"Sigh. It's getting harder and harder to make a living these days," a man in a black robe couldn't help but sigh, looking out from under a shop's awning at the torrential rain pouring down from the sky.
"Alright, no need for the dramatics," said a burly man standing next to him, dressed in an identical black robe. He clapped the first man's shoulder and offered a comforting smile. "Once that thing is completed, we can do whatever we want in this world of magic! Hahahaha, I dare say unifying the world won't even be a dream anymore!" As he spoke, an extreme fanaticism flared in the burly man's eyes, and he burst into loud laughter, immediately drawing curious glances from nearby pedestrians.
"Yes, as long as…" Hearing this, the first black-robed man's eyes also filled with longing, mixed with a hint of desperation, "...that thing is completed!"
"Well, the rain has lessened considerably now. We should hurry and complete the task assigned to us," the burly man suggested with a smile, looking up at the sky. "After all, building that thing requires quite a lot of manpower!"
"True." The black-robed man nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with his companion. He immediately pulled a broad, dome-shaped straw hat, much like a conical hat, over his head. He glanced at his burly companion and said softly, "Let's go then…" With that, he turned and stepped into the rain, heading into the depths of the night without looking back.
The burly man smiled slightly, put on his own wide-brimmed hat, and quickly followed.
Meanwhile, by an unknown riverbank.
"Huh? Ah!! Cough, cough, cough, cough—" Calvin Unknown felt like he'd been incredibly unlucky lately. Perhaps he was being punished for having relieved himself at his ancestors' gravesite a while back, or maybe he was possessed by the mother of the God of Misfortune. First, he nearly choked himself to death drinking cheap liquor, and now this was even more bizarre! What the hell is going on? Why did I wake up splashing around in some goddamn water?! Okay, this appears to be a river, and I'm—I'm floating in it? Wait a minute—
"Which son of a bitch threw me into the river?!"
Calvin was utterly depressed. All I did was have a little drink, was it necessary to toss me into a river? What if I'd drowned?! That murderous landlord…
Clearly, Calvin had blamed his predicament on his landlord. That old fatty is truly despicable! All I did was sneak a peek at her daughter in the shower once! Is this how she takes revenge?
Calvin gnashed his teeth and thought, Your daughter isn't even a looker, and looking won't make her lose a piece of flesh!
Besides, considering your daughter's appearance, seriously, I don't even know what to say to you. Even if your genes are bad, don't just randomly impose your primitive, potentially mutated genes on your daughter! Why did you have to mess up perfectly good DNA?! Are you trying to scare people to death?! Not only did you ruin your daughter, but you almost ruined me, too! Oh, my poor, bright eyeballs, I'm so sorry, brother. I promise you now, even if I'm terribly horny and absolutely can't control myself, I will never again be so desperate as to peep at some mammoth of a woman bathing! After all, peeking at a normal woman might only lead to death, but peeking at a mammoth-level woman is much worse than just dying! Good heavens! That's a direct attempt to annihilate one's soul entirely! That's utter spiritual destruction!
Wait, I seem to be getting sidetracked. So, the situation now—it feels like I forgot something?
"Cough, cough, cough. Pthoo, Gurgle, gurgle—Help me!!!" After swallowing a few more mouthfuls of river water, Calvin finally remembered what he had forgotten. He frantically thrashed the water's surface and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mamma mia! Is anyone out there?! Quick, someone alive! He—help… Gurgle, gurgle." Perhaps because he was struggling too violently, Calvin swallowed several more gulps of river water.
Damn it, I don't know how to swim… Calvin thought, tears welling up inside. But he forced himself to stop thrashing wildly. Having learned his lesson the hard way, he was now extremely cautious. He knew very well that if you can't swim, it's best not to move carelessly, as it only makes you drown faster. The density of the human body is less than water, so if he didn't struggle, he would eventually be brought to the surface by the water's buoyancy, which would be safer.
Of course, theory is one thing, and reality is another. Many people know this principle, but very few can actually follow it. The reason being—personal psychological factors. Few people can genuinely remain calm in a crisis like this.
Calvin was no exception. Feeling his body sinking lower and lower, even though he knew he would float back up, he couldn't help but panic. He didn't know when he would start to float. If it took an hour or two, wouldn't he be long dead by then? At that point, the word used wouldn't be 'float,' but 'drift.' Drifting to the surface…
Considering this, Calvin became increasingly agitated. Although he forced himself to calm down, it couldn't last. He didn't know how long he could maintain this forcibly composed state. A minute? Ten minutes? Maybe not even a full minute.
Therefore, the most crucial thing now was for someone to rescue him during the brief period he could hold on! Otherwise, even the longest resistance would be in vain…
Thinking this, Calvin urgently prayed in his heart, Mamma mia! Someone please come and save me! I'm still a virgin, I don't want to drown for nothing! And hey, it better be a woman! Yes, and she should be a huge beauty!! And the best thing of all? She should be a super-huge beauty who falls head over heels for me instantly and is willing to lose our virginity together!!! Ga-ga-ga-ga~
One had to admit, the nerves of an otaku are indeed incredibly strong! He was practically at death's door yet still had the presence of mind to think such perverted fantasies?! Holy moly…
Caught between rationality and erotic fantasies, Calvin's consciousness began to fade, eventually turning into a long, dark void…
His last thought before passing out was, This sucks!!! I would even accept being rescued by an ugly guy…
"Hmm?" The relentless raindrops finally ceased. Adjusting the broad hat on his head, the burly man suddenly stopped, his expression one of surprise as he stared at the distant river.
"What's wrong?" Seeing this, the black-robed man stopped, too, and asked, "Did you find something? Did someone discover our presence?" When he spoke the last sentence, a frightening murderous intent and a look of gravity flashed in his eyes. He knew very well that if anyone, especially those bastards from the Magic Council, found out about the work they were currently doing, they would be in serious trouble! Very serious trouble!
"No," the burly man replied, shaking his head. Seemingly realizing that his previous words might have worried his companion, he explained with a smile, "It's just that our haul might be even greater now."
"Oh?" The black-robed man's confusion deepened. He couldn't figure out what his companion meant.
"Heh-heh, hold these for me." The burly man didn't explain, instead smiling as he handed his companion the two unconscious children he was carrying tucked under his arm.
The black-robed man took the two children, perplexed. He was already carrying two children under his left armpit, and now, with two more under his right, he was holding a total of four! He genuinely wondered why they were capturing so many children. However, it was obvious that these children were not obtained through legal means. Remembering the black-robed man's previous statement, it was easy to guess that the children had been captured through illegal, illicit methods.
Could this be the 'haul' they were referring to?
Watching his companion walk toward the riverbank, the black-robed man followed his line of sight and finally saw what had caught his friend's attention—a drowning young man!
So that's it. Understanding the situation, the black-robed man breathed a sigh of relief with a chuckle. His companion hadn't detected any danger; he was just adding to their existing haul! It was unbelievable that they would encounter such a stroke of unexpected luck in such a remote place! Heh-heh, are we simply exceptionally fortunate?
The black-robed man smiled to himself, Perhaps fate itself has sanctioned our cause! That must be why it's looking out for us! The Tower of Heaven, the R-System, and this entire world! You all—
Will soon belong to us!!!
Thinking this, a burst of fanatical, scorching light exploded in the black-robed man's eyes.