Sword Master In The Strange World

Chapter 12: Nameless village

More and more people arrived to help, and the wind kept blowing. The snowstorm had passed, but it didn’t mean that the snow had stopped falling. The snow on the ground continued to accumulate, even covering some people.

“Over here, there are still survivors!”

“Give me a hand!”

“Pass me some bandages.”

Everyone was busy, never resting their hands even for a moment. Besides those who were helping, there were some who stood by, huddling in a corner to avoid the impact of nature. Each gust of wind carried the scent of blood.

“It’s not good; there are too many injured people,” an overwhelmed woman exclaimed. She would walk a few steps and encounter another injured person, some with minor injuries, others with severe wounds. Lifeless bodies also littered the ground.

“I told you it’s futile!” The bearded man with the hat spoke up again. After all, he had protected himself first and had hidden in a corner. “Let them be; maybe we’ll get help tomorrow.”

“Based on this situation, the chance of getting help tomorrow is very low,” Jonas said. Now, there was no certainty of it. “In fact, we’ve been isolated. Now, we can only rely on ourselves.”

Jonas stood up and addressed the crowd. In this situation, anyone who appeared weak would likely be swallowed up.

“Why? It’s clear that the shipwreck made a very loud noise just now. I believe someone must have heard it,” the bearded man retorted. He spoke as if he knew everything.

“Of course, there was a loud noise just now, but we can’t be sure someone heard it. You see, it’s really empty around here. Moreover, I’m afraid that the noise from the snowstorm drowned out the sound of the collision,” Jonas replied.

“How do you know that? I don’t believe everything will turn out so pessimistic like you say. Someone will come to rescue us tomorrow. Rescue us? You’re saying that we need to rescue ourselves. What do you mean?” The bearded man continued to oppose. He believed in what he thought was right. After all, he had experienced many years in life, defeating countless adversaries and accumulating much experience. Now, he couldn’t believe the young man in front of him.

The situation was tense, with a divide between those who believed rescue would come and those who thought they had to rely on themselves.

“Then hope,” Jonas replied coldly. Dealing with someone so stubborn wasn’t worth the effort. Treating those lying on the ground was much more important to him, Jonas thought as he continued to bandage everyone.

The bearded man with the hat stared directly at Jonas with a burning frustration. He couldn’t accept the disdainful attitude of the person in front of him. When he realized Jonas was blind, he taunted him.

“Hah, what would a blind person like you know? Blind people shouldn’t pretend to understand.”

In response to the insults behind him, Jonas didn’t bother to respond and continued with his work. Arguing with a stubborn person like him was a waste of energy. In these harsh conditions, conserving his energy was a more reasonable choice.

Seeing Jonas not responding anymore, the bearded man felt quite triumphant. He believed he had won the argument.

The snow continued to fall, and under the lights, people were still busy looking for supplies. Some searched for warm clothes, blankets, while others were trying to find medicine for the injured people lying in the snow. It created a contrast. In this setting, the world seemed divided in two: one half was for themselves, and the other half was for others.

Suddenly, a young man’s voice rang out, shattering the tense atmosphere.

“There’s light, light from a flashlight,” a young man pointed in the distance. He had spotted something.

Everyone paused from their tasks and looked in the direction the young man was pointing.

“That’s right, it’s a flashlight; there are people, there are people.”

“We’re being saved.”

“We’re saved; we’re alive.”

The scene became increasingly chaotic, and Jonas also sensed an additional source of light.

“There are people here,” the bearded man from earlier shouted, stepping on someone injured on the ground to stand up higher. He waved his arms frantically to attract the attention of those in front.

Faced with his ruthless behavior, no one in the crowd spoke up. Perhaps they cared more about their own survival above all else. They only desired to stay alive. Faced with death, human morality seemed twisted, and people turned ruthless.

The light came closer and closer to them, and they slowly realized that it was a middle-aged man.

Jonas put himself on guard, more tensed than the people celebrating around him. The newcomers might bring either good or bad news. Perhaps they would be rescued, but they could also become prey for this man.

“How are you all doing? We heard a loud noise here, so we came to investigate,” a middle-aged man from the group spoke up.

“Thank you, thank you for coming. Our ship just capsized, and now we don’t know what to do,” a woman said, still holding a bundle of bandages in her hand.

“No worries, we’ll help you,” the man responded warmly.

Upon hearing this, everyone jumped for joy. They were saved, and they didn’t have to face the freezing cold outside anymore. They were alive, and a miracle had occurred. Laughter and tears intermingled within the group, and they were overwhelmed with happiness.

“As far as I know, there isn’t any town nearby, right? Where did you come from?” Jonas asked cautiously.

“That’s right, there isn’t any town nearby. We’re just residents of a small village with very few people, and we’re impoverished. It’s not surprising if you’ve never heard of us,” the man replied.

“By the way, you can call me Seventh,” the middle-aged man chimed in.

Only then did Jonas relax a bit, sensing that the newcomers didn’t have ill intentions. He slowly lowered the guiding cane in his hand.

“If you don’t mind, you can come to my village and stay the night until things settle down. It’s nearby,” Seventh suggested.

Hearing this, everyone was thrilled. This was something they had hoped for. Furthermore, since Seventh had offered, they had no reason to decline.

“Okay, thank you so much.”

With that, everyone set out, following Seventh to their village. In their wake, the snow continued to fall, covering the frozen bodies left behind. Soon enough, the snow would erase all traces of what had happened here, as though nothing had occurred.

Upon returning to the village, Seventh took a bone whistle from his pocket and blew it, creating a loud, piercing sound. Three minutes later, everyone had gathered.

Seventh addressed the crowd:

“My friends, earlier I heard a loud noise, so I went to check and found these people. The snowstorm overturned their ship. Now, I would like them to stay here for a while. What do you think?”

There was a murmur among the crowd, and after some discussion, an elderly woman spoke up on their behalf.

“Of course, they are welcome. How could we leave them during such a difficult time? They look so pitiful.”

“Thank you, everyone.”

“Nothing to thank us for, village leader.”

At this moment, Jonas realized Seventh was the leader of this village, and that’s why his words carried such weight.

“Does your village have a name?” Jonas asked, turning to Seventh.

“As I mentioned earlier, our village is tiny, so it doesn’t even have a name.”

Jonas nodded, not saying anything more. Seventh, then assigned accommodations for everyone. Jonas was placed in a temporary shelter at an elderly lady’s house, whom he learned was named Laura.