Chapter Twenty one -Merry making

As the sky turned darker, the shops around the reviving fountain park sharted lighting up. The evening sky also took spectacular hue. Time for selfies, recordings or even some livestreaming. The villagers, other than those who managed the shops, started coming out from somewhere.

It's not that there were no nosy players who wanted to know more about the village or villagers. But a foggy barrier was present around the village centre. So players could just walk in the park, around the village centre and towards the exit of the village. Still that much was too much for the current level of players.

The players had some complaints already. The potions shop would be closed but they could not gripe. The notice on the door said that potioneer was working and creating potions. The forgery had only apprentice manning the front. He could repair weapons and increase the durability. He gave out tasks and accepted finished tasks but he was not the owner. How can you increase the closeness if there was no repeated interactions? Better the closeness, more richer the task, superior the task rewards. Who would want to be close to an apprentice when there was a big boss? The tailor was free but not many needed cloth armours. The scroll shop had doors wide open but not many ventured inside. He sold items which costed more. Rumour was that the shop even had items which costed in rose gold coins. The miscellaneous items shop was the only shop frequently visited. The shop sold apples, allowed players to fill in water. Most importantly, it accepted junk.

If players didn't have enough space in the inventory and were in the hurry, they could just sell all miscellaneous items dropped by the monster loot in this shop. The shop paid handsomely too. Why not? The same coins would be used to purchase items locally, so it would flow back to village.

As sky turned darker, the lights lit the shops and NPC stalls took the centre stage. A mini food street of sorts formed organically, pushing the player stalls aside. This was the time to unwind and relax. Was food enough? Have some drinks too.

Now that you have used up coins for food and drinks, had mind buzzing pleasantly, why don't you watch some dances or fancy moves from kids and adolescents? What! You want to dance with them? Come, come! More the merrier.

Who said you can't enjoy fair like atmosphere inside a game? The make shift seats were filled and lot more players just stood in a big circle and enjoyed the spectacle. The brave ones showed off their fancy moves. The livestreaming reached peak again.

Molvin and Alkus watched all this and laughed. Old fox is indeed an old fox. The complaints would be forgotten for some time , they may even get 'likes'.

Zoya watched the merry making with a sarcastic smile. If not for the Zhichi mead she was drinking free of charge.... The village chief walked into second floor of the bar with sparse heaven blessed and climbed the stairs to the next level. Zoya was still nursing her mead watching the scenery out there through the window. The straight back was screaming 'Don't come closer ' but he disregarded the warning.

She didn't turn around even when the sound of the steps moved closer and closer.

"Do you really think these morons can help you?"

Aruvaali was not surprised with Zoya calling them as morons. The kids out there were being stupid and showing off completely instead of holding something back inspite of numerous warnings. The heaven blessed...hahaha, less said the better.

"We can only try," he said back. He was tired. He had worked and planned for this occasion for months. He schemed, he fought, he acted as a simpleton. All for the welfare of this place.

Zoya could be objective but he could not. Any effort he spent if it helped in propersity and well being of the village, he would gladly work. But the Zhichi mead helped.He walked back and poured himself a mug of mead. It was doing wonders for his fatigue and tiredness. He was mulling the words he had heard from his teacher. The problems faced by a diplomat are entirely different from the problems faced by a hero. He had naively asked what if a hero was a diplomat. His teacher had laughed loud at that. When he became a hero, he understood he could a part of it. Now that he was a village chief and a part teacher for the village kids, he was learning what his teacher had meant then. Still he felt he had not understood completely. It was this lack which was preventing him to progressing.

Most of villagers who had gone to see the world had walked back to settle here. Was it merely for sentiment? Was it because of the sworn oath to safeguard this place? Most of them if not for all were facing the blocks in their progress. Something was holding them back. Till it was resolved, they could just work hard and try to find ways to proceed. Wasn't Zoya the same?

Why else would someone of her calibre would make clone of self and send it to face the life of a mortal, lead a restrictive life? Wasn't it to solidify the foundation? Wasn't it a preperation to move farther in the life?

He was pulled out of his musings be Zoya's question. "Is it really necessary to pull wool under that girl's eyes?" He knew Zoya liked Anice. Did her presence resonate something with Zoya?

" We are not pulling wool on her exactly. We just don't want others to realise. After all that is said and done, she is merely a pawn."

"Aren't we all?" came back the retort quickly.

He chuckled and sipped the mead. "But we have awareness that we are pawns. Does she? Even if she is starting to, does she even know who is moving the pawn and playing with the lives?"

Zoya didn't answer. From what she had seen and felt, sometimes she felt even she was a pawn in someone's game. But she was powerless now so she could not fight back and take back her independence. She had broken restrictions and walked out of a boundary only to find a bigger boundary. She felt like a toddler whose world was it's home and suddenly walks out of threshold to see a whole village. If it thought the village was entire world, it would be proven wrong later on. So were towns and cities the limit? Or the kingdoms? Or was the world even larger? How to know? You have to try and go beyond the limits to see the big picture.