Chapter 283 Candice: Is this true?!
"Yes, Miss Candice, I didn't see these scholars when I came here last time. Were they exiled here by the House of Lords? How could so many people - all scholars - go crazy in such a short time?"
Kavi asked in confusion as he walked over to the two men with a bowl of yellow sticky substance.
Hearing this question, Candice was silent for a moment, then glanced in the direction of the crowd and lowered her voice:
"…Please don't call them 'mad scholars'. As you can see, many of them have already integrated into our village and are accepted by the villagers. Some villagers regard them as family members and are disgusted by the name 'mad people'. We generally call them 'village guardians'."
Kavi and Harold nodded, and Kavi had a new doubt in his mind: I can understand the first half of Miss Candice's words, but why do you say that these scholars are "village guardians"? Can they also become the guardians of the village in this state?
With such doubts in mind, he followed Candice's gaze and saw a little boy holding a bowl and sitting next to a middle-aged scholar with a calm look.
"Grandpa, this is really delicious. It is the most delicious food I have ever eaten! In my heart, it has surpassed date palm honey! Grandpa, please try it!"
But the old scholar did not respond. He just sat quietly holding his bowl, as if he was wandering in his own spiritual world.
...
Kavi and Harold watched quietly for a while, and Candice suddenly said, "The child's name is Isaac. His parents are from the Gilded Brigade. They went to the city and never came back. He and his grandfather depended on each other for survival.
But not long after, his grandfather also passed away. The villagers knew about his plight and took turns to help him, which allowed him to survive.
Not long ago, the House of the Lords exiled a group of mentally abnormal scholars to Aru Village. One of them looked very much like Isaac's deceased grandfather, but he always talked to himself, made some strange movements, and attacked people who tried to get close to him.
So Isaac just secretly watched him from a distance, until one night, 'Grandpa' suddenly smiled at him, took him to count the stars in the sky, and told him stories about the city.
Isaac was very happy, but in the morning, Grandpa refused to talk to him again. After that day, Grandpa never talked nonsense or showed aggressive desire again. Most of the time, he just stood in the corner or sat on the stone steps calmly.
Isaac was always by his side, accompanying him and talking to him. He wanted his 'grandfather' to count the stars in the sky with him again and tell him a fairy tale, but..."
There was a hint of sadness in Candice's tone when she said this, and she didn't continue, but Harold and Kavi already knew the ending.
Kavi rubbed his sore eyes unconsciously. Because of his own experience, he would feel depressed every time he heard about the separation of life and death between relatives.
Harold sighed and said in his heart: The content is basically the same as the main storyline of the game, but the feeling of hearing this story through the screen and seeing it in real life is indeed different.
Then he said, "What a sad story. I sympathize with them, but I have a question. Was Isaac's grandfather affected by some external factors that night, so he regained his self-awareness? If this mystery can be solved, it may help these scholars regain their sanity."
Candice nodded and said softly, "This is a mystery. All the scholars who come to Aru Village will miraculously calm down one day after experiencing the initial restlessness and madness.
Although we still cannot communicate with them, the villagers no longer have to worry about being attacked by them. Some kind villagers even provide them with food and treat them like family.
Perhaps the good deeds of the people moved the gods, and these scholars awakened magical powers. One day in the middle of the night, a big earthquake occurred in Aru Village.
The words "late night" and "earthquake" combined are enough to make people imagine its harmfulness, but the miraculous thing is that no house collapsed. This is partly due to the research results provided by the two, and the other half..."
Candice's eyes once again fell on Isaac and his "grandfather".
Harold continued: "'Village Keeper'."
Candice nodded: "Well, the earthquake stirred up violent waves of sand, which tried to swallow up our village like hungry beasts. I picked up the shield, faced the raging sand, and tried to block the beast with the shield.
At this moment, a figure blocked my way. It was a thin scholar. In my eyes, he was about to be swallowed, but I couldn't put down the shield to save him. There were more villagers from Aru Village behind me. I could only shout "Danger!"
But I knew it was futile, because the wave was about to fall, and even if he burst out with the same speed just now, he would not be able to escape.
But like I said, I can't put down my shield, I can't even blink, I can't let the strong enemy disappear from my sight, so I can only watch this happen,
But a magical thing happened. A bright green light suddenly began to emit from the scholar's body. The green light quickly spread and formed a barrier that kept the wind and sand outside the village.
The sound of the storm and the shaking of the ground woke up our villagers, who saw the same incredible scene as I did."
Kavi listened attentively. It was really unbelievable, but when it came from the mouth of Candice, the guardian of Aru Village, it became very real.
At the same time, doubts in his heart gradually grew. He felt that these scholars in Aru Village were hiding a shocking secret.
"So this is the origin of 'Village Watcher'," said Harold.
Candice: "Well, after discovering that these scholars can release power to protect our houses and resist the wind and sand, the villagers' dissatisfaction with them has been reduced a lot. Sometimes they will take the initiative to provide them with food or talk to them, but they will just remain silent."
"So scholars like Grandpa Isaac are exceptions," said Harold.
"Yes, Mr. Harold, you just asked me, 'Did Isaac's grandfather suffer some kind of shock, so he temporarily regained his sanity?'
At first, I thought so too. I talked to the child. Before Grandpa took the initiative to talk to him, he just watched from a distance. Since then, his behavior has been no different from other village guards.
Although I want to find out the truth and restore sanity to all scholars, I don't know where to start." Candice said regretfully.
Harold did not respond, but just looked at Isaac and his "grandfather" with a frown. Suddenly, he raised his head as if he had thought of something.
"What's wrong, Mr. Haroldt, did you find something?" Candice saw Haroldt's performance and immediately asked with concern.
"Well, we found some suspicious points. Perhaps that is the key to their abnormal behavior." Harold said.
Candice opened her eyes slightly, with a hint of astonishment in her eyes. She met these village guards every day, but she was at a loss as to what to do about their situation.
Harold only listened to her brief description and looked at it from a distance, but he actually found something unusual?!