I. Rainy Night (I)

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Sounds of rain came crackling in.

Weiwei carefully placed the bantam stool before the stove, bent down and grabbed two sacks of unpolished rice. The bag of food her elder brother got by stealing a piece of silver jewelry, and selling it at the docks, was slowly running out. Although she’d been rationing the food for half a month, it’s now running dangerously low – and she’s terrified.

No food.

They’ll most likely starve in a few days!

Weiwei’s red eyes looked over at the small, dilapidated bed. On the bed, you could see a young man in a coma, covered with bedding which had a strong moldy smell. Her brother didn’t wake today, either. Their pastor, who was willing to help, seems to have given up hope. After all, Bishop Phil was unwilling to fully devote himself to saving a thief.

Weiwei stood strong. She wiped the tears from her eyes and she carefully climbed down from the stool.

She was eight years old, but since she didn’t have enough food, she seemed petite. lighting a fire to prepare food is still very difficult for her. Both her hands hold several pieces of firewood that she picked up during the day. Breaking off the branches she throws it on top of the pile, because of the heavy afternoon rain the fuel has been continuously stained by moisture, causing the ignition speed to be slow and a heavy smoke to bellow at the nose. Weiwei closes her eyes unable to endure the soreness of her eyes as she blows with her small mouth to rouse the fire only then does she rub her eyes.

“Big brother!……”

“You have to wake up ah!…. Weiwei misses you!…”

“Don’t leave me!”

Weiwei sat sobbing softly at the stove, drops of crystal like tears falling, small hands wiped her cheeks as her face clouded. The family had some salts but they’d been finished over the last week. She’d wanted to learn to steal like her brother, but the was almost caught by the obese shop owner. The wife had picked up a broom and swatted at her backside a bit, even now her backside was still blueish purple and held a burning pain to the touch.

“Bark!”

A black and yellow old dog walked over, even though it can be seen doddering faintly it is still noticeable that it was originally a outstanding hunting dog. As Weiwei stretched out a small palm, the old dog walked silently to her side, looking up at the location of the stove as it exuded a low pitiable sobbing sound.

“Xīsī”

Weiwei took hold of the dog hugging it into her bosom, as if it had discovered hope it let out a gentle sob. Gently stroking its back Weiwei muttered: “Food is running out.”

“Weiwei is also hungry but we must leave some for brother to eat, you’ll have to wait till the rain finishes to go out to look for something to eat.”

“I am sorry”

“Weiwei is not very useful”

“There is no way for me to steal things, and there is no way to save my brother, and I’m always crying…..”

Eyes muddy, the old dog seemed to understand her words, silently withdrawing his gaze as he turns and starts to lick her palm, afterwards he closes his eyes slowly lying at her feet getting ready to take a nap.

Faint voices seem to sound from outside, footsteps seem to stop at the doorway pausing for a moment.

The originally black and yellow doddering old dog suddenly opens his eyes, in that moment, just like aggressive wolves his mouth fiercely making ‘woo’ sounds, barking loudly towards the outside.

“Damn!”

“Sooner or later we’ll kill your old dog and cook it in soup!”

Out came the shouting voice of an angry man, as his footsteps gradually fade away.

Weiwei’s panic-stricken complexion calms slightly as she extended out a small palm touching the old dog’s head, saying in a low voice : “Xīsī”

“If he dares to come, you bite him!”

“My brother is still unconscious, only you can protect me.”

The old dog in her palm gently arches his back, although he looks to have gone a bit senile his gaze was still that of a demon.

It is a Gelasi hound!

In its prime it could even fight leopards, in folklore it was said to be the offspring of the Three headed dog of hell.

Unfortunately, it is very old.

 

The stove unleashed a rice flavored smell, stirring up the old dog’s nose as he laid back down.

 

Weiwei’s belly released a flurry of ‘cuckoo’ calls, but she was careful in climbing the stool. Reaching a corner with old pottery bowls she dished out the rice, gently blowing a bit. Little by little with a wooden spoon she fed the youth on the bed. She is too small, the effort of holding her brother up is too great; but there is no way to help it she can only feed her brother slowly.

“Big brother!”

“Come eat faster! Finnish eating and everything will be alright!….”

“All will be good.”

The little girl spoke as tears trickled down, her hands wiping the tears away as she puts down the bowl and gets off the bed.

This place is the Amber city slums.

One filled with thieves, bandits, and traffickers, a place where it’s difficult to survive as a helpless little girl, if she was not careful enough. If not flanked by Xīsī’s patrol, there would be bad guy’s that would try to in broad daylight to abduct her, just by using a drug soaked towel over her nose and mouth, soon she’d lose consciousness and then sold to a sack of traffickers. Slums were a place lots of little girls went missing, sometimes even quite a few pretty women would be kidnapped.

“Xīsī!”

