Chapter 127: The Scarecrow and The Country of The Sky
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: The Scarecrow and The Country of The Sky
Imagine you’re in the middle of a secret conversation with your hidden comrades when a person suddenly plummets from the sky.
Imagine the body, which you’d assumed was a suicide, begins to stir and then rises nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
Imagine its shattered head and twisted limbs mend themselves without a trace, and this person greets you with a smiling face.
Would anyone open their heart to such a suspicious, ominous, and bizarre being?
“Miss Sophia, would you prefer tea, coffee, or another beverage?”
“Coffee, please. No sugar or milk is fine.”
“Understood.”
Yes, there were such people right here.
Of course, they hadn't been like this from the start.
In the beginning, they had enough sense to offer a perfectly rational response.
“Don’t come any closer!”
“What in the world are you?!”
The mistake they made was letting their guard down when they saw Sophia showed no hostility, and allowing her to speak.
Ten minutes into her story, their fear and vigilance had softened. After thirty minutes, they felt pity for Sophia’s tragic circumstances (truth content: 0.315%). And after an hour, they were all vowing to help her, practically competing to be the first to offer.
An objective third party might have suspected charm or brainwashing, but surprisingly, all Sophia had done was talk her heart out. It was a truly devilish tongue.
In a mansion on the sky island of Laputa.
With the help of a reconnaissance team dispatched to gather information on the surface world, Sophia—who, in their words, had been rescued from the ‘barbaric, inconsiderate, and selfish’ world below and brought up to the sky—took a sip of her coffee.
The stimulating effects of coffee were almost meaningless to her body, but its unique, fragrant aroma reminded her of the time when she was still human.
Looking at the map she had coaxed out of the people of Laputa, Sophia thought to herself.
It’ll be difficult for all of us to regroup.
The Witch of the West’s workshop was a far vaster space than she had imagined.
There were over twenty islands scattered around the central island ruled by the Witch of the West.
The vastness of the witch’s domain meant it would be difficult for the witch to find them, but it also meant it would be just as difficult for the party members to find each other.
More importantly, unlike the Witch of the West, for whom this world was her home ground, the party had to procure everything they needed to travel on their own in an unfamiliar environment.
To travel from island to island, they needed a ship, piloting skills, a map, and stamina.
And they had to secure all of this and make their move before the pursuers sent by the Witch of the West reached them.
Sophia had long since figured out the purpose of the golden thread bracelet on her wrist, but even considering that, the difficulty was by no means trivial.
It was one thing for one or two people to manage it, but to expect the entire scattered party to meet these conditions was overly optimistic.
Therefore, Sophia simply set her priorities.
“I think it’s better if I don’t join them.”
The potential losses from wasting time trying to retrieve her far outweighed the benefits of her presence.
She didn't play a major role in combat, so her absence wouldn't be a great loss. Even if she were taken hostage and fell into enemy hands, she wouldn't be a burden to her allies.
An unkillable hostage—what use would that be to anyone?
Having made her decision, Sophia tore the golden thread bracelet from her wrist without a moment’s hesitation.
The bracelet struggled at first, but as it was torn into three, then four pieces, it turned black and crumbled to dust.
By removing herself from the equation and thereby increasing the chances of her allies regrouping, she immediately approached the people of Laputa.
After a few intermediate steps, being introduced by A to B, and from B to C, Sophia was able to speak with a person of high rank among them.
“So, this place is ruled by Elphaba… ah, I’m sorry. I should have said Lady Elphaba.”
“Don’t worry about it. The young ones might, but an old man like me doesn’t hold her in unconditional reverence.”
The old man, a minister of Laputa and a renowned scholar, said with a hearty laugh.
His gaze, as he looked at Sophia, was as gentle as if he were looking at a clever granddaughter.
It was a great relief that he didn't know Sophia’s actual age.
If Adel had been here, she would have felt a pang of guilt, but Sophia accepted his kindness without batting an eye and continued.
“Thank you. So, are all of you in charge of performing the various calculations Elphaba requires?”
“That’s right. We study things like the conversion efficiency when creating matter from mana, or the most efficient shapes and ratios for crafting weapons.”
“Are you paid in currency for your work?”
“There is no payment.”
The old scholar smiled bitterly.
“If you must put a price on it, being allowed to survive here is our payment. You could also call it a tax.”
“Could you tell me more?”
“Our Laputa possesses the most knowledge among the many islands Elphaba rules. No, it would be more accurate to say she turns a blind eye to our possession of it. In order for us to perform the level of calculations Elphaba desires, we must not only possess our own scholarship and knowledge but also continuously develop it.”
The old scholar’s wrinkled hand caressed a large map hanging on the wall.
“Young lady. Suppose there are two neighboring countries. Do you think it’s possible for one country to develop only skills and culture for strengthening the body, while the other develops only skills and culture for meticulously handling mana?”
“It’s possible for there to be certain tendencies based on a region’s characteristics, but it’s hard to imagine a situation where all other culture and technology is completely absent. They would inevitably influence each other.”
“Exactly. But in the isolated space of an island, it might be possible. Elphaba used this to foster different civilizations on various islands.”
The old scholar’s finger pointed to an island on the left side of the map.
