Legend of Mir 2: Seeking the Truth in Marfa

The blue sky and the red evil star.

Vast fields and dense forests.

A young man, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, smiled as he gazed at a 2-meter-tall Piranha plant. Several bright red fruits were clearly visible on its massive head, and in the center was a large mouth, slightly open, revealing sharp fangs. On either side, two vines, each as thick as a bowl, danced like human arms, "swish, swish," gesturing toward the humans before them.

The Piranha Plant is a primary monster on the Marfa continent. It likes to hide in soft piles of fallen leaves or soil. When it senses prey entering its territory, it will drill out of the ground and attack.

"Xiaohua! It's me, Brook." The boy shouted at the carnivorous plant, as if the monster could hear him.

The carnivorous plant slowly lowered its vines and closed its mouth, and it actually understood.

Brooke took down the bamboo basket and squatted, searching for something. After a moment, he pulled a small package from the bottom of the basket, which was filled with herbs. He opened it and found a slaughtered chicken. Brooke threw the chicken toward the Piranha Plant. Before it even hit the ground, the plant opened its mouth and caught it, chomping down on it.

Brook laughed and walked straight towards the Piranha Plant.

You have to know that for an ordinary person like Brook with an attack power of 1 and a health of 10, the Piranha Plant is a deadly threat. It is difficult for an ordinary person to defeat the Piranha Plant, unless they are a powerful Marfa monk.

Strangely, the carnivorous plant didn't attack Brook until he reached the edge. Instead, it lowered its head and rubbed against Brook a few times, just like a domesticated animal, letting Brook pat its head.

The Piranha Plant usually appears at the edge of the woods. Its leaves and fruits are both valuable medicinal herbs. The leaves are easy to find, as they are plentiful and blown by the wind. The fruits are rarer, however, and are essential for crafting two expensive potions, the yellow and gray. But somehow this Piranha Plant appeared here.

Brook has loved domesticating plants and animals since childhood, raising chickens and sika deer in the village to great health. A few years ago, Brook stumbled upon this Piranha Plant. Although it was a demonic creature, its immobility inspired him to raise it. He fenced it in, protecting it and warning passersby to stay away.

Brooke would come over every now and then to feed the Piranha Plant, even chatting with it and naming it Little Flower. He slowly grew the short Piranha Plant to its current height of over 2 meters. The Piranha Plant, initially hostile and aggressive, gradually lowered its guard towards Brooke. Although it couldn't see clearly and couldn't understand Brooke's words, it gradually became familiar with his voice and scent, knowing that Brooke wouldn't hurt it. He also gave it food, and gradually became good friends with Brooke, even understanding a few simple words.

"Little Flower, I'm going to pick your fruits today. Just bear with it, it won't hurt," Brooke said beside the Piranha Plant. He stood on tiptoe and picked three bright red fruits from the plant's head. He left the remaining unripe ones untouched.

The carnivorous plant lowered its head obediently, allowing Brook to pick the fruit.

"Okay, little flower, I've picked them." Brooke put the fruits away and patted the Piranha Plant. "I came out a little late today. I have to go back. I'll see you next time. Bye."

Brooke walked over to the bamboo basket and examined the fist-sized red fruit in his hand. He was lucky today. These three Piranha fruits, plus the large basket of herbs—Piranha leaves, sedge, snakehead grass, rose hips, and nightshade branches—should be enough for Uncle Fu to make dozens of potions.

Looking at the sky, the sun was already setting. Uncle Fu would be worried if he stayed out too long. The walk back to the village would take 20 minutes. So Brooke gave it no more thought, carrying the bamboo basket on his back, and ran across the vast plain towards the village in the southwest.

The Marfa continent has a single day of just four hours: two hours of daylight and two hours of night. Numerous tribes inhabit the continent, mostly ordinary people, working from sunrise to sunset. A smaller number of practitioners, including mages who study the magic of nature, chasing light and fire, thunder and lightning; Taoists who explore the human spirit, healing wounds and using spells to seal and summon; and warriors who focus on physical training, seeking immense strength and wielding their swords like the wind. These individuals are revered as Marfa monks.

