...
"What..." M. Mauree frowned. He had previously drunk the luck enhancement potion, yet he was immediately faced with bad luck.
Intrigue and skepticism surged within him. He eyed the warm feces beneath his boots with an amused expression.
It was from the test chicken! It got back at him!
"Sigh. Am I really that unfortunate?" he pondered while feeding the coop.
"Perhaps the potion pushes away bad luck from a person rather than increasing a person's luck?" he wondered.
He wanted to understand the potion's effects, thus he thought of conducting a simple test himself. Since it was a relatively minor case, a personal account would be better than testing on the chicken.
Animal testing was commonly used for detecting harmful substances.
Determining the actual effects required observation and in-depth analysis or deconstruction of the potion itself.
For now, he wanted to test it by gambling in the neighboring town's circus.
"I heard there was a new innovation in town—the Wheel of Fortune. If I can bet correctly on the slice where the wheel stops, I could make some extra cash," he thought.
"Today is my birthday anyway. My schedule is free. Less work and more rest for me!"
"Perhaps I could even consider buying alcohol on the way back, try to get a good deal with this luck, if it's real..." he pondered, wiping himself clean with a wet towel from a water bucket.
He stood before an intricately carved mirror hanging on the wall as a young man came into view, his clothes changed and his hair combed neatly, drying himself.
The young man donned a white shirt and brown trousers beneath a faded jumper. His hair was layered with curling locks of golden strands, and his features were soft.
He had a pair of golden-brown eyes, and his face was adorned with a hint of youthful mischief.
A distinct air of innocent curiosity and borderline madness lingered around the young man's slim figure.
This was the human known as M. Mauree.
...
The young man skipped past the nearby barn, making a straight line for the neighboring town. He was greeted by the townsfolk on the way.
Numerous houses with thatched roofs and wood planks greeted him as he passed by. These houses were not thatched out of poverty but out of practicality.
With an abundance of dried plants and grass, the townsfolk could easily cover their heads with inexpensive materials, providing warmth from cold and cover from rain.
Furthermore, the townsfolk believed that by putting the dried grass above their heads, they were displaying respect for the gods, placing the human at the same level as the plants or even beneath them.
This had apparently helped them produce and sell more crops in previous years.
Although in reality, this tradition started decades ago when the first village chief founded the village.
He was a missionary skilled with talismans, making several totems that chased off pests and blessed their crops.
His recipes were then kept by the Parish and refined further by the following chiefs.
Their tradition also served as an effective excuse against preachers and missionaries, showing that they already believed in a deity—The Goddess of Earth, the faith of the village's founder.
Additionally, most households commonly kept an inherited recipe or mystical record.
M. Mauree was not surprised that his grandfather had one himself, but he was more surprised that it had arrived perfectly at twelve midnight, on the dot, of his birthday.
It was unsettling and creepy!
He could not help but think that perhaps fate had a hand in its delivery as he recalled.
"It is strange, but perhaps it was merely a coincidence that it had arrived precisely at midnight. Or maybe my brother simply thought it would be funny to have Grandpa's creepy inheritance sent at that time."
"He had that contracted creature deliver his present, huh? How convenient. Although his taste is quite edgy, I must say, with the crows, black feathers, and all." He sighed.
...
Cling!
A faint metallic sound of an object falling on the ground rang.
M. Mauree looked around. He swiveled his head and spotted a penny on the road. It had a solid "1" engraved on its surface.
"Is it working?" He grinned as he picked it up. Perhaps his luck was finally coming in.
The young man would then proceed to pick up five more pennies on the way, even receiving a few compliments and a free silver watch in someone's scrap.
The watch was already used, but he was still happy. It was free! And it functioned too!
"Maybe this time, I can finally make a fortune. Becoming upper-class rich is still out of the question, but at least I have better chances." He was overjoyed, gaining more confidence in the potion's effects.
As M. Mauree was yet to graduate from his teens, he, too, was still figuring out his path in life. Thus, he had decided to save money and get to the cities for now with his brother—he, or rather, they wanted to be rich together!
Eventually, he passed through the familiar bridge with a praying lady statue and reached the neighboring town thirty minutes away from home.
By the time he had arrived, he had collected over a dozen pennies!
"Wait..."
"Surely, this won't come back to bite me later, right?" he anxiously thought. He was suddenly reminded of karma and equality.
"I'm not gonna get robbed by a bunch of goons on my way back, am I? Or perhaps even encounter a beast on the way. Oh dear..."
He suddenly felt guilty and wary of his new luck. It felt too good to be true, and he even felt unworthy. He feared that fate might demand an equal compensation of misfortune back.
M. Mauree was walking towards his destination. He was deep in his soliloquy when suddenly, a voice interrupted.
"Oi, oi, oi, what do we have here? We got a new face 'round town."
A deep masculine voice called out. His heart skipped a beat, his forehead sweating.
"Where are you goin'? Hey! I'm talking to you. Don't ignore me." The voice called out once more.
M. Mauree did not stop to look back. He calmly walked forward, marching towards the town's gate where two guards were stationed.
He passed through the stone gate and greeted the guards with a subtle nod, the words, "Grunville," engraved on a hanging signage.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The shadow of a tall figure came up from behind with heavy steps and spoke in a deep, intimidating tone.
"You should face someone when they're talking to you, boy."
"Turn around and look at me."