margret laughed from behind and said,"Oh, he’s too shy. Don’t mind that. Look, here’s something he made yesterday."
She showed the bottle that I had somehow made yesterday. The other bunny lady’s eyes sparkled the second the bottle was revealed.She said,"Woah, it’s so amazing. If you can make a vessel, it is so beautiful too!"
Her eyes gave me a mischievous glare."Why are you wasting time here, little guy? We have so much work to do. Just a few days left for the festival."
I muttered,"Umm… does that mean like… I am hired?"
She replied in a hurry while simultaneously getting on the big doggy,"I don’t like to repeat myself. Now get on already."
I reluctantly climbed onto the giant thing and bid farewell to Margret. She did the same.She said cheerfully, "OK then, have a nice time. I’ll be seeing you at the festival!"
We waved goodbye. The big doggy started running. To an outside observer, it probably looked really cool to ride something like that—but for me...
"Well, it felt like I was sitting on a merry-go-round made for hardcore merry-go-round enthusiasts."
Fortunately, I arrived at the handicraft centre alive. The lady parked the doggy in a corner among other smaller vehicles of a similar kind. She jumped off the vehicle and called out from behind me,
"Hey, little guy, get off now, we don’t have all day."
I climbed down, my head still wobbling back and forth.
As I regained my balance and started walking behind her, she said, "Well now, I haven’t told you my name, did I?"
I replied, "I guess not."
She said with a smile on her face, "It’s Lisa, owner of Lisa's Handicrafts and Repair Force."
I exclaimed, "Wait, you own this place?"
She replied, "Yes, why were you so shocked to hear this? Did you not expect an ambiguous body like mine to hold such a position?"
I replied with a shaky voice, "Ah no... it's just... from Margret’s words, it seemed like you were a fellow craftsman working here."
She chuckled, "Haha, I knew something like this could happen. Meg is Meg after all."
We both arrived at the center of the working area.It was huge—everyone was sitting in their own booths, making tons of decorations and stitching a whole lot of gemili cloths. Some were busy making the water bottle, the same kind that had been given to me by Hop.
I asked, "Hey, ma'am, why is this bottle so important in this festival?"
She looked confused. "Wait, you don’t know about the vessels?"I scratched my head. "No, I don’t."She shrugged. "Oh well, didn’t expect you to ask this since you built it so beautifully. Guess not. OK then..."
She sighed and added, "The Festival of Guiding Light serves the purpose of guiding the spirits of our ancestors to their loved ones. These spirits actually wander the world until this very day each year. As the spirits arrive in the village, everyone holds their spirit vessel high in the air. The spirit then interacts with the vessels of their family members. Each vessel stores a message inside it, voiced by the ancestor spirit themself. That’s why these vessels are so important."
I listened quietly.The entire tale, patiently piecing itself together, gave me a newfound motivation to work for the gemili village and its families.
She gave me that mischievous glare again."Now, little guy, you’ve wasted enough time chit-chatting. Let’s get to work."
I asked, "But ma’am, what should I do?"She replied, “Make vessels. A lot of them. We need 80 more vessels as per my calculations. Just go over to that lady who’s making vessels and give her assistance.”She pointed toward a random Gemili lady at a distance. I walked toward the lady. She saw me and gave a partial smile. Lisa had said she was making a vessel, but the only thing I saw was her forming a diamond shape with the Gemanite in between and just sitting there.
I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before finally asking, “Hey, sister, if I may ask… what exactly are you doing?”
She looked at me for a second and said, “I’m making a vessel. Why do you ask?”
I replied awkwardly, “No, it’s just like…”—I tried finding the right words to put—“…yeah. This technique of building a vessel seems quite unusual to me.”
She narrowed her eyes and said, “OK, Mr. Random Person. Please enlighten me.”
I realized I had spoken too boldly to that lady. I said apologetically, “Oh no, I’m sorry. My mind’s been in a really confused state these past few days, so I spoke too much without thinking.”
The lady chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, new guy. I’m just messing around with you. So what brings you here all of a sudden?”
I sighed and replied, “You know, I found the other day that I can somehow make these vessels. So my friend asked the owner of this center to hire me in the meantime.”
