Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the year 823 of the Saint Calendar, at the end of the Month of Dormancy (February), in the district of Sardni in Rentato.
The district of Sardni was originally a small fishing village where the fishermen and merchants selling Storm Strait fishes resided. Then the district thrived because of the development of the related industries of producing, sorting, and selling preserved fish products and the close relationship between the Kingdom of Holm and the Congress of Magic. During the second expansion of Rentato, the district was included in and named after the local bream called Sardni.
However, as magic stream trains between Patray harbor and Rentato started gaining their popularity, wealthy merchants had gradually took control of the local fishing industry using fresh goods and low prices. The monopoly put the local small shops and markets out of business. Some local fishermen gave up what they had done for decades; some were now working for the major merchants; some landed in the miserable situation of being unemployed.
Fortunately, the promotion of all kinds of alchemical items saved the unemployed. The newly-built alchemical workshops accepted them and, within just several years, Sardni turned into a half-fishing, half-alchemical district.
In the dark night, dim candlelight came out from the windows of the poor houses and shanties along the street where magic crystal lights were still unaffordable. However, the street lamps connected by the spiderweb-like electric wires were warm and bright. The light produced by the lamps intertwined with the darkness of the night.
“Shame on you!”
A teenager around fourteen or fifteen spat on the ground, staring at the young couple snuggling in the darkness behind a lamp. Although due to the conservative style of the Kingdom of Holm, the couple was simply hugging and whispering to each other, and never did anything else too intimate like kissing or caressing, there was still strong envy and longing in the teenager’s eyes.
“Andy! Stop looking! It ‘s starting soon!”
A low voice came from behind the nearby trees along the street.
Startled, Andy hurriedly turned around and saw his three friends’ head sticking out behind a thick tree with great caution.
“What? It’s starting…” The look on Andy’s face suddenly changed. He looked both nervous and excited. It seemed that they were doing something dangerous but thrilling.
He carefully approached the tree and grumbled. “William, Mickey, Martin… Why don’t you come earlier?”
The brown-haired Martin giggled. “How dare we interrupt you? You’re definitely peeping someone dating.”
“Yup,” the blond William cleared his throat, “… Spring has come, and creatures start getting restless, including Andy, who’s already in heat…”
“You wanna try this?!” Andy was pissed off, his hand clenching into a fist. Embarrassment filled up in his blue eyes.
“Shh!” Micky, the shortest one among them all, hurriedly pressed down Andy’s hand.
Andy took a deep breath and sealed his mouth. He pointed to the direction where they were about to go.
“Let’s go, or we’ll miss Miss Nightingale’s song at the beginning,” said William yearningly.
Martin put on a look of disdain. “William is in heat as well.”
Giggling, the young lads secretly sneaked into the darkness and moved forward stealthily.
As they turned around the corners and traversed the trees, their voice quieted down and their breath became heavy.
They came in front of the row of low houses in a quiet corner of Sardni, and headed towards the two-story to the end.
Pulling up the collar until it covered half of his face, Andy knocked six times at the pace of two short and three long.
The door opened silently. A middle-aged man looked around in great alert, and eyed the boys to come in.
Andy, Martin, Micky, and William knew this place well and they did not need any guidance. The living room was already filled with people, a lot of people. In a circle, some were standing, some were sitting. All the curtains were drawn close; only a candlestick lit up the room with its flickering light, which seemed quite vulnerable. The atmosphere was ideal for telling a horror folktale and for one to take place.
Among the people, there were adult males and females, kids, seniors, teenage “in-heat” boys like Andy, and several blooming adolescent girls.
Exchanging a look, the boys thrust their way forward into the crowd and finally came beside the teenage girls after the great effort.
One of the boys grinned a bit shyly. “Scarlet, Selma… Good to see you two here.”
The blonde girl gave him a stare and put her finger on her lips. “Shh… Quiet. It’s gonna start.”
Hearing that, the boys instantly quivered. They temporarily put aside the attempt to get close to the girls, but started waiting patiently and expectantly.
The owner of the house, the middle-aged, serious-looking man in an old white shirt, came to the center and started fiddling with the strange box the size of a head.
The grey box was engraved with mysterious patterns, on which there was a row of black buttons and two knobs. There were also two metal sticks on top of it that looked like ram’s horns. They were of half-meter long and also had weird patterns and symbols.
No one talked when the man was working on the box. No matter men or women, young or old, no one spoke a single word. They held their breath, as devout as praying in the church. To them, the box was divine.
Hiss… The familiar electric current noise came.
People in the room instantly sat up or stood up straight.
From the box came a female voice that sounded far from them and wasn’t very clear. But with the man’s patient calibration, the quality started getting much better:
“Good evening, everyone, this is FM 592.6M, welcome to Arcana Voice. Now it’s ten at night in Allyn and I’m your friend, Nightingale. Glad to have you in the next four hours, my friends.”
