Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

Aren't you afraid of wasting so much?

Is it a festival tradition to throw extra food into the lake to feed the fish?

He asked the question out of curiosity.

Grace didn't explain much, but instead gestured for Domi to look around.

"around?"

He looked around and saw many children dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dust, watching them cautiously. The oldest was about 12 years old, and the youngest was only five or six.

They all have one thing in common—they are thin.

Domi recognized them at a glance:

"Children living in slums?"

"So these extra pastries are for them?"

Grace nodded slowly and waved to the children, who beamed with joy and immediately swarmed over with their younger siblings.

It looked chaotic, but once you got closer, people lined up quite politely and took box after box of picnic pastries from Grace.

Only after she finished sending the message and received countless sincere thanks did she explain her reasons in detail:

"You know the purpose of the Lake Kaming Festival, but do you know the story behind it?"

Domi and the other children sat obediently in front of Greta, like students listening to a teacher tell a story. In fact, they really were listening to a story.

They all shook their heads. Even Domi had never heard of the festival before, let alone the story behind it.

"Then let me tell you the story slowly..."

"Several hundred years ago, the emperor had just defeated the old dynasty and a new country was established. At that time, everything was in ruins and resources were scarce. In that era, you could see people starving to death on the streets."

"But this did not happen in this small town. Even children from slums who are poor, helpless, and unable to work rarely starve to death."

"The reason is a local fisherman in his seventies whose name is Kamin."

"That autumn, as soon as it started, Kamin took his fishing gear, got on his boat, and went fishing in the lake. That was when the fish were plentiful and the meat was at its fattest."

"He worked from dawn till dusk, and with his skillful techniques and rich experience, he naturally caught quite a lot of fish. At first, he sold most of the fish, keeping only a little for himself. But on his way home, he found many people starving to death by the roadside, and several children had their heads buried in the garbage heaps, just to find some leftover scraps."

Holding the cold money bag in his hand, looking at the poor children who were still warm to the touch, he thought to himself—what use is this money to an old man like me who is all alone?

"So he distributed most of the fish he caught the next day to his children who were starving."

"But the food he distributed by himself couldn't fill the huge gap in food demand, so he worked even harder to catch fish..."

“Autumn passed quickly. Other fishermen made a fortune selling fish, and at least they didn’t have to worry about getting through the winter. But Kamin, who should have been the fisherman who made the most money, only earned the small bag of money he had at the beginning of the autumn.”

"Everyone was puzzled and asked him why he did this."

He said he couldn't save his son who died on the battlefield, but he could save these poor children who didn't want to starve.

People who barely had enough to eat mocked his overestimation of his abilities, saying that no matter how many fish he caught, he couldn't save all the children.

"But Kamin did not get discouraged. Even in the depths of winter when the lake was frozen solid, he would break through the thick ice to fish out the fish. Even when snow piled up on his gray hair, he persisted because he knew that every fish he caught could save a child's life."

“The children he cared for also advised him to stop doing this. Kaming is over seventy years old. If he works so hard and doesn’t have enough to eat or wear, he could easily ruin himself.”

"Kecamin remains the same..."

"The snow was heavy that morning. Camin felt a little feverish and his head was dizzy. In his hazy eyes, he seemed to see a light blue fairy rising onto the ice."

"Others only knew that Kamin was overestimating himself, but only she, the daughter of the lake who witnessed everything, knew how noble Kamin's spirit was and how great the things he was doing were."

“She offered Camin a deal—to give his life to the fairy in exchange for enough fish to keep the children alive through the winter.”

"Camin agreed without hesitation, without the slightest doubt, because he knew he was going to die soon."

"Finally, on a sunny midday, Kamin died on the frozen lake. When people found him, he was still clutching the fishing rod that had saved countless children, and a small mountain of live fish was piled up around him."

"That day, all the children in the town came to see him off. They were all skin and bones from hunger, but they were kept alive by Camin's love. They will also get through the harsh winter because of Camin's dedication."

"It was Kamin's death that awakened the kindness that had been dormant in people for so long due to the war. They took over Kamin's fishing rod, and in every harvest season thereafter, the residents of the town would spontaneously share their catch with poor and helpless children, and name the lake after him in memory of Kamin."

"The summer festivals nowadays are to wish for a bountiful harvest in autumn so that no more children will go hungry."

"In order to carry on and promote the spirit of Caming, anyone who has the means will make extra portions when they come for a picnic to share with the children in the slums. That's what happened just now."

“So that’s how it is… I must say, Mr. Camin is truly great.” Domi didn’t hold back his respect.

Anyone who is willing to dedicate themselves to others, regardless of the era or place, deserves respect.

“Yes,” Greta said, gazing at the clear lake, “it is because of people like these who mend and patch up this broken world that more people can survive because of them.”

She gently patted the children's heads and said softly:

"I hope you can all learn something from this story, then my story won't have been in vain."

"Alright, we've eaten enough. How about we go boating on the lake?"

"Rowing? Great!!" Edward shouted excitedly, "Shea, Avira, let's have a race! I'll team up with my older brother Domi, and we'll see who gets to the finish line first!"