She nodded and said, “Well, that’s great. Nice to meet you, my fellow craftsman friend.”She paused, looked at me, and added, “It’s wonderful you found work. So why do you carry that sad face?”
As we were talking, a vessel popped off from the Gemili of that lady. She smiled and said, “OK, another one is done!”
“Oh, I’m sorry for that. So, what’s on your mind?”She asked with a chuckle.
I answered with a sigh, “It feels like I’m lost—I don’t know how I got here, and no one else knows where I’m from. No one understands me… My life before and after coming to this place looks poles apart at a glance, but deep down, nothing’s really changed. I’m still carrying the burden of responsibilities I never asked for... and lately, a couple of strange things have been happening to me.”
She listened intently, then stood up, walked over to me, and gave me a light tap on the head. Chuckling, she said, “You overthink too much, new guy. Well, I won’t pretend to know what your life was like before this village, but now that you’re here—in our peaceful village—maybe it’s time to leave the past behind and start fresh.”
I asked, “But is that really possible? Can I really fit into this unknown world?”
She walked over to a desk, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a small pendant. Holding it out to me, she said:
“You see this shabby pendant? It was the very first piece I ever built here—something that, at the time, barely looked like anything recognizable.”
Then she looked at me and continued, “You know, to some extent, I was just like you. As a child, I was abandoned by my parents because I was considered the most intellectually weak among my siblings. My father held a highly respected position in society, and he couldn’t afford to have a child like me associated with our family name. So, I was left alone. I was lost—just like you are right now. But not all hope was lost… Miss Lisa found me. She taught me that starting over is a rare opportunity. Only a few are fortunate enough to have it. And it’s the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me,” she said. “’Cause from here, the only way to go is up. Also, Lisa raised me and taught me various things—slowly, but surely. I was able to make pieces like these, and here we are now. So the key is to enjoy your time and adapt slowly. Breathe. The responsibilities you carry… put them on hold for now. Thinking about them won’t help you.”
I listened intently. Her words moved me, made me realize my mistakes. I muttered with a trembling voice, “Thank you… Thank you so much. You’re the only one so far I can relate to. You opened my eyes and made me realize the most obvious thing—that starting life in another world is supposed to be fun, and my past doesn’t matter anymore.”
I exhaled deeply, placed my hands on my waist, lifted my chest with confidence, and declared, “I am Neww! And I’m going to get the most out of this life! Let’s blaze on!”
The lady, along with another one in the next booth, started laughing at my little act of confidence. The first lady smiled and said, “I think you’re fired up now, new guy. Now let’s get back to business. We’ve got quite a few vessels to make today, so let’s not waste any more time talking, OK?”
I replied, “Oh—yeah, about that… can you show me quickly how to make a vessel?”
She narrowed her eyes and asked, “What do you mean? Use the gemanite...? Oh right, you mentioned you’re not from this village.... So how did you make the vessel before? You must have shown Lisa a prototype or something to get the job here,right?”“Oh, it’s a little complicated,” I replied.
I paused, then said, “Okay, watch this—just beware of flying objects, alright?”I formed a diamond shape with my fingers. A bright green light flared, and suddenly, objects like the desk, a wooden plank, and even the curtains on the wall began to levitate. Violent, chaotic winds filled the room, turning everything into a blur. The flying objects spiraled toward the diamond shape—until, just as suddenly, everything stopped.
In front of us was a beautifully crafted vessel, formed from those airborne materials.
The lady stared, momentarily speechless, then said, “That was… incredible. You have the speed of a warrior, but the precision of a craftsman.”
I scratched my head, and she added, “The speed at which you craft your vessel is amazing.”
“Is it?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, it is. I’ve been doing this for years, and even I need at least ten minutes to craft a vessel.”
I smiled sheepishly, thinking, I guess that explains why she looked like she was just sitting around earlier.
She grinned. “At this rate, we could finish all the vessels in no time.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said with a nod.
“But…” she continued, “you don’t have any control over your power. You're pulling in random objects from your surroundings. You could’ve snatched one of my vessels and used it as raw material without even realizing it!”
