Ch.332The Cradle of Life. Orcran Swamp (2)

Three hours before arrival, Viktor was reading books with Simon in the ship’s library, taking the opportunity to organize his final thoughts.

“Come to think of it, why is it called the Okran Swamp? Was it named after a person?”

When Viktor voiced this sudden question, Simon answered as if he had been waiting for it.

“Ah, that? The swamp got its name because okra is cultivated in large quantities in the plains surrounding the wetlands.”

“Okra? Is that some kind of crop?”

“It’s a plant commonly used as a side dish. It looks like this.”

(Image of okra. A pepper-like plant eaten in various forms—as namul, stir-fried, deep-fried, or used for soup stock.)

When Simon showed him the picture of okra in the book, Viktor nodded with a thoughtful “Hmm.”

Naming a region after its specialty product was one of many long-standing traditions, so there was nothing particularly unusual about the name Okran Swamp.

“But wouldn’t Okran Plains be more accurate then?”

“Ah, there’s a reason for that too. The farmers who grow okra collect clay from the swamp to mix into their fields to enhance soil fertility. It’s quite effective, you see. Even now, okra farmers pay adventurers good money to bring them clay from the swamp.”

“Oh… So they’re maintaining tradition?”

“You could say that. Due to geographical indication regulations, they can’t label their product as ‘Swamp Okra’ unless they mix in the clay.”

“Ah!”

Geographical indication? Good heavens. Except for when he worked at Parcival’s port and looked up the meaning of “protected by geographical indication…” out of curiosity, Viktor had no connection to such terminology.

Confirming that the principles of capitalism could indeed penetrate anywhere, Viktor found himself hoping that okra dishes would be served at the banquet awaiting him.

“But is mixing swamp clay really that effective? It seems like chemical fertilizers could easily replace it.”

“Well, the power of tradition can be surprisingly strong. Unlike chemical fertilizers, there’s no risk of environmental pollution, and the clay is endlessly replenished when rain washes in new sediment. Above all, it’s cheaper. Even when hiring adventurers, they only need to fetch a single bucket from the adjacent swamp.”

“Hmm… I suppose that explains why there are so many adventurers.”

“Famous places always attract adventurers. As they say, if you must be a slave, be a duke’s slave. At one of the continent’s four major attractions, you can make a living just from the scraps that fall.”

“Is this what they call the trickle-down effect…?”

“You could say that. Though of course, one shouldn’t neglect wealth redistribution. The falling water eventually stops.”

“Hmm.”

Viktor nodded at Simon’s explanation. When he was in Parcival, during mayoral elections, the waterfront would overflow with people attracted by free meals and various welfare benefits. Then, once the election ended and the soup kitchens were dismantled and benefits reduced, people would recede like the tide, a pattern that repeated continuously.

Of course, the difference between the poor and adventurers was quite clear, making a direct comparison impossible, but he would soon be in a position where he needed to pay more attention to the poor than to fellow adventurers.

*

“Move quickly! The deity will descend soon!”

Clatter… Clatter…

Thwack! Thwack!

As the 1.3 million-ton airship gradually approached, the pupils of Okran Swamp’s citizens preparing to welcome their deity grew increasingly smaller.

“What about the gumbo and jambalaya?”

“Finished! Just needs plating!”

“Good! Start crowd control and lay down the carpets. Double-check the cleaning status and absolutely do not let any of the poor approach!”

After the shocking events in Karluk, nations welcoming the deity began putting their utmost effort into receiving the distinguished guests.

The issue wasn’t just that a regime could fall if a poor person grabbed the hem of one’s pants—a country could truly be “normalized.” And the problem was that this wasn’t even an invasion they could protest against, but divine governance, leaving them literally unable to make a peep.

As a result, the main road—usually sticky from adventurers trudging through the swamp—had been scraped clean by 200,000 people with gum scrapers until even the mayor was surprised at how clean the ground had become. The entrances to the swamp were locked to maintain the city’s cleanliness until the deity’s visit ended.

