Chapter 193: The Liquor of Anecdotes (1)
AYMob“No. Even if their life comes to an end, the faithful of the sky do not die. Through the liquor of anecdotes, they are reborn as a new life.”6AA7ueU
ORj0jW“Then it doesn’t add up arithmetically. If everyone can live forever, why does the population remain the same?”9V8
ZPlyL“The lives of the faithful are under the control of Ra. Through a strict law, the total life expectancy of the population is calculated, which is why it remains a fixed number.”CRp
nml40jKImmortality and population control were incompatible concepts.iMr1LI
4Dhr1t5In the end, the key point lay in the liquor of anecdotes.lRM
tCW4ajBut, like Gardrak, Kanya also avoided explaining it.aee
toBE5R1Both the faithful and the heretics had their own convictions, but when it came to the liquor of anecdotes, it seemed that neither could speak freely.JXF
RNMkmA contradiction.bPa
KamFor Shirone, the liquor of anecdotes was a gigantic contradiction.68ibv
nxuSbq7They crossed the valley of the vortex serpent, passed through the forest of the profane, and finally arrived at the sky.TGAo
SkxpThe group raised their heads upward.a68wv
ZT4iH1gCompared with the size of the wall, they were nothing more than dust.2M4Jw1r
9VWB3It was an extreme scale, impossible to reproduce by human hands.LGPt1
huiCKanya introduced the place as district 73 and added that in the first heaven alone there were 820 districts.ItHM
5Fi9RSurrendering to his imagination, Shirone touched the wall.cogm
Zs6He thought it would be stone, but it was metal.YRXIA
TixThe technology of the sky completely surpassed the group’s common sense.tQ7bx
ivoP“Will it be alright if we enter?”MbQXku
MRg“It should be. You are a Nephilim. Although I cannot guarantee it.”c2ne9k
L2Y“Then… how about we cross the wall?”1BVLB5
NiWoIt seemed impossible to overcome a wall that touched the sky, but they did not have many alternatives.BOkHw
smVOHowever, Kanya denied even that possibility.1LGsslk
MJ6“Only drones with flight permission can fly over the airspace of the sky. They would be intercepted. It has never happened, but I heard it from my grandfather. Besides, entering secretly is impossible.”LJtA
JCXeiz“Why? It doesn’t look like anyone is guarding the gate.”KHv
E4h3sJ“Entry is not restricted. It is a matter of the law. All the information generated in the sky is managed in Jebul, the sixth heaven where the angels reside. They can measure everything from the mass variations of each district to the gaseous components of the air. Even if you tried to sneak in, it would be useless. Don’t worry so much. Nothing dangerous will happen. This is not purgatory.”AKRiJR
lYankQLAs a believer, Kanya seemed to want to reassure Shirone, as if there were no need to sow distrust toward the sky.LOK6F
YwhWhen they brought the gauntlet close to the gate, a red beam came out of the lens and scanned the surface.UH7pCPQ
CCqmWhen the gate opened, a roar shook the world.wSn8g
a2MRCovering their ears was useless.aJb8
kk46When the entrance to district 73 opened, Shirone’s group followed Kanya and entered the sky.C3kSc
WOUFVWhen the gate closed, the lens shone.uObE
w0y5fDThe updated information of district 73 was sent to the sixth heaven, Jebul.uvmJJ
ETfTotal mass, 49,739,498,847.3423 kilograms.ssm
CRjECarbon dioxide emission, increase of 0.0000024 percent.KD8Q
jEgihThe first impression of Shamayin was strange.ItR
Gve6EThe residential zones were separated by races, and their cultural forms were radically different.QTo
6vHbThe buildings of the nor were practical, while those of the kergo were ostentatious.6uFEJ
qKEav8And when they found the buildings of the meca, Shirone and Amy stopped, speechless.cuMTF
bwKfIt was the Istas magic warehouse.5mQVvn
t0mQWveCubic boxes were stacked in layers, freely intersecting with neighboring buildings while changing position.cs2z8W
lxF4XIt did not seem that the meca had visited a magic academy.4N0bI
dai9bEWIt was proof that, in some way, meca technology had flowed into the original world.qgPRkhV
hyrLwYKanya crossed the meca neighborhood and came out to the plaza.ZYJzt
Pu0The landscape of the plaza, where several races mixed like a cultural meeting point, resembled an international market of a neutral country.IqbF7sD
iOR5A“Shirone, look at that.”jrM
l3c0wAmy pointed to a statue of a giant.i4UB3gO
jgEIt did not feel the same as when she had seen it on the kergo altar.qw7pKw
s9qk2Here, the giants truly existed. And moreover, they had fought against them.GTfp
UqoWfM1Why did the giants, revered by the faithful, wander through purgatory?6UWY
55jnKanya’s house had the same size as the other houses of the meca.6ygRu7H
Y8DGjeIf the kergo represented ostentation and the nor practicality, the meca seemed to pursue standardization.uxG