In the 1318th year of the Marfa Era, a strange phenomenon occurred. First, a once-in-a-century solar eclipse occurred. Then, a crimson star streaked across the sky, breaking the ancient gods' protective seal. The sky was split in two, and the crimson star finally came to rest in the northern sky. Then, a horde of demonic beasts descended upon Marfa, slaughtering all living creatures. Led by the Three Saints of Marfa, humans waged a war against the demonic beasts for over a decade. Although they achieved a hard-fought victory, wiping out most of the demonic beasts, they were unable to restore the ancient protective seal.

Because the demonic beasts could not be sealed, new ones would soon spawn, swarming like weeds, impossible to eradicate. Over time, the human population plummeted, leaving only one in a hundred, and the world was in imminent danger. Fortunately, the wise wizard Tianhong discovered a portal to another world on Cangyue Island and summoned warriors from another world. These warriors were gifted with magical powers, mental strength, and physical fortitude, making them valiant and skilled in battle. Most incredible of all, even if they died in battle, these warriors could be resurrected! With the help of these warriors, the beast tide was finally defeated, and the people of Marfa were able to respite and recuperate.

However, if the ancient seal is not repaired, the monsters will still come at any time, and the Marfa continent will still be shrouded by the red star.

Ginkgo Village was just ahead. Brook slowed down his pace.

"Uncle Gu!" Brook greeted the guard at the door.

"Xiaobu's back from collecting herbs. Come on in! Is everything going well?" Guli, in his forties, clad in silver armor and wielding a broadsword, was a member of the Marfa Guard, a powerful yet easygoing soldier currently assigned to guard Ginkgo Village.

"It went smoothly. I even picked up a few Piranha fruits. Is the village okay today? Are there any monsters?" Brooke came to the door and started chatting with Guli.

"A few small demon beasts are not worth mentioning. However," Guli's face was a little solemn, "I received an emergency notice from Biqi City in the afternoon. The wise man sensed the unusual movement of the red star and the revival of demonic energy. I'm afraid a large-scale beast tide is about to come."

"Then I have to inform Uncle Fu quickly and prepare more potions. Uncle Gu, do you have enough potions on you?" Brooke asked.

"I have enough potions. Ordinary monsters can't hurt me. But there will be too many monsters by then, and I'm afraid I won't be able to clean them up in time." Gu Li continued, "The Biqi messenger has the latest news. One hour after the beast tide, the wise man will open the portal to another world and summon a new batch of warriors from another world. Our Ginkgo Village is also one of the summoning and teleportation points."

"Wow! This is good. Ginkgo Village will become lively soon! Hey, the potions can be sold at a good price." Brook said happily.

Guli shook his head and sighed, "Warriors from other worlds are good, but not all of them are kind and righteous. Besides, they're not easy to control..." Guli hesitated. He patted Buluk on the shoulder, "Anyway, you should be careful these days. Oh, and the triennial Marfa monk selection has begun. All young men between the ages of 16 and 18 must participate. The examiners will be in Ginkgo Village tomorrow. It seems you're the only one in the village who meets the age requirement, right?"

"Well, but I don't want to be a monk. I just want to run the pharmacy and live a peaceful life with Uncle Fu." Becoming a Marfa monk requires carrying out missions, killing monsters, and being away from home all year round. Brooke, who is almost 18 years old, is not afraid of monsters, but he can't bear to leave Uncle Fu. He wants to stay in Ginkgo Village and take good care of him.

Brooke chatted with Guli for a few more words before saying goodbye. Passing the village square, he saw the notice for the monk selection posted on the bulletin board. He shrugged and continued walking toward the village pharmacy. He wanted to share this information with Uncle Fu.

Ginkgo Village might be a small place, but it had everything it needed: a warehouse, a pharmacy, a jewelry store, a weapons shop, and a general store. Brooke lived in the Xu Family Pharmacy, where he would gather herbs and help the owner, Xu Fu, make various potions.

"Uncle Fu, I'm back." Brooke shouted as soon as he entered the pharmacy. Seeing no one answering and no one in the yard, he went straight to the inner room with the bamboo basket on his back.

Xu Fu, the owner of Xu Family Pharmacy, was mixing medicine in the back room of the pharmacy. Medicine cabinets were neatly arranged around the pharmacy, with a table in the middle and a pair of crutches placed next to it.

