Little Pink Starfish

It was just a simple request to offer a tribute, and yet Gwen always somehow managed to seem irritating whenever he did this. Nyne wasn’t the only one who felt that way—it showed in the way the other Reshas’ lips twitched or their brows quivered despite their radiant smiles. Nyne resisted the urge to say no and only nodded with detached grace.

When it came to the sacred priests of the Grand Temple, the so-called mages were generally physically weak. According to Iyu, it was because they spent all day locked indoors, pouring over books. Gwen’s physique wasn’t frail; it was actually fairly well-toned and pleasant to look at. Still, he was a mage. What kind of impressive game could he possibly have hunted?

…Then again, he did have magic.

As Nyne wondered what Gwen would reveal this time, Gwen rustled behind him, pulling something out. It was covered in linen and looked more like a round-roofed pillar than a beast.

“This is my offering.”

“What on earth is that?”

When the cloth was removed, Nyne’s eyes widened. Gwen’s tribute was a living bird inside a cage. Not just any bird—but a pair of golden-bluebirds whose feathers shimmered gold in the sunlight. Their deep blue feathers sparkled like lapis lazuli dusted with gold, and atop their heads sat a golden crest like a tiny crown. One of the birds, perched quietly, blinked with black eyes and let out a whistle-like chirp.

Nyne had only ever seen a few feathers from such birds used in jewelry—seeing a living one was a true rarity. He was genuinely impressed before he even realized it.

“I was lucky to discover them while hunting, and I managed to capture them with difficulty. As they are a pair of affectionate birds, I offer them with the hope that Sha Nyne, too, will live a life full of warmth.”

Gwen passed the cage through an attendant priest, who carefully brought it forward. The birds gazed up at Nyne with gentle eyes—unusually tame for wild birds. When Nyne praised the tribute and had the cage re-covered with linen, Gwen gave a mild smile and sat back down. The expressions on the other Reshas were clearly sour.

They weren’t the only ones displeased. Even on the walk back to the tent after the meal, Lu was glaring at the birdcage as if it had personally wronged him.

“This really seems strange, Nyne-nim.”

Watching a priest carefully hang the cage inside the tent, Lu couldn’t hold back his discontent.

“How can someone just happen to stumble upon golden-bluebirds while hunting? Isn’t it more likely he caught them beforehand?”

To Nyne, it seemed Lu was more disappointed than suspicious. He had been riding high after offering a respectable tribute—only for Gwen to one-up everyone with flair. Nyne tore his gaze from the fluttering golden feathers and tried to console Lu.

“It’s still just a bird, no? If you ask me, your tribute was bigger and better than anything the other Reshas brought.”

“Right? It’s just a tiny bird, no match for a full-grown stag…”

Lu puffed up his chest, but his voice sounded faintly deflated. As he watched a priest feed fruit slices to the birds, Nyne realized this might be a good excuse to summon Gwen.

“I should reward him for his offering. Bring Lan Gwen here.”

“Yes, Sha Nyne.”

Though Lu looked glum, it couldn’t be helped. Gwen was the only person in Trastasa who might give Nyne the answers he sought. A short time later, Gwen arrived at Nyne’s tent, bowing under Lu’s sharp glare.

“Your true servant greets Sha Nyne.”

At Nyne’s nod, Gwen raised his head slowly—his eyes glinted oddly, as if filled with some quiet anticipation. Nyne leaned back comfortably in his chair and spoke.

“I summoned you because your tribute was rare enough to merit a reward.”

“To offer tribute to Sha is my duty—how could I dare accept a reward?”

The smooth answer made it clear Gwen had fully adjusted to the Grand Temple. He usually wore a modest kalasiris, but today he was dressed in a loincloth with green jade beads strung into his bracelets and necklace. Compared to other expensive gems, jade was not especially rare, but on Gwen’s pale skin, it looked surprisingly fitting. Perhaps it was because, being from the north, his skin didn’t burn easily.

“If you insist, then I’ll withhold the reward.”

Even when Nyne teased him, Gwen’s expression didn’t flicker—he only smiled. Watching the two golden-bluebirds preening each other, Nyne casually asked,

“I’ve heard you traveled widely before coming to Trastasa. Are golden-bluebirds rare outside this land as well?”

Before getting to what he really wanted to ask, he eased into it with light curiosity. Gwen responded politely.

“Of course, Sha. They’re elusive birds that live only in deep valleys within forests—rare enough to be worth their weight in gold. However, there was one place where they were more common.”

“There’s such a place?”

Nyne raised an eyebrow. If such a region existed anywhere on the continent, the golden-bluebird wouldn’t be so rare. Lu, clearly displeased, scoffed at Gwen’s claim. Gwen ignored the scoffing and answered calmly.

“It’s on another continent. I believe a few pairs somehow ended up here by chance and only bred in limited numbers.”

“Another continent…”

Nyne muttered, recalling what little he knew. Even in the Grand Temple—home to the most learned minds—knowledge of other continents was rare. Sea routes to them were long and dangerous. Once every few years, a foreign ship might dock to resupply before quickly departing again. All they had were strange foreign goods and sparse records from those who claimed to have visited.

“And how did you end up on another continent?”

“As you can see, my hair and eye color are extremely rare.”

Gwen touched his pink hair and eyes.

“Outside my family, I’ve never met anyone else with these colors. I was always curious about why. But I found no one with pink hair in the south, west, or east. Eventually, while researching my ancestry, I discovered an entry in my great-grandmother’s journal—she had come from another continent.”

Even Lu, who had been sneering, now fell silent and listened. Information about other continents was exceedingly rare. Gwen smiled as he continued.

“I’ve always enjoyed traveling, and I simply decided to go. I wanted to see for myself.”

Simple words—but few would dare make such a decision, much less risk their life at sea just to trace their bloodline.

“So were there many pink-haired people there? Like the golden-bluebirds?”

“Yes. People from that continent had very different pigments. Some had hair and eyes like the sky, or even purple.”

Gwen then shared stories of what he had seen—cities built on mountain peaks, people of all ages with long braided hair adorned with flowers, carriages that flew using a massive, hot, floating orb…

Lu, who had been listening intently, finally snapped out of it and muttered,

“Nyne-nim, how can you believe him? Saying he’s been to another continent… it all sounds like nonsense.”

Gwen didn’t bother to argue—he just smiled. To Nyne, it didn’t seem like Gwen was lying. As he focused on the story, Nyne naturally asked, as though it had just occurred to him,

“Then… do the gods reside there too, as they do here?”

“Yes, Sha. Just like here, gods rule over people and dwell among them.”

Nyne leaned forward unconsciously. A strand of black hair fell over his shoulder. This was what he had been waiting to hear.

“I’m curious about how they worship. I was born and raised in Trastasa—I know little of the outside world. So I want to know what other gods look like and how their worshippers practice their faith.”

It was a plausible curiosity, and the attending priests didn’t find it strange. Only Gwen seemed to sense the deeper intent, his eyes subtly shifting.

“What exactly do you wish to know, Sha? I’ll answer anything.”

“Do their worshippers…”

Nyne stopped himself. He had intended to say “do other gods,” but he didn’t want to raise suspicions among the priests listening.

“Do their followers serve them as devoutly as the faithful servants of Trastasa?”

Luckily, his voice sounded more curious than deeply invested.