The sweet female voice tickled the boys’ hearts, making them wonder how beautiful Miss Nightingale must be.
“So the first section of today: General Knowledge in Everyday Life. I’ll introduce you to a healthier and wiser lifestyle and help you stay away from all the possible traps in your life.
“… In recent months, in Rentato, as well as other cities in Holm, many illegal merchants are selling ‘radioactive’ toothpaste and body shampoos, claiming that those products are more fashionable, work better, and can help bring us longevity. Is that true?
“To find out the truth, let’s start from the paper written by Mr. Lucien Evans, the member of Arcana Review Board, senior-rank arcanist, the three-time winner of Holm Crown prize, winner of the Immortal Throne, Arcana Scepter, and Ice & Snow Medal. Mr. Lucien Evans wrote the paper titled A New Element Which Emits Electron Currents and Two Other Rays three years ago, but it was not until five months ago did he publish it. It was also the very paper that won him the Ice & Snow Medal. In this paper, he coined the term ‘natural radioactivity’. He believes that some elements with unstable structures might emit new elements and electron currents.”
“Selma, did you hear it?! Mr. Evans is not only the composer of our favorite music pieces in the Music Gallery, but also a great scholar who has won so many awards! You know the great musician in Aalto? They have the same name!” Exclaimed Scarlet full of admiration.
After listening to the programme for over a year, Scarlet was aware of the value of the awards mentioned. And she was not the only one who felt beyond impressed in the living room. Gasps of admiration and praises filled the space.
Andy, however, held an ambivalent attitude towards this Lucien Evans. He did admire Lucien Evans’s talent, but Scarlet was the girl he liked.
People in the living room knew what Miss Nightingale was talking about, as it had been several months that they lived under those merchants’ constant promotion. Using the merchants’ words, those ‘radioactive’ toothpaste could effectively remove the stains on their teeth and make their teeth white again, and the new elements contained in the toothpaste could keep them fit and healthy. According to the merchants, many nobles had started using the new toothpaste.
“… To seek for the truth, we have talked to Mr. Evans, who made a thorough explanation for the term, ‘natural radioactivity’. According to Mr. Evans, while emitting new elements and electron currents, these ingredients also release ‘curses’, which can make your hair and teeth fall as well as weaken your body and disrupt your blood circulation. The new elements and electron currents emitted will also do severe damage to your body.” said the sweet voice.
The listeners were shocked and terrified.
“… This kind of damage is not only limited within you. Newborn babies can suffer from malformation because of the radioactive substance. So please, everyone, DO NOT buy those products sold by those dishonest and mercenary people. DO NOT buy them simply because many are using them”
Miss Nightingale paused a bit and then made the conclusion. “Using Mr. Evans’ words: While the Saint Truth corrupts your entire life; Radiation corrupts three generations in your family!”
The listeners were scared and shocked, but they also felt lucky that Arcana Voice had told them the truth. Their mind was completely occupied by the idea that they had to throw away the toothpaste as soon as the went back home, so they were not in the mood to object to the religious part in Lucien Evans’ comment.
Suddenly, Scarlet whimpered. “I’ve been using it for a month… What if… ”
Miss Nightingale continued. “To relieve our listeners, the good news is that since the added dosage in the toothpaste and shampoos is very small, if there is any, once you stop using it, no sequela will be left.”
The listeners in the living room all released a sigh of great relief!
“After the wonderful melody, Mr. Philosopher will bring us the ‘Unravel’ section. Based on his thirty-eight-year experience as a consul, Mr. Philosopher will tell us stories about those pastors and cardinals he used to interact with, showing us that underneath their sacred aura, they do have their own feelings and desires, just like every human being.” introduced Miss Nightingale.
“Wow! Affair with nuns again?” Andy got excited.
A brawny guy whose arm was as thick as Andy’s thigh looked back at him and joked. “Maybe it’s with boys like you.”
Before Andy could refute, the strange box called radio started playing a peaceful, relaxing melody.
“Mr. Evans’s light music, City in the Sky,” said Scarlet in a very low voice, afraid that she might interrupt the wonderful music.
After the following few sections Unravel, Approaching Arcana, and the Magic Room, Nightingale’s sweet voice came back again, “Next section is Body Secret, and I know it’s the part loved by many of our listeners. Tonight, we are lucky to still have the authority in the study of the human body, Mr. Felipe, to be our guest speaker.”
“I like Mr. Felipe. He’s cold, but I like it!” Selma beamed with joy.
“Hello, Mr. Felipe.”
“Good evening, Nightingale.”
“As it is known to all, the human body starts to develop fast at the age around twelve, and great changes ensue. This stage of life can bring great bothers to many teenage boys and girls. So, Mr. Felipe, I wonder if you can talk more in details about the changes and make them understand that these are just natural changes and there’s nothing to worry about.”
“…”
“Mr. Felipe?”
“…”
“Mr. Felipe… Sir! Please calm down…”