KI62When they entered Kanya’s house, the building rose until it had four floors.zPDX
DSPozUnlike its inhuman shape, the interior was cozy.rNh9
FJsq7iOHer parents, who were sitting at the table, jumped to their feet.UG0qB
uPvW8I8He had heard that the liquor of anecdotes was applied to those whose lives were close to ending, but their faces looked much younger than Shirone expected.Ogr
Rkwx1Kanya’s mother hugged her two daughters and shouted.IIL66W
P3UBr“Where have you been? Do you know how worried Mom was?”Tq7jp
JJbxFN“I’m sorry. Many things happened.”Cal
i1GlY5f“Who are those boys? They look like nor.”pxT0
tnQY3N“We went to Nor’s refuge. To get this.”oDGqpB
u63When Kanya extended the bottle to her, her mother’s eyes trembled in shock.vmNUKva
N7WXShe had never told anyone about it.M5hMj
LEPrcThen how did her daughter know about this?9Mg
0vd5“You… this is…”J761in8
6JjLAjd“It’s an alarm. Made with nor magic. Drink it before the liquor of anecdotes.”nWyCLP
jfw“Lena! Why did you do something like that? Mom didn’t want this!”4eDesa
vlRWBax“Then was I supposed to just watch? You also went to purgatory to get medicine for Grandpa!”mZljskl
AOk“Who told you that…?”tAY
QYRbJhk“Grandpa told me! That’s why he was able to enter the liquor of anecdotes smiling until the end! That’s enough! That’s family!”QWft71x
mhxTkyP“Why are you like this? Then you know that shortening your life to obtain medicine also reduced mine! How do you think a mother feels when she sees her daughter do the same thing?”wdHCR
sakKeFThe father, who had listened in silence with a gloomy expression, intervened.3zJ
wisoa“That’s enough, both of you. The water has already been spilled. The important thing is that you returned safe and sound.”2RI
JcKYuaBAfter calming his wife, he looked at Shirone’s group.Bi1Az
pjn0Gqi“So, you are heretics who come from Nor’s refuge?”iIT2Z0T
wF23Kanya introduced the group.crJSn3
A4M“No. They come from the realm of the earth. They saved my life and Lena’s, and they helped us obtain this medicine. Without them, we might already be dead.”AkDx
GXpThere are no parents in the world who treat coldly those who saved their daughter.eNGR
wJJrThe father invited Shirone’s group to enter the house.QEa
P28CmWhile the mother prepared the food, Kanya told what they had experienced in purgatory.WcClU
mrTWhen she mentioned that Shirone was a Nephilim, both parents knelt down, and the room became chaos.IfDYi
2y2Only after the group’s insistent request did they agree to treat him normally.X0ZN
atUPhKD“I see. I thank you for helping Kanya and Lena. But it would be better if you leave soon. Even if you are a Nephilim, they will not welcome those who come from the realm of the earth.”bA6
5iSHMRy“No. We are planning to go to the seventh heaven.”yV9NlKG
XwcThe sacred sanctuary of God, Arabot, was a place so holy that even saying one would go there was considered blasphemy.gYHsZAa
M1xBut Shirone was someone free from the law, so he could express without restriction the words that came to his mind.5J4
k0TVj“Even so, there is no way to go to the seventh heaven.”EtdNZNc
kL0YeI7“We will have to think about that from now on. But what intrigues me is the law of this place. What does it mean that life expectancy is reduced?”WKSTV
5jl57“It is literal. The faithful are assigned a life expectancy according to the law from the moment they are born. Kanya’s life expectancy is 62 years. Lena can live up to 73.”7SQUdF
EF3dj“Huh? But Lena is the younger one and still has more years.”QxyUMX
zLPiY“Life expectancy can change at any moment. When she was little, Lena obtained ten additional years because she sang the hymns beautifully. It was a good thing, but the problem is my wife. Her life expectancy is 43 years and 247 days. She has only one day left.”VgHZdi
7kyhShirone’s heart skipped a beat.KuUa
AcJIxgWhat kind of person knows the exact day of their death?K6sXAti
X4Yw6Just imagining it was terrifying.xhPZFxW
OJKOLAnd yet, Kanya’s mother was smiling.4L04rV
L5MzShe was convinced that she would receive Ra’s grace.p8nAez
Bpr“When she was young, my wife went out to purgatory and for that sin twenty years of her life were reduced. Because of that, tomorrow she will enter the liquor of anecdotes.”j4d9
ISghModifying a person’s life expectancy was cruel.Mc2jyYB
YsZNo, it did not even seem possible.brZKN
MsncIf Ra controlled life, how many years would he himself have?uz4dV
hjyThey had said that the history of the sky dated back hundreds of thousands of years.SsUJ
M3aPerhaps Ra truly was a god.cfMTo
WfwqY“What exactly is the liquor of anecdotes?”5K0
YaB“Hm… it seems they had not told you. I assumed it would be like that. It is not something good to know. Besides, are you not a Nephilim, someone free from the law? It is not something that concerns you.”i5k3K4w