"Xiaobu, you're finally back. I've been worried all afternoon." Xu Fu, a village doctor in his 50s, put down the medicine bottle in his hand and was relieved to see that Brook was safe and sound. "The village received a message this afternoon that a beast tide is coming. It's very dangerous outside. You should stay at home for the next few days."

"So you already knew. Uncle Gu also told me about this. Don't worry, I won't run around. I picked a lot of herbs today, and also three Piranha fruits given by Xiaohua." Brooke said after putting down the bamboo basket.

"You went to pick the man-eating plant again! Hey, the little flower is still a monster! You have to be careful. If anything happens, how can I explain it to your dead parents?"

Brook's parents were both Marfa monks. They died fighting monsters when Brook was very young. Xu Fu took care of the young Brook and, after enduring many hardships and migrating all the way, finally found Ginkgo Village to settle down.

When Brooke was 10 years old, Uncle Fu took Brooke out to collect herbs and unfortunately encountered a monster. Uncle Fu was seriously injured in order to save Brooke. Although he survived, he lost his leg.

Brooke was consumed by this incident, blaming himself endlessly. If he hadn't been so slow and held back, Uncle Fu wouldn't have been injured trying to save him. From then on, Brooke became more sensible, eager to help with work and take care of Uncle Fu's daily needs. He also rose early every day to practice boxing and swordplay to stay fit. His frequent herbal medicine-gathering trips also strengthened his agility.

Xu Fu devoted himself to refining medicines at home, treating patients, and running his shop. Although Ginkgo Village was small and travellers were few and far between, business wasn't great, but it was manageable. The two of them depended on each other for survival and looked after each other.

"Don't worry, Uncle Fu, I didn't go deep into the woods. I was just picking herbs around. You also know that Xiaohua is very well-behaved and it won't hurt me." Brooke comforted.

Xu Fu nodded, knowing Brooke was always well-behaved and clever. But thinking of that little flower, he couldn't help but offer a heartfelt warning: "We're not like humans teleported from another world. They can be resurrected, but we only have one life. Even Marfa monks are still mortal... Remember, stay away from danger. Safety first." He paused and asked, "Did you see the notice for the monk selection?"

Brooke nodded: "I see, I won't go."

"Nonsense, participation is mandatory according to the rules." Xu Fu pondered.

"I just said I was only 15."

"The names and ages have already been registered. There's no way to hide them."

"How about you prepare a poison for me, make me sick with a fever and vomiting, and then I won't have to go for the selection."

"Among the examiners, there should be a Taoist priest who is good at spiritual power and can cure common diseases."

"...If all else fails, I'll just deliberately break an arm or twist a leg?"

"Bullshit."

"I'm just kidding, Uncle Fu, don't take it seriously~" Brooke said with a laugh. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's not difficult, actually. The selection must be those with talent, or those with strong martial arts skills, or those who are well-educated. I just have to play dumb. I don't have any talent anyway, so when I encounter a problem, I just say I don't know and I can't do it. Can they still recruit a fool?"

Xu Fu was silent for a moment, then said, "Let it be. Becoming a Marfa monk has its advantages. At least you can protect yourself when encountering monsters. Don't you want to avenge your parents?"

Brooke looked at Uncle Fu and said seriously, "Even if you kill the monsters, what can you do? They will come again after a while. Besides, even if you kill them 100 times, your parents will not be able to come back to life again... Uncle Fu, don't think too much. I don't want to be a monk. I just want to stay and take care of you. I also want to marry a beautiful wife and have a fat boy. Then he will call you grandpa and pester you to tell him stories every day..."

As Xu Fu listened, he began to look forward to it unconsciously and smiled.

"By the way, Uncle Fu, why do we have to participate in the monk selection at the age of 16, but we have to be 18 to get married? Since the population of Marfa Continent is insufficient, we should get married first and then participate in the selection."

Xu Fu knew Brook was deliberately changing the subject to distract him, but he couldn't help but think about it. Suddenly, he remembered the owner of the Gao Family Clothing Store next door, and shuddered, "Maybe it's because some women are more difficult to deal with than the monsters on the battlefield."

"Hahahaha..." The two looked at each other, knowing who the other was thinking of, and laughed at the same time.

But who, what young man, has not had a heroic dream of being a hero and doing good?

I once dreamed of traveling to the end of the world with my sword.