“Maybe we should head outside and make the vessels there?” she suggested.I agreed . She turned to the lady in the next booth. “Hey, Rhea, we’re heading out. Could you keep an eye on the vessels I made?”
Rhea replied, “Got it, Flora. I’ll keep my eyes on them.”
She went into one of the other booths and came back with a huge bag full of broken vessels.“This will be our raw material for now,” she said.
I nodded, thinking that recycling the broken vessels was actually a great idea.
As we walked toward the entrance, we were suddenly stopped by Lisa, who called out from a distance,“Hey, you two! Where do you think you're going at such a busy hour?”
Flora responded, “Oh hey, Miss Lisa! We were just heading to the ground behind the building to make some vessels.”
I remained silent as Lisa walked over to us.“And what’s the need to go outside for that?” she asked.
Flora replied, “You know, the new guy here has some tricks up his sleeve. Thanks to him, we can make a vessel in under twenty seconds.”
Lisa raised her eyebrows. “Twenty seconds, you say? Well, if it makes money, I guess I can let you do your thing.”
Flora smiled. “Alright, we’re heading out now.”
Lisa gave us permission but still decided to follow us, probably to make sure we wouldn’t slack off or cause trouble.
Man, this lady won’t give up, will she? I thought.Still, I shrugged and said, “Fine, let’s just ignore her for now.”
We exited the building and walked to the open ground just behind the large “doggy parking” area.
On the way, I asked, “Miss Flora, why do the Gemilli in this handicraft center have such war-like vehicles?”
She replied, “Oh, those? They're a kind of gift. After working here for ten years, every Gemilli artisan receives one. They’re handmade by all the members of the handicrafts center—sort of a collective show of appreciation.”I asked, “Did you receive anything like this?”She narrowed her eyes and replied with a puffed face, “Hey! Do I look that old to you?”
I laughed awkwardly.
She added, “Although I’ve been with Miss Lisa since I was a child, I officially joined the Handicrafts Center about six years ago.”
“So no, I haven’t.”
I stayed silent, not wanting to irritate her further.
We reached an open ground, reasonably spacious, with trees scattered around the perimeter. There wasn’t much else there. Miss Flora and I moved to the center of the space.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s bring out our work, shall we?”
I readied myself as Miss Flora took out some shards of broken vessels from the bag and scattered them nearby.
“Alright, new guy—do your thing!” she called out.
I formed the diamond shape, and the shards started flying chaotically. One of them nearly hit Miss Flora, but thankfully, she dodged it just in time. The air stilled again as the shards began settling into shape, forming a vessel.
Miss Lisa, who had been watching from a distance, looked impressed—though her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Well,” she said, “He’s quite dangerous, but he’ll make us a lot of money. Okay then, you can keep doing your thing.”
She handed me more shards. “Let’s make it a little safer this time.”
Lisa instructed me to stay on the ground and not move. She took some shards and placed them at intervals of ten meters from where I stood. After stepping back, she shouted, “Alright, go again!”
I repeated the process. The shards lifted into the air and swirled toward the diamond I formed. Within seconds, another large vessel appeared before me.
Lisa smiled. “Well, so that’s that. His range is fifty meters, I suppose.”I smiled, finding this little trick quite amusing.
Lisa said, “Well then, I’m leaving now, kiddos. Keep doing your thing—you’ll complete your target in no time. Okay, over and out.”
She left after that. I looked at Flora while Lisa gave us a parting gesture. Her face looked quite cheerful.
“Thanks, Miss Lisa. We’ll do our best!” Flora yelled.
She really admires her. It’s kinda cute, in a way.
Flora then gazed toward me and said, “Alright, shall we get started?”
I agreed, “Sure.”
We both stood apart as Flora threw the shards from a distance of about 60 meters. The shards flew into the air as the magic began. Once in a while, stones, blades of grass, or other surrounding debris get caught in the raw material tornado and mixed with the vessel. But instead of ruining them, they gave the items a unique mosaic look.
We both had a lot of fun mixing weird things to see how the vessels would end up looking.
Time flew by—we completed our target of 80 vessels.
