Alpha Zero (Alpha LitRPG Book 1) Arthur Stone (hardest books to read .txt) 📖

“Just help me get the taste of this shit out of my mouth. I don’t care what with.”

“That’s great! It means you’re hungry!” Beko said joyously. “When people are dying, they’re not hungry. So you’re not dying. I’m glad.”

“Not as glad as me, pal. But what happened to me? What kind of illness was it?” I asked, smacking my lips with avarice, as if I’d never seen food before in my life.

“The river is very cold. You’re very weak and shouldn’t get so cold. Bilessa says that when a weak person gets cold, that opens up invisible doors inside him for forces of evil to go through. They probably came with the demons during the invasion, and stayed. Some folks here said that you got pestilence, and refused to be anywhere near you. But when your skin didn’t develop sores, they calmed down.”

“Have I been lying here for three days?”

“Yes, today is the third.”

“That’s not good. Where did you get all those squares?”

“When I realized your bad condition, I gave all the fish to Megaera, and sold all the brains and livers. The squares went towards the drugs, and the fish bought us time. I was afraid we’d get sent back to the shed. It’s too cold and damp there, especially when it rains. It would complicate your recovery.”

“Thanks, Beko. You did all the right things. How many baskets did it come down to?”

“Seven. We’ve got four more days in reserve. I think.”

“You’re not sure?”

“I don’t do math very well,” Beko lowered his eyes.

“No worries, I’ll teach you.”

“Really? That would be great. When you do math well, you’re less likely to get duped. You’re the one doing the duping.”

“I don’t appreciate the generalizing. But your math is good—we do have four days in reserve.”

“Maybe even more. Now that you’re on your way to full recovery, I can leave your bedside and work. There’s no danger of your harming yourself while delirious.”

“More wild leek? Did you forget, Beko? You and I are winners, and winners can’t be bothered with wild leek.”

“Not wild leek, no. Hornflower is in bloom, and everyone is out gathering it. Even miners,” Beko said with casual conviction, as if fully expecting me to understand everything perfectly.

Naturally, my level of understanding was lacking.

“Hornflower? What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know?” Beko gasped, astonished. “Oh, right, you’ve only just arrived here. Hornflower is plentiful on the left bank of Blackriver, and it blooms in late spring. Only for several days, and that’s it. Flowers are a good spice. Expensive. Probably the most expensive spice that’s also easy to get, since anyone can pick them. So while hornflower is in bloom, all other work is put on hold. Even the mine isn’t operating—everyone is out picking hornflower. Even the patrols! Ash himself would be picking it if he could leave the fort unattended. It’s almost completely empty, all the people are on the left bank. That’s where I’m going, too. To pick hornflower. Nobody is going to tell us to fish. Fish can wait, but hornflower cannot. The fort has enough food reserves that people won’t go hungry.”

“Now I understand. It’s a seasonal gig, then. I’m not sure I’ll feel good enough tomorrow to join you.”

“Nobody expects you to. You need bed rest. You’re barely keeping your eyes open. Sleep. You need lots of sleep.”

* * *

I woke up again closer to afternoon. The bowl of oil wasn’t burning anymore, but the sunlight filtering through the mat’s hollows signaled that dawn had arrived long ago.

Only faint echoes remained of yesterday’s debility. Yet, even those were enough to make me realize that I ought not try to be a hero today.

I rummaged in the pouch hanging off the ceiling—the simplest method of securing our meager food reserves from the ubiquitous mice. Stale bread, fried fish, and a lump of cold porridge wrapped in a burdock leaf. A modest meal, but it gave me more pleasure than any in recent memory.

Leaving not a morsel of food uneaten, I decided that further bed rest in a dark and dusty cellar was a lousy idea. The weather outside was lovely, and I could use the sun and the fresh air. Besides, I could take the time to replace the lost tackle with another one, or maybe even several. The remaining copper plates should suffice, as long as I didn’t obsess over size.

And I wouldn’t. The larger the bait, the larger the predator it attracts. It wasn’t the tiny spoonbait that had enticed the giant kote responsible for knocking me out of commission. The beast had attacked one of its younger brethren that I was pulling to shore. A veritable croc like that would never pounce on a tiny piece of metal—the bite-sized morsel just wouldn’t be worth the effort.

My plans to come out to my favorite spot on the wall were shattered the moment I walked outside, nearly fainting from the sun’s rays. The weather was just about perfect, neither too hot nor too cold. With my feet working and my head clear, I didn’t need to be stuck here amid the fort’s cluttered structures. The ambiance wasn’t amazing, and instead of the fragrance of spring tickling the nostrils, I was smelling far less pleasant things, from chimney fumes to shit wafting in from the direction of the cesspit.

I took my time down to the path to the pebbled beach, discovering subtle changes once there. Drying in the fishing shed were the fort’s nets. All of them. I had never seen so many at once. Until now, all the nets had been set in shifts: some at night, some in the morning, some at noon. I didn’t know the logic behind such a system, having simply noted the facts on the ground.