“In some places, she granted knowledge and technology to non-human beings, making them the rulers. Then she herded the humans she disliked onto the island, making them and their descendants suffer under the island’s ruling species for generations. Furthermore, to prevent them from ever rebelling, she kills any being born with outstanding talent or moves them elsewhere to be enslaved.”
The old scholar’s finger pointed to an island on the right side of the map.
“In other places, she guided lilliputians to establish a nation and prosper. The various resources they gather by scouring the land, and the crafts or precision instruments they create with their small bodies, further enrich Elphaba’s storehouses. To prevent the lilliputians from uniting, she divides them into two nations, pitting them against each other and making them compete by giving more gifts to the side that works better.”
The old scholar’s finger pointed to an island at the top of the map.
“In another place, giants are building a civilization. They perform manual labor for Elphaba and are conscripted as soldiers for her in times of need. Giants, being large, must consume a great deal of food, but the other creatures on their island, both animal and plant, are of normal size, making them unable to be self-sufficient. By supplying these giants with food, Elphaba controls their population and ensures they cannot resist her.”
The old scholar sighed, his eyes filled with melancholy.
“There are many other islands where different civilizations have developed, but they are all exploited in some way for Elphaba’s profit or amusement. What’s most tragic is that they don’t even realize they are being exploited.”
“If they used ships to interact with other islands, wouldn’t some of them come to understand their situation? Curiosity and the desire to explore the unknown are instincts of life, after all.”
“Impossible,” the old scholar stated flatly.
“The distance between the islands isn’t so great that it’s physically unreachable. But in the sea, there are the golden monkeys that fly through the sky on two wings, and the immortal pirate, Cap’n Bill. They make sure those who leave the islands are appropriately ‘disappeared,’ and they prevent the civilizations of each island from venturing out to sea. It’s not that no one succeeds in traveling from island to island, but most of those cases are merely for Elphaba’s amusement.”
An image of a pirate ship Sophia had seen before entering the witch’s workshop surfaced in her mind.
Franka had said he was a being that shouldn't have been outside. It seemed this was what she was talking about.
“Listening to you, it sounds like you have a rather negative view of Elphaba. Have you ever considered fighting back?”
At Sophia’s question, the old scholar fell silent.
Sophia didn't press him, waiting quietly for him to speak.
A bitter smile touched the old scholar’s lips.
“…This is truly strange. I shouldn’t be telling such things to someone I’ve just met, but for some reason, my mouth feels itchy and my tongue has become loose in front of you, young lady. Have you by any chance used some sort of magic on me?”
“Of course not. But it’s often easier to confide in a stranger you don’t know well. Especially if it’s something you’ve wanted to say but couldn’t, something you’ve had to keep bottled up inside.”
Seemingly pleased with Sophia’s answer, the old scholar chuckled again. This time, it was a laugh that seemed a little more relaxed than his previous bitter smiles.
“Fight back, you say. Why wouldn’t we have thought of it? Did you know? The ancestors of Laputa were originally Elphaba’s old disciples. It all began with her making them do various chores and mental tasks under the pretext of teaching them magic. I’m not sure if you’d understand terms like ‘teaching assistant’ or ‘undergraduate student’…”
The old scholar added a brief explanation, and Sophia nodded.
“So, they were like apprentices who could never graduate, or pages to a knight?”
“Precisely. And imagine not only repeating that for a lifetime but also having your children and grandchildren all forced to work without pay under the same professor—no, teacher.”
“Hmm, it would make me want to stick my teacher’s head on a pike.”
“That’s not quite strong enough to describe it.”
“To the point of digging up the corpse from its grave and whipping it?”
“That’s still a bit lacking.”
“How about cutting off their limbs while they’re still alive, throwing them into a pigsty, naming them ‘human pig,’ and making a spectacle of them?”
“That’s a bit…”
The old scholar was slightly taken aback.
“Ahem. In any case, the discontent accumulated over generations and eventually exploded. The most recent explosion was thirty years ago, when this old man was in his prime.”
“It seems it didn’t go well, seeing as you’re all still here.”
“Indeed. On the very day we were to carry out our plan, over a hundred golden monkeys, spears in hand, were surrounding the sky island. We were frozen, unable to do anything, and they just flew around for a day before leaving.”
A deep sigh escaped the old scholar’s lips.
“There was a spy for Elphaba among us. Having discovered our dream of rebellion, Elphaba sent her most loyal servants as a warning. Not long after, the cities along Laputa’s path acquired weapons powerful enough to attack us. We were forced to comply with their demands just to avoid falling from the sky.”
“Couldn’t you have just fled somewhere else?”
“This island may seem to float freely, but in truth, it cannot maintain its buoyancy without the ground below to support it. It might be able to linger near a coastline for a while, but the moment it moves completely over the sea, it will plummet.”
“…Ah, I see. It seems even a witch couldn’t perfectly replicate the original.”
“The original?”
“No, it’s nothing. So, what happened to the spy?”
“I don’t know.”
The old scholar looked up at the ceiling as if in lament.
“Even after it was all over, the spy never revealed themselves. Because of that, we could never dream of rebellion again. In fact, we became reluctant to even speak critically of Elphaba. That’s why the young ones under thirty don’t know the truth about her. Some of them even admire her.”