Weiwei fed the man on the bed, little by little until he’d swallowed the large bowl. She then washed her hands and cheeks and hastily huddled into the moldy quilt. Because after the previous encounter and the wound on her back, the little girl couldn’t help sobbing in pain for a moment. Clinging to the young man’s arm, facing the entrance and the old dog she said: “If someone comes bark!”

“I know what they’re thinking.”

“They now think because my brother is unconscious, they want to take and sell me to Suǒ XiYa!”

“They can exchange me for money.”

Growing up in the ghetto since childhood, she knew alot more than her peers of the same age. Suǒ XiYa is the largest slum trafficker, she will pick up a beautiful little girl and develop her into **, a large city to amber **

But for her big brother.

She is willing to do anything, because he was her only relative.

‘Shasheng’ came a fight outside.

Weiwei could not help huddling inside the blanket, a trace of fierceness surfaced on the eyes of the old dog.

It was in the area of the slums contested by Cologne and Assawi when elder brother accidentally ran into the fearful sorcerer and was wounded almost dying. The original leader died and his subordinates were continuously assaulted by the contesting leader. No guards came here, because this place the Amber City was a forgotten corner.

They compete for neighborhood activity and for children of the slum.

Because no matter which gang it is, they need to nurture children in order to teach them to steal things, initially elder brother also became a thief in order to support her.

Weiwei memory regarding her parents’ are very fuzzy!

She only knows that her mother had a husband, he was said to be an outstanding thief, but finally he accepted a task, and ultimately ended up dying in a certain tower of a sorcerer.

From that time.

The sorcerer in her young mind has become a horrible fearful existence!

The man mentioned was her brother’s father, although she was yet to be born, but she’d listened to her brother mention him.

Later.

Mother with her young son spent some time drifting displaced and destitute, to get through it she was compelled to become a female attendant in a tavern, it was in fact a part-time job **. Weiwei knows more than others, her mother met a mysterious adventurer.

The mother quickly became pregnant.

The adventure chose not to marry her, just as she was reared as a **, that man was Weiwei’s biological father.

An adventurer is said to be a powerful profession.

A little girl who was only eight years old can not possibly survive in the slums.

Weiwei eyes showed a hint of determination, she leaned gently on the bed before kissing the forehead of the vegetable like young man: “Even if I have to sell myself I’ll sell”

And then take the money to get a genuine priest, so that brother might can be revived.”

She knew the kind of fate she’d have to face!

Saucier will raise her first for a few years, then teach her how to serve a man, if she’s pretty enough, they will give her to some of the city’s aristocracy, otherwise she’d send her to turn dirty tricks **

Xīsī was his pet, he later strangely disappeared.

Only this old dog was left around for them.

Mother lost two men in a row and became hopelessly dispirited suffering from Lost Souls disease eventually passing away from illness.

At that time she’d only been 3 years old.

Her elder brother was only 12.

Two young children lost without parents were soon left on the streets, her elder brother fighting often with others competing for some meager food.

Later, her brother joined a gang and became a qualified thief.

At that time.

Their life gradually became calm and steady, and they had a place to stay within the chaotic slums.

A shrill cry ushered out.

Weiwei was scared and trembling, hiding in the young man’ arms, in front of the entrance the old dog suddenly stood looking at the victim in the distant alley.

There a man had died.

In the slums people dying is a normal matter, the dawn temple priest do not maintain life and death inside the ghetto.

Nearby people start to close their doors.

Some people even resolutely bolt the locks on their doors, Weiwei also gets down struggling to climb up to set the doors bolt.

According to her general knowledge gathered over the years living in the slum area, if a person dies then the issue will become larger quickly, then it will definitely hit fiercely and might even affect people nearby.

Frightened.

The fear in her heart made the girl clasp the old dog as she brought it to the foot of the bed.

“Xīsī”

She looks towards the outside panic-stricken, she could see people’s rainy shadows as they grasped weapons as they fought together.

Fresh blood streams filling the entire alley, only later to be cleaned and washed away by the rain.

You could still smell the faint scent of blood!

Weiwei bends over and touches the head of the old dog,  because of fear her young body begins to tremble as she whispers: “You will protect me, right?”

“!”

The old dog suddenly calls out.

The little girl is startled, but she soon found that Xīsī was not looking towards the outside, but towards the bed of the young man. Letting out a cry: “Big brother!?”

Weiwei was pleasantly surprised to turn around and find that the young man on the bed had opened his eyes, her lips slightly trembled.

The fear from the continuous pressure finally erupted at that moment!

The little figure suddenly threw herself into his arms, big shining tears running down tender cheeks.

 

 

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TL Note:

• The ** is originally in the text I don’t know what they mean, my only guess is censorship.
• Weiwei is also called Vivian in bing’s MTL , Heath(bing) has an alternate german or russian name I don’t even feel like typing (edit: now using pinyin name Xīsī), and Suǒ Lun’s name is only consistent in the Systra Net MTL just like Soucier (I don’t know if that’s what her name is but it’s the best I’ve got)
• This is my first attempt at MTL, just saying
  

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