Flora said, “We’re really done? Man, that’s a bummer!”
I replied, “But we did have lots of fun, didn’t we?”
She smiled and said, “You bet we did. If you let me, we’d do another 80.”
I asked, “Oh, maybe later. Should we go back to the Handicrafts Center to tell Miss Lisa about the vessels?”
She nodded. “Sure, let’s go.”
We both rushed back, carrying all the vessels in the same bag that had held the shards.
We called for Lisa while still running inside the corridor. Lisa, who was busy keeping track of all the crafted items, took notice.
“You kiddos are back,” she smirked. “Well, I guess you’re both late by 20 seconds, but I’ll let it slide this time. So, are you done?”
We showed her the bag full of unique and beautiful vessels. For once, she showed a bit of excitement on her face.
Lisa patted Flora’s head and said, “You did a good job, girl.” She then looked at me and gave a thumbs-up gesture.Turning back to Flora, she added, “Keep doing such work, and soon you’ll be a Class B craftswoman. For now, let’s begin registering these vessels.”Flora’s face lit up with excitement. She bowed and said, “I understand. Thank you, ma’am.”I also made eye contact with Lisa, hoping for a compliment—but her expression was unreadable.
Then Lisa turned toward me and said, “As for you, little guy, you’re free to go now.”
My eyes almost popped out of my head. “What? Are you seriously kidding me?” I asked.Flora also asked for an explanation, and Lisa replied, “I only hired him as a freelancer. I expected him to work here for at least two days, but the job is already done. There’s no point in keeping him around.”“As for your pay,” she continued, turning to her desk and pulling out some gold coins from her pouch, “Here you go, little guy—you earned it.”
She handed me eight gold coins, each marked with a peculiar symbol on top.The symbol was like a cartwheel, with seven spokes—each bearing a different design engraved on its surface.
Lisa gave a shrug. “OK then, now you can do whatever. My job is done, and so is yours.”
She turned away and, like the busy woman she was, immediately returned to her work.
I looked at Flora and noticed a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
“It looks like it’s time for me to leave, Miss Flora. But don’t worry—I’ll stop by every now and then. Also, thank you for helping me today.”
Miss Flora took a deep breath, composed herself, and replied, “No, actually, thank you. Spending time with you was a lot of fun. Honestly, I haven’t enjoyed myself like this in a long while. Ah, and before you leave, take this.”
She formed the diamond shape and summoned the gemanite. A small cloud of dust rose from the floor and drifted toward the crystal. A soft beam of light emitted from the gemanite. As the glow faded, I saw a small artifact—shaped like a comma.
“Take this... I know it’s a bit rushed, but it’s the quickest gift I could make for you. I hope you don’t mind, OK?”
I shook my head. “No, no! I really appreciate your gift. I’ll treasure it always.” I placed the comma thing into my pocket.
We both waved goodbye and parted ways. As I walked outside, I noticed the village was becoming more decorated and lively by the minute. The villagers were busy arranging all sorts of fancy accessories. Children were running around joyously, carrying glowing orange sticks and wearing hand-painted face masks.
I made my way back toward the inn—this time for actually renting a room. But there, I ran into something quite surprising.
When I handed the inn lady (who was just as busy as last time) one gold coin, she blinked in surprise and asked, “Do you want the room for half a year, sir?”
Apparently, one gold coin wasn’t just a regular coin.
After awkwardly drawing attention to myself in front of all the other busy workers, I managed to extract the information: one gold coin was worth 10 silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to 60 bronze coins! And as it turns out, staying at the inn for one night cost only 3 bronze coins.
I had originally planned to stay for a week but ended up booking a whole month.
As the change arrived the amount of coins increase to 45 ,too many for my little pockets to carry but The kind lady was generous enough to hand it over in a small pouch.
I took the pouch, thanked her, and headed playfully toward my room. As I walked away, the inn lady gave me a pitiful glance. It made me feel a little uneasy, to be honest.“Maybe she was still mad about what I did in the morning,” I thought—but I shrugged it off and headed to my room to rest. Little did I know, surprises and mysteries awaited me on the day of the festival.
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