"Hey, you can't be this shameless!" Aiwei hates this kind of unreasonable competition.

"Domi should at least be in a group by himself! He's as strong as an animal!" Shia complained.

Domi shook his head and smiled, then put on his shoes and followed.

Watching the children play carefree, Grace felt very content.

Mrs. Lucia of Greenville gently patted Greta's back, sat beside her, and watched them play together.

“It feels like childhood was just yesterday. Do you remember when Carlos and Mitchell were sitting here with us, listening to Uncle Ernest (Carlos’s father) tell this story? In the blink of an eye, even our children are all grown up.”

"Yes, time flies. Sometimes, I really don't want this beautiful moment to slip away so easily..."

Lake Kaming.

To add to the festival's fun, there was actually a rowing competition.

The round trip consists of paddling from the shore to the buoy at the edge of the field of vision and then back to the shore. Under the witness of the referee, the winner will receive a winning badge issued by the 'Lakeside Town' government and a fresh, large fish.

The reward may not be valuable, but it is very meaningful; it's simply for the sake of celebration.

The teams have been divided up.

To be fair, Edward, Argyle, and Rosa will form the "Brother and Sister Team" together.

The team of Mi, Xia, and Aiwei, who are essentially two people in one, are 'old enemies who are still fighting to the death in the end'.

If both teams have mages, they can use magic and various other means during the match, but they cannot attack or hinder the other team; otherwise, there are no restrictions.

When the "Brother and Sister United, Their Strength Can Break Gold" team meets the "Old Rivals Still Have to Fight to the Death" team, it's bound to be a fierce battle...

Chapter 115, Section 114: A Modified Version of Dragon Boat Racing

The boats used in the competition were not professional rowing boats, but two ordinary fishing boats that could seat a maximum of four people.

There was still some space left after Domi and his two jerk teammates got in.

This was my first time taking a boat ride. It was a bit shaky when I first got on, but I got used to it after a while.

Domi suggested, "I'll sit in the back; rear-wheel drive is faster on the water."

Children often have a strong competitive spirit, and Aiwei really wanted to beat her opponent to prove to her mother that girls are no less than boys! Don't think that having only girls is bad.

But the older Shia didn't have much of a competitive spirit. For her, the significance of participating in the event with Domi far outweighed the victory itself.

So the positions became like this—Domi sat at the back, acting as the rear-wheel drive; Shia was in the middle, closer to Domi; and Aiwei was at the very front, riding the waves like a long spear.

Very good, it has a strong presence and is just as impressive as the one next door.

Thanks to Edward's positive influence, the morale of the siblings' team remained consistently high. Even when Argyle and Rosa were too embarrassed to speak, he wasn't awkward at all and continued to encourage his teammates.

Let's come up with our slogan!

"Brother and sister united! Their strength can break metal! Shout with me..."

Soon, the game will begin.

Referee: "Both teams, take your positions... Ready... Go!"

As the small fireball flew into the sky and exploded, at a command, the rear-wheel drives of both teams began to rev up.

With its 51-point power, the two hands holding the oars spun rapidly like a small motor.

On the next track, Edward, who possesses fire magic, is at the back. Although he doesn't have Argyle's strength, he can breathe fire.

He silently chanted an incantation, then turned around and rowed in the opposite direction, while simultaneously spewing flames from his mouth. He managed to generate thrust for the ship using this unorthodox method, akin to nitrogen acceleration from another world.

Argyle, sitting at the very front, wasn't idle either. He used earth magic to create a pyramid-shaped windbreak and installed it at the bow, giving the small ship a streamlined bow like a supercar.

Reduced wind resistance means higher speed.

On the other hand, Shia is an illusion magician and Aiwei is a pure-blooded healer who can only work on land. The two of them are of little help. The only reason they can keep up with the siblings is because of Domi's superhuman strength.

But one person's strength is ultimately limited, and they were quickly left behind.

It's not that Domi is too bad; it's that he simply doesn't want to play seriously in a friendly match.

Otherwise, he could even activate the Emperor Engine, summon Susanoo, and row with his two giant hands. He could also summon the Three Heroes of Black Night Manor as laborers. If there was no room on the boat, he could dive to the bottom and swim with the boat on his back. He could also mold slimes into propellers and install them at the back, using magic to drive them into real little motors.

Surpassing your opponent using these unconventional methods can happen in an instant, but doing so defeats the purpose of the competition.

Domi enjoyed the game, Shia didn't care, only Aiwei was anxious.

As they watched the other party drift further and further away, even though they were paddling with all their might, it was all in vain.

"Faster...faster! We're falling behind so much!"

"Don't rush, don't rush, their magic will eventually run out."

Since it's a competition, basic respect is still necessary. Even though Shia didn't care about winning, she still gave it her all.

Seeing Aiwei's anxiety, Shia couldn't help but recall what she looked like when she was a child.

From a young age, she became competitive because she was the second daughter in the family, especially when competing with boys, she always put herself on an equal footing with them.

Just to prove to her parents that there's nothing wrong with being a girl.

Giving birth to two daughters in a row would be a huge headache even for Mitchell in this world.