Of course, there was nothing they could do about the distinctive fishy smell due to the city’s proximity to the swamp.

“A shuttle is descending from the Sun’s Flagship!”

“The welcoming committee! Is the welcoming committee fully prepared?!”

“Of course. We’ve even mobilized children to scatter flowers.”

“I see… Then all that’s left is to pray.”

The staff members bustling about the site looked up at the magnificently decorated shuttle with those words.

May the deity inside be pleased with this city. They could only hope and pray.

*

Hisss…

As the shuttle door opened, bright sunlight shone into his eyes.

But as he was the God of Light, his eyes merely gleamed refreshingly as they absorbed the strong light.

“The weather is good. That’s fortunate.”

In truth, had the weather not been good, he would have made it so himself. His powers had developed to the point where he could easily control the weather of an entire city.

“Come now, let’s disembark. We haven’t had breakfast yet, so we should receive their greetings and then enjoy the banquet.”

“Hmm.”

Viktor nodded at Simon’s words and descended majestically with his arm linked with his wife’s.

As their feet touched the ground, pre-pubescent children holding flower baskets scattered flowers they had likely never seen before, and one flower carelessly fell onto his wife’s chest.

“Oh my.”

Viktor carefully picked up the flower that had fallen on Raisha’s ocean-wide bosom, and asked the official who had come to welcome them about it.

“This is an unfamiliar flower. What is it called?”

The official examined the flower briefly before giving a familiar answer.

“It’s a swamp lotus, Your Holiness. It blooms during seasonal transitions, and as summer is ending and autumn beginning, it’s at its most beautiful stage, which is why we gathered them.”

“I see. Swamp lotus… Are you prepared to receive us?”

Viktor burned the flower in his hand, then mixed its ashes with divine power and drew a cross on the official’s forehead and bridge of nose.

It was truly ironic to represent the radiance of the sun with ashes symbolizing the end of heat, but the official was overjoyed, exclaiming that the deity had marked him with a sacred stigma.

“Make way! The Sun God walks upon this land!”

Walking on the carpet strewn with trampled flowers, the five noble visitors proceeded to the banquet hall with the welcoming committee.

The banquet was prepared in the plaza, symbolizing to the citizens that the deity was being received as a “guest” through the process of dining.

“Please, partake. This is Okran’s hospitality.”

“Well then…”

Before they took their seats, the welcoming committee offered them each a drink and a rice cake with leaves attached.

This was to confirm their intentions before the main banquet began, reaffirming the customs of hospitality.

“What is this refreshment?”

“The drink is made from the sap of swamp trees mixed with milk, then boiled with honey and ground pine nuts. The rice cake is a white steamed rice cake decorated with leaves. The leaves grown in the swamp have a unique fragrance perfect for stimulating the appetite.”

“Oh.”

Upon hearing this, the five exchanged glances before eating the rice cakes and drinking the beverages, accepting their hospitality.

There’s no need to elaborate on how their expressions brightened with each sip of the drink and each bite of the rice cake.

“This feels like having dessert as an appetizer.”

“Haha. I apologize that you feel that way before even starting the main banquet. Please, sit here. We’ve prepared delicacies from the swamp that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”

Even a deity cannot carelessly violate human customs. A capricious god receives worse evaluations than an evil one. If a deity lacks the steadfastness to follow rules, who would believe in and follow them?

“Ah… Do you have any dishes with okra?”

“Pardon?”

“No, I just heard that okra is a specialty here.”

“Ah… Of course. Okra is included in the gumbo and jambalaya. If you wish, we can prepare other okra dishes as well…”

“No need. I’d like to eat what you’ve prepared. It’s been a while since I’ve dined outdoors, and I don’t want to spoil the atmosphere.”

With those words, Viktor showed mercy to the chefs who had undoubtedly stayed up all night preparing for the distinguished guests.