e8nbUn“Even so, I want to know. Maybe if I know what it is about, I might come up with a good solution.”UIG43c
tlEGeT3“Hm… in that case…”SbT2PqY
kD23AJust when the father was about to speak, a clear and piercing voice echoed from outside the window.uGqX
qeoL0Q“Everyone, pay homage! Inspector of the meca race, Peophe.”oiDC
PkmkYCShirone’s group jumped to their feet.TYu
ttS6ObThe voice had reached there as if it were amplification magic.1y7
W4HOBut the most surprising thing was that the language was being translated automatically.Zug5P
IWgxq1hA mental transmission ability launched only with sound, without using channels.nUsaat
kvNTjbuIf it was magic, it was of a very high level.UCyJ
UPLcEo“In the end, the inevitable has come. It is a fairy.”nPzUTHH
pOK2fp“A fairy? One like the ones I know?”POufPe4
lXiEiShirone remembered the fairy race from the original world.7LzY
eS6ODKanya’s father, believing he was talking about the fairies of this world, nodded.sBr
8fHZ“That’s right. Those who execute the law. If the giants respect the law, the fairies are the ones who execute it. One could say they are internal administrators. She surely came because of the matter of Kanya and Lena.”oSKam
HEX3“And what do we do?”eplN
sPV“If you are a Nephilim, you should not worry. You are someone free from the law. Although I do not know if she will take that into account. She has a peculiar character.”dD2Rwy
B0eZNQd“What are you doing? Faithful of this house, open the door immediately!”hBz
FVswfThe fairy’s voice was heard from outside.ZVtq8
hILThey were on the fourth floor.517FU1s
ztljYAnd the fairies Shirone knew were not creatures that flew.CNt
3oyamCWhen the father opened the door, a small flying creature entered, defying all his expectations.30Yo
FMCIt was a girl the size of the palm of a hand.bMQZlO
Tj7vShe had curly blond hair.uEzb
XPADDespite her small face, her features were so defined that she was beautiful.YnkS
Cvz4YomShe wore green boots that reached her ankles, and transparent wings that vibrated at an invisible speed.eQDi0
pF7When Kanya’s family knelt down, Shirone’s group discreetly imitated them.DgqzPy4
ri2wkTaFloating in the air, Peophe raised her chin and spoke.dmjO
HevlA“I am Peophe, the fairy of the spiral. I have come personally to carry out the judgment of the faithful.”ASh8eP
YAV8FcFairies were not natural beings, but entities born from concepts, like enchanted lanterns.GTI
wzqEIpThey were single-concept entities.XKn
ZNDjFor that reason, fairies possessed reason and could master the concept from which they had been born.oqF0K
BDyCqi“Therefore, I will proceed to execute the law. Kanya and Lena, have you ever gone out to purgatory?”6nwXsh
KTjWOJA“Yes. We went.”N47h
ptxMjFKanya’s parents closed their eyes tightly.csJuY
W6t0ojZBut Kanya, the one involved, answered calmly.Ei0sZ8
umVIt was something she had already prepared herself for before leaving the sky.ng2
QOoc5The only one she was worried about was Lena.rCIM
t1G05aM“I’m sorry. I wanted to give my mother a good meal before the liquor of anecdotes, so we hunted in the forest of the profane.”kFm
tb6aQShe thought that, since the kergo could enter and leave purgatory freely, using hunting as an excuse would reduce the punishment.ETg
TdKFyOBut Peophe pressed her without showing the slightest interest in the circumstances of the faithful.FBzDw
tULAx“Hmph. How dare you lie? What use is food for a faithful who will die tomorrow?”0Ffugh
IQZ7Kanya’s mother finally broke down in tears.jAJ
4d1pDEven if the liquor of anecdotes was a blessing, there was no creature that did not fear death.0nr
gifqWxqAnd Peophe had stirred precisely that fragile emotion.AsY
rnRShirone felt anger when he realized it.9QGG2
pEgpEPXThe faithful called the liquor of anecdotes regeneration.SLM
buB7dCBut the words of the administrator fairy were an unambiguous death sentence.2kA
Z9bXQhAnd it was not a simple threat.PmAgFly
2plOHe knew it because there was no malice in Peophe’s voice.fFnQ4R
aCHtsmkIt was like listening to an innocent child honestly expressing what she felt.kYVZAeK
aXNv“In any case, I will deliver the verdict. Kanya and Lena, I will reduce your life expectancy by forty years each.”IENUva
ZNo2gKanya was stunned.nlRBVW
HxbKxOlA reduction of forty years meant she had less than ten years of life left.0nax
D5ELena was somewhat better off, but she would still die at thirty-three.an1k
cBVSAAs far as she knew, a reduction of forty years for unauthorized departure was an unprecedented punishment.A55vwWt
bFSKV6A year ago, Seil, who was her same age, had lost five years.Ynla3
kFI5Uncle Kai, from the nor race, lost seven.ye739HO
zfAwuYEven her mother, considered the worst case, had lost twenty.jsycxN
Z4Gnl1And now forty?REs
tETIf that was so for her, what would happen to Lena’s life?